METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING THE SURFACE WATER POLLUTION BY NUTRIENTS

Abstract

The preparation of the River Basin Management Plan includes an assessment of the human pressure by polluting substances. This paper suggests a methodology for calculating the total budget of nutrients in the river basin using the balance method. We assessed the supply of nutrients from various sources within the catchment area. Point sources include emissions from urban areas as well as industrial and agricultural enterprises. Diffuse sources are divided into those determined by natural background (emission from territories covered by forests, grass vegetation, direct atmospheric depositions on the water surface) and anthropogenic ones (arable land, rural, built-up areas). The developed method can be applied to basins not provided with monitoring data.