First study of the influence of the coal fired power plants pollution in Bulgaria on the ecological status of the rivers

Vanina V. Mitseva; Emilia D. Varadinova

Vanina V. Mitseva, Emilia D. Varadinova

Abstract: This paper presents the first study devoted to the effect of coal fired power plants on the lotic ecosystems in Bulgaria. The study was carried out in 2023, in three Bulgarian rivers - Sokolitsa River, Razmetanitsa River and its tributary Kamenishka River. The effects of the pollution were assessed by changes in both macrozoobenthic communities (as biological quality element), and characteristics of aquatic environment. Macrozoobenthic samples were collected, and the basic physico-chemical parameters were measured before and after discharges of wastewaters from the facilities. Deterioration of the ecological status of the studied river after the places of the discharge of the polluted waters was established. The results showed that the coal fired power plants activities influenced negatively the affected river stretches by worsening the ecological situation of the adjacent aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords: coal fired power plants; ecological status; macrozoobenthos; physico-chemical parameters

Citation: Mitseva, V. V. & Varadinova, E. D. (2024). First study of the influence of the coal fired power plants pollution in Bulgaria on the ecological status of the rivers. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 30 (Supplement 1), 97–106

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Date published: 2024-12-13

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