WATER POLLUTION IN TIMIS COUNTY A.M. BALINT and A.P. NECULAE West University of Timisoara, Romania, [email protected], [email protected] ABSTRACT The present work is a brief inventory of the water resources and water consumption in Romania and an evaluation of the water quality in Timis county (neighbour of Serbia). This evaluation concerns rivers, groundwater, fountains and drinking water in Timisoara. The main causes of pollution and the critical zones are identified. Finally, a set of measures in order to improve the present situation are presented. Keywords: water resources; water sampling; water quality; pollutants; Timisoara. Introduction Romania is a state situated in SE Central Europe, north of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube and bordering on the Black Sea. It has an area of 238,391 km2 (91,843 miles2), 3,149.9 km of boundaries and a population of 22,526,096 inhabitants (in 1998). Fig. 1. Romania. Geographical map. 160 Romania’s water resources are made up of the surface waters – inner rivers, natural and anthrop lakes, the Danube – and in a smaller measure, 10% respectively, the groundwater. Potentially and technically usable water resources are presented in table 1. Table1. [1] Water source Total 3 Characteristic indicator Thousand m A. Inland rivers 1. Theoretic resource 40000000 2. Existing resource according to the arrangement degree of the hydrographic basins 13805691 3. Water demand of uses according to catchments capacities being in function 3682569 B The Danube (directly) 1. Theoretic resource (in the entrance section in the country 87000000 2. Usable resource in current arrangement regime 20000000 3. Water demand of uses according to catchments capacities being in function 3477013 C. Groundwater 1. Theoretic resource 9600000 out of which: - phreatic water 4700000 - deep water 4900000 2. Usable resource 6677150 3. Water demand of uses according to the catchments capacities being in function 754144 Total resource 1. Theoretic resource 136600000 2. Existing resource according to the arrangement degree of hydrographic basins 40482841 3. Water demand of uses according to the catchments in function 7913726 4. Water demand for ecological protection 4341972 As reported to the country’s current population it means : 3 - the specific usable resource in natural regime, of about 2660 m /inhabitant/year, considering also the Danube’s contribution; 3 - the theoretic specific resource, of about 1770 m /inhabitant/year, considering only the contribution of the inland rivers, placing our country, from this point of view, in the category of the countries with relatively small water resources in comparison with the other countries’ resources. 3 3 The water samplings decreased from 20.4 billion m in 1990 to 5.29 billion m in the 2006 due of economic activity reduction, water consumption reduction in the technological processes, reduction of losses, enforcement of the economic gear in the water management. For 2006, the water resources’ utilization degree (need/sampling report) is presented in table 2. 161 Table 2. [1] Water demand Water samplings Utilisation degree Amount Amount Activity 3 Activity 3 % (billion m ) (billion m ) Population 1.13 Population 1.12 99.1 Industry 5.64 Industry 3.74 66.3 Agriculture 1.13 Agriculture 0.43 38.1 Total 7.90 Total 5.29 67.0 The water sampling was 67.0% of the total demand of water due to the water over- estimations’ needs, particularly in industry and agriculture, as well as to the economic mechanism applied in the water management. Water resources and water quality measurements in Timis county The Timis county is situated in the west of Romania, in the historical region Banat, with the county seat at Timişoara. With a total area of 8,697 km² (3,6% of Romania) it is the largest county in Romania. In 2006, it had a population of 685,901 inhabitants. Fig. 3 Timis county. Geographical map. Synthetic presentations of water resources, water samplings distribution, global quality in 2006 and its water consumption evolution between 2003 and 2006 are given in tables 3-5, and figure 4, respectively. 162 Table 3. Water resources in Timis county [2] Surface resources Groundwater resources County (mil. m3) (mil.m3) Theoretic Usable Theoretic Usable Timiş 400 215 500 375 Table 4. Water samplings (in thousands m3) [2] Bega-Timis basin Aranca basin Total Programmed Realised Programmed Realised Programmed Realised 1 Industry 25.469 21.778 434 491 25.903 22.269 2 Agriculture 16.470 15.167 185 201 16.655 15.368 3 Population 50.252 44.405 1.734 1.868 51.986 46.273 Total 92.191 81.350 2.353 2.560 94.544 83.910 Table 5. Global quality for water in Timis county [2] Total length (km) I II III IV V BEGA 170 96 40 34 - - TIMIŞ 150 50 100 - - - Hydrographic basin BEGA –TIMIŞ 916 186 247 430 53 - Fig. 4. Water sampling evolution 2003-2006 [2] The main critical zone from surface waters pollution point of view is a length of 34 km of Bega river, outside Timisoara in the border direction. The diminishing of the water quality (II class to IV class) is due to waste water conducted in Bega, only mechanically purged (a new station for purifying the water is under construction). For the groundwater, the most important pollutants reported were: organic suspensions, ammonium, phosphates and 163 nitrides. During 2006, accidentally, even 10 to 100 times bigger values then admitted were reported in Timis and Bega basins. The main polluters were identified in the water managing companies of the most important cities of the county (Timisoara, Lugoj, Deta) and S.C. Smithfield (pork elevating company). The influence of the agricultural activity is not very important. The urbanization plan of Timisoara – having a plane surface of 3500 ha, like Bruxelles, but a population only of 40 000, i.e. 10 times less at that time – was made at the beginning of the XX-the century. So, the project was made estimating 60 000 citizens. The Bega channel was rearranged, highly navigated, constructed on it one of the first hydro-power plants, called “Turbines” (1910). Later, appearing high water consuming new industries, (e.g. textiles), big monumental buildings with tens of apartments, avenues etc. and a new water supply system as well as new canalization imposed. There have been proposed three solutions concerning drinking water supply, namely: to use underground water existing at 20 and 80 m deep aquifers all around the town; to use Bega water – despite its unsatisfactory quality (even in present!); or to transport drinking water from the river Mures through pipes tens of kilometres long. In 1914 was inaugurated the first water supply plant using underground water; in 1959 the second (Bega water), then a third one – no drinking water supply – and in 1981 the fourth plant, Aquatim (Bega water). In 1915 were assured 50 l/day drinking water for each citizen and the consumption now is more than 250 l/day. In 1940 the water supplying network in Timisoara was 127 km long; in 1960 of 158 km; in 1975 practically the double, 318 km, and now more than 500 km. During the last three years we have analysed the quality of drinking water in our town. The results of some of our measurements concerning the water from Bega, Aquatim, Balcescu drilled fountain and from a spring in S-E of Timisoara in comparison with the reference values are presented in the figures 6 to 17. Fig. 6. pH values. Fig. 7. O2 values (in mg/l). 164 Fig. 8. Suspensions values (in mg/l). Fig. 9. Conductivity values (in µS/cl). Fig. 10. NO2 values (in mg/l). Fig. 11. NO3 values (in mg/l). Fig. 13. Chlorides values (in mg/l). Fig. 12. NH4 values (in mg/l). 165 Fig. 14. SO4 values (in mg/l). Fig. 15. PO4 values (in mg/l). + Fig. 16. Fe values (in mg/l). Fig. 17. Mn values (in mg/l). Conclusions The main problems with the quality of drinking water in Timisoara are: - high concentration of Fe existing in groundwater over 0.4 mg/l (admitted 0.2 mg/l) - high concentration of Mn 0.2 mg/l (admitted 0.05 mg/l ) - NH4 (admitted 1 mg/l) - phenols (admitted 0.001 mg/l) - to eliminate the existing silicon oxides (SiO2) - turbidity of the water after rains In order to improve the water quality, a long term investments plan (up to 2018) is under development. It focuses on the localities with more then 2000 inhabitants, and consists mainly in changing the infrastructure used in collecting and purifying the water, and finding new sources of water. 166 References [1] Romania. Water quality report 2006 (www.mmediu.ro) [2] Report on water quality in Timis county 2006 (www.apmtm.ro) [3] A.A. Ardelean, Apa potabila in judetul Timis, Diploma work, 2005. 167 .