Surface water quality in the Mastnik stream catchment area :the situation in the Czech countryside

Abstract

Despite major investments into the remediation of wastewater, and the reduction of fertilizers, the quality of small river surface water in agricultural and rural regions of Czechia is still very low. The Mastník stream flows through an agricultural area before combining with the Vltava river; a portion of the Mastník stream water inevitably terminates in the Slapy Reservoir. the quality of the water has been analyzed using data from indicator concentrations from both the Vltava River Basin Authority study profiles, and the author’s monitoring profile. The data show that the steps that have been taken - primarily the construction of wastewater treatment plants - have led to a gradual improvement in the surface water quality by some parameters. Presently, a growing concentration of chlorophyll-α and a lack of dissolved oxygen are influencing the final quality of the water. In the case of the Mastník stream, it is particularly necessary to improve the remediation of wastewater from small households, and to reduce the impact of water erosion on agricultural soil.