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Article in Studia Universitatis Vasile Goldis Arad, Seria Stiintele Vietii · June 2005
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INTRODUCTION
The impetus for such type of work has arisen from the hydrobiologists’ major
concern over the declining quality of rivers as complex resources, on the Romanian
territory, over the past seven decades.
In any historical period and in almost all geographic regions, water was a priceless
resource but always was handled by people with divergent interests, different methods
and with significant different spatial and temporal effects.
The Târnava River Watershed (Fig. 1) is placed in the inner part of the Romanian
Carpathians arch, drain the Transylvania Depression, respective its southern division
the Târnavelor Plateau, and vary substantial in climate, geology, relief, hydrology and
anthropogenical impact.
With a watershed surface of 6157 km2, a length of 249 km and a dropping
elevation of about 1250 m, Târnava River is one of the main tributary of the Mureş
River, representing 21% of its watershed. It is properly formed at the confluence of
Târnava Mare River (3606 km2 watershed surface, 221 km length) and Târnava Mică
River (2049 km2 watershed surface, 191 km length) near Blaj locality. The first one
springs on the western slopes of the volcanic mountain mass Harghita Şumuleului at
1441 m altitude and the second one on the southern slope of the volcanic mountain
mass Saca (1777 m) at 1190 m altitude.
This study unit is divided unequally into two main physiographic areas: the smaller
mountainous part in the eastern, high-elevation part (between Târnava River springs
and Praid/Brădeşti locality) and the larger one, the Târnavelor Plateau in the central
and western, lower-elevation part (between Praid/Brădeşti locality and the confluence
with Mureş River).
The precipitations conditions and the subterranean water sources, provide a
relatively constant multi annual average water flow (Târnava Mare 14.7 m3/s, Târnava
Mică 9.8 m3/s). Târnava River, flow into the Mureş River near Mihalţ locality, with a
multi annual average water discharge of about 25 m3/s. The multi annual average
alluvial suspensions discharge is about 20 kg/s, the most of them coming from the
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upper part of the basin. The river slope is generally reduced and the major riverbed is
developed, reaching few kilometers in the periods of maximum floods (for example the
flood of 1970). Both rivers are more of meandering streams particularly where winds
across Târnava Plateau, excepting the anthropogenic modified sectors. (TUFESCU
1966, BADEA et al. 1983, POSEA et al. 1983, CURTEAN-BĂNĂDUC et al. 2001,
DOBROS, 2005).
Fig. 1: The Târnava River Watershed study unit location (BADEA et al. 1983 - modified).
Stream habitats vary from cool, clear, and forested headwater streams that have
coarse volcanic bedrock with high slope gradients in the mountainous physiographic
area, to intermediate coarse substrates in the Sub-Carpathian area, to warmer, sluggish,
meandered, and less/not forested streams banks with low slope gradients and sandy-
silty substrates in the Târnavelor Plateau.
Both watersheds are dominated by very similar land uses, forestry/small rural
localities characteristics in the mountainous areas and agriculture/industry/medium
sized localities (of maximum 65000 inhabitants) characteristics in over two third of the
watersheds (lower) areas.
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In the upper sectors of Târnava Mare River the natural hydrological conditions are
affected by Zetea Dam Lake management and by hydro technical works (cut of
meanders, marshes and floodplain drainages, river banks reshaping and embanking -
the last ones realised in 1970 period), and extensive deforestation, intensive agriculture
and the riverain (industrial and urban) wastewater discharges affected the natural
hydrobiological conditions in the lower sectors.
Although the macroinvertebrates communities and the fish communities may have
a high degree of natural variability, they can be useful indicators of the aquatic
ecosystems status/health (CHAPMAN 1992, KNOBEN et al. 1995, Hauer & RESH
1996, CURTEAN-BĂNĂDUC 2000, KARR 1981, MOYLE & Herbold 1987,
BĂNĂDUC 2000, BĂNĂDUC & CURTEAN-BĂNĂDUC 2002). Also, is
recommended macroinvertebrates and fish be given consideration in biological water-
quality surveys of streams because they generally are discerned by the public to be
ecologically relevant, and they are in direct relation to legislative mandates because of
human health and endangered species concerns. These taxonomic groups analyze are
essential for a lotic system management establishment (CURTEAN-BĂNĂDUC &
BĂNĂDUC 2001).
These rivers dimensions, natural and economic importance, variable and
aggressive types of human impact, justify such a study for this area.
With their almost parallel courses in similar relief units and with many physico-
chemical and hydrological similarities, these two rivers offer an important opportunity
for a comparative study concerning the cause-effect interrelations among
macroinvertebrates associations, fish associations, their environment and the
anthropogenic impact.
This river basin constituted early in time (prehistory) a zone where the local high
potential for human activities was intensively used. Historically, important human
impact presence on the river started in the 1200 - a.Ch. period, when boulders and sand
exploitation, river banks modification, tributaries deviations, floodplains and marshes
drainages, and both sewage waste and industrial pollutants discharges get started for
more than seven centuries till the present. (CURTEAN-BĂNĂDUC et al. 2001).
Especially in the last five decades period the human impact was heavily increased,
causing visible disruption in the ecological functioning of the river and research was
needed to assess the appeared ecological effects, to find new management actions for
the new situation and to predict some aspects of the lotic system future evolution.
In spite of the fact that these rivers were, are and will be very important in the
urban and rural development in both valleys watersheds, and in the development of the
Târnăveni, Odorhei, Cristuru, Sighişoara, Dumbrăveni, Mediaş, Copşa Mică and Blaj
localities complex industry by serving as main water supply, and an important human
impact presence it has to be aspect, seldom acknowledged is the fact that this area was
not approached through integrated studies till the present.
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The “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu/Ecology and Environment Protection
Department, Sibiu Natural History Museum and Ecotur Sibiu N.G.O. specialists, chose
to allocate important resources to Târnava River Watershed ecological assessment,
along 1999 - 2005 period, at its end a volume come into being (CURTEAN-
BĂNĂDUC et al. 2005).
As a result of this work/volume (MOMEU & PÉTERFI 2005, MOUNTFORD &
AKEROYD 2005, CUPŞA 2005, SÎRBU 2005, GHEOCA 2005, GHEOCA &
GHEOCA 2005, CURTEAN-BĂNĂDUC 2005 a, b, ROBERT & CURTEAN-
BĂNĂDUC 2005, ISTRATE 2005, BĂNĂDUC 2005, BĂNĂRESCU 2005) have
been documented, the presence of a varied types of human impact in the Târnava River
environment, and a future obvious necesary objective was identified related with a
better understanding of the dynamics of a Târnave rivers proper management, as a
catalyst for the enhancement and protection of wildlife habitat in the area, to induce
actions to improve water quality for different human uses and wildlife, and to facilitate
discussion on the future of this watershed anthropisation.
This last dynamic, creative and cooperative assessment results have to be offered
to the landowners, the businesses groups, the governmental agencies, and the local
communities to stimulate the creation of a professional basin management plan, a real
watershed community, where all can have access to the best possible natural areas and
resources.
This assessment summarizes the findings of a special designed new studies in the
area, represent a snapshot of our current knowledge regarding Târnava Mare, Târnava
Mică and Târnava rivers watersheds management, develop the knowledge and
understanding concerning this watersheds and provide a context for moving forward
with these rivers restoration, protection, mangement, and also generate the need for
new studies.
Basically, the intent of this paper work is to provide a first Târnava Basin -
management wide perspective and a framework for action based on many recent
studies that have been completed in this area.
No doubt that this new data, will develop knowledge and understanding of the
status and conditions of these watersheds management and will continuing to evolve.
This study based on previous medium (six years) term river assessments
(BĂNĂDUC 2005, CURTEAN-BĂNĂDUC 2005 a, b, ROBERT & CURTEAN-
BĂNĂDUC 2005) of the benthic macroinvertebrates, fish, habitat conditions and of
the local human impact, intend to provide an identification and evaluation of the
responsible causal factors and of the alternatives, which can gain consensus on a
strategy for developing a river sustainable management plan, for mitigating human
impact and controlling its effects on environment, public health and welfare, including
remedial objectives and response actions.
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METHODS
The presence and the effects of the human impact relative to a reference ecological
state, was analysed in terms of relative biologic integrity, biodiversity indexes
(Margalef, Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, equitability, Belgian Biotic Index (BBI),
Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) (DE PAUW at al. 1992, ROSENBERG & RESH,
1993), based on a variety of benthic macroinvertebrates (59 species - 12 plecopterans
species, 35 trichopterans species, 12 ephemeropterans species) and fish (25 species),
and on 17 physical and chemical water parameters (temperature, pH, total hardness
(TH), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ), chemical oxygen
demand (COD-Mn), Cl-, SO 4 2-, NO- 3 , PO 4 3-, total N, total P, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd and Mn),
which were used as ecological river state indicators (BĂNĂDUC 2005, CURTEAN-
BĂNĂDUC 2005 a,b, ROBERT & CURTEAN-BĂNĂDUC 2005).
The 23 studied stations (Fig. 2) were chosen according to: the valley morphology,
the type of rivers substratum, the confluence with the main tributaries, the relative
undisturbed areas and to the human impact presence bias (riverine land use, hydro
technical works, urban and industrial pollution sources).
Fig. 2: The quantitative sampling stations on Târnava Mare River ( TM), Târnava Mică River
( Tm) and Târnava River ( T), based on which the management analise was realised.
Generated data during this phase filled previously existing data gaps in order to
provide a comprehensive understanding based on which was evaluate the possible
remedial alternatives for the human and ecological risk situations. The biological
monitoring was used to characterize the response of the aquatic environment to multiple
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disturbances, considering that the integrity of the biota inhabiting the river ecosystems
provides a direct and integrated measure of the integrity or health of the river.
In the end with these offered alternatives is developed a specific case proposal,
concerning Târnava River natural resources restoration, conservation and management.
The assessments of the river ecological state and the identified emerging problems,
finally select the river sectors in terms of different specificity and priority for receiving
an efficient specific management, based on specific goals, quantifiable objectives and
actions.
In examining the river biotic and abiotic characteristics, the researches has
determined that primary contributors to the natural conditions disturbances are the river
water pollution, the hydrotechnical works, and the riverbed mineral overexploitation.
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