Practical aspects of environmental assessment of water bodies transformation

One of the components of the environmental assessment of the state of transformation of surface water bodies is hydromorphological assessment, which has recently been applied in Ukraine as a necessary component of the implementation of the implemented international environmental legislation. The aim of the article was to provide a practical application of hydromorphological assessment methods on the example of two objects with artificially constructed structures. The hydromorphological assessment was carried out according to a certified methodology developed by the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. A number of hydromorphological indicators were monitored according to the methodology. The hydromorphological assessment included field surveys of each water body, database development, including mapping, digitisation of the results and preparation of reports. From 09 to 24 September 2024, experts surveyed two unnamed streams of the IV and V orders of the Danube River basin within the settlements of Karapachiv and Nova Slobidka in the Vyzhnytsia and Dniester districts of Chernivtsi Oblast. Based on the results of the survey and analysis of the studied indicators using environmental assessment methods that comply with the European Union Water Framework Directive, such criteria as river continuity and runoff correspond to the lowest assessment for both sites. Taking into account the principle of European water legislation, according to which a criterion indicating that there is a risk of a surface water body not achieving good ecological status automatically places it in the “at risk” category. Therefore, hydromorphological assessment is critical for integrated river basin management, implementation of action programmes, in particular, to restore the free flow of watercourses and ensure conditions for maintaining their good ecological status and potential. The study further developed the practice of environmental assessment of water body transformation