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The quality of the Timis River waters.

2013; Agroprint Timisoara; Volume: 45; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

2066-1843

A. Ienciu, Silvica Oncia, Laura Șmuleac, P. Fazakaş, C. A. Nicolici,

Marine and environmental studies

The study of the quality of a river's waters is of great ecological importance if we take into account that surface water pollution is, nowadays, a major issue amplified at global scale because of the agricultural and industrial pollutants that reach the rivers. The sources most widespread of surface water pollution are organised ones - sewage water from rural localities, sewage water from animal farms and from industry - but there are also non-organised sources of pollution such as rural localities that lack sewage systems, wastes stored in improper places and ways, etc. Timis is the biggest river of Banat: it starts in the Semenic Mountains, it is 339.7 km long (of which 241.2 km in Romania), and its basin covers 13,085 km 2 , with a medium flow of 47 m 3 /s. Monitoring the quality of the Timis River waters was done in three control stations - Constantin Daicoviciu, Lugoj and Graniceri - through the sampling of the water in four sampling campaigns - February, May, August and September - during three years (2009-2011). The water was analysed in the Quality Laboratory of the Banat Water Basin Administration. The main quality indices we monitored were: suspension matter content, oxygen chemical consumption, nitrate content, and lead content. Results show that, upstream, in the control station Constantin Daicoviciu, the water is less polluted, which groups it in the 1 st and 2 nd quality classes; in the control point Lugoj, water was more polluted, ranging in the 2 nd and 3 rd quality classes, with suspension matter and lead content above maximum admitted limits; in the Graniceri section, there were significant values above maximum admitted limits in all quality indices we monitored during the three experimental years, ranging water in the 3 rd and 4 th quality classes because of the suspension matter, oxygen chemical consumption, nitrite content, and lead content. The conclusion we can draw is that the waters of the Timis River are polluted in the Lugoj and Graniceri sections, that the main causes of the pollution are waste waters from households, wastes from households, wastes from crop and animal farms in the area, and hydric erosion in the hydrographic basin of the Timis River (natural source of pollution). In order to improve the quality of the Timis River waters downstream we need to develop effective sewage systems in rural localities, water treatment stations and controlled removal of waste waters.