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The paper presents an analysis of water pollution carried out on the basis of the combined physico-chemical Serbian Water Quality Index (WQI) in the Timok River basin. The analysis covers various parameters (oxygen saturation, Five-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand or BOD 5 , ammonium ion concentration, pH value, Water Total Nitrogen or WTN, Total Suspended Solids or TSS, orthophosphate concentration, electrical conductivity, temperature and the fecal coliform bacteria parameter) the values of which were calculated for four hydrological stations within the basin. The data obtained at each measurement station were averaged using the annual arithmetic average mean. The annual WQI values were calculated for a twenty-five year period (1990-2014) and they were in the range between 12 and 92, which means that the quality of water varied, ranging from "very bad" to "excellent". The obtained results were interpreted and the watercourse quality was assessed using the comparison of water quality indicators according to the Serbian Classification of Surface Waters and the WQI method. The worst water quality was recorded in the Borska Reka River. Certain SWQI values are the result of water quality changes caused by wastewater from human settlements, industrial facilities, agricultural sources and illegal waste disposal sites in the basin.

The paper analyzes the water quality of hydrological resources in the wider area of Tara National Park (NP Tara) in Serbia and the opinions of the local community and the national park visitors about the grade of the possible damage. The pollution level of the Drina River at the Bajina Bašta hydrological station was analyzed using the Water Pollution Index. The results showed that water quality corresponded to classes II (clean water) or III (moderately polluted water) and revealed the presence of organic pollution. In addition, using a survey combined with field research, the perceptions of local inhabitants and national park visitors related to environmental pollution were analyzed. The community believed that tourism does not cause significant damage to the environment. However, the older and more educated groups of residents and visitors had a more critical perception of the environmental impact of tourism. The results also indicated that the perceptions of visitors were mostly in agreement with measured water quality in the Drina River. The findings of this study have important implications for the management of protected areas and future policies related to national parks.

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