Hydromorphological and Landscape Valorization of the Poprad River Valley

10.1515/sggw-2015-0035 Annals of Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW Land Reclamation No 47 (4), 2015: 333–342 (Ann. Warsaw Univ. of Life Sci. – SGGW, Land Reclam. 47 (4), 2015) Hydromorphological and landscape valorization of the Poprad river valley MARIA NAWIEŚNIAK1, MATEUSZ STRUTYŃSKI2, JÓZEF HERNIK1 1Department of Land Management and Landscape Architecture 2Department of Hydraulic Engineering and Geotechnics University of Agriculture in Krakow Abstract: Hydromorphological and landscape Poland as a Member of the Euro- valorization of the Poprad river valley. The paper pean Union ratifi ed among others Water presents the results of hydromorphological and landscape valorization. The research was carried Framework Directive (WFD 2000) and out in the Valley of the Poprad River, in the sec- European Landscape Convention (ELC tion from Piwniczna-Zdrój to Rytro (Małopolska 2000). The one of the most important voivodship). The hydromorphological valoriza- tasks of water management, according to tion was made using the method of the evalua- WFD (2000) is preventing water pollu- tion of hydromorphological quality of the river. ECOVAST method was used for landscape va- tion and get all EU waters in good eco- lorization. On the basis of the research, Authors logical condition by the end of 2015. concluded that the research area is characterized Biological, physico-chemical quality by considerable hydromorphological variability, elements, supported by hydromorpho- in particular in relation to the fl oodplains terraces logical quality elements determine the and their connectivity with the main channel of the river. At the same time the valley of the Poprad good ecological condition of surface river is characterized by the landscape of regional water (WFD 2000). signifi cance, with a very large tourist potential. According to ELC (2000), legal status should be given to the landscape and it Key words: hydromorphological valorization, should be considered as a basis for: the ECOVAST method, landscape identifi cation, Poprad river valley quality of life, shape of the regional and local awareness and of the implemen- tation of natural and cultural diversity. INTRODUCTION There should be also guaranteed protec- The valleys of the river are ecological tion, management and planning of land- channels with a very high biodiversity scape, no matter if it is natural, cultural, and habitats for a lot of species. These urban, degraded, characterized by unique valleys are also a key element of the beauty, or if it belongs to “everyday” landscape (Kałamucka 2007). The landscapes (Stoeglehner and Schmid changes taking place in their area, even 2007). those that concern only river channel, Currently, in the valuable landscapes have an impact on the structure of the areas, there may appear a problem, for whole landscape. appropriate and responsible management. 334 M. Nawieśniak, M. Strutyński, J. Hernik The presence of valuable cultural land- villages located along this river are fur- scapes should not restrict, prevent or ther characterized by spa resorts, tourist hinder the economic utilization of these and historical values. Currently, the valley areas (Hernik 2008). However, those of the Poprad river on the Polish side is areas cannot be subjected to uncontrolled protected, as a part of the Popradzki Land- appropriating. So far, the treatments, scape Park. This park was created in 1987 which have affected the landscape, espe- on over 54 thousand ha (Wiśniowska- cially in Polish rural communities, were -Węglarz 2008). often carried out in an uncoordinated Hydromorphological and landscape manner (Hernik et al. 2013). Decisions valorization was made in the valley of about their adoption were mostly random the Poprad river, in the section from and often refl ecting various interests of Piwniczna-Zdrój (km 20+650) to Rytro small groups. An assessment and land- (km 14+100) (Fig. 1). The Poprad river scape identifi cation should be performed separates Beskid Sądecki into two parts: to meet the benchmarks of ELC (2000). Radziejowa mountain and Jaworzyna The aim of this paper is to present mountain. Along the research area, on the the hydromorphological and landscape left bank of the river there is a railway valorization in the section of the Poprad and the national road no 87 from Nowy river, and to identify most valuable land- Sącz to Piwniczna-Zdrój (Kobiela et al. scapes and hydromorphological areas. 2012). MATERIAL AND METHODS The Poprad river fl ows through the north- -eastern Slovakia and southern Poland through Beskid Sądecki (Małopolska voivodship), and enters to Dunajec river in 112+600 km, as a right tributary. The spring of the Poprad river is located in Great Hińczowski Pond. Hińczowski Stream that originates in the spring fl ows in the Slovak part of the High Tatras. The length of the whole river is 170 km, in Poland – 62.6 km (including sections located at the border – 30.5 km). The Poprad river basin area is 2,077 km2, in Poland – 483 km2 (Kobiela et al. 2012). The Poprad river is a mountain river, characterized by sudden spates and dy- namic fl uvial processes. The valley of the Poprad river along FIGURE 1. Resarch area of the Poprad river its entire length is characterized by unique from Piwniczna – Zdrój (km 20+650) to Rytro landscape and ethnographic values. The (km 14+100) Hydromorphological and landscape valorization of the Poprad river valley 335 Hydromorphological valorization of 9) historic features (e.g. castles, mona- evaluated cross-section on the Poprad steries, archaeological sites), river has been made according to the 10) feelings and associations. method of assessing the hydromorpho- Landscape valorization was also made logical quality of the river (Wyżga et al. during the fi eld work and on the availab- 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013). Ten features of le data. First the complete research area channel, banks, riparian zone and fl ood- was analyzed. Then the features infl u- plain area, which are specifi ed in the encing the character and assessment of standard PN-EN 14614 (CEN 2004) and the landscape were analyzed in each modifi ed by Wyżga et al. (2009, 2010, cross-section. The aim of the identifi ca- 2012, 2013), were assessed in all thirteen tion was to identify areas of considerable of the evaluated cross-sections. landscape diversity, the most valuable Hydromorphological evaluation was areas and areas which need improvement executed during the research and on the of landscape quality. basis of available information about each cross-section. Each features was evalua- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ted on a scale from 1 – conditions similar to the natural, to 5 – extreme transforma- The results of each category of features tion. Then based on the average assess- and hydromorphological quality class ment of these features, the whole cross- for the Poprad river were presented in -section was classifi ed as one of the fi ve Figure 2. The hydromorphological as- classes of hydromorphological quality of sessment shown considerable variability, the river: high, good, moderate, poor, bad mainly in features which describe banks, (Wyżga et al. 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013). riparian zone and fl oodplain area. Landscape evaluation with ECOVAST Cross-section I (km 14+100) and method was also made on the research cross-section XIII (km 20+650) were area. On the basis of this method 10 land- classifi ed as the fi rst class of hydromor- scape features, which are associated with phological quality on the river (high). It each other were assessed. These are was considered that these cross-sections (Spiegler and Dower 2006): are slightly transformed by human (cross- 1) rocks (surface geology), -section I is in Fig. 3). Cross-section III 2) climate (hydrology, rivers, lakes, gla- (km 15+130), from cross-sections VI to ciers), IX (from km 17+070 to 18+560) and 3) land form (geomorphology), cross-section XII (km 20+390) belong 4) soil, to the second class of hydromorphologi- 5) land cover (vegetation, wildlife, habi- cal quality of the river (good). The third tats), class of hydromorphological quality of 6) characteristic features and patterns of the river (moderate) has been assigned to agriculture and forestry, cross-sections II, IV, V and X (sequen- 7) characteristic features of houses and tially km 14+660, 15+980, 16+450 and settlements, 19+130). Cross-section XI (km 19+870) 8) other man-made features (e.g. industry, was classifi ed to the fourth class of tourism, infrastructure), hydromorphological quality of the river 336 M. Nawieśniak, M. Strutyński, J. Hernik FIGURE 2. Evaluation of each hydromorphological features for I to XIII evaluated cross-section on the Poprad river with the average assessment made against the background of the classes of the hydromorphological quality (poor). This assessment is mainly due to strengthening of the right bank by a concrete embankment to approximately 3 m (Fig. 4). This strengthening was made to secure the road which is located in the immediate vicinity of the river channel. That entirely changed the character of the river bank, and interrupted the con- nection between the river and the fl oodplain area. Based on assumptions of the ECO- VAST method, the valley of the Poprad river from Piwniczna-Zdrój (km 20+650) FIGURE 3. Concrete embankment as a strength- to Rytro (km 14+100) is distinguished ening of the right bank of the river – cross-section by the characteristic landscape features XI (km 19+870), (photo by M. Nawieśniak) shown in Table 1. Hydromorphological and landscape valorization of the Poprad river valley 337 TABLE 1. Landscape identifi cation matrix for the evaluated section on the Poprad river between Piwniczna-Zdrój (km 20+650) and Rytro (km 14+100) based on ECOVAST method Landscape features Relative strength of the features (graduation 1–4): (“Landscape layers”) dominating, strong, moderate, low dominating: mountain landscape, natural – small human interference, Feelings and associations low land use dominating: the ruins of the castle erected on the hill in Rytro, over the Historic features right bank of the river (Fig.

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