Threats of water contamination in an industrial landscape

Abstract

An industrial landscape and industrial agglomerations have a whole series of characteristic properties and features that distinguish them markedly from a natural landscape. In the beginning of the 19th century, industrial landscapes began to be formed in places of finding of some of various types of natural resources of the state concerned. Subsequently, towns with another big technical infrastructure changing the natural landscape pattern have been developed in their surroundings. At present, some industrial zones can also be regarded as industrial landscapes. A primary feature of all industrial landscapes, especially heavy industrial landscapes, is emission releases to air and gradual contamination of groundwater and surface water due to industrial activities.

Although emissions remain in air for a relatively short time, then contamination, especially groundwater contamination, has long persistence and acts very frequently even after termination of source operation. With reference to the fact that water is a precondition for the life of humans, fauna, flora and the functions of infrastructure of towns and municipalities, it is necessary to cope with the effects of water contamination in a way that minimizes the given risks and maximizes the result of the solution adopted.

The following article defines natural and anthropogenic threats arising in an industrial landscape, their negative influences on aquatic ecosystems and a means of minimizing their negative effects. The effects of these threats are to be reassessed with regard to the changing world climate and a gradual decrease in freshwater resources. The reassessment is necessary because the volume of inorganic contaminants in old environmental burdens remains the same, but the volume of water decreases, and thus the current quality of water for drinking, agriculture and industrial needs changes.