Monitoring of water quality in the Rega River and its tributaries and their usefulness for fish species of high habitat requirements
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1
West Pomeranian University of Technology, Poland
Threats to natural value of coastal rivers of the southern Baltic results from physical factors (e.g. damming, channel reconstruction, hydro power plants), chemical (wastewater discharge) and biological (e.g. infection with VHS virus from fish farms) factors. In this context, it is advisable to monitor their water quality. The Rega River is among the main rivers of the region: length 168 km, surface area 2725 km2, mean annual flow at the estuary 20.6 m3/s.
The aim of the study was assessment of water quality in the Rega River and its largest tributaries in annual cycle, in order to identify the physico-chemical factors which cause a significant deterioration in the living conditions of fishes, especially salmonids. The procedures used followed the recommendations contained in the Act of the Minister of Environment of October 4th 2002 regarding requirements for inland waters which are fish habitats in natural conditions (Dz. U. Nr 176, poz. 1455). The water quality indices were determined following the Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater (American Public Health Association, 2005).
The water of the studied rivers was characterised by moderate salinity (electrolytic conductivity of 150-400 S cm-1), moderate hardness (>300 mg CaCO3 dm-3) and a wide range of values of total suspension (from 10 to 310 mg dm-3) – in winter the last index usually exceeded the recommended values. In the group of determined indices, water temperature (range of temperature in summer was 10.8-18.4oC), acidity (pH in all the study period ranging from 6 to 9), as well as ammonium nitrogen and total phosphorus (respective concentrations of >0.78 mgN dm-3 and >0.2 mgP dm-3) always met the requirements for waters as habitats of species of the genus Salmo, family Coregonidae or the grayling (Thymallus thymallus). However, the concentration of dissolved oxygen (mostly exceeding 7 mgO2 dm-3) and content of organic matter (BOD5 values usually below 3 mgO2 dm-3) sporadically failed to meet the standards recommended for fish species with high habitat requirements. The index which sporadically disqualified the water in the monitored rivers was nitrite nitrogen, however the concentration of N-NO2- was usually within 0.1 to 0.3 mg dm-3 – optimum for cyprinid species (Cyprinidae) as well as such species as pike (Esox Lucius), perch (Perca fluviatilis) and eel (Anguilla anguilla).
In conclusion it can be said that the studied waters may constitute adequate environment for fish species with high habitat requirements, but the quality of the habitat conditions is deteriorated by periodic increase in the content of nitrite nitrogen and episodic deterioration of oxygen conditions resulting from increased content of organic matter.
Acknowledgements
The study was done within the project no 00001-6521.1-OR1600002/17/18 financed by Sectoral Operational Programme "Fisheries and See 2014-2020"
Keywords:
Salmo spp.,
Water Pollution,
dissolved oxygen,
Nitrogen,
Phosphorus,
, total suspended solids
Conference:
XVI European Congress of Ichthyology, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2 Sep - 6 Sep, 2019.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
ECOLOGY AND LIFE CYCLES
Citation:
Nędzarek
A,
Tórz
A,
Bonisławska
M,
Tański
A,
Korzelecka-Orkisz
A,
Więcaszek
B and
Formicki
K
(2019). Monitoring of water quality in the Rega River and its tributaries and their usefulness for fish species of high habitat requirements.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XVI European Congress of Ichthyology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2019.07.00019
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Received:
30 May 2019;
Published Online:
14 Aug 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Mx. Krzysztof Formicki, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, West Pomeranian, 70-310, Poland, Krzysztof.Formicki@zut.edu.pl