WATERS

Water Quality

Results obtained from the monitoring of the indicators mentioned show that, in most cases, water quality deviates from the quality proscribed by the positive legislation. Waters most often belong to classes II and III, and even to class IV (at some sections of watercourses). Only waters at the upper (upstream) sections of the rivers Treska, Vardar, Bregalnica, Crn Drim, Radika etc. belong to class I. The water quality deviates from the class proscribed after waters receive waste waters from downstream settlements.

The Vardar river: Waters in the spring section of the river belong to class I. The most polluted section is located downstream Skopje and Veles and stretches to Gradsko. After Gradsko and at the estuary to the Crna Reka river, due to certain river features and the lack of industrial waste waters within this section; the river's waters become clean again; at the point where the Vardar leaves the country, its waters belong to the II class of quality.

The Bistrica river: The overall water quality most often belongs to classes III and IV. This river's water quality has in the recent years demonstrated a tendency of improving.

The Kicevska river: At the measurement point at the town of Kicevo, this river's waters belong to the II quality class; in summer, the water quality belongs to the class III.

The Treska river: The quality of this river's waters at the very spring has not been significantly changed for some 10 years now. These waters possess the I class features and (from time to time) the II class features. The quality of water requirements of relevant regulations have been fully met.

The Kriva river: It is estimated that the water quality of this river belongs to class II and, in summer, to class III. The water quality requirement of relevant regulations has been only partly met. The Lipkovska river and the Lipkovsko Lake: The quality of this river's waters belongs to class II and, in summer, to class II. The legally proscribed quality requirement is only partly met. The Lake's surface waters belong to the II class of quality.

The Kumanovska river: It has been estimated that the quality of this river's waters belongs mostly to class IV, sometimes even beyond any category whatsoever; the legal requirement of quality has not been met. Indicators point to evidently high levels of organic and micro-biological pollution including a minimum level of chemical and toxic pollution; this has a negative impact over the water quality of the Pcinja river downstream the watercourse.

The Pcinja river: At its upstream course, this river's waters are characterized by a constant water quality belonging to class II that fully meets the legally proscribed limit. In further course, as a result of the impact of the poor oxygen regime, the organic/micro-biological pollution of the Kumanovska river, the water quality falls down to category II.

The Zletovska river: At the measurement point preceding the estuary to the Bregalnica river, the river's waters are constantly of II class quality; there being a tendency in the recent years of quality improving. Permanently high manganese concentrations have been registered.

The Bregalnica river: The water quality is disturbed and poor even in the upstream sections of the river. The estimated quality obtained on the basis of four series of research at the village of Budinarci is most often that of class II (with water quality requirements only partly met) and of class III in summer; the water quality worsens downstream and is constantly of class III. Downstream the Kavadarci accumulation (in which the water quality is that of class I), the quality of the river's waters obviously improves and is of class I. Yet, at downstream sections, due to the receipt of waste waters from settlements, the water quality worsens and falls to categories III and IV.

The Dragor river: The poor water quality has been present for some ten years now; the watercourse waters are of IV class quality, which is the result of the discharge of untreated communal and industrial waste waters from the town of Bitola. As it flows into the Crna river, this river worsens the regime of this river's waters as well.

The Eleska river: Before its estuary to the Crna river, waters are of III class quality (sometimes of class II), the legal quality requirement being only partly met.

The Crna river: The pollution extent of this river (after the receipt of untreated communal and industrial waste waters from the town of Bitola) is relatively high and contributes that water quality of this river be of class III and, from time to time, of class IV. Yet, the pollution situation gets relatively better after the Tikves accumulation to the estuary to the Vardar river and the water quality here is of class I and sometimes of class II.

The Strumica river: The overall water quality is mostly of class III, with quality improvements during springs due to higher levels of flowing water.

The Golema river: At the measurement point downstream the town of Resen, the water is of class III quality (sometimes even of class IV quality). There has, however, been evident improvement of water quality in recent years.

The Crn Drim river: The Crn Drim water quality is monitored on three measurement points and is of class II (sometimes of class I). The legally required water quality has been fully achieved on all measurement points.

The Debarsko lake: The surface water quality in the immediate vicinity of the Spilje dam fully meets legally proscribed norms for II class quality water.

The Radika river: The sanitary-hygienic condition of waters has been relatively good, belonging to class II and sometimes to class I. The Prespa Lake: The sanitary-hygienic status of the water from the coastal zone has been monitored at the Pretor and Otesevo measurement points. The overall quality of the water at both sites is of class II. What is specific here is that super-saturation has been registered at both sites.

The Ohrid Lake: The qualitative features of waters within the Lake's coastal zone have been monitored within the surface layer, at a 50-100 meters` distance from the coast and at 5 measurement points. The estimated water quality at Metropol, St.Naum and the "Biser" hotel is of class II, and it sometimes falls to class III at the town beach. The trend of water quality improvement in the recent several years, at sites covered by the collector system for industrial and communal water diversion continues now in future. As an exception, the conditions at the Grasnica site (town beach) are still subject of concern.

The Dojran Lake: The quality of waters in the lake's coastal zone is monitored at two measurement points. It has been specified that is constantly of class III quality, and of class IV quality in summer. In comparison to earlier years, the recent quality has been showing improvement tendency, but it is still poor and does not meet the legally proscribed requirement. The oxygen regime of the water is unfavourable and relatively disturbed as a result of high organic pollution and the water's pH value has been constantly showing high values.