VTEI / Hydrochemistry, radioecology, microbiology, hydrobiology

Hydrochemistry, radioecology, microbiology, hydrobiology

Assessment of trends in concentrations of chemical and physico-chemical indicators of the status of surface water bodies

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This article presents the results of trend assessment of selected chemical and physicochemical indicators of surface water status. The assessment approach is based on a similar procedure for assessing significant upward trends of pollutants and trend reversals in groundwater bodies. The procedure is based on measured concentrations from 2010 to 2018 and estimates concentrations at the end of 2021, 2024, and 2027. For the trend assessment, data from Czech river basin state enterprises were used to assess the ecological status/potential and the chemical status of surface water bodies. However, only part of the profiles with measured concentrations met the time series requirements. The assessment of trends towards the end of 2024 and 2027 shows that some indicators (polyaromatic hydrocarbons, adsorbable organically bound halogens – AOX, and nitrate nitrogen) are projected to improve compared to the status as of 2018. On the other hand, a slight deterioration is predicted for biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved nickel, and ammonia nitrogen.

Radioactive indicators in surface waters of the Ploučnice river basin

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The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) is engaged in systematic monitoring and evaluation of radiological indicators in surface waters. The article describes changes in the values of radiological indicators in surface waters in the time series from 1967 to the present. The evolution of total volume alpha and beta activity, uranium concentration, and radium activity (226Ra) is described on characteristic profiles in the area of uranium-containing raw materials mining, in the vicinity of Stráž pod Ralskem, where the mining of radioactive raw materials has already been suppressed. The Ploučnice river flows through this mining area and flows into the Elbe river in Děčín near the Hřensko border crossing, where activities of radiological indicators are also monitored and documented.

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

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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.

Circular sample 2022

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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 »

Radiological methods in the hydrosphere 17

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This article is available in Czech only. For translation or more information on this topic, please contact author. Dne 3. a 4. května 2017 se bude konat konference Radiologické metody v hydrosféře 17 v hotelu Zlatá hvězda v Litomyšli. Konference se budeme zabývat změnami v legislativě: nový atomový zákon č. 263/2016 Sb., vyhláška č. 360/2016 Sb., vyhláška… Read more »

Bacteria from the family Enterobacteriaceae in reused water and their antibiotic susceptibility

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The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae family (i.e. total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms and Escherichia coli) in different types of recycled waters (grey water, rain water and reclaimed water from the public city fountains) and problems with their detection (especially ensitivity and specificity of detection methods). The species composition of coliform bacteria in purified grey waters with their antibiotic resistance are presented.

Interview with Ing. Eva Juranová, head of the Department of Analysis and Assessment of Environmental Components at TGM WRI

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This article is available in Czech only. For translation or more information on this topic, please contact author. Paní inženýrko, ve svém výzkumu se zaměřujete především na problematiku radioaktivity v životním prostředí. Bylo toto téma již od počátku v centru vaší badatelské pozornosti? Ano, dá se to tak říct. Ve VÚV TGM jsem jako čerstvý absolvent začínala… Read more »

Centrum Voda (Center Water)

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Centrum Voda je výzkumný projekt, který hledá řešení problémů vyplývajících z klimatické změny a jejího vlivu na vodní poměry. Snažíme se nalézat odpovědi na základní otázky, jestli dokážeme zajistit dostatek kvalitní vody nejen pro potřeby člověka, ale i pro naši krajinu, zda se zvládneme vyrovnat s přívalovými povodněmi a jak dále snižovat znečištění vodního prostředí.

Use of SARS-CoV-2 virus monitoring in wastewater from WWTP of various categories for epidemic surveillance in the Czech Republic

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The principle of wastewater diagnostics is a suitable complementary approach that can help to gain epidemiological information on a large part of the population in a non-invasive way. The course of the pandemic spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been showing a cyclical course of successive waves of Covid-19 since 2020. For this model, a systematic detection of the occurrence of its agent in wastewater is a very effective approach.

Occurrence of pesticides in the Punkva river

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The Moravian Karst is the largest and most karstic area in the Czech Republic, and, as such, it is a protected landscape area (PLA). The karst area occupies a strip of Devonian limestone north of Brno. The north part of Moravian Karst is drained by the river Punkva and its headwaters. One of the biggest cave systems in central Europe is located there, Amaterska cave, which is more than 40 km long.

Despite the strict protection measures that are in place in the PLA, the presence of pollutants and potentially hazardous substances has recently been detected in the Punkva river and its catchment. The sources of this pollution are found both within the territory of Moravian Karst PLA and in the river´s catchment, and they are related to anthropogenic activities and land use. This article focuses on the occurrence of pesticides, especially triazine and azole pesticides and their polar metabolites. In 2020, a new significant contaminant, 1,2,4-triazole, a common relevant metabolite of azole pesticides, was found at the site concerned. These substances can have fatal effects not only on the endemic organisms living in the Moravian Karst, but they can also endanger human health because the local groundwater is used as a source of drinking water. Thanks to the studies carried out, the protection zones around the cave system have been extended, reducing the negative effects of agricultural activities in the area of interest.

Possibilities of using spectroscopy for the evaluation of forest soil properties

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The aim of this study was to objectively evaluate the applicability of VNIR spectroscopy (spectroscopy in the visible and near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum) for the prediction of forest soil properties. The most appropriate combinations of statistical pre-processing (no pre-processing, continuum removal, 1st and 2nd derivative) and processing (PLSR – partial least squares regression, PCR – principal component regression, SVM – support vector machines) methods in specific spectral bands were sought for each soil property.

Vertical distribution of radioactive caesium-137 in soil

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In the past, the environment of the Czech Republic was contaminated with anthropogenic radionuclides as a result of atmospheric nuclear weapon testing and the Chernobyl accident. The paper summarises results of vertical migration of 137Cs in soil in selected sites, performed as part of collecting data for ground water vulnerability assessment. Three sites with a different land cover were included (forest, meadow and arable land). In order to determine vertical migration of anthropogenic radionuclides, soil samples were collected up to the depth of 100 cm and subsequently analysed using the gamma-ray spectrometry.

Concentration and enumeration methods of somatic coliphages in water samples

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Somatic coliphages are a new indicator for monitoring the efficiency of water treatment and purification in the Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on the quality of water intended for human consumption and in Regulation (EU) 2020/741 of the European Parliament and of the Council from 25 May 2020 on minimum requirements for water reuse.

Change of microbial community in tertiary wastewater treatment

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The aim of this contribution is the presentation of partial results of testing tertiary technology for recycling of treated urban wastewater. The obtain water will be used for watering of greenery, playgrounds, or for street cleaning. The quality of the treated water depends on the purpose of the use.

Search for suitable molecular markers for species differentiation of enterococci

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Enterococci, together with representatives of the species Escherichia coli, belong to the so-called indicators of faecal pollution, which are used in the evaluation of the microbiological quality of bathing waters. Their determination is governed by the Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 238/2011 Coll. and performed by culture on selective agar media.

Use of Earth remote sensing methods to monitor the condition of bathing sites

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The Ministry of Health in cooperation with other related bodies compiles, on an annual basis, the List of outdoor bathing sites on surface waters where the bathing service is offered by the operator, and other surface waters used for bathing. It is compiled based on the long-term monitoring, performed, exclusively as in-situ measurements, by the regional hygiene stations. With respect to the fact that this way of monitoring is not only time-consuming but also financially demanding, the need for minimizing these expenses naturally arises.

Ecotoxicological evaluation of river sediments in selected localities of the Odra river basin

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The paper deals with the issue of pollution of river (bottom) sediments in the Odra river basin, which is located in one of the most anthropogenically polluted areas of the Czech Republic. The presented results are based on the evaluation of river sediments collected on eight selected profiles of water bodies belonging to the Odra river basin using a battery of five ecotoxicological tests including indicator organisms of different trophic levels.

Municipal wastewater as a diagnostic medium of the City of Prague

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The article informs about regular, almost two-year long monitoring of municipal wastewater at selected sampling points of the Prague sewerage network. Selected illicit drugs (e.g. methamphetamine, MDMA, THC, cocaine), nicotine and its metabolites and the ethanol metabolite ethyl sulphate are monitored in municipal wastewater.

Using modern analytical methods for risk management and the creation of territorial strategies

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Social-economic and safety risks in area are one of the main topics in these days, which in the long term affect the stability of local societies. For identification of these risks, we can use modern technology of data collection based on the analysis of illicit substances in city wastewater, as the cities are a high-risk areas from the social perspective in the Czech Republic.

The Clean Water – a Healthy City: The usability of the existing information collection system to fulfillment of goals

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The contribution is part of the Clean Water – a Healthy City project, which deals with the prediction of the possible occurrence of hazardous chemicals during the accidental pollution and floods. Lists the databases that are currently on the subject and with their practical applicability.

The First Czechoslovak Republic hydrobiological stations – The beginnings of scientific fish research in Moravia

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Field stations represent one of the forms of fishery or fishpond research. Their origins can be found at the end of the 19th century, but this type of research program flourished during the interwar era. At that time, two of the oldest and most important hydrobiological stations in Moravia – Lednice (1922) and Velké Meziříčí (1928) – were established.

Water recreation in Prague from history to the present days

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When we looked back to the history, we found out that water recreation in Prague had a long tradition. The Vltava river lidos were very popular as a leisure activity in Prague. A possible expansion of places for swimming and water recreation in Prague represents the main aim of the project – Possibility of water recreation in Prague (from history to the present days).

Water quality of the Prague’s streams. Part 2: tributaries to the Šeberák pond and to the Hostivař reservoir

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The possibility of a recreational use of some of the Prague reservoirs is limited mainly by the quality of the tributaries. The article follows the previous one and sums up the results of the water quality monitoring in selected profiles of the tributaries of the Šeberák pond (the Vestecký and the Kunratický streams) and of the Hostivař dam (the Botič and the Pitkovický streams) during 2018.

Water quality of the Prague’s streams. Part 1: Motolský and Litovický streams

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Results of water quality observation in the selected profiles on the Motolský and Litovický streams during the year 2018 are presented. Monitoring of water quality parameters was focused mainly on the nutrients content (nitrogen and phosphorus), chlorophyll-a concentrations and on the phytoplankton and zooplankton species composition.

Water quality and the assessment of anthropogenic pollution of the Elbe River oxbow lake sediments

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In this article, water quality and the assessment of anthropogenic pollution in sediments of the middle course of the Elbe River oxbow lakes Kozelská and Vrť were studied. It is widely accepted that the oxbow lakes are extremely significant ecosystems. However, a large amount of contaminated material may deposit in these lakes. The research of lake Kozelská was chosen especially to its proximity to the chemical factory Spolana in Neratovice, which used to be the biggest source of pollution of the Elbe River.

The assessment of the status of surface water bodies in the Czech Republic for the period 2013–2015

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This article aims to present to the general public the results of the assessment of the ecological status/potential and chemical status of surface water bodies categories “river“ and “lake“ for the period 2013 to 2015 in the Czech Republic. The assessment was carried out in 2017 by the Water Research Institute of T. G. Masaryk, p. r. i.

Environment quality of water elements of heritage protected areas

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Water elements represent a significant part of the environment of cultural heritage sites, conservation zones and areas. To fulfil the required functions, which may include social, historical, recreational and educational, but also environmental functions; it is necessary to ensure their corresponding target state.

The impact of oxygen and nitrates availability on phosphorus cycle in sediments – an example of the Vranov Reservoir

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The inflow parts of eutrophic reservoirs typically exhibit exacerbated rates of primary production, with concomitant increase in organic matter sedimentation. Its microbial remineralization leads to the consumption of electron acceptors.

Information about ORAM

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Odra River Alarm Modul (ORAM) will be part of the NAVAROSO project. There are no results of tracer studies of the Czech part of the Odra River in the last twenty years. That´s the reason, why tracer experiment data of the Svitava River were used for analysis.