The modern strategies for management of water resources point to the role of

self-purification processes as a natural highly effective mechanism for maintaining of

the ecological state in river ecosystems.
The leading factor for the realization of self -purification processes in rivers is the
functioning of microbial segment of biocenosis. The microorganisms occupy the
nodal position in the fundamental transformation processes of organics and
nutrients, as a result of their flexible metabolism and enormous physiological
diversity. The functional profile of microbial community as a presence and
proportion, relationships and dominancy of the key groups determine significantly
the opportunities of ecosystem for adequate response to pollution with different
origin. The state of microbiocenoses is a direct indicator for the effectiveness of the
ecosystem functioning and its precise analysis allows a fine regulation of the en
tire self-purification capacity and water quality by specific controlling approaches and
measures (RHEINHEIMER, 1992; SIGEE, 2005).
The discussion of microbial biodiversity should include another important element - a
sanitary bacteriological aspect of the problem, which has the most critical
manifestation in strategic sources of drinking water. The provision of
microbiologically pure water is a priority of any developed country. CHAPMAN, 1992,
indicates the presence of pathogenic microorganisms as the most famous risk factor
associated with water. The biodiversity and functional stability of autochthonic
microbial communities are essential for the incorporation of potentially dangerous
alochthonic microorganisms. The connection of microbial communities with water
quality has a dual importance: the presence of certain families and strains directly
endangering the human health, while the functioning of microbial communities in the
entire spectrum of their physiological diversity is the main factor for the realization of
self-purification processes and improve water quality.
The aim of this paper is to provide useful information for microbial biodiversity in
upper subcatchment of Iskar River and to specify the critical control points (as a
time, location and parameter) for formation of microbiological factors of water quality.
The functional contribution of microbial community for river metabolism and water
quality has recently attracted more attention with respect to conservation,
restoration, and management of water sources.

There are 3 major factors influencing the self purification process in river:
1. Biochemical processes lead to the degradation and decomposition of organic
wastes by organisms (including microbes and plants) in the water.
2. Hydrochemical processes like oxidation, mineralization etc. may purify the water.
3. Physical processes like adsorption, dilution etc. also aid in the same.
Well, there is a limit to the natural healing process. Not all manmade pollutants (e.g.
plastics) are degradable. Also natural healing process is a function that is time

dependent. Therefore if the rate of introduction of pollutants into the ecosystem is

faster than the rate of its natural decomposition, the toxicants get piled up and
result is detrimental.

the self purification process is sometimes delayed and and some times fastened in
different seasons
the factors like water temperature - leads to change in oxygen exchange rate,
amount of precipitation, intensity of precipitation in an area, characteristics of the
precipitation like pH, physical form - fog, rain, hailstones also impact water
temperatures, change in water contents like increase in silt brought by runoff
decrease the sunlight infiltration thus delay in process, sunlight penetration also
helps bacteria for fastening the decomposition, increase in nutrient content brought
by runoff also increases the algae etc thus decrease in oxygen and delay or
stagnation of self purification etc.. These won't happen in isolation - the velocity of
water in a channel, the depth of water, the turbulence created by the particles are
carried from upstream or eroded loose rock at the bottom, the change in velocity
w.r.t width and the curvature of the stream, river basin topography etc and human
impact factors like the effluent load per unit length and comparison of load with
above all factors.

other factors affecting the self-purification process in a river include

1. the geochemical profile of the substratum, ion exchange properties that
determine mobilization or retention of metal pollutants for instance.
2. the existing pollutant load of the sediment before another pollution event can
determine the self purification process
3. the incidence of other sources of pollution or anthropogenic impact down stream
will actually will actually determine the reduced or increased recovery ability and
recovery process of the river.
4. the depth of the river and the steepness of the gradient along which it flows will
determine the influence of oxygen in oxidizing volatile pollutants which is one of the
recovery mechanisms or river. Fast flowing rivers due to steep gradients will have
more interactions with atmospheric oxygen.

The self purification of natural water systems is a complex process that often
involved physical, chemical, and biological processes working simultaneously. The
factors that affect self purification would be dilution, wherein a sufficient amount of
water can suffice and be available in a receiving amount of water. The dissolved
oxygen level will be available since there is a sufficient amount of water for dilution.
Also, temperature and sunlight can be factors that affect self purification in rivers

since both acts and correlates with each other very well. It is a given fact that
nutrients including dissolved oxygen are more present in cold temperatures. Self
purification can occur more in cold temperatures rather than hot temperatures. For
sunlight on the other hand, more sunlight produces more photosynthesis by algae.
Sunlight helps add oxygen in the stream, thus leading to self purification.