Quantitative Assessment of Hydrocarbon Contamination of Drainage Areas of Major Rivers of Vitebsk Region

• Main Authors: Чепелов, С.А., Савенок, В.Е.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: Витебский государственный университет имени П. М. Машерова 2020
• Subjects: watershed; pollution; oil products; estimation; parameter; calculation program; risk; area; водосбор; загрязнение; нефтепродукты; оценка; параметр; программа расчета; риск; территория; dvina
• Online Access: https://journals.vsu.by/index.php/vestnikvgu/article/view/372

Close attention should be paid to the issue of assessing the status of water bodies near industrial areas, given the high rates of development of industry and increasing impact of the flow of anthropogenic substances in the environment. There is always the risk of accidents and emergencies at industrial complex, including the risk of pollutant transfer into water bodies. Therefore, the fight against hydrocarbon pollution of natural and anthropogenic ecosystems is very important. The aim of this work is to evaluate the possible extent of oil pollution of industrial areas, which are drainage areas of major rivers of Vitebsk Region. Material and methods. The material of the study was estimates of anthropogenic impact on the watershed of the Rivers of Western Dvina and the Dnieper on the territory of Vitebsk Region. Numerical research method was applied to calculate the area of contamination in case of accidents related to emission of petroleum products. Findings and their discussion. The analysis of the current status of the major rivers of Vitebsk Region of the Western Dvina and Dnieper and their watershed was conducted. It is established that a potential source of hydrocarbon pollution is fuel and energy complex (FEC). FEC works wholly on imported raw materials – oil, natural gas and coal. Calculation of the scale of possible pollution due to accidental release of petroleum products was conducted selectively on sites of large industrial centers of the Vitebsk region, considering in the first place that watercourses are located close, and the nature of the surrounding area. The analysis of obtained calculated results shows that the most dangerous objects, from the point of view of water pollution with oil products in the Vitebsk Region are the Vitebsk HES plant and JSC «Naftan» (Novopolotsk). Other companies are the least dangerous from position of risk of contamination of the surrounding waters, and, as calculations show, they are beyond the reach of oil pollution. Conclusion. The proposed calculation program can ...