The establishment of the background of raised bogs in various regions of Russia for justification of permissible impact standards

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to establish the basic laws of the formation of the hydrochemical background for the development of standards of permissible impact on raised bogs. Research methods included physical and chemical analysis, water balance calculations and statistical processing of analytical data. The hydrochemical background of raised bogs was established based on materials of generalization of hydrochemical data of the typical and most studied bogs of the Leningrad (Lammin-Suo swamp), Arkhangelsk (Ilasskoe swamp) and Tomsk (Vasyugan swamp) Oblasts. The spatial and seasonal variability of the main ingredients of chemical composition (main ions, biogenic elements, organic matter and heavy metals) of marsh waters was investigated. The hydrochemical background was calculated using the combined samples’ mean annual values of concentrations of all investigated raised bogs. It is acceptable in view of the absence of statistically significant differences between intra-annual hydrochemical indicators of oligotrophic microlandscapes of raised bogs. For the purpose of preserving the oligotrophic nutrient status of raised bogs, maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) of chemicals in discharged sewage were developed. On the basis of water-balance calculations, a simplified definition of the permissible mass of the introduction of chemicals from sewage discharge was performed. Significant differences were revealed in the values of the standards of permissible impact (SPI) using the generally accepted maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) and the approximately allowable concentration (AAC) developed by the authors. The SPI calculated by the AAC for the main ions, total mineralization and nitrates was 5 times lower; and for organic substances, ammonium and total iron — 5–50 times more than calculated by LPC. Thus, the use of more flexible criteria for the concentrations of discharged pollutants makes it possible to both minimize the degree of anthropogenic disturbances of raised bogs, and significantly reduce the cost of wastewater treatment from a number of chemical substances of the bogs’ natural background.