1. Szent József Katolikus Általános Iskola Kiskunhalas, Hungary
Our Neighbourhood
Research on the local environment
Report
2009

2. Szent József Katolikus Általános Iskola
Kiskunhalas, Hungary
Water Kiskunhalas is located between the two longest rivers of Hungary, Duna and Tisza. A long time ago, until the middle of the twentieth century, there were several marshlands in this area of our country. After that a canal, called Dongéri-főcsatorna, was built. Nowadays, the hydrography of the town is very poorish. There are only two big natural surfaces of water here: Sóstó and the so-called Fejeték marshland which have remained from the past. However, Sóstó is the only lake in Kiskunhalas.

3. Our first test hole was Sóstó:
Water
Our first test hole was Sóstó:
It is located in the north of Kiskunhalas and it belongs to the catchment area of Tisza. It was formed by natural processes of the wind. This field was covered with sand and loess encrusted on it in northeastern-southwestern course.

4. Sóstó
The area of Sóstó is 53,3 hectares, it contains about 28,7 hectares of open surface of water, the left is covered with reed grass. The average depth of the lake is 1 – 2 metres. Rain and groundwater can make up for the wasted water. There are also two artificial wells there which are needed at the time of drought.

5. Sóstó
The colour of water is a kind of green, it smells fish and plants. We used some filter papers to check the content of water. On these papers we have recognised minerals and plants. The ph of the sample water was around 8,5.

6. Sóstó
At the beginning of the twentieth century Sóstó was told to be a bath, which was famous for its curative power.
In 2005 it bacame a reservation. We can find a lot of protected plants and animals at the lake and its neighbourhood. Here are some examples for plants: Kisfészkű aszat (Cirsium brachycephalum), Mocsári aggófű (Senecio paludosus) or Mocsári kosbor (Orchis laxiflora ssp. palustris). As for the animals, there are 72 protected and 5 well-protected species around Sóstó.
A lot of factors endanger the lake and its surrounding such as bacterias from illegal sewage disposals, fishing activities and agricultural chemicals.

7. Dongéri-főcsatorna

8. Our second test hole was: Dongéri-főcsatorna (canal)
In the years of 1940–42 there was extremely high water and it caused much damage. That’s why in the 1950’s the canal was built.
It starts in the south of Kiskunhalas and goes to the north around the town. Then it falls into the river Tisza. The length of this canal is 84 kms and its catchment area is 930 kms2.
After its birth, sedimentation started in Dongéri-csatorna, so water hardly could go along in the canal. Technicians still have to do some directions nowadays.
A group, called GLOBE, regulerly checks the quality of water in the canal.

9. Dongéri-főcsatorna There were big differences on the face of them.
We have got samples from two points from the canal:
A place near the school
A place where thermal water is let into the canal
There were big differences on the face of them.

10. Dongéri-főcsatorna
We have checked the samples and the results were very similar, almost the same. The colour of water was a kind of dark green, it smelled plants and sewage. We used some filter papers to check the content of water. On these papers we have recognised some minerals and algae. The ph of the sample water was around 8.