Identification of ecological status of stream impacted by urban drainage

Abstract

The adoption and implementation of the Directive 2000/60/EC with respect to crucial changes in an approach to water protection require a complex methodology for river and stream status assessment. This paper presents a possible method for assessing the ecological status of urban streams, on for example the Botic creek, the largest tributary of the Vltava River in Prague. The study stream does not possess a good ecological status. The degradation of the ecosystem quality is caused mainly by combined sewer overflows, which reduce water and sediment quality and induce chemical and hydraulic stress for the benthic community.