Research on the Sustainable Development of the Bistrita Ardeleana River through the Resizing of Weirs

Abstract

The layout of water resources and the complex and rational use of them have an important role in the socioeconomic activities of an urban settlement. Transversal hydrotechnical constructions such as weirs reduce the longitudinal connectivity of rivers and streams, affecting river biodiversity as well as water quality. This paper presents an alternative method that will help restore connectivity. In order to choose the best solution, topographical measurements were taken with a total topographical station, and a professional drone was used to obtain an updated orthophoto plan. After processing the data obtained in the field, engineering software capable of simulating flow, sediment transport, and water quality in rivers was used. With the help of the software, two hypotheses were realized: hypothesis A, the case with only one weir in place, and hypothesis B, when we have the proposed case with the lowering of the height of the weir’s crest and the construction of three new control weirs downstream of it. In conclusion, the lowering of the current weir’s crest and the construction downstream of it of three new weirs of low height would have a favorable effect from an ecological and a morphological point of view, without very big consequences on the disturbance of the flow from a hydraulic point of view.

Research on the Sustainable Development of the Bistrita Ardeleana River in Order to Stop the Erosion of the Riverbanks and the Thalweg

“…The hills and the depression are made up of clayey, marly, tuff formations, trapped in a crease system. The catchment area of the river and its tributaries is 650 km 2 , and its elevation varies between 350 m and 1990 m [11,[35][36][37][38]. During winter, this area experiences a climate regime influenced by air currents of polar origin from the west.…”

“…Human activities such as the construction of diversions, weirs, and dams represent a persistent threat to freshwater biodiversity [9] and exert a negative impact on rivers, implicitly on the functionality of aquatic ecosystems [10,11]. The impact of dams and reservoirs on the aquatic environment of rivers is an important topic in global water resources management.…”

“…The impact of dams and reservoirs on the aquatic environment of rivers is an important topic in global water resources management. These hydrotechnical constructions change the natural hydromorphological regime of rivers, negatively affecting their functionality and are associated with several environmental impacts, such as habitat fragmentation, poor water quality, nutrient depletion, loss or modification of biodiversity, remodeling of trophic networks, ichthyofauna, reduction of riparian biodiversity the river [5,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Worldwide, the decline of river biodiversity has recently been linked to the reduced functionality of the riverbed substrate.…”

“…The concern within the European Union as well as at the global level regarding the sustainability of watercourses and the environment has encouraged the improvement and acceleration of the practices used in the recovery of water courses, but even so, specialists in the field of water management encounter problems in terms of promoting environmentally friendly or green infrastructure methods [11].…”

Linking Nutrient Dynamics with Urbanization Degree and Flood Control Reservoirs on the Bahlui River

“…In regions without natural dry seasons, "nutritional pollution" can result from climate changes and human activities like urbanization, intensive agriculture, and industrial growth, all of which are interconnected and contribute to climate change [3]. It is generally recognized that extensive urbanization affects river courses [4]; industrial expansion is the cradle for countless pollutants, while intensive agriculture is the primary source of inorganic nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. Climate change causes intense events that generate heavy rainfalls and floods followed by severe and prolonged droughts.…”