The problem of drinking water quality assessment and the impact of agricultural practices on it is relevant these days. A certain select area can serve as a convenient model object in the investigation. This work aims to assess the effect of agricultural practices on the quality of drinking water. The qualitative and quantitative composition of drinking water consumed by the habitants of Vladivostok, Russian Federation, was investigated in 2018. A total of 1000 samples were collected from wells, small rivers, channels located nearby the wastewater treatment facilities, from a river flowing near fields and livestock farms, and from a river with the minimal anthropogenic impact. To evaluate the drinking water suitability, the following parameters were addressed: the mineral level, hardness, alkalinity, permanganate oxidation, and the concentration of various salts and ions, specifically Ca 2+ , Cl − , SO 4 , HCO 3 , NO 2 , Mg 2+ , P, and NH 4 -N. The concentration of organic compounds is affected by two factors, water temperature and pH. The mineral level in water near the farmland is 1.7-3 times higher than the norm (p ≤ 0.05). Intermediate results (i.e., elevation of 1.5 times) were obtained for wells and small rivers (p ≤ 0.05). In the preserve, all parameters are close to normal value. Thereby, almost all substances under study demonstrate elevation of at least 2-20 times. The reason for this situation is the human factor.

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The industrial and transport effect on the environment is distinguished most significantly by the formation of technogeneous geochemical anomalies in the urban landscape. This study was conducted within the boundaries of urban agglomeration (Penza city) for two years (2014 and 2015) during the summer (June to August). To determine the effect that the distance from road and the amount of heavy metal emissions have, samples were extracted at a distance of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 metres from the roadway. There were three sampling points at each sampling line, with a 3 to 4-metre space between them. The year-long measurements make up a number over 20.000. In Penza, the flow of traffic typically varies between 3 and 3943 cars per hour. When produced in significant amounts, heavy metal emissions from vehicles-exhaust emissions (Pb, Cu, Ni), particulate matter emissions (Cu, Ni, Zn), emissions from plastics and paint (Zn, Cd), and tirewear emissions (Zn)-accumulate in the roadside area, transform and further migrate along the food chains. All road categories show a significant elevation in the background and emission limit values for all heavy metals studied. The most dramatic rise was recorded for Cu and it was 5.09-to 19.11-fold. The concentration of Ni, Zn and Pb exceeds the acceptable rate 1.17-8.79-fold. The concentration of carbon monoxide decreases with distance from the road. Street ranking by car hazard shows that all main urban streets with regulated traffic are category 1 hazard sources of emission, mainly due to lead compounds (%). Between spring and summer, the traffic flow increases 1.3-to 2-fold and the hazard category of roads rises (under 1.5-fold). Significant changes in the traffic infrastructure and vehicle replacement compensate for the negative impact of vehicles on air quality in Penza, which was initially caused by the increase in the number of vehicles on the road and by the subsequent overload of the transport network. The increase in the queue length and time did not entail the emission growth. On the contrary, since 2014, Penza has been showing a decreasing trend and since 2015, the total amount of emissions from motor vehicles has been remaining at a stabilized point.

In this work, the author describes the process of restoration of disturbed ecosystems using various objects as an example, mainly dumps of brown coal deposits. To illustrate the problem, the Rettihovskoye brown coal field of the Primorsky Krai is chosen. The article notes the differences between spontaneous restoration and directed recultivation of the area, describes the characteristics and composition of the new hardy-shrub and herb layer. The basic conditions for self-growth of the study area are determined and the dynamics of the processes in the conditions of changing climatic factors using the observation method over a long period are monitored.

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