The Evaluation of the Ecological State of the Moscow River near the Kuryanovo Water Treatment Facilities

Abstract

Water consumption by urban residents is higher than in rural areas by an order of magnitude or more. The volume of domestic sewage discharged into the rivers of cities has increased by several times in recent years. Moscow is a large metropolis with several wastewater treatment plants, but the main volume of wastewater enters the Moscow River through the Kuryanovo sewage treatment plant (KSTP), the surrounding area of which is the object of our study. The ecological state of the Moscow River near KSTP was assessed for pH, concentrations of macro- and micronutrients, phenols and chlorides. The possibility of using the river in this area for recreation was investigated, since water quality affects the health of urban residents. KSTP has an ambiguous impact on the ecological state of the Moscow River. As a result of the discharge of treated wastewater, the content of some compounds decreases. Suggesting KSTP has a beneficial effect on the ecology of the Moscow river. The content of some nutrients and heavy metals in the Moscow River after KSTP increases, but for a number of indicators the observed fluctuations are comparable with natural variation and do not go beyond the normative values for cultural and domestic reservoirs. Environmental monitoring of water bodies is necessary for managing water quality, therefore it is recommended to continue the monitoring of water quality near KSTP, which will predict and identify possible negative changes in the ecological state of the region as a whole.
Untreated wastewater is a hazard for urban residents, since a lot of pollutants enter the rivers with raw sewage. The use of the Moscow River for recreational purposes in the vicinity of KSTP does not pose a threat to the health of population, since the values of the indicators do not go beyond normative values for water in cultural and domestic reservoirs. The use of the Moscow River in this area for fishing is impossible without additional treatment.