Agriculture is being negatively affected by the decrease in precipitation that has been observed over the last few years. Even in the Czech Republic, farmers are being urged to irrigate their fields despite the fact that sources of water for irrigation are rapidly being depleted. This problem might be partially solved via the reuse of treated wastewater in certain agricultural sectors. However, the public perception of the reuse of wastewater remains negative primarily due to unknown risks to the environment and public health. To overcome this barrier, a semi-operated irrigation field was established at Kostelec nad Ohří in the Central Bohemian region of the Czech Republic and planted with common garden crops such as tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) and lettuces (Lactuca sativa L.) irrigated with two different water sources, i.e., treated wastewater from a local nature-based treatment system, a hybrid constructed wetland (HCW), and local fresh water from well. The HCW was put into operation in 2017 and was reconstructed in 2018 and includes both horizontal and vertical flow beds; the trial irrigation field was added in the same year. The reconstruction of the facility significantly enhanced the removal efficiency with respect to all monitored parameters, e.g., biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), chemical oxygen demand (COD), N–NH₄⁺, total N and the suspended solids (TSS), except for total P. The HCW also ensured the significant removal of several observed pathogenic microorganisms (E. coli, intestinal enterococci and thermotolerant coliforms). During the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons, we observed the significantly enhanced growth of the crops irrigated with wastewater from the HCW due to the fertilizing effect. The risks associated with the contamination of crops irrigated with treated water are not negligible and it is necessary to pay sufficient attention to them, especially when introducing irrigation with wastewater into practice.

This paper provides a detailed look into the historical development of the water supply system of a big industrial city and its impact on the river environment and needs of the wastewater treatment system. The city of Brno, Czech Republic, was chosen for this study because it has a long history in the field of water supply, and the city has changed rapidly over the last 200 years. The city’s development necessitated an adaptation of drinking water sources, most significantly the use of the Březová nad Svitavou facility, which resulted in a change of condition of the Svitava River. The notable decrease in river flow, aided by industrial development of settlements within the Svitava River catchment between 1850 and 1950, strongly contributed to the spread of river pollution. However, the construction of wastewater treatment plants during recent decades led to a restoration of river quality and, consequently, of the entire environment of the Svitava River catchment. This paper also presents a view on activities connected with the long term surface water quality monitoring and improvement with regard to water quality conditions in spring areas and the river network influenced by the water supply system.

This study evaluates the removal efficiency of 15 estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds in two operational constructed wetlands with different designs: a hybrid system (constructed wetland A) and a horizontal system (constructed wetland B). The assessment involved analyzing composite water samples obtained from passive samplers through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with yeast assays. Additionally, grab samples of sludge and sediment were examined to determine the endocrine-disrupting compound's adsorption efficacy. The application of the full logistic model enabled the discernment and ranking of the chemicals contributing to mixture toxicity. The findings revealed constructed wetland A's superior efficacy in the removal of individual endocrine-disrupting compounds (with an average efficiency of 94%) compared to constructed wetland B (60%). Furthermore, constructed wetland A displayed a higher estimated estrogenic activity removal efficiency (83%) relative to constructed wetland B (52%). Estrogenic activity was adequately accounted for (58–120%) in half of the analyzed samples, highlighting estrone as the primary estrogenic agent. The investigation underscores constructed wetlands’ effectiveness in purging endocrine-disrupting compounds, suggesting that their integration as secondary or tertiary treatment systems for such pollutants removal merits further exploration.

Title: Závlahové stavby – opomíjená součást kulturního dědictví (Irrigation Facilities – a Neglected Part of Cultural Heritage) pdf Irrigation facilities represent one of the …

Článek je věnován prezentaci dílčích výsledků studie zaměřené na stanovení potenciálu využití extenzivní technologie odvodnění kalu pro malé komunální čistírny