PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The main cause of eutrophication of water bodies is pollution, especially the discharge of nutrients: nitrogen and phosphorus, from both point sources (e.g. sewage treatment plants) and diffuse sources. The diffuse sources of pollution are estimated today to account for 50% of the runoff of nutrients in Poland. Reduction in the point sources of pollution, however indispensable and significant, is not in itself sufficient. One of the ways of protecting water ecosystems from diffuse pollution is to make use of the potential of ecotones, regions of transition between two biological communities. Sulejowski Reservoir is surrounded by agricultural land, and as a result livestock and nutrient management is the main source of pollution in the region.
OBJECTIVES
The general aim of the EKOROB project was to draw up an Action Plan for reducing diffuse pollution in the basin of the Pilica River by means of cost-effective eco-hydrological methods that will help achieve a good ecological status of water in the Sulejowski Reservoir.
For diffusion pollution to be successfully reduced it would be necessary to raise the environmental awareness of the local community. Building of the ecotones within the reservoir area and in the river valleys required public acceptance. In order to demonstrate that the ecotones not only do not impede but in fact facilitate recreation, the project planned to construct the right infrastructure, such as paths and jetties within the area of the established ecotones.
A major goal of the project was to create a manual for optimal ecotone formation that pays special attention to the effectiveness of diffuse pollution removal and the increase of biodiversity.
RESULTS
The EKOROB project helped improve the quality of water in the Sulejowski Reservoir contributing to the objective of the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC) of achieving a good status of all EU water bodies. The beneficiaries constructed 638 m of new ecotones (more than the 500 m planned) and built a drainage system for rain waters in Barkowice and a bio-filter cascade system in Swolszewice as part of the move to modernise the area. Denitrification ‘walls’ were constructed as part of the ecotones – these are an innovative way of protecting water bodies against the inflow of nitrates from agricultural drainage area and from areas without sewer systems. At the walls, underground water polluted with nitrates flows through a sawdust-filled ditch that is vertical to the direction of the flowing water. The process of denitrification takes place in an oxygen-free environment; nitrogen compounds are removed from the water and released into the atmosphere.
The effectiveness of the structures constructed under the project exceeded the planned level of 30%, demonstrating the viability of the proposed solution. The denitrification wall at Barkowice Zatoka was shown to be 67% efficient at removing nitrogen compounds. In Zarzęcin a biogeochemical barrier was built on the limestone foundation. Initially the barrier was shown to reduce pollution by 58%, but due to very high loads caused by the inflow of phosphates (reaching 12.5 mg/l), the barrier became less effective dropping to an average level of 12% after four years. Planting vegetation at this demonstration site proved to be a very successful – a near fourfold increase in the accumulation of nitrogen was recorded and the accumulation of phosphorus in the plant tissues increased by more than two-an-half times. The method of mowing littoral vegetation zones at the Barkowice Łąka demonstration site resulted in the increased removal of nitrogen and phosphorus by 38% in comparison to 2012.
A major achievement of the project was the publication of a Manual for Ecotone Formation. The manual contains information on how to construct the ecotones and where they should be located to ensure a high level of pollution control. It was distributed among stakeholders interested in the project.
Also as planned, the beneficiaries established a Multi-stakeholder Platform that engaged those interested in the project in joint actions that focus on the drainage area of the Sulejowski Reservoir with a view to reducing diffusion pollution and ensuring the good ecological status of the reservoir. Ten meetings of the platform members were organised during the project.
Another main outcome is the Action Plan, which outlines a water protection strategy for 53 communes located in the basin of the Pilica River. The plan was based on consultations with a wide range of actors and therefore constitutes a good basis for future actions to improve the water quality in the Pilica River and the Sulejowski Reservoir. Overall, the project demonstrated that a system of water protection based on the new ecotone formation can be effective, cost efficient and highly replicable. This approach also helps to improve the local conditions for developing tourism in the areas where the ecotones were constructed.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
