The role of storage reservoirs in reducing calcium migration from agricultural catchments

Abstract

This study was conducted on a storage reservoir situated in a valley, in the lower course of the Sz¹bruk stream in north-eastern Poland, the Olsztyn Lakeland mesoregion. The catchment area of the Sz¹bruk stream consists of an agricultural and an afforested part. A storage reservoir is found in the lower part of the Sz¹bruk stream valley. The reservoir was built 25 years ago. It is enclosed by a dike and equipped with an outlet box. Outflows from the reservoir pass through the terminal segment of the Sz¹bruk stream to Lake Wulpiñskie.The results of the experiment indicate that the calcium content of water evacuated from the catchment was determined by the type and intensity of catchment use, ranging from 22.3 mg Ca⋅dm -3 to 178 mg Ca⋅dm -3 . The highest calcium concentrations, 113 mg Ca⋅dm -3 on average, were noted in the agricultural catchment connected to a drainage network; lower levels, 78.7 mg Ca⋅dm -3 , were found in farming areas drained via ditches, while the lowest Ca content in water, 38.7 mg Ca⋅dm -3 on average, was determined in outflows from afforested catchments. Calcium concentrations were lower during the growing season in all studied catchment types. The calcium load discharged from the catchment dependnded on the catchment management. The highest calcium loss per area unit was observed in the drained agricultural catchment (76.6 kg Ca⋅ha -1 ⋅year -1 ), followed by the catchment drained via ditches (56.3 Ca⋅ha -1 ⋅year -1 ) and the afforested catchment (31.8 Ca⋅ha -1 ⋅year -1 ). Despite the inflow of calcium-rich drainage water, calcium concentrations decreased by 11%, from 56.8 mg Ca⋅dm -3 to 50.3 mg Ca⋅dm -3 , after the stream's waters passed through the storage reservoir. An increase in Ca levels was noted in the girdling ditch. The flow of water through the ditch minimizes sedimentation, and higher quantities of Ca were supplied with drainage water. The reservoir accumulated 242.4 kg Ca per ha in the course of one year, mostly in the growing season (83%). The above indicates high involvement of biological processes. The reservoir fulfilled the role of a barrier inhibiting calcium loss from the catchment. ZNACZENIE ZBIORNIKA RETENCYJNEGO W OGRANICZENIU MIGRACJI WAPNIA ZE ZLEWNI ROLNICZEJ AbstraktBadania prowadzono na zbiorniku retencyjnym po³o¿onym w dolinie koñcowego biegu strugi Sz¹bruk po³o¿onej w pó³nocno-wschodniej Polsce, w mezoregionie Pojezierza Olsztyñskiego. Zlewnia strugi Sz¹bruk sk³ada siê z czêoeci leoenej i rolniczej. W dolnej czêoeci doliny strugi Sz¹bruk jest po³o¿ony zbiornik retencyjny wykonany przed 25 laty, zamkniêty grobl¹ i mnichem. Odp³ywy ze zbiornika kierowane s¹ koñcowym odcinkiem strugi Sz¹bruk do Jeziora Wulpiñskiego. W wyniku badañ stwierdzono, ¿e stê¿enie wapnia w wodzie odp³ywaj¹cej ze zlewni zale¿alo od sposobu i intensyfikacji u¿ytkowania i mieoeci³o siê w granicach od 22,3 mg Ca⋅dm -3 do 178 mg Ca⋅dm -3 . Najwy¿sze stê¿enie, oerednio 113 mg Ca⋅dm -3 , wyst¹pi³o w wodach zlewni rolniczych odwadnianych sieci¹ drenarsk¹, ni¿sze, oerednio 78,7 mg Ca⋅dm -3 , w wodac...

Concentration changeability of phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in selected partial drainage basins of the River Drwęca

“…Average concentrations of calcium in rivers with an agricultural catchment area fluctuated from 93.25 to 131.66 mg dm -3 , whereas in river catchments covered with forest, from 47.19 to 68.93 mg dm -3 . These results confirm the reports of other authors about more intensive eluviation of calcium ions from agricultural areas compared with forest areas (Koc and Duda 2009). In the case of the magnesium ion, the situation is similar: average concentrations in rivers with an agricultural catchment area ranged from 19.79 to 36.77 mg dm -3 , and in rivers with a forest catchment area they ranged from 9.71 to 25.47 mg dm -3 .…”

Na, K, Ca and Mg concentrations in effluent water drained from agricultural catchment basins in Lower Silesia

“…These concentrations are higher than determined in agricultural river basins in north-eastern Poland (GLIÑSKA--LEWCZUK, KOBUS 2005) but lower than reported by TERELAK and PONDEL (1990) for the Lubartów Plain. Notable is the high concentration of calcium in both inflow and effluent water from Miêkinia -it is significantly higher than determined at the remaining objects or given in literature (GLIÑSKA--LEWCZUK, KOBUS 2005, KOC, DUDA 2009. A very high Ca : Mg ratio, i.e.…”

Changes in the concentration of selected metals in sediments of the River Chotla in northwest Poland in its section affected by various anthropogenic factors

“…The highest values of the accumulation index in samples obtained from the water accumulation area can result from the fact that the analysis was conducted during the growing season, when biological processes are intense. The studies of the influence of a storage reservoir on limiting calcium migration showed that 83% of calcium deposited in the reservoir undergoes retention in the growing season (Koc and Duda 2009). Fig.…”