COMPARISON OF SYSTEMS OF BIOLOGICAL INDICATION APPROVED DURING THE COURSE OF THE JOINT ANGLO-SOVIET INVESTIGATIONS HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE INSTITUTE OF HYDROBIOLOGY OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UKRAINIAN SSR by V A Abakumov and V V Polishuk (Institute for Applied Geophysics of the State Committee of the USSR on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, Moscow; Institute of Hydrobiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev) In accordance with the plan for joint Anglo-Soviet scientific and technical collaboration on environmental problems, the comparative evaluation of systems of hydrobiological analysis of the surface water quality started in 1977 at the Regional Laboratory of the Severn-Trent Water Authority in Nottingham were continued in the spring of 1978. The investigations were carried out under the auspices of the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. The following scientists took part on the Soviet side: From the Institute for Applied Geophysics of the State Committee of the USSR on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring — V A Abakumov, N V Umnova. From the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR — O G Kaftannikova, V V Polishuk, I G Garasevich. From the Hydrobiology Laboratory of the Hydrometeorological Service of the Ukrainian SSR — Yu I Onanko, L V Usenko. From the Hydrobiological Laboratory of the North-West Hydrometeorological Service — S L Basova. The British representatives were: H A Hawkes (Aston University), J R Leeming (North Western Water Authority), D J Lowson (Forth River Purification Board, Scotland), A Jenkins (Welsh Water Authority), and G Fretwell (Severn-Trent Water Authority). Hydrobiological and hydrochemical samples were collected by Soviet and British specialists from the Kiev reservoir and the rivers Dnieper, Sozh, Desna and Snov. The samples were processed on the expedition ships and in the Laboratory for the Hydrobiology of Small Water Bodies of the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. The possible approved methods to be adopted were evaluated from the samples using the phytoperiphyton, phytoplankton, zooplankton and zoobenthos against a background of hydrochemical characteristics. 78 HYDROCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEST SITES At the test sites the degree of mineralisation in the Kiev reservoir varied from 234 to 290 mg/l with a slight increase from the surface to the bottom. According to the ratio of the main ions, the water was in the bicarbonate class, Ca group, of the third, less commonly, the second type. Water hardness was between 2.6 and 3.1 mg equiv./l. The mineralisation of the left-hand tributary of the River Dnieper and the River Sozh, was about the same — 261 mg/l. The total content of ions in the water of the River Desna above the mouth of the River Snov during this period was considerable — 327-351 mg/I. Of the cations, Ca++ predominated and of the anions, HC03~. The degree of mineralisation in the water of the Snov was around 250 mg/l. The main ions were characterised by the index C Ca111. The hardness levels in the Desna and Snov varied between 3.7 and 4.1 mg equiv./l. Accordingly, the methods were tested at sites with average water mineralisation. At the sampling points the concentration of biogenic elements decreased from the upper reaches of the reservoir to the lower. The content of NH4+ ions varied from 0.77 to 1.15, N02~ ions from 0.03 to 0.024, NQ3~ from 0.21 to 0.50 mg N/l, PO4 from 0.009 to 0.017 mg P/l. In the Dnieper above the Kiev Reservoir the concentration of nutrients was also comparatively high. The highest concentration of NH4+ ions was noted on the right-hand shore at the Domantov islands dam where local pollution from waste water from shore settlements was observed. At this same point the maximum concentration for the Kiev reservoir of biochemically unstable substances was noted: the BOD5 was up to 4.0 mg O2/I compared with 1.3 on the right-hand shore in the upper part of the reservoir. In the River Sozh, above its entry into the Dnieper, the concentration of nutrients was about the same as in the Kiev reservoir, except for nitrates the amount of which rose to about 3 times higher and reached 1.47 mg N/l. In the River Desna and its tributary the Snov the concentration of nutrients at the sampling sites varied widely: NH4+ from 0.81 to 0.98; NO3- from 0.24 to 0.26; NO2- from 0.003 to 0.006, PO4 from 0.10 to 0.22 mg P/L The iron content did not exceed 0.15 mg/l. BOD5 in the Desna was low (2.0 mg O2/l), while in the Snov it reached 4.7 mg. The gas regime was satisfactory. In the Kiev reservoir and in the rivers Dnieper and Sozh the concentration of dissolved oxygen was 7.3—11.9 mg/l which, at a water temperature of 9—11°C, corresponded to 64—107% saturation. The carbon dioxide content was mainly around 20-30 mg/l, though in the River Sozh it reached 57 mg/l. The pH varied from 7.4 in the River Sozh to 7.7 in the Kiev reservoir. In the Desna and its tributary the Snov the concentration of dissolved oxygen was generally around 9.3 mg/i, equivalent to about 90% saturation at a temperature of 15-16°, ie it was somewhat higher than in the Kiev reservoir. The carbon dioxide content varied between 30.8 and 52.8 mg/l. Table 1 gives a comparative view of the hydrochemical data (content of biogenic elements and dissolved gases) together with the saprobic indices using the ecological zone method. Later on, data using the ecological zone method will be used as a basis in the comparison of approved systems for biological indication of the quality of surface water, concerning which more details will be given below. 79 Table 1. + N0 ~ Date Temp. co2 o2 BOD5 NH4 2 NO3- PO4 e mg N/l No Sampling Site (May 1978) °C mg/l mg/l % sat. mg O2/I mg N/l mg N/l mgP/I pH mg/l Saprobicity using ecology 1 Kiev reservoir, bottom end, centre, surface 15 10,1 35,2 9,9 86 2,0 0,77 0,003 0,21 0,009 7,7 0,11 zone methodosp 2 Kiev reservoir, bottom end, centre, 7 m deep 15 10,1 35,2 9,9 86 2,0 0,80 0,003 0,23 0,012 7,7 0,13 )-BM 3 Kiev reservoir, bottom end, right-hand side, surface 16 9,1 29.9 9,9 84 2,0 0,88 0,003 0,28 0,010 7,6 0,18 O-BM 4 Kiev reservoir, middle part, centre, surface 16 9,1 27,3 10,3 88 2,7 0,88 0,006 0,32 0,017 7,7 0,26 0-BM 5 Kiev reservoir, middle part, centre, 8 m deep 16 9,1 19,4 10,3 88 3,0 1,02 0,005 0,34 0,013 7,6 0,22 O-BM 6 Kiev reservoir, middle part, right-hand side 16 11,5 19,4 11,9 107 4,0 1,11 0,004 0,27 0,014 7,7 0,22 BM. 7 Kiev reservoir, middle part, left-hand side 16 11,5 17,6 10,3 92 3,0 0,81 0,012 0,36 0,010 7,7 0,13 BM 8 Kiev reservoir, top end, right-hand side 17 9,5 35,2 9,9 85 2,7 0,80 0,021 0,30 0,014 7,4 0,15 0-BM 9 Kiev reservoir, top end, right-hand side 17 11,5 35,2 7,3 64 1,3 0,88 0,014 0,47 0,017 7,4 0,15 0-BM 10 Kiev reservoir, top end, centre, 7 m deep 17 9,5 22,0 9,6 83 1,7 1,15 0,024 0,50 0,015 7,5 0,26 BM 11 Kiev reservoir, top end, centre, surface 17 9,5 30,8 8,6 74 1,3 0,88 0,024 0,33 0,014 7,6 0,14 BM 12 River Dnieper at Osarevich', centre, surface 17 10,9 35,2 9,3 83 2,6 0,98 0,027 0,26 0,017 7,4 0,18 0-BM 13 River Sozh, estuary area, centre, surface 18 10,2 57,2 9,3 82 2,6 0,85 0,006 1,47 0,010 7,4 0,13 O-BM 14 River Desna above Snov mouth, centre, surface 21 13,8 30,6 9,3 86 2,0 0,85 0,003 0,26 0,017 7.9 0,15 O-BM 15 River Desna above mouth of Snov, right-hand shore 21 16,1 52,8 9,6 95 2,0 0,81 0,006 0,24 0,014 7,8 0,12 O-BM 16 River Desna above the mouth of the Snov, left-hand shore 21 14,7 35,2 9,3 90 2,0 0,83 0,006 0,23 0,022 7,8 0,12 O-BM 17 River Snov 5 km above the estuary, centre 21 15,5 52,8 9,3 91 3,4 0,88 0,004 0,25 0,014 7,8 0,12 BM 18 River Snov 5 km above the estuary, right-hand shore 21 15,9 35,2 9,3 92 4,7 0.98 0,004 0,25 0,010 7,7 0,14 B-LM 80 BIOLOGICAL INDICATION OF THE QUALITY OF WATER USING PHYTOPERIPHYTON INDICATORS Among the systems for the biological indication of the quality of surface water, special attention has been given to the indication using the Kolkwitz-Marsson indicator organism system and its subsequent modifications, with clear preference often being shown to periphyton organisms in comparison with other groups of hydrobionts (Sladeckova, 1962; Sladeckova & Sladecek, 1964; Nikulina, 1976, et al).