Current Issue

Dynamics of micropollutant loads into water supply reservoirs Vír I, Opatovice and Ludkovice

Pesticides are still an important group of substances involved in surface water pollution. Their increased occurrence in watercourses in the agricultural landscape is mainly linked to rainfall-runoff conditions, types of cultivated crops, and methods of agricultural management. In order to capture these factors, passive sampling techniques were chosen for the assessment of the load of these substances in selected catchments of water supply reservoirs in the administration of Povodí Moravy State Enterprise. These techniques consist of continuous exposure for several weeks with gradual (integrative) capture of pollution on suitable sorbents. The POCIS (polar organic chemical integrative samplers) were chosen in this work – widely used samplers suitable for capturing polar organic substances. They were applied in eight consecutive sampling campaigns to cover the entire growing season.

Impact of weir construction at locality Abovce (Slovakia) on groundwater levels – a case study from Slaná river basin

The construction of weirs on rivers affects the dynamics of groundwater levels. The weir built on the river Slaná in the year 2010 between the village of Abovce and Chanava brought the opportunity to study such impact due to preexisting groundwater monitoring wells of the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute. to verify the impact of the constructed weir on groundwater dynamics in the area, records of weekly data were used ranging from 1986 to 2018. In addition, the spatial range of influenced areas was carried out using geographical information systems, and spatial interpolation techniques were used. The results showed that immediately after the construction of the weir, the groundwater level rose significantly.

Potential of areas protected for surface water storage to mitigate the impacts of climate change on drinking water supply

In the Czech Republic, areas morphologically, geologically and hydrologically suitable for surface water storage to mitigate the adverse effects of floods and droughts are defined through the General Plan for Surface Water Accu-mulation Areas. In the context of climate change, these locations create potential for possible adaptation measures. This article describes the assessment of the potential of selected sites for water supply under climate change condi-tions by means of hydrological and water balance modelling.

Small headwater catchments – spatial delimitation and their classification in terms of runoff risks

This article presents an aerial delineation of small headwater catchments up to 5 km2 in the Czech Republic. The aim was not only to present the delineation of these catchments, but also their categorization in terms of the characteristics affecting the formation of direct runoff. Direct runoff caused by torrential rainfall is a very dynamic process of episodic nature and has a major impact specifically in small catchments. The delineation of small headwater catchments, where the aforementioned processes take place, can complement the standard hierarchical classification of basins in the Czech Republic. These basins make up 80 % of the Czech Republic.

Modelling flow distribution in inlet galleries

The main objective of the article was to optimize the facilities used to distribute flows in inlet galleries, which are used not only in water treatment plants, but also in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). While working in the field of WWTP, it was found that there are no optimized facilities in the Czech Republic or globally for uniform distribution of flows to any number of inlet branches into reservoirs of the same flow rate. Currently, in most unregulated facilities, there are significant differences between the various inlet branches to the reservoirs. In regulated facilities, the outlets must be regulated at each change in flow rate and, for changes in the number of inlets to the reservoir (e.g., due to reservoir shutdown), each outlet must be manually adjusted (e.g., using a sluice gate) so that all inlets to reservoirs have the same flow rate.

Interview with Jaroslav Pollert, professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at CTU and a successful Czechoslovak representative in canoeing

Jaroslav Pollert senior, Olympic Games Barcelona 1992, leader of the canoeist expedition Do you remember the first time that water appealed to you so much that you decided to dedicate your professional and private life to it? It is quite a difficult question. to say that the motive was building “dams” in the streams after the rain would probably… Read more »

The history of the grey water footprint, or let‘s quote the originator of the idea

The water footprint was introduced in 2002 [1] and quickly became a popular tool for assessing anthropogenic impacts associated with human activities. The basic methodological document that describes the water footprint methodology is the Water Footprint Assessment Manual from 2011 [2]. The water footprint consists of three components, depending on the source and type of water use: 1) the blue water footprint represents water consumption from water sources,… Read more »

Circular sample 2022

A circular sample is a sample that allows laboratories in particular to compare their professional skills with each other. Officially, it is a test of the competence of laboratories, which takes place under the auspices of the Centre for Assessment of Laboratory Competence (ASLAB), in the field on which the given laboratory focuses (hydrobiological, microbiological, chemical, or radiochemical). The compliant laboratory subsequently obtains a certificate. The last multiparametric circular sample in the field of hydrobiology was prepared at WRI… Read more »