SECTION 1 

 PERMISSIBLE POLLUTION LEVELS OF WATER BODIES 

 N.S. Stroganov* 



The question of permissible levels of pollution for water bodies has be- 

 come more and more acute because the number of substances contaminating sur- 

 face waters has increased and treatment of discharges is expensive and corn- 

 lex. Among engineers and other specialists who are not biologists, the con- 

 cept is fairly widespread that it is possible to dump all pollutants into 

 water because aquatic organisms will degrade them. However, at the present 

 time such a concept is obviously erroneous and does not correspond to the 

 actual situation. Pollution levels can vary depending on the use of the 

 water body. Therefore, in order to talk about levels, it is necessary to 

 establish the requirements for which the water will be used, that is, the 

 requirements of the water users. The larger the body, the larger the num- 

 ber of water users will be. For complex and rational utilization of water, 

 one must take into account the requirements of many water users. If one 

 considers only the main requirements, meaning significance for the national 

 economy, then one should note the following: (1) drinking and household 

 water supply; (2) fishing industry; (3) agriculture (irrigation, livestock 

 farms, fur farms); (4) industry (food, chemical, pulp, metallurgical, pet- 

 roleum, chemical and others); (5) aesthetic and health purposes (sports, 

 tourism, recreation, etc.); (6) transportation and certain other water uses, 

 The quality of water can be very different for the uses mentioned. The 

 highest water quality is needed for drinking purposes and the fishing indus- 

 try, in special cases for industry (for example, the pulp industry), and 

 the lowest quality is adequate for water transportation. 



Consequently, if one satisfies the requirements for the first two water 

 uses as to water quality, then all of the other uses will be protected. If 

 water quality is suitable only for water transportation, then the quality 

 of the water will be unsuitable for drinking water supplies or for the fish- 

 ing industry. Therefore, in order to establish the maximum permissible 

 level of pollution, beyond whose limits one cannot go without disrupting 

 the use of the water, one should: first, determine the chief water users 

 for multiple utilization of the water body, and, secondly, determine the 

 main water quality requirements. For fresh water, almost all of the more 

 or less large water bodies should support the interests of all water users 

 enumerated above, and for sea water--all except for drinking purposes. 



T-USSR, Biology Faculty of Moscow State Univ, 



1 



