Selected Topics in Energy, Environment, Sustainable Development and Landscaping

Changes in water quality in the lakes along River under the influence of the residential areas in

CRISTIAN IOJĂ1*, DIANA ONOSE1, ADINA CUCU1, LUMINITA GHERVASE2 1Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies, University of Bucharest, 1 Blvd. Nicolae Balcescu, , Bucharest, 010041, , [email protected], www.ccmesi.ro 2National Institute for Optoelectronics, 409, Str. Atomistilor, Măgurele, , ROMANIA

Abstract: Water represents an important receiver of the environmental problems generated by human settlements, being the environmental component which transfers many of the environmental externalities (wastewaters, waste, heat, various substances). In Bucharest, an essential part of the urban ecosystem is represented by the lakes along the Colentina River, which occupy 3.25% of the city surface and have a high importance in flood protection, recreation, improvement of environmental quality and receiving some of the city’s problems. To assess changes in lakes water quality on the Colentina River it was organized a network formed by 33 monitoring points situated on 9 lakes. The monitored indicators were physical (temperature, conductivity, turbidity, transparency, pH), oxygen indicators (dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand) and nutrients related (ammonium, nitrates, nitrites). The results were correlated with the characteristics of the residential areas situated in the lakes proximity (typology, wastewater management). There was noted a degradation in the water quality for the lakes which have in the shore areas individual residential and an improvement when the shores are covered by green spaces, collective residential, industrial areas, and even open fields. Degradation of water quality means an increased risk of eutrophication and thus a decrease in the value of its use in various urban purposes. Therefore, to implement the Water Framework Directive objectives and to improve the quality of life in the peripheral areas of Bucharest, situated along the lakes of Colentina River, is necessary to increase the sewage network coverage and to limit the uncontrolled waste disposal.

Key-Words: water quality, residential areas, sewage, wastewaters, environmental degradation sources, Water Framework Directive, Bucharest

1 Introduction environmental problems characteristic of large urban Sustainable development of urban environments is a areas: urban wastewater with varying degree of process that changes the resources exploitation and biochemical loading, solid waste, heat excess, different utilization, the investments and technology development organism [2]. All these problems reduce the economic direction and how institution work in order to increase utility of water resources and turn them into vectors for economic welfare, social equity and environmental propagation and attraction of urban issues: insalubrity, quality on average and long term [1]. overgrowth of different animal and plant species In a sustainable city, the ability to produce wealth populations (mosquitoes, aquatic plants, etc.), increased equally depends on the capacity of protecting and peripheral effects, poverty, and loss of competitiveness preserving the natural capital against overexploitation and economic attractiveness of the area [5]. Many of (including water resources) and on the institutions these problems are enhanced by residential areas or are efficiency and society flexibility to assume consumption reflected in the housing quality [3]. patterns that are efficient form economical, social and Therefore, the relationship among water quality and ecological point of view [2]. In this context, a residential areas is a frequently approached theme in sustainable residential area is characterized by providing international conventions on environmental protection. optimal living conditions but, also, by a low aggression Agenda 21 integrates between environmental problems a against the environment [3]. series of issues related to residential areas. Control of Water is an environmental component essential for diseases transmission, reduction of disease risk due to sustainable development of human settlements, pollution and hazards and protection of vulnerable important both through its useful side and its aggressive groups are important for the communities’ sustainable one (floods, salinisation) [4]. Beyond its values as a development, all of them being related with the water resource, water is an important receiver of component [6].

ISSN: 1792-5924 / ISSN: 1792-5940 164 ISBN: 978-960-474-237-0 Selected Topics in Energy, Environment, Sustainable Development and Landscaping

Convention on Human Settlements (Habitat I) achieves concerning environmental protection and water quite actual problems of human settlements with management [2]. significant projection in environmental quality, namely Bucharest is located in Vlasia Plain, being characterized water supply and recreation. Spontaneous residential by a lithological substrate composed of friable rocks and development, generally met in peripheral areas, is very a temperate continental climate with excessive nuances important, especially because they don’t benefit from which affect the water and chemical flows of rivers minimal accessibility to services that ensure safety, crossing this area [9]. In terms of territorial evolution, hygiene and health. Bucharest has characteristics of cities with uncontrolled Convention Habitat II proposes two main themes of urban development: industrial areas changes situated global importance: A real shelter for everybody and inside the city or in its peripheral areas, by replacement Sustainable human settlements in an urbanized world. of the industrial activities with large shopping centers Convention recognizes that the problems of human and/or residential spaces; increase of the built space settlements have a multidimensional nature, inadequate density on the expense of open fields, increase of the shelter being in connection with social and economical differences concerning facilities and services in problems. Convention promotes, for the first time at luxurious and peripheral areas [3]. political level, the concept of urban regeneration, encouraging conservation, land rehabilitation and maintenance of oxygen generating surfaces, landscape, 2 Problem Formulation etc with particular value. Development of built areas with residential function United Nations Organization concern for improving resulted in a significant decrease in water quality of housing quality in human settlements was continued by lakes in the north and east of Bucharest. This process is Resolution S-25/2 – Declaration on cities and other largely emphasized by the poor coverage of the public human settlements in the new millennium, signed in sewage system. Therefore, a large proportion of 2001. Like Habitat I and II Conventions, it insists on household wastewater is directly or indirectly discharged providing drinking water resources for everybody and in the lakes along Colentina River, contributing to water on facilitating access to basic infrastructure and quality degradation and health issues emergence. municipal services (sewage, waste management, transportation). At European Union level, because of the growing 2.1 Colentina lakes and nearby residential pressures on water resources have been promoted areas legislative instruments for their protection and Colentina River crosses Bucharest from north-west to sustainable management, the most important being the east, on a length of 34 km, being 100% anthropic Framework Directive 2000/60/EC. This Directive modified. The area in proximity of nowadays lakes was provides the necessary framework for water sustainable initially represented by a series of wetlands and marshy management, proposing a quantitative and qualitative areas, which raised great hygiene problems [10]. management of water and aquatic ecosystems in order to The transformation of this area by draining the marshes achieve the “good ecological status” of waters in and establishing the lakes was originally conceived as European Union until 2015 [7], [8]. The implementation part of Bucharest green belt, and the area was partially instrument of the Framework Directive, governed by arranged as urban parks (initially Herastrau and Bordei Article 13 and Annex VII, is represented by the River parks, and after Tei, Plumbuita and Pantelimon parks). Basin Management Plan. Nowadays, on the Bucharest administrative territory, In Romania, the framework for sustainable management Colentina River is formed by 11 lakes which had as of water resources is provided by the Water Law, which primary purpose the protection of urban center against implements, details and particularizes the provisions of flooding and the improvement of the sanitary conditions the Water Framework Directive. (Table 1). In Bucharest, water resources management is performed Subsequently, to these functions were added those of by the Romanian Waters National Administration recreation, water supply for different urban purposes (responsible for the qualitative and quantitative (irrigation of green areas, reserves for fire fighting, street management of water surface), district city hall washing, feeding fountains, etc) [11]. (responsible for shores) and different economical agents The average area of the lakes is 90.5 ha [33.260], useful with interests in recreation, fishing or sport activities. 3 water volume retained 2.65 million m [0.7; 12.3]. Permits for using the water surface or for wastewater discharging are issued by the Romanian Water National

Administration in accordance with the legislation

ISSN: 1792-5924 / ISSN: 1792-5940 165 ISBN: 978-960-474-237-0 Selected Topics in Energy, Environment, Sustainable Development and Landscaping

Table 1 the chromic ion) and free chlorine (adaptation of the General characteristics of the lakes along Colentina EPA 330.5 and Standard Methods for Examination of River (after [11]) Water and Wastewater 4500 CI G). Volum Surface The measurements of water quality indicators were Lakesi (mil. Use (ha) m³) completed by measurements of weather parameters (air Fishing, flooding temperature, light, wind speed) with potential influence Straulesti 33 0,7 mitigation on the dynamics of the physico-chemical parameters Grivita 81 1,3 Fishing, recreation Fishing, irrigation, which were analyzed. Because of the low depth of lakes Baneasa 40 0,69 flooding mitigation, (less than 5 m) the sampling was done only from the recreation epilimnion (top 20 cm). Points were chosen to be Fishing, irrigation, Herastrau 78,5 2,3 flooding mitigation, representative to highlight the relation between water recreation quality and neighborhood domestic sources. Fishing, flooding 60 1,0 The study area was chosen from satellite images, and mitigation, recreation Fishing, flooding included besides the lakes, the residential or open areas Tei 70 2,0 mitigation, recreation located up to the first terrace of Colentina River and / or Fishing, irrigation, to the first major street (including consistent urban tissue Plumbuita 44 0,9 flooding mitigation, recreation with potential impact on lake water quality). Fishing, irrigation, The digital database containing the spatial distribution of Fundeni* 88 0,85 flooding mitigation, residential areas from the proximity of lakes along recreation Pantelimon Unfinalized permanent Colentina River was done by digitizing them using the 93 2,5 I accumulation software package ArcGIS 9.3 (ArcMap and Fishing, irrigation, ArcCatalog). flooding mitigation, Pantelimon 260 12,3 recreation and II industrial water supply source *includes Dobroesti Lake 3 Spatial dynamics of water quality in the lakes along Colentina River The most important in size and functions is Pantelimon Water quality in a lake is influenced by supply sources II Lake, which has the biggest surface, but also the most (regarding the lakes along Colentina River a lot is taken complex functions in relation to the city (flood from Ialomita and Dambovita rivers), lakes mitigation volume of 4 million m3, industrial water configuration (water volume, dynamic and drainage, supply source for the industrial areas in east of morphometric characteristics, sediment load) and the Bucharest, water for irrigations) (Table 1). impact of environmental degradation sources. The lakes vulnerability along the Colentina river lies in the extremely high number of sources located on both 2.2 Water quality monitoring shores, making the cumulative effect to be significant The monitoring of water quality in the lakes along [12], [13]. Colentina River was realized by utilising a network formed of 33 sampling points located along the 9 lakes 3.1. Water quality in lakes within Bucharest (4 on Grivita Lake, 2 on Baneasa Lake, Water temperature ranges between 21.7° C and 30.3° C 5 on Herastrau Lake, 3 on Floreasca Lake, 3 on Tei (with an average of 24.5° C ± 2.58° C), the lowest Lake, 4 on Plumbuita Lake, 4 on Fundeni Lake, 3 on temperature being recorded on Baneasa Lake and the Dobroiesti Lake and 3 on Pantelimon Lake) (Fig. 1). highest on Pantelimon Lake. Temperature rise is linked The monitoring campaigns have been performed in May to the presence of wastewater into Colentina lakes. The and June 2010 in similar climatic and hydrological role of lakes, in taking over the excess of heat from the conditions. The following parametres have been urban ecosystem is highlighted by the fact that in the last monitored: water temperature (electronic thermometer of the examined lakes (Pantelimon II Lake), water with a ±0.1°C error), dissolved oxygen (HANNA HI temperature is higher than in the other lakes. 9145 oxygen-meter), pH, conductivity (Consort C352 Electrical conductivity records maximum values of 526 conductivity-meter and pH-meter), transparency (Secchi S/cm2 in Pantelimon II Lake and minimum values of disk), nitrogen compounds (spectrophotometer with 315 S/cm2 in Grivita Lake, with an average of 403 sulphanilamide and N-(1-naphtol)-ethylenediamine for S/cm2 (Fig. 2). nitrite and nitrate, and Nessler reagent for ammonium), chemical oxygen demand (USEPA 410.4 through oxidizable organic compounds reduce dichromate ion to

ISSN: 1792-5924 / ISSN: 1792-5940 166 ISBN: 978-960-474-237-0 Selected Topics in Energy, Environment, Sustainable Development and Landscaping

Fig. 1 – Distribution of water quality sampling points on the lakes along Colentina River

Changes occurring at the level of electrical conductivity with high percentage of green spaces in the shore area is show the gradual pollutants loading along Colentina also characterized by the lowest values on this indicator lakes, clearly derived from pluvial and domestic (8.5 NTU, 9.1 NTU), the situation being reversed in wastewater uncontrolled discharges in shore areas [12]. lakes with high percentage of individual residential pH values record an average of 7.6 (± 0.15) and could be premises ( eg Dobroesti Lake, 15.24 NTU). framed in neutral to slightly alkaline with a minimum of Oxygen indicators have a tendency to depression in 6.89 in the 4th point on Herastrau Lake and a maximum lakes along Colentina River expressing organic matter of 8.06 in the 4th point on Pantelimon II Lake. intake resulting from wastewater discharges from individual homes from shore areas. Thus, dissolved oxygen decreases from 10.2 mg/l in Grivita Lake to 6.4 mg/l in Pantelimon II Lake, the minimum being recorded in Tei Lake (4.4 mg /l). Thus, the water from Colentina lakes passes at dissolved oxygen indicator from 1th quality class (very good quality) to 3th quality class (satisfactory quality). Chemical oxygen demand values are directly determined by degradation sources characteristics from shore areas, recording lower values in Dobroesti and Fundeni Lakes (15.5 mg O2/l, respectively 27.3 mgO2/l) and higher values in Grivita and Pantelimon Lakes (43.9 mgO2/l, 42.8 mgO2/l). Regarding nitrogen compounds, the highest values occur Fig. 2 - Dynamic of conductivity in Grivita, Baneasa, Fundeni and Dobroesti Lake and the lowest in Herastrau, Floreasca, Tei and Plumbuita Lake. th Water transparency varies depending of turbidity, In most cases, the values exceed 3 class for quality, degree of eutrophication or water chemistry. Recorded expressing the high potential of developing a process of values range between 29 cm and 48.75 cm showing a eutrophication in these lakes (Table 2). low water transparency in these lakes, while the Free chlorine shows the contribution of wastewater, the atmospheric instability and mobility of water were very highest concentrations occurring in lakes where their low. contribution is significant (Tei, Plumbuita and Turbidity is a parameter that records changes in direct Pantelimon Lake). The average for this indicator is 0.15 correlation with the density of residential areas from mg/l, with a range of variation between 0.11 mg/l and shore proximity. Thus, Floreasca and Herastrau Lake, 0.24 mg/l.

ISSN: 1792-5924 / ISSN: 1792-5940 167 ISBN: 978-960-474-237-0 Selected Topics in Energy, Environment, Sustainable Development and Landscaping

Fig. 3 - Categories of land use along the lakes of Colentina River

Table 2 maximum 2 floors. It is uniformly distributed on the two Water quality indicators distribution sides of the shore, but we can observe concentrations Dissolved near the lakes Grivita, Baneasa, Plumbuita, Fundeni and oxygen Nitrate Ammonia COD General Lakes (ppm) (mg/l) (mg/l) mg/l quality Dobroesti. The direct impact generated by the individual Grivita I V V III III residential type on water quality in lakes along Colentina River is determined by the partial absence of sewage Baneasa II V V III III (villages outside Bucharest, the peninsulas of Fundeni Herastrau II V IV III III and Plumbuita lakes). Floreasca I V IV III III Table 3 Tei IV IV III III III Distribution of land use in the proximity of lakes along Plumbuita II IV V III III Colentina River Fundeni II V V II III % % % % % Lakes residential residential green open Dobroesti III V V III IV industrial individual colectiv areas field Pantelimon III IV V III IV I – very good, II – Good, III – Satisfactory, IV – Bad, V- Very bad Straulesti 22.70 0.38 8.35 18.39 32.68 Grivita 36.33 0.00 5.04 11.52 29.26 Moreover, the water quality of the analysed lakes evolve Baneasa 19.57 2.57 12.66 5.82 16.59 th th from 3 class for quality in Grivita Lake to 4 class for Herastrau 10.37 11.84 9.80 31.73 5.65 quality in Dobroesti, Fundeni and Pantelimon I and II Floreasca 17.26 10.18 2.20 24.27 0.00 Lakes, the degradation trend being noticeable (Table 2). Tei 12.98 12.08 28.99 12.78 5.44 Plumbuita 25.97 12.35 2.52 20.38 7.40 3.2. Land pattern in shore areas Fundeni 27.19 10.11 12.97 2.70 8.31 The relationship between lakes and residential areas Dobroesti 23.22 6.36 4.87 29.80 10.27 from proximity is directly influenced by a rapid urban Pantelimon 1 24.81 0.54 10.98 36.48 9.47 development [14], [15]. Pantelimon 2 28.16 0.60 0.37 17.85 31.16 Currently, the space situated in close proximity of Colentina lakes (Fig. 3), which may have a direct impact The low endowment of utilities and living standards on their water quality, is represented in proportion of overlap low education of population in these areas 29% by residential areas (5% collective residential, 24% leading to increased population pressure on water individual residential ). These residential areas are both quality caused by wastewater discharge without previous included in Bucharest and the administrative units from treatment, lack of septic tanks, waste disposal and proximity (Pantelimon, Chitila, Fundeni and Dobroesti). washing different vehicles directly in the lakes. It is obvious the predominance of individual residential Collective residential areas have very limited impact on areas, consisting mainly in single family houses with water quality because they are connected to sewage

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ISSN: 1792-5924 / ISSN: 1792-5940 169 ISBN: 978-960-474-237-0