THE POND NETWORK IN THE GNIZNA RIVER BASIN: SPATIAL LIMITATION, FUNCTIONAL FEATURES, GEO-ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
Authors: TSARYK Volodymyr 
Published: June 2024

The pond network in the basin of the Hnizna River - the left tributary of the Seret River - was considered. The multifunctional features and spatial contiguity of the ponds to the main river and its tributary of the first order have been clarified. It was established that the most regulated was the Terebna River with its tributaries Dzyurava and Kachava, within the basins of which 35% of the pond network is concentrated. 29% of the number of ponds is allocated to the basin of the right tributary of the Hnizdechna River, and 15% of the number of ponds within the main river Hnizna. The coefficient of regulation of river flow by artificial reservoirs was calculated, which demonstrates a high degree of flow regulation, the result of which is an increase in the area of the water mirror, which means an increase in evaporation from the water surface. Among the positive aspects of flow regulation, we note the absence of sudden water rises in the basin as a result of spring floods and summer floods. Thus, the hydrological regime of the main river and its tributary of the first order has been stabilized. The volume of water in the artificial reservoirs of the basin is 6.7% of the Hnizna river flow. Such volumes of regulated runoff enable its multi-purpose use for agricultural, fish farming, fire prevention, anti-erosion, recreational, sanitary and industrial purposes. A typology of ponds was carried out, which demonstrated the vast majority of artificial multi-functional reservoirs. It is worth noting fishery-recreational-farming and recreational-farming-fishing farms. In addition to these three main functions, most ponds perform the functions of fire protection reservoirs, microclimate regulators, and aesthetic ones. The conducted expedition surveys of the Hnizna River basin in 2023, in comparison with the corresponding surveys of 2007 (stock materials of the Department of Geoecology), showed a more significant orderliness of peripheral landscapes, the presence of access roads with a hard surface, which improves the accessibility of recreationists and fishermen to ponds. It is worth noting the creation in the river basin of two entertainment and recreation complexes on the pond in the village. Okhrimovtsi and "Lemkivsky stav" in the village. Old Zbarazh. In these ponds, the main attention is paid to the creation of entertainment and hotel complexes, gazebos-islands, watercraft with various recreational infrastructure. The services of these complexes include: cozy houses for families, gazebos for group recreation, baths, multi-saunas, salt rooms, a font, a tropical shower, and forms of active recreation - wakeboarding, rowing, etc. Here they offer the holding of solemn events such as birthdays, corporate vacations, weddings. Despite the positive changes in peripheral landscapes and the presence of recreational facilities, the quality of water in the main river is quite low, as evidenced by the following diagram, which shows the dynamics of the discharge of polluted or insufficiently purified return water into the Hnizna River basin over the past 7 years. Together with the polluted runoff, 63.5 tons of pollutants entered the river. Among the proposed optimization measures, it is worth noting: - improvement of the sewage treatment plant system in the city of Zbarazh, village Velyki Birky and the town of Terebovli; - to introduce an effective system of water drainage of municipal sewage in rural settlements under the responsibility of the governing bodies of territorial communities; join the system of on-site regular water monitoring of the Dniester Basin Management; strengthen the responsibility of the public in the person of the basin council of the small river Hnizna.
Keywords: the basin of the Hnizna River, pond network, functional and spatial features, geoecological problems.