Effects of Mining Activities on River Water Quality

The purpose of this work was to assess development of the quality of surface water in the Svatava River in the Czech Republic from 1997 to 2008. Parameters typical for pollution as a result of mining activities (SO42-, Fe, Mn) were monitored, as well as select heavy metals (Pb and Cd). A falling tendency in the values of annual averages of all the monitored indicators in all profiles is apparent. The least polluted water is in the profiles Hranice and Kraslice on the upper course of the Svatava River. Conversely, the most polluted water is in the Sokolov profile, in front of the site where the Svatava River flows into the Ohre. This applies to all the monitored indicators of the Sokolov profile that the greatest pollution values were recorded during 1997 and 2002, and for sulphurs also in 1999 and 2003. The analyzed ion concentrations are still significantly higher than in other profiles, with the exception of lead and cadmium, where pollution is the greatest in the Olovi profile. However, in 2008 the measured values for all indicators did not exceed valid limits.