Management of Surfaces Water Resources—Ecological Status of the Mureș Waterbody (Superior Mureș Sector), Romania

Abstract

Water, the environmental factor which makes life on Earth possible, is also the environment which facilitated the emergence of life millions of years ago. The rational use of water at all levels, starting from global consumption to local contexts, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, is a duty of human society. In order to protect water resources, over 70 regulations and directives were drafted at a European level, which Romania also observes. Romania’s water resources consist of surface waters (rivers, lakes, the Danube River) and groundwater. In the present chapter, the authors used statistical data of some indicators which determine the ecological status (ecological potential) of the Mureş waterbody confluence Petrilaca—confluence Arieş, within the Mureş Hydrographic Basin, for a period of three years. Based on the state of the physicochemical and biological elements, the authors assessed the ecological status of the water mentioned above over three sections (Tîrgu Mureş, Ungheni/Mureş and Iernut). The determinations and the interpretations help classify the areas into the following classes: good, maximum and moderate in terms of the analyzed elements.