SIMION A. (University of Petrosani, Petrosani, ) LAZAR M. (University of Petrosani, Petrosani, Romania) IDENTIFICATION OF SOURCES PRODUCTING IMPACT ON WATER QUALITY IN EAST BASIN Abstract. The main economic activity in the is mining, which produces valuable min- eral raw materials required for the region development and progress, representing the main link in the value producing chain. The majority of mining operations and other economic activities existing within the East Jiu basin produce negative environmental impact (more or less severe), as well as and positive effects such as those related to increasing employment, staff training, creating infrastructure, etc. In most cases, the negative impact of the human activities can be considerably mitigated or even completely eliminated through remedial measures, particularly through the environment rehabilitation in the affected areas. But if a water body is strongly affected by pollutants generated by the human activities, the pollu- tion impact is especially heavy near the water body bottom, with significant negative changes of the aquatic ecosystems and impossibility of consumption and use of the water resources by the riparian pop- ulation. The main objective of this paper consists in identification and description of all human activities presented within East Jiu basin and analysis of their impact on the river (and other water bodies) water quality. For assessing the East Jiu water quality and monitoring its variations with time, water quality index (WQI) was used, aggregating individual quality indicators (expressed in physical units) into a sin- gle unique water quality measure. Keywords: East Jiu, environment, human activities, mining, water quality.

1. Introduction Jiu Valley Depression area is 163 km2, and it The Jiu Valley coal basin, also called lies along the Jiu rivers: the East Jiu and the the Petroşani Basin, is located in the southern West Jiu, surrounded by four mountain part of Hunedoara County and in the south- ranges: Retezat Mountains in the north-north- west of Transylvania in the Depression of the west, Sureanu Mountains in the north-east, called the Petroşani Parang mountains in the east, and the Valcan Depression or the Jiu Valley Depression. The Mountains in the south (Fig. 1) [8].

Fig. 1. The Jiu Valley Depression

Hydrographic network of the basin side of the Sureanu Mountains: the Voievo- consists of two major rivers: East Jiu and dul, the Bilele, the Revolta, the Taia, the Ban- West Jiu, with many tributaries. East Jiu is ita, and on the left side, from Parâng Moun- 28 km long, and its hydrographic basin co- tains, the following tributaries: the Stermi- vers area of 479 km² [8]. The river flows nos, the Lolea, the Cimpa, the Giorganu, the from the south of the Sureanu Mountains, Jieţ, and the Slătioara [8]. The use of East Jiu having the following tributaries on the right water resources as drinking water and for

ГЕОЛОГИЯ МЕСТОРОЖДЕНИЙ ПОЛЕЗНЫХ ИСКОПАЕМЫХ 34 other regional economic needs strongly de- underground mining using different methods pends on the water quality. Physicochemical and processes [1]. and geological conditions determine for- The subsidence phenomena can be mation, regime and quality of the natural wa- caused by collapse of underground mining ter resources (6). Water is universally distrib- workings and changing hydrogeological and uted resource of vital importance for living hydrological conditions due to high intensity beings. In order to determine the quality of drilling of aquifer system in the area [1]. surface water the following steps should be When underground excavations and espe- implemented: selecting relevant quality indi- cially coal faces exceed the critical dimen- cators, establishing rigorous monitoring pro- sions in terms of stability of the surrounding gram, permanent monitoring and control of rocks, and no adequate measures are taken to the main sources of pollution. support and stabilize formed voids (mined- 2. Water pollution sources out space), rupture of the covering rocks Water pollution means direct or indi- starts, which gives rise to a complex of phe- rect (as a result of human activity) leakage of nomena, known as subsidence effects, which some substances into water resources that can can extend over the entire thickness of the harm human health and quality of aquatic cover rock up to the surface. ecosystems or river basins dependent on The areas fractured and affected by un- aquatic ecosystems. derground mining comprise at the Petroşani Within East Jiu river basin, potential basin over 20 ha and they cannot be used for water pollution sources were identified and construction or agricultural activities, be- classified into point and diffuse sources. cause the surface subsidence resulted in low- Point sources of wastewater (domestic, ur- ering groundwater table, and the phenomena ban, industrial, rainwater and drainage) are of desertification through disappearance of those collected in sewerage systems and dis- local flora and fauna take place as well [1]. charged into natural recipients via ducts or The main type of waste resulting from drainage channels. Diffuse sources of pollu- mining operations and processing plant activ- tion are discharged into the environment in ities and entering water bodies is presented dispersed manner with no specific locations by barren rock material suspended in water. of pollutant drainage (pipelines, etc.). Major In this basin, sedimentation of fine-grained sources of diffuse pollution identified along solid material takes place, whereas coarse- East Jiu are: agriculture, atmospheric deposi- grained solid material is mostly used in con- tion, construction materials, mining industry struction of dams, while the clarified water is (Lonea EM, EM, and EM Petrila Livezeni), discharged into regional hydrographic net- road traffic, rural population. work, possibly after some treatment. 2.1 Mining industry One more mining-induced factor, po- The existing deposits in the Jiu Valley tentially capable to produce negative envi- due to their shape, size and especially the ronmental impact, is a phenomenon, called deep occurrence depth are exploited through Acid Rock Drainage and Metal Leaching

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(ARDML). The phenomenon essence con- (first of all, sawdust) has a number of peculi- sists in the fact that sulfide minerals (first of arities: low specific gravity, high hygrosco- all, pyrite), contained in deposit ores and en- picity, medium calorific power that varies de- closing rocks both in-situ (and in ore stock- pending on species of wood [2]. Sawdust piles and waste rock dumps, being exposed to driven by rain water may enter water bodies, action of oxygen and water, contained in at- pollutes water and produce negative impact mospheric precipitations, superficial waters, on aquatic habitat and aquatic flora and and groundwater, react with oxygen and wa- fauna. ter. As a result, sulfuric acid is generated, Wood waste decomposition is a slow which, in turn, promotes dissolution of met- process that can produce leachate with time. als, for instance, heavy metals, contained in In the long run, in the presence of water, due ores and enclosing rocks, with formation of to frequent rains, naturally occurring sub- soluble aqueous species (complexes), capa- stances such as acids, lignin, fatty acids, and ble to move in water flows for large distances tannin are dissolved and spread over at high and, finally, cause pollution of different wa- concentrations. Moving wood waste contains ter bodies, including aquifers, rivers, lakes, leachate until saturation [2, 4]. At this stage, etc. I.e. ARDML promotes conversing heavy the leachate is discharged into the environ- metals into mobile forms. In this connection, ment and produces negative impact. The pol- special measures should be provided to pre- luted water is dark and has unpleasant smell vent or mitigate consequences of ARDML. and disgusting taste, up to reaching pollutant 2.2 Industrial and urban wastes concentrations harm to health. Biochemical They are presented by leakage from the oxygen demand for biodegradation may be slopes of waste dumps near East Jiu river and lethal to fish such as trout and invertebrates. contribute to its pollution with organic sub- Wood waste can also generate hydrogen sul- stances and suspensions. The non-impermea- fide and ammonia under anaerobic condi- bilized urban waste dumps located in the tions. In water, ammonia can reduce the lower reach of East Jiu river are often the blood's ability to carry oxygen up to inducing sources of nitrate and nitrite pollution, as well fatal effect on water life by suffocation. as other pollutants. 2.4 Earthworks cause moving fine earth landfill life cycle, in terms of sustaina- particles, which may reach surface waters. ble development, covers a period of time Deposition of solid particles in watercourses more than two generations, including periods changes bottom sediment grain size and can af- of construction (13 years), exploitation fect aquatic flora and fauna. Production and us- (1530 years), closure and land reclamation ing of building materials (concrete, bitumen, and post-closure monitoring (1520 years). aggregates, etc.) causes specific (by material 2.3 Forestry and timber processing and process) pollutant emission. If the works generate wood waste that can pose actual en- are performed near watercourses, they are vironmental hazard. Wood processing gener- sources of direct water pollution. Rainfalls and ates 60 % of all wood wastes. Wood waste superficial waters also contribute to penetration of these pollutants into water bodies as well as

ГЕОЛОГИЯ МЕСТОРОЖДЕНИЙ ПОЛЕЗНЫХ ИСКОПАЕМЫХ 36 into groundwater [4]. Vehicle and other ma- Uuncontrolled storage of mineral ferti- chinery operation in the vicinity of water bod- lizers and livestock manure in many private ies is one more potential source of pollution due households produces negative effect, namely, to accidental spills of fuel and lubricants. causes leakage of toxic components into nat- Besides, friction processes in earth- ural waters, including groundwater. work machinery cause additional pollution of Agricultural machinery operation pro- soil, surface, and groundwater [4]. duces additional environmental impact (ex- 2.5 Agriculture practiced in the Jiu haust gases, noise, vibration, leakage and Valley produces heavy environmental im- losses of POL polluting soil, destruction of pact. It is true that pollution as a process of soil structure by compaction). degradation of quality of environmental fac- 3. Impaired quality parameters tors being vital for human health has not been Surface water quality is defined as the recognized as important [5]. Environmental conventional set of physical, chemical, biolog- pollution by agricultural activities is caused ical and bacteriological characteristics, ex- by too large volume of fertilizers applied in pressed in terms of value, which allow the clas- areas near watercourses, far in excess of ac- sification of water quality into a certain cate- tual demand of agricultural crops. As a result, gory suitable for some specific use/uses [2, 7]. excessive nitrates are accumulated in food In nature, water is never present in pure products and also pollute groundwater and state but contains many mineral and organic surface water [2]. Chemical fertilizers (espe- impurities, dissolved salts or dispersed solids, cially nitrogen fertilizers) are applied here in biogenic substances and biological organ- excessive amounts and often not taking into isms, has certain organoleptic, physical, account actual demand of crops in different chemical, biological and bacteriological phases of growing [4]. The fertilizers are of- characteristics [5]. ten applied to frozen ground covered with Referring to surface a quality category is thick layer of snow. Sometimes, due to sud- very important criterion for analysis aimed at den melting owing to changing weather, delimitation of water bodies. these fertilizers, are removed by melting wa- Due to the fact that the quality of surface ter and pollute various water bodies, includ- waters is interconnected with technogenic im- ing those used as drinking water sources. Ap- pact on them, the delineation of water bodies is plying too much volumes and concentrations a continuous process. of fertilizers and pesticides in improper pe- Although biological elements are consid- riod and consumption of products with toxic ered as integrators of all types of the techno- components has multiple negative impact on genic impact, assessment of water ecological plants, animals and humans [3]. Insufficient status requires analysis of some supporting ele- attention to sticking correct procedures of ments, represented by: general physico-chemi- preparation of pesticide solutions, washing of cal indicators, specific pollutants, and hydro- the solutions from agricultural equipment and morphological elements [2]. discharging of the remaining solutions. Important physical and chemical indi- cators used to assess the ecological status of

ГЕОЛОГИЯ МЕСТОРОЖДЕНИЙ ПОЛЕЗНЫХ ИСКОПАЕМЫХ 37 water for all water bodies (natural and heav- To assess quality of East Jiu waters and ily modified) are as follows: monitor the water quality variations with

1. Hydrogen ion concentration (pH); time, water quality index (ICA) modified 2. Oxygen concentration (dissolved method was used to aggregate the individual oxygen); indicators expressed in physical units + − 3. Nutrients (N − NH4 , N − NO2 , N − (Tab. 1) into an unique water quality index − 3− NO3 P − PO4 , Ptotal); (using conventional scale of 0100). The

Specific pollutants are synthetic (or- Water Quality Index (ICA) was conceptually ganic: acenaphthene, toluene, phenol, xylene, defined in early 1970s by the National Sani- PCBs - polychlorinated biphenyls), and non- tation Foundation (NSF) [4]. synthetic (metals: copper, zinc, arsenic, chro- The analyzed water sample was taken on mium). 04.03.2017 at 10:00 from East Jiu river down- The ability of water to dissolve mineral stream from the confluence with the Taia and organic compounds is very important for River. The analyses results were used to deter- development of aquatic ecosystems. Thus, mine the Water Quality Index (pH  Fig. 2, dissolved inorganic material is always found temperature  Fig. 3, dissolved oxygen – Fig. in water; it can be transformed into organic 4, biochemical oxygen demand – Fig. 5, total substances by phytoplankton а present in wa- phosphates – Fig. 6, turbidity – Fig. 7, total dis- ter, the first link of the trophic chain [3]. solved solids – Fig. 8 and nitrites – Fig. 9). 4. Determination of water quality in- dex

Table 1 Indicator Unit of measurement Weight Dissolved oxygen saturation, % 0.19 BOD (mg/l) 0.14 pH - 0.12 Nitrates mg/l 0.12 Temperature variations oC 0.12 Total phosphates mg/l 0.12 Turbidity NTU 0.1 Total dissolved solids mg/l 0.09

Fig. 2. pH Fig. 3. Temperature Variations

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Fig. 4. Dissolved Oxygen Fig. 5. Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Fig. 6. Total phosphates Fig. 7. Turbidity

Fig. 8. Total dissolved solids Fig. 9. Nitrates Table 2 Indicator Test result Value Weight Total Q W BOD 0.68 mg/l 94 0.19 17.86 Dissolved oxygen 66.2 % 70 0.14 9.8 Nitrates 1.35 mg/l 92 0.12 11.04 pH 6.79 unit pH 77 0.12 9.24 Temperature variations 2.36°C 89 0.12 10.68 Total dissolved solids 50.1 mg/l 87 0.12 10.44 Total phosphates 0.38 mg/l 70 0.1 7 Turbidity 18.7 NTU 80 0.09 7.2 ICA TOTAL 83.26 (good quality) Table 3 Intervals of the Water Quality Index Description (quality category) 0–25 Bad 26–50 Unsatisfactory 51–70 Medium 71–90 Good 91–100 Excellent

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For aggregation of the values into the “Good quality” category. However, it should single Water Quality Index (Table 2), the be mentioned that the water sampling was value of exceeding an indicator representa- performed after a period of abundant precipi- tive interval was used together with tation, producing effect on the water quality weighting of the multiplication coefficient through dilution. according to the formula below [4]:

푖 References 퐼퐶퐴 = ∑ 푄푖푊푖. 1 1. Fodor D. Mining and the environment, The values obtained allow to refer the Corvin Publishing House, Deva, Romania, water sample was taken on 04.03.2017 at 2015. 10:00 from East Jiu river downstream from 2. Toth L., Pasculescu V.M., Industrial and the confluence with the Taia River to the household wastewater treatment, Focus Pub- lishing House, Romania, 2016; good quality category. 3. Lazar M., Dumitrescu I., Technogenic im- Conclusions pact on the environment, Universitas Pub- East Jiu River Basin, being industrial- lishing House, Romania, 2006. ized, suffers from high technogenic pressure 4. Lazar M., The rehabilitation of the de- on water quality. With the closure of mining graded lands, Universitas Publishing House, operations in the area, this pressure decreases Romania, 2010. 5. Tutuianu O., Assessing and reporting envi- over time, and the water quality tends to im- ronmental performance indicators, AGIR prove, but diversification of economic activi- Publishing House, Bucharest, Romania 2006. ties, population growth, waste disposal, mo- 6. Ujvări I. The geography of Romania's wa- tor traffic and unsustainable farming prac- ters, Scientific Publishing House, Romania. tices threaten the East Jiu water quality. Anal- 7. http://www.greenpeace.org/roma- ysis of the East Jiu water and applying the nia/ro/campanii/rosiamontana/descriere/. method of assessing Water Quality Index 8. https://ro.wikipe- dia.org/wiki/R%C3%A2ul_Jiul_de_Est. showed that this water can be referred to

“Gornye nauki i tehnologii”/ “Mining science and technology”, 2018, No. 2, pp. 34-40 Title: IDENTIFICATION OF SOURCES PRODUCTING IMPACT ON WATER QUALITY IN EAST JIU BASIN Author 1: Name & Surname: Alexandru Simion Company: University of Petrosani Address: 20, Str. Universității, Petroșani, jud. Hunedoara, Romania, 332006 Author 2: Name & Surname: Maria Lazar Company: University of Petrosani Address: 20, Str. Universității, Petroșani, jud. Hunedoara, Romania, 332006 Scientific Degree: Dr. Sci. Contacts: [email protected] DOI: 10.17073/2500-0632-2018-2-34-40 Abstract: The main economic activity in the Jiu Valley is mining, which produces valuable mineral raw materials required for the region development and progress, repre- senting the main link in the value producing chain. The majority of mining oper- ations and other economic activities existing within the East Jiu basin produce negative environmental impact (more or less severe), as well as and positive ef- fects such as those related to increasing employment, staff training, creating in- frastructure, etc. In most cases, the negative impact of the human activities can be con-siderably mitigated or even completely eliminated through remedial

ГЕОЛОГИЯ МЕСТОРОЖДЕНИЙ ПОЛЕЗНЫХ ИСКОПАЕМЫХ 40

measures, particularly through the environment rehabilitation in the affected ar- eas. But if a water body is strongly affected by pollutants generated by the human activities, the pollution impact is especially heavy near the water body bottom, with significant negative changes of the aquatic ecosystems and impossibility of consumption and use of the water resources by the riparian population. The main objective of this paper consists in identification and description of all human ac- tivities presented within East Jiu basin and analysis of their impact on the river (and other water bodies) water quality. For assessing the East Jiu water quality and monitoring its variations with time, water quality index (WQI) was used, aggregating individual quality indicators (expressed in physical units) into a sin- gle unique water quality measure. Keywords: East Jiu, environment, human activities, mining, water quality. References: 1. Fodor D. Mining and the environment, Corvin Publishing House, Deva, Ro- mania, 2015. 2. Toth L., Pasculescu V.M. Industrial and household wastewater treatment, Fo- cus Publishing House, Romania, 2016; 3. Lazar M., Dumitrescu I. Anthropic impact on the environment, Universitas Publishing House, Romania, 2006. 4. Lazar, M. The rehabilitation of the degraded lands, Universitas Publishing House, Romania, 2010. 5. Tutuianu O. Assessing and reporting environmental performance environ- mental indicators, AGIR Publishing House, Bucharest, Romania 2006. 6. Ujvări I. The geography of Romania's waters, Scientific Publishing House, Romania. 7. http://www.greenpeace.org/romania/ro/campanii/rosiamontana/descriere/. 8. https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A2ul_Jiul_de_Est

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