Effect of the Zagorsk pumped-storage station on terrestrial ecosystems

The Zagorsk pumped-storage station (ZPSS) is being constructed in a region experiencing considerable technogenic impact. The station is located on the Kun'ya River which is polluted by wastewasters of industrial enterprises and populated areas. The drainage basin of the Kun'ya River has a complex natural and economic structure. This paper examines problems of the volume and quality of runoff arising during operation of the ZPSS using a basin approach. The basin approach to these problems, described here, required the solution of the following priority problems: determination of the landscape structure of the drainage basin; isolation of natural, anthropogenic and technogenic complexes and their relationships; determination of the landscape structure of the water-protection zone; and isolation of elementary drainage basins with apparent channel and groundwater runoff. The analysis of these problems and realization of the basin approach for improving the ecological health of the Kun'ya basin are given here. 2 refs., 2 tabs