Second life of water and wastewater in the context of circular economy - Do the membrane bioreactor technology and storage reservoirs make the recycled water safe for further use?

In recent years water demand drastically increased which is particularly evident in tourism-burdened mountain regions. In these areas, climate neutral circular economy strategies to minimize human impact on the environment can be successfully applied. Among these strategies, treated wastewater reuse and retaining water in storage reservoirs deserve particular attention.

EUSEDcollab: a network of data from European catchments to monitor net soil erosion by water.

As a network of researchers we release an open-access database (EUSEDcollab) of water discharge and suspended sediment yield time series records collected in small to medium sized catchments in Europe. EUSEDcollab is compiled to overcome the scarcity of open-access data at relevant spatial scales for studies on runoff, soil loss by water erosion and sediment delivery. Multi-source measurement data from numerous researchers and institutions were harmonised into a common time series and metadata structure.

Anthropogenic pollution gradient along a mountain river affects bacterial community composition and genera with potential pathogenic species.

Mountain regions in Poland are among the most frequently visited tourist destinations, causing a significant anthropogenic pressure put on the local rivers. In this study, based on numbers of 9 microorganisms, content of 17 antibiotics and 17 physicochemical parameters, we determined a pollution gradient in six sites along Białka, a typical mountain river in southern Poland. The E.

COVID-19 lockdown shows how much natural mountain regions are affected by heavy tourism.

Mountain areas in Poland are among the most frequented tourist destinations and such intensive tourism negatively affects the natural environment. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown restricted travel for a few months in 2020, providing a unique opportunity to observe the studied mountain environment without the impact of typical tourist traffic. This study is based on the determination of antibiotic content, hydrochemical parameters, enumeration of culturable bacterial water quality indicators, antimicrobial susceptibility tests together with extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) gene detection in waterborne E.

Impact of ski run construction on atypical channel head development.

The development of ski infrastructure in mountainous areas has a significant impact on the development of erosion landforms and modification of existing landforms on slopes. The main purpose of our study was to determine the effects of ski run construction and artificial snowmaking on the development of channel heads and drainage lines as well as pattern of processes occurring along longitudinal profile of stream channel. The research was performed in the Remiaszów catchment on two ski runs in the Białczańska Kotelnica ski area (the Polish Inner Carpathians).

Intra-annual groundwater levels and water temperature patterns in raised bogs affected by human impact in mountain areas in Poland.

Over the last century, the vast majority of peatlands in Europe have experienced substantial transformation as a result of drainage works that led to an imbalance in the natural hydrologic regime as well as changes in vegetation composition. The ongoing study aims to reconstruct the natural hydrologic regime of peatlands and restore their typical vegetation communities. In this study, we examine the variability of groundwater levels and groundwater temperature in raised bogs located in the Bieszczady Mts.

Effect of the construction of ski runs on changes in relief in a mountain catchment (Inner Carpathians, Southern Poland).

In the last decade increasing popularity of winter tourism in mountain areas in Poland influenced development of ski infrastructure. This type of human activity may induce changes in mountain relief. The purpose of the study was to quantify ongoing change patterns via: (i) a determination of spatial and quantitative changes in catchment covered by new ski runs, (ii) a determination of the effect of new ski runs on the rejuvenation of relief in valleys adjacent to ski runs, (iii) an identification of changes in the surface runoff pattern before and after the construction of ski runs.

Effect of Land Use, Seasonality, and Hydrometeorological Conditions on the K Concentration-Discharge Relationship During Different Types of Floods in Carpathian Foothills Catchments (Poland).

The purpose of the study was to determine the role of land use, seasonality, and hydrometeorological conditions on the relationship between stream water potassium (K) concentration and discharge during different types of floods-short- and long-duration rainfall floods as well as snowmelt floods on frozen and thawed soils. The research was conducted in small catchments (agricultural, woodland, mixed-use) in the Carpathian Foothills (Poland). In the woodland catchment, lower K concentrations were noted for each given specific runoff value for summer rainfall floods versus snowmelt floods (seasonal effect).

Effect of water stage and tree stand composition on spatiotemporal differentiation of spring water chemistry draining Carpathian flysch slopes (Gorce Mts).

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting spring water chemistry in different tree stands and to measure the influence of water stage on the physicochemical parameters of spring waters in a small Carpathian catchment. Water samples were collected three times per year at various stages of the water: after the spring thaw, after a period of heavy rain and after a dry period in 2011 and 2012. Water samples were left in the laboratory to reach room temperature (19-20°C) and analyzed for EC (reference T=25°C) and pH.

The effect of anthropogenic pressure shown by microbiological and chemical water quality indicators on the main rivers of Podhale, southern Poland.

This study was aimed to determine the spatial variation in anthropogenic pressure exerted on surface water in the Podhale region (southern Poland), which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Poland. The assessment was based on the dynamics and relationships between microbiological and chemical indicators of water quality throughout the major rivers of this region-Dunajec, Czarny Dunajec, Biały Dunajec, and Białka. Another aim was to assess the effect of land use on the quality of water in the studied rivers.

Factors and Mechanisms Affecting Seasonal Changes in the Prevalence of Microbiological Indicators of Water Quality and Nutrient Concentrations in Waters of the Białka River Catchment, Southern Poland.

This 3-year study was aimed to understand the factors and mechanisms that cause the temporal changes in the concentration of microbiological indicators of water quality and nutrient concentration in selected sites of the Białka river catchment (southern Poland) situated in direct vicinity of the largest ski station in the region. The analysis comprised 35 sampling campaigns conducted in five sites. Water temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity were measured during sampling, laboratory analyses included determination of the selected nutrients content (NH, NO, NO, PO); and the number of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria, coliforms, fecal coliforms, and .

Effect of deforestation on stream water chemistry in the Skrzyczne massif (the Beskid Śląski Mountains in southern Poland).

The purpose of the study was to identify the factors affecting stream water chemistry in the small mountain catchments deforested to varying degrees, from 98.7 to 14.1%, due to long-term acid deposition.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of spring and stream water chemistry in a high-mountain area.

The present study deals with the application of the self-organizing map (SOM) technique in the exploration of spatiotemporal dynamics of spring and stream water samples collected in the Chochołowski Stream Basin located in the Tatra Mountains (Poland). The SOM-based classification helped to uncover relationships between physical and chemical parameters of water samples and factors determining the quality of water in the studied high-mountain area. In the upper part of the Chochołowski Stream Basin, located on the top of the crystalline core of the Tatras, concentrations of the majority of ionic substances were the lowest due to limited leaching.