The Hydrographic Basin of the Cugir River

The Cugir river , with a length of 67 km, presents a hydrographic basin of 358 km²,
which measures almost the entire length of the administrative territory of the town of Cugir.
The Cugir river, through its component the Raul Mare river springs from the Surianu
Mountains under the Patru’s Peak (2130m) and joines the Raul Mic river in front of Cugir
Mechanical factory II, then it continues its way towards north and flows into the Mures.
The Raul Mare river, in its tributary area, receives the water of some small glacial lakes
situated to the left : the Iezerul Surianu, the Iezerasul Carpa (collected by the Raul Carpei river ).
The most important affluent is the Raul Mic river , which springs from the Surianu
Mountains , under the Batrana’s Peak (1794m), and has a length of 28 km and a surface of the
hydrographic basin of 85 km². There is a quay sector on the Raul Mic valley, cut in metamorphic
rock; situated at about 8 km from the confluence with the Aries River. Favored by the tight sector
of the valley, there was a wooden stone dam for the transport of trees here – till 1964, which has
clogged during the time.

Both rivers, before their confluence, have to flow along 35 m long slopes and, in the
piemontan sector, the glens are up to 6 m.
The density of the hydrographic network is about 0.7 – 0.8 km/km², under the maximum
value of over 1 km/km², registered in some sectors of the Carpathians.
The Hydrological Parameters of the Cugir River Basin

Nr Water course Affluent Length of Basin Basin Surface of

position the course surface average forest area
crt ( to the..) (km) (km2) altitude (m) (ha)

1 the Cugir - 67 358 1007 24934

( the Raul Mare )

2 the Bosorog left 12 49 1532 3498

3 the Parva right 6 10 - 400

4 the Molivis left 6 10 - 900

5 the Brustura left 5 10 - 745

6 the Raul Mic left 28 85 1048 2994

7 the Chisag right 7 10 - 585

In the picture presented above, the big area of the forest fund which has the role to
balance the environmental factors is the Cugir river basin, as it can be noticed.
Before the confluence with the Raul Mic, the average flow of the Cugir river is around 3
m³ per second and downstream the confluence point, the average flow is about 4. 45 m³ per
second.
Huge flows were registered in 1984, when the Cugir river scored 60 m³ per second.
The annual hydrographic flow of the Cugir river

The flow of the two main rivers is variably depending on the seasons, on the rainfall and on
the melting snow amount.
The hydrographic water supply can be characterized as a pluvio-nival mode, but with an

m3/s

10

9,17
9

7,18 7,16
7

6 5,95

5 Series1

4,19
4

3,44 3,38
3 3,07
2,75
2,53 2,47
2,18
2

0
Ianuarie Februarie Martie Aprilie Mai Iunie Iulie August Septembrie Octombrie Noiembrie Decembrie

important local underground contribution.

Maximum flows have, in about 58% of cases, a pluvial origin, the rest of 42% is registered
by those with mixed origin, generated by snow melting and rainfall. Maximum flows abducted
from rains are scored in the warm season (May-November), while the mixed ones are scored in
the first months of the year. Minimum flows are registered during the summer - autumn period.
Downstream the town of Cugir, due to rich rainfall and snow melting, there are overflows
which affect the river meadow, especially in spring
The tributaries which flow into the two main rivers register increased flows during the snow
melting period and also in the downfall rains period, leading to high floods.
The torrential character of springs, especially in areas with steep slopes, was partially
decreased through the achievement of numerous connecting networks between torrents -
thresholds, dams, drains.

Underground water

The level of the underground water clutch varies very much, in the meadow area the
depth of the water table oscillates between 2 and 3 meters (here and there even 1 meter). In the
area of the terraces the depth of the water table registers 4 to 12 meters. From a qualitative point
of view the underground waters are bio calcium carbonated, the minerals level being between
50 and 200 milligrams per liter.
 Glacial lakes

The Surianu mountainous lake is situated in the glacial circle with the same name at a 1750 m
altitude, in the estern part of the Surianu pick
(2059m). The Surianu lake has a lenght of 94 m
and a width of 7.3 m, the total surface is 0.50 ha
and the maximum depth is 7.3 m. The Carpa
mountainous lake is smaller than The Surianu
lake, having a depth of only 1.6m

Water quality

Water quality on the up the river courses is very good, without impurities and
unpolluted, fact which determined the construction of the two water collectors to supply the
necessary of drinking water for the population living in the area.

Nowadays the town of Cugir is supplied with drinking water from two sources, in a
centralized and independent system, at the same time.

The system of the Raul Mic - built in 1912 - consists of a dam and a reservoir, the water
flowing gravitationally, a treating station with the capacity of 60 l/s, located near Cugir
Mechanical Factory II, a pumping station of treated water, storage reservoirs and a gravity
distribution in the central part of the town.

The system of the Raul Mare- made in 1971 – consists of a ground threshold water intake, a
treating station with 411 l/s capacity, a gravitation flow to the reservoirs, a gravity distribution in
the north of the town and a second flow generated by the water pump to the reservoirs and a
gravity distribution in the south part of the town.

On the upper course of the Raul Mare river,

at the confluence of the Canciu Spring and
Gropsoara, there was built an accumulation dam
which gave birth to the Canciu lake; a part of
these tributaries are deviated towards the water
area of the Sebes river in order to supply the
water resource which is necessary for the good
work of the water plants built on its course, in that
area.

Water quality is influenced by discharges of sewage, unpurified and by the effluent of

the cleaning water station of the town.
The effluent respects – from a qualitative point of view - the limits imposed by the
normative NTPA 001 concerning the conditions of discharging in natural courses.
Waste water with a sewage character discharged in the sewerage system of the town has
a debit of 210 liters per second, and the capacity of the cleaning water station with a flow of 100
l/s , so the cleaning water station does not satisfy the needs.
 The cleaning water process regards: a mechanical step of retention solid bodies, a
biological one to favor the activity of bacterial decomposition of the organic residues and the
chemical treatment through water chlorination.
The cleaning water station consists of a grill, a basin to clean water, a aeration basin
with four mechanical aerators, a secondary radial decanter and the mud drying bed.
Another source of water pollution of the river Cugir is the waste ramp, which is
situated at the level of the terrace on the right bank of the river, between the localities of Cugir
and Vinerea. It has a surface of 1.5 ha. Not being an ecological store, the rainfall water, through
infiltration, takes a series of chemical substances and pathogen agents, and through leaking, they
get into the river that flows at the base of the terrace.
On the territory of the town of Cugir, but especially next to Vinerea is also practiced
the uncontrolled storage of waste along the banks of the Cugir river. It is found that the waste
structure has considerable grown the quantity of plastic and non degradable mass packing.
Besides the non esthetic aspect of the Cugir river valley, water quality is also affected in this
area.
Making a comparison between water quality in the period before 1990`s, nowadays the
town of Cugir has encountered an improvement as a consequence of the reduction of pollution
emission and the discharge by Cugir Mechanical Factory. It has also been reduced the discharge
of waste water thanks to the extension of the sewerage network, in 2008, in Cindeni area.

CLEANER WATERS!

YES only If:

- sewage is cleaned in specific installations;
- we don’t wash our cars in the surface water;

- we don’t throw offal in waters;

- we reduce water consumption;

- we recycle waste waters.

There are a few measures by which we could help
on keeping water quality.