Water pollution control efforts are aimed to control and minimise water pollution sources. In terms of spatial impact, there are point pollution sources (industrial premises, discharge wastewater points from sewage systems and wastewater treatment plants) and non-point pollution sources (primarily from agriculture, dump sites, erosion processes). The STN 75 7221 standard classifies five river water quality grades, ranging from grade I - very clean - to grade V - strongly polluted water. The classification is based on six types of indices: A – oxygen regime indices, B – basic chemical composition indices, D – heavy metals, E – biology and microbiology indices, and F – radioactivity indices. In 1997 37 km rivers were subject to monitoring.
Groundwater quality has been consistently monitored in 26 areas of water management relevance, in network facilities of the Slovak Hydrometeorology Institute. The monitoring results reveal frequent occurrence of increased concentrations of iron, manganese and ammonia ions, and organic pollution.
Quantity aspect of the water source protection is extremely significant, especially in instances of disproportionate demand increase. It has become evident, that the authorised exploitation level for springs will have to be reduced by 15 – 20 % and by 20 – 30 percent in wells.
The Slovak Republic has an established statutory water protection system based on protected territories. As part of regional protection, ten protected water management territories were declared in the total area of 6.942 km2. The exploited sources of drinking water fall under a tight hygienic protection zone treatment. Special type of protection is declaration of rivers and river basins of water management significance.
This part presents two maps. One of the maps is a map of water quality distribution in the Slovak rivers by oxygen regime indices, the other depicts Slovak rivers by quality grades defined by colour distinction. The other map outlines protected areas and river basins of water management significance, and water management reservoirs.
The enclosed table presents length of rivers by quality grades expressed in water oxygen regime indices. The table includes the 1990, 1995 and 1997 water quality data. It becomes evident from the table, that in 1995 and 1997 neither of the monitored rivers are classified as grade I, most of the monitored rivers are grade II and III, and approx. 20 % of the rivers are grade IV and V.
Information & Contact:
Vyskumny ustav vodneho hospodarstva
(Water Management Research Institute)
Nabr. arm.gen. L. Svobodu 5,
SK-811 02 Bratislava
Tel. +421 2 5934 3340
