Historical Water Supply System of the City of Brno—Social-Environmental Consequences

This paper provides a detailed look into the historical development of the water supply system of a big industrial city and its impact on the river environment and needs of the wastewater treatment system. The city of Brno, Czech Republic, was chosen for this study because it has a long history in the field of water supply, and the city has changed rapidly over the last 200 years. The city’s development necessitated an adaptation of drinking water sources, most significantly the use of the Březová nad Svitavou facility, which resulted in a change of condition of the Svitava River. The notable decrease in river flow, aided by industrial development of settlements within the Svitava River catchment between 1850 and 1950, strongly contributed to the spread of river pollution. However, the construction of wastewater treatment plants during recent decades led to a restoration of river quality and, consequently, of the entire environment of the Svitava River catchment. This paper also presents a view on activities connected with the long term surface water quality monitoring and improvement with regard to water quality conditions in spring areas and the river network influenced by the water supply system.