Coal-fired power plant and aquatic ecosystems

Abstract

Abstract Coal industry remains one of the top electric energy sources in the world. Due to the substantial water demand, thermal power plants are built on the coasts of water bodies and rivers, which causes anthropogenic pressure on surface water. Aquatic ecosystems belong to the most vulnerable environmental compartments that reflect changes within the system itself and its watershed. The impact of coal-fired power industry on aquatic ecosystems is investigated on the example of the natural and anthropogenic complex of “Lake Kenon – TPP-1”. Lake Kenon is a natural freshwater lake of the Amur River basin. The results of research on the technoecosystem showed that a coal-fired power plant with incomplete coal combustion pollutes the reservoir. Chemicals enter Lake Kenon with emissions and effluents from TPP-1, ash dump leakages, and the flow of the Kadalinka River. Those affect both macro-and micro-component composition of the water and sediments of Lake Kenon with its hydrobionts accumulating toxic elements. To maintain the aquatic ecosystem of Lake Kenon, it is necessary to isolate surface watercourse of the ash dump leakage and control the flow of substances and energy in the lake and its watershed.