International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882

Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014

694

Seasonal dynamics of transparency and concentration of some

nutrients in the water of Strezevo reservoir
1

Sonja Georgiev ska* , Julijana Tomovska , Igor Zlatkov3, Mohammad Ali Shariati4
1. Public Watereconomy Enterprise "Strezevo" Bitola, Republic of Macedonia.
2. University, St.Kliment Ohridski,, Faculty of Biotechnical sciences-Bitola.
3. Agency for Promotion and Development of Agriculture-Bitola.
4. Department of Food Science and Technology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

ABSTRACT
Increasing organic production in lakes is a normal
process, but increased amounts of nutrients leads to
increase in the degree of trophimus and eutrophication.
Over time, many dynamics processes lead to visible
changes that cause transformation ecosystems and
succession from one form to another. These
developments are clearly visible in stagnant freshwater
ecosystems, in which over long period of time have
seen their emergence, development and finally their
disappearance while fulfilling the basin with different
material. These changes are simultaneously sent and
succession biocenosis which reflect in increasing
production.
Increased amount of nutrients in the water, allows
increased primary production, thus increasing biomass
of phytoplankton may lead to reduce light penetration.
The subject of this paper is to determine seasonal
changes in transparency and concentrations of some
nutrients in the water of reservoir Strezevo through a
long period of nine years. The results of these
investigations showed that the values of the studied
parameters indicate large fluctuations depending of
seasonal changes and anthropogenic effects.

irrigation, water supply, power generation, and

flood defense, supply industry with technological
water, fishery and recreation. Good water quality is
required to perform all these functions Therefore it
is performed regularly and continuous monitoring
of the water for the long period. But over time
aging of this aquatic ecosystem is inevitable that as
a consequence is the occurrence of a process of
eutrophication.

Fig.2. Tower intake of the Strezevo reservoir

Keywords:
reservoir.

Transparency,

Nutrients,

Strezevo

Fig.1. Strezevo reservoir

1. INTRODUCTION

Strezevo reservoir is one of the largest artificial

lakes in Republic of Macedonia which has a
multifunctional activity. It is located in the
southwestern part of R.Macedonia, near the town
of Bitola. Its activity is multipurpose. It is used for

Anthropogenic impacts of nature, often leads to

undesirable consequences. One of these
occurrences is eutrophication, including the
reservoirs that man made. This process has been
especially evident during the XX century and
continuously resumes to this day. During the 70
years of 20th century, eutrophication has become
an acute problem, what is that which control the
primary production in freshwater lakes for
increased pollution?(Krebs, 1994).One of the
important issues of contemporary limnology is
actually determining the cause of increased primary
organic production in lakes, which ultimately leads
to eutrophication. Within this main issue is the
default in the mutual relationship between
concentration of nutrient salts in water and the
amount of primary organic production. Nutrients

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014

are coming into the lakes either directly through

wastewater either indirectly by leakage. Their
increased concentration leads to massive growth of
algae, and succession to the phytoplankton which
primarily reflected the suppression the silicate and
green algae often expressed dominance of
Cyanobacteriace. This process is marked as
eutrophication (Krebs, 1994). To control the
process of eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems it
need to determine nutrients which need to be
controlled. It proposed N, P and S.
The results of many studies have shown that
phosphorus is one that is limited to the
development of phytoplankton in lakes (Edmonson,
1991, by Krebs, 1994). For primary producers
phosphorus is available in the form of
orthophosphate which is soluble and which is in
control of the primary production (Wetzel, 1983).
Parallei with the determination pf the content of
certain nutrients in the water of reservoir Strezevo,
in every collection of samples it also perform
measuring water transparency as an important
parameter for determining the tropic state of
aquatic systems.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
As rude indicator but frequently used indicator in
underwater lighting and to determine the depth to
which is losing visibility is Secchy disc.
Measurement of water transparency is performed in
each analyzing the physicochemical parameters of
water, and especially, regularly, continuously, all
year seasons monitor this parameter.
Water
transparency is measured by immersion to seccchy
disc depth to which you can watch and take note
the value of depth in the centimeter or meter
(Schnjorbel, 1970). Collection and storage of
materials for the determination of certain nutrients
is made with standard limnological methods
(Standard methods for the examination of water
and wastewater, 2005). Forms of nitrogen as nitrate
nitrogen and ammonia as ammonia nitrogen, and
phosphate determined spectophotometricaly by the
spectrophotometer SPEKOL UV VIS.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results of nine years period of research of the
water quality in the reservoir Strezevo suggest that
the large fluctuations in parameter values in

different seasons, depending of seasonal changes

and anthropogenic activities.
Transparency of water depends on several factors:
Concentration of suspended organic and
inorganic matter in water
Density of plankton
Distributed particles
Dissolved substances and pigments
Angle at which the suns rays fall
Weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, with or
without waves)

Fig.3. Secchy disc

Limits and concentrations
appropriate class

of

Indicators

Transparency
m1

Class
I

Class
II

Class
III

Class
IV

Class
V

>7

7,04,0

3,92,0

< 2,0

< 2,0

Secchy dick is a metal disk with diameter of 30 cm,

with black and white fields (Fig.3.).The results of
these measurements during the nine years period
(2001-2009) are given in Table 1.
This parameter is standardized by the Regulation
on water classification (Official Gazette of
Republic of Macedonia, No 18/99). (Limits and
maximum allowed values or concentration of
organoleptic indicators)
The average annual value of the transparency of
water is one of the important parameters for
determining the tropic state of lakes. As it can be
seen, the transparency of the water of reservoir
Strezevo, shows oscillations depending of the

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695

International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014

season and the year. It varies in the range from 65

cm in May 2008 to 575 cm in June 2006.
Namely, there is matching peaks of increased
transparency and reduced transparency over several
months. Water transparency has expressed
period which varies from season to season. It notes
that there is cycling in all years of study.
In 2001 the grates transparency is
established in February (310 cm).In the period
from March to June is the constant level (200 227
cm), to slightly to rise in July and August (251,50
272,86 cm). In the period September November
transparency decreases and the lowest values for
2001 are determined in October (142 cm).
In January May 2002, values of
transparency of the water were on level below 200
cm, but in June and July were noted peak, and
sharp increase in transparency (400cm). Relatively
good transparency is maintained in the next
months, to the end of the year and it is within 300
cm.
Throughout the next 2003, the values of
Secchy disk not falled below 200 cm. During most
of the year there are 300 cm and above 300 cm.
The lowest values were registered in the period
from May to June (200 cm), and then the
transparency increases.
The greatest transparency of the water in
2004 was measured in January (400 cm). Then
transparency is reduced, so that the smallest is in
May (103, 33 cm). In June July it comes to a
gradual increase in the values of Secchy disk, in
August to reach high value 334,28 cm. Follow
gradually decrease in September-October to reach
about 200 cm in the winter months (November
December).
Relatively high transparency of over 250
cm was measured in the first three months of 2005
and continues to decline to reach a minimum of 90
cm in June. Further transparency in summer
gradually increases and reaches a maximum in
September (360 cm). Slightly reducing the Secchy
disk has at the end of 2005.
In 2006 is the largest measured
transparency of water accumulation in Strezevo
reservoir examined during nine years period.
Maximum value of Secchy disk in 2006 amounted
to 575 cm, and it measured in June. Same year, the
lowest transparency is measured in March (160
cm).

At the beginning of 2007, has a relatively

high transparency of over 200 cm, in the spring
months to decrease and reach a minimum of 74,12
cm in May. It has sharply increased in July (279
cm), and slightly decline in the months following
reduced transparency of 150, 71 cm in November.
2008 is characterized by the fact that May is
the month with the smallest measured water
transparency of 65 cm. There is expressed seasonal
oscillation of transparency, as observed with
greater clarity at the beginning of the year,
reducing in the spring months, a sharp increase in
July, to reach the maximum in August 2008 (270
cm).Followed slight decrease in the autumn
months, and the end of the year with a transparency
of about 200 cm. It is the same in 2009 when the
minimum value of Secchy disc is measured in May
(150 cm), but now the largest peak and also the
maximum amount of the transparency is measured
in October (482 cm). Table 2 presents the average
annual concentrations of nutrients and values of
transparency in the water of reservoir in the period
from 2001 to 2009.
This table show that total concentrations of
nitrogen and phosphorus are increasing from year
by year. It is a consequence of the reaction of
nutrients increase in the reservoir as a
consequence of the fact that the source of the
nutrients in the water area (waste from villages,
from animals etc), are relatively high in relation to
the nitrogen and phosphorus compared.
Specifically, NO2/3 * (mg) registered in
this form, as measured only content of nitrates,
while nitrites are under detection limit. Their
representation in nine year period ranges from
0,0878 mg/l (2003) to 0,5630 mg/l (2008).
Ammonia concentrations varied in the range of 0,
0941 mg/l (2002).Distribution of ammonia is
highly variable regionally, seasonally and spatially
depending on the level of productivity of the lake
and the degree of contamination with organic
matter (Wetzel, 1975). The largest concentrations
of inorganic nitrogen were found in 2008 (0.6735
mg/l) and the lowest concentration of inorganic
nitrogen was measured in 2004 (0,0790 mg/l). As
one of the most important nutrients, total
phosphorus ranges from 0.0122 mg/l (2004) to
0.0358 mg/l (2007). Phosphorus is one of the 20
essential elements which is needed for plant
development (including algae),as a jerry -built

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696

International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014

component of nucleic acids, based on synthesis of

enzymes and system for transferring energy at the
cellular level (Reynolds, 1978).
The categorization of the examined nutrients is
according to the Decree of the classification of
waters and waterways of the Republic of
Macedonia (Official Gazete of R.M. no 18,
31.03.1999). Pursuant to this ordinance, according
to the content of nitrates, the water from reservoir
Strezevo is classifited in I class. According to the
concentration of ammonia, water is III IV class.
According to the content of total phosphorus, water
from the reservoir Strezevo is classified in I IV
class. This
means that the total phosphorus
content is very variable in different years of
researching. Data quality of the input water
indicate that it is relatively stimulus for eutrophic
processes, but after the transformation of the water
quality, which is taking place in the reservoir, and
stratification, the same processes of eutrophication
in the accumulation are taking on lower level than
expected, based on the concentration of the
incoming nutrients
4. CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of the presented transparency
measurements and concentrations of examined
nutrients, in the water of reservoir Strezevo from
2001 to 2009, we can draw the following
conclusions:
1. According to the mean annual average
water transparency in 2001 2006 and
2009 water satisfied the conditions for class
III.
2. According to the mean annual average
water transparency in 2007 and 2008, water
satisfied the conditions for IV class.
3. According to ten mean annual average
concentrations of nitrate nitrogen, water
satisfied the conditions for I class.
4. According to the mean annual average
concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, water
satisfied the conditions for III IV class.
5. According to the mean annual average
concentrations of total phosphorus, water is
from I to IV class.
All these points to the fact that water quality in the
reservoir Strezevo, varies according to season and
year. Although more of the parameters examined
(which are not listed here) are in class I, there are

697

parameters of class III and IV indicating that is it

the process eutrophication, which is characterized
by negative effects on water quality. Because
of
this state of water quality in the reservoir Strezevo,
it is necessary an emergency procedure to approach
realization the implementation of measures to
protect water quality in the reservoir.
800

600

II

400

III
IV

200

VI
VII

Fig.4. The transparency in the water of Strezevo

reservoir during the investigation period (expressed in
cm)
Table 2. Annual average concentrations of nutrients and
values of Secchy disc transparency in reservoir Strezevo
(2001-2009)

Year

NO2/3
*

NH3
(mg/l)

(mg/l)
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

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0.31
71
0.33
51
0.08
78
0.07
90
0.21
18
0.29
43
0.39
94
0.56
30
0.37
30

0.18
37
0.30
20
0.00
0.00
0.09
41
0.12
63
0.26
89
0.14
92
0.16
91

inorga
nic
N
(mg/l)
0.473
1
0.582
5
0.082
0
0.079
0
0.355
9
0.347
5
0.511
3
0.673
5
0.451
8

total
R
(mg/
l)
0.02
63
0.01
46
0.03
73
0.01
22
0.03
09
0.02
36
0.05
38
0.03
93
0.02
39

Secc
hy
disc
(cm)
187.
13
201
329.
05
210.
50
267.
32
317.
15
175.
44
173.
89
263.
33

International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2014

Table 1. Transparency of water during 2001-2009 represented by months (expressed in cm)

month

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

300

400

270

350

250

220

350

290

275

270

210

297.5
0
-

160
175

238.7
5
203.3
3
100

150.7
1
100

180

74.12

65

150

575

80

87.33

180

279

188.1
2
270

325

242.5
0
235

415

194.3
7
217.5
0

211.2
5
214

280

II

310

187.5
0
168

III

200

153

270

205

IV

200

240

170

200

200

103

VI

200

140

100.6
2
90

400

305

265

125

284

320

160

320

360

180

340

331.2
5
350

384.2
8
360

547.5
0
470

227.4
0
251.5
0
272.8
6
187.6
9
142

149.2
0
163.3
3
400

345

390

200

XI

170

370

430

200

277.7
7
285

250

XII

250

320

400

280

325

310

150.7
1
-

VII
VIII
IX

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