Assessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas: A case study of the Vladayska river in Sofia
This study investigates the impact of Sofia's urban areas on the physicochemical parameters of water quality along the Vladayska River. Two sections of the river were analyzed: (1) an upper, relatively unpolluted section from the source to the Vladaya district, used as a reference due to limite...
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| Format: | Article |
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University of Novi Sad, Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Geographica Pannonica |
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| Online Access: | https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-8724/2025/0354-87242501012R.pdf |
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| author | Radeva Kalina Marcheva Zvezdelina Matev Simeon Tamburadzhiev Ilia |
| author_facet | Radeva Kalina Marcheva Zvezdelina Matev Simeon Tamburadzhiev Ilia |
| author_sort | Radeva Kalina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates the impact of Sofia's urban areas on the physicochemical parameters of water quality along the Vladayska River. Two sections of the river were analyzed: (1) an upper, relatively unpolluted section from the source to the Vladaya district, used as a reference due to limited data availability, and (2) a lower section (Kubratovo), downstream of Sofia, influenced by anthropogenic activities. Based on the results, significant changes in the physicochemical parameters were observed in the lower section. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on data for 15 water quality indicators, precipitation, and river runoff under different hydrological conditions (high flow, low flow, and winter season) for the lower section (Kubratovo). The PCA results identified nutrient and organic matter pollution and mineral content as key drivers of water quality variability. Additionally, hydrological factors were found to indirectly influence water quality in the downstream section at Kubratovo. As revealed by the CCME WQI index, the Vladayska River's upper section also experienced poor water quality between 2013 and 2015, improving to good in 2016-2018, likely due to reduced pollution from tourism and residential sources. In contrast, the downstream section at Kubratovo consistently exhibited poor water quality from 2010 to 2021, reflecting ongoing urban pollution with no observed trend of improvement. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a0a7fc4d979c41ae81cc657af861c623 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0354-8724 1820-7138 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | University of Novi Sad, Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geographica Pannonica |
| spelling | doaj-art-a0a7fc4d979c41ae81cc657af861c6232025-08-20T02:58:36ZengUniversity of Novi Sad, Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel ManagementGeographica Pannonica0354-87241820-71382025-01-01291122410.5937/gp29-546830354-87242501012RAssessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas: A case study of the Vladayska river in SofiaRadeva Kalina0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7192-3385Marcheva Zvezdelina1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1539-9248Matev Simeon2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8192-558XTamburadzhiev Ilia3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7365-9082Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, BulgariaSofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, BulgariaSofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, BulgariaSofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Sofia, BulgariaThis study investigates the impact of Sofia's urban areas on the physicochemical parameters of water quality along the Vladayska River. Two sections of the river were analyzed: (1) an upper, relatively unpolluted section from the source to the Vladaya district, used as a reference due to limited data availability, and (2) a lower section (Kubratovo), downstream of Sofia, influenced by anthropogenic activities. Based on the results, significant changes in the physicochemical parameters were observed in the lower section. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on data for 15 water quality indicators, precipitation, and river runoff under different hydrological conditions (high flow, low flow, and winter season) for the lower section (Kubratovo). The PCA results identified nutrient and organic matter pollution and mineral content as key drivers of water quality variability. Additionally, hydrological factors were found to indirectly influence water quality in the downstream section at Kubratovo. As revealed by the CCME WQI index, the Vladayska River's upper section also experienced poor water quality between 2013 and 2015, improving to good in 2016-2018, likely due to reduced pollution from tourism and residential sources. In contrast, the downstream section at Kubratovo consistently exhibited poor water quality from 2010 to 2021, reflecting ongoing urban pollution with no observed trend of improvement.https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-8724/2025/0354-87242501012R.pdfwater pollutionurban riverpcawater quality indexbulgaria |
| spellingShingle | Radeva Kalina Marcheva Zvezdelina Matev Simeon Tamburadzhiev Ilia Assessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas: A case study of the Vladayska river in Sofia Geographica Pannonica water pollution urban river pca water quality index bulgaria |
| title | Assessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas: A case study of the Vladayska river in Sofia |
| title_full | Assessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas: A case study of the Vladayska river in Sofia |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas: A case study of the Vladayska river in Sofia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas: A case study of the Vladayska river in Sofia |
| title_short | Assessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas: A case study of the Vladayska river in Sofia |
| title_sort | assessment of surface water quality in highly urbanized areas a case study of the vladayska river in sofia |
| topic | water pollution urban river pca water quality index bulgaria |
| url | https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-8724/2025/0354-87242501012R.pdf |
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