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Understanding Freshwater Quality

Problems in a Changing World Edited by Berit Arheimer Co-edited by Adrian Collins, Valentina Krysanova, Elango Lakshmanan, Michel Meybeck & Mike

Stone IAHS Publ. 361 (2013) ISBN 978-1-907161-39-1, 372 + xii pp. Price £87.00

Contributions are included from each continent providing a review of water quality problems worldwide, with articles describing present regional/local freshwater quality status and highlighting research needs. How the situation may develop into the future, given on-going changes in environment and society, is discussed. Questions addressed are: How to understand the behaviours of changing hydrological systems and impacts on freshwater quality? How to effectively bring together theoretical and experimental hydrology, and new measurement techniques to advance knowledge of water quality processes for the future? How can the typical timescales of change be identified? How to estimate and predict the behaviours and patterns of freshwater quality with uncertainty assessment to support risk evaluation?

Preface

This book presents the proceedings of Symposium H04: Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World, convened as part of the Scientific Assembly Knowledge for the Future, when the associations IAHS, IAPSO and IAPSEI met together in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 22–26 July 2013. The timing of the Gothenburg Assembly coincided with the official launch of the new scientific decade Panta Rhei – Everything Flows within IAHS (the International Association of Hydrological Sciences). This new scientific decade, 2013–2022, will be dedicated to research activities on change in hydrology and society, and the purpose of Symposium H04 was to identify relevant targets for water-quality research during this new decade. The significance of the Symposium was twofold as it aimed to:

Foster collaboration in the community of water-quality science and promote comparative research;

Initiate capacity building and knowledge transfer between regions and research groups worldwide.

Great efforts have been made worldwide during recent decades to detect freshwater quality problems and to achieve more sustainable, holistic and integrated water management. Both the problems and their solutions differ between regions, reflecting environmental and societal conditions. Moreover, the knowledge of water-quality status and understanding of processes involved in pollution of the aquatic environment also differ between regions and for different priority substances. Nutrients and oxygen are the best documented water quality determinants (e.g. Neal & Davies, 2000; Billen et al., 2001) with major impacts downstream and on the coast (Rabalais et al., 1996; Humborg et al., 2000), and this evidence base supports modelling at a range of scales. Over the coming decade, the evidence base for other types of issues (micropollutants, faecal-coli) should improve as more representative databases become available, thereby further underpinning conceptual and process-based modelling tools and GIS structures (Seitzinger et al., 2002; Meybeck, 2003).

Protecting the world’s freshwater resources requires diagnosis of the threats over a broad range of scales, from global to local (Vörösmarty et al., 2010). At present, the world is undergoing accelerated changes in climate, land use and society (e.g. demography, urbanization, economy), which will probably influence water resources and may lead to further decline in water quality. Such global change should now be balanced by a global change in our perception of water, whether considered as a key resource for Human Development, as part of aquatic ecosystems, or as a component of the Earth System. Shared values should be based on common and improved knowledge. There is an urgent need for better overall knowledge about the water quality situation globally, for the definition of common indicators, as well as a deeper understanding of processes involved in water quality degradation. Water quality and its evolution should be considered within its societal and policy context and, if possible, on a long-term basis that allows detection of the general trends and ranking of major issues and threats. More efficient water management and implementation of targeted remedial measures to improve the situation need to be based on robust scientific knowledge. As on-going changes are not well understood, there is a need for the scientific community to embrace this challenge to enhance the level of knowledge globally.

The purpose of Panta Rhei (Montanari et al., 2013) is to reach an improved interpretation of the processes governing the water cycle by focusing on their changing dynamics in connection with rapidly changing human systems. The practical aim is to improve our capability to make predictions of water resources dynamics to support sustainable societal development in a changing environment. The concept implies focus on hydrological systems as a changing interface between environment and society, whose dynamics are essential to determine water security, human safety and development, and to set priorities for environmental management. The Scientific Decade 2013–2022 will devise innovative theoretical blueprints for the representation of processes including change and will focus on advanced monitoring and data analysis techniques. Interdisciplinarity will be sought by bridging with socio-economic sciences and geosciences in general. To meet these ambitions of Panta Rhei,

Symposium H04 gave examples of the present state of the art of water-quality science in IAHS as a starting point for the new decade by presenting regional overviews of freshwater quality, understanding of underlying processes and on-going changes.

The papers collected in this book describe the present regional or local freshwater quality status worldwide and highlight some future research needs. Contributions are included from each continent to understand better the underlying processes causing problems. The Symposium further discussed how the situation may develop into the future, considering on-going changes in environment and society. Present and future scientific questions addressed during the Symposium in line with the Panta Rhei initiative were, for example: How to understand the behaviours of changing hydrological systems and impacts on freshwater quality? How can we effectively bring together theoretical hydrology, experimental hydrology and new measurement techniques to advance our knowledge of water quality processes for the future? How can the typical timescales of change be identified? How to estimate and predict the behaviours and patterns of freshwater quality with uncertainty assessment to support risk evaluation?

The previous scientific decade of IAHS (2003–2012) focused on Predictions in Ungauged basins (PUB). That initiative was successful in merging the water community and advancing science by increasing communication between research groups globally (Hrachowitz et al., 2013). One of the major outcomes was the identification of comparative science as a way forward for the next decade. Traditionally, water research has often been site specific for individual water bodies and point observations have been key for understanding catchment processes. The traditional local-scale (case-study) approach in water sciences is not coherent with the presence of significant transnational water bodies and aquifers, and more importantly, not with present societal challenges, which today are increasingly shifted towards regional scales and impact of changes, linking global and local scales.

The new comparative approach in water research entails analysis of many sites in a synoptic way (Blöschl et al., 2013). Rather than analysing or modelling a single site in detail, the idea here is to compare many sites with contrasting characteristics in order to understand the critical process controls of the complex systems. One of the strengths of the comparative approach to water science is that it allows the examination of processes in a more holistic way compared with normal assessments or modelling. In site-specific approaches, only those processes and scales actually represented in the study can be analysed, while in the comparative approach, one can see the summary effect and interplay of all relevant processes if the data from sites of contrasting characteristics are included and compared. Also, the comparative approach provides an opportunity to exploit multiple development histories. Different sites have evolved in a different way as a result of different climates and geologies and that historical legacy is apparent at one time in many places.

The new scientific decade of Panta Rhei will adapt this new comparative approach while focusing on Change in Hydrology and Society. It will bring together scientists of different communities and will represent a genuine opportunity to bring people together globally to address problems that can only be solved through community efforts at all levels. This scientific grassroots initiative will provide a forum to share ideas, to target common objectives and to disseminate awareness and results. It will be developed through an enhanced network of hydrological research groups all over the world and an ameliorated global accessibility to scientific research and its outputs.

The outputs of Symposium H04 will ensure that the water-quality aspects of hydrology are also considered in this new IAHS initiative. The Symposium mobilised water-quality researchers worldwide to take an active part in Panta Rhei and initiate collaboration and capacity building by enhancing communication and exchange of experiences and ideas. Symposium H04 and this book thus represent the first trigger in a decade long process of intensified collaboration among the global community of water-quality scientists.

Billen, G., Garnier, J., Ficht, A. & Cun, C. (2001) Modeling the response of water quality in the Seine River basin to Human activities over the last 150 years. Estuaries 94, 977–993.

Blöschl, G., Sivapalan, M., Wagener, T., Viglione, A. & Savenije, H. (eds) (2013) Runoff Predictions in Ungauged Basins – Synthesis across Processes, Places and Scales. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 465 p.

Hrachowitz, M., Savenije, H.H.G., Blöschl, G., McDonnell, J.J., Sivapalan, M., Pomeroy, J.W., Arheimer, B., Blume, T., Clark, M.P., Ehret, U., Fenicia, F., Freer, J.E., Gelfan, A., Gupta, H.V., Hughes, D.A., Hut, R.W., Montanari, A., Pande, S., Tetzlaff, D., Troch, P.A., Uhlenbrook, S., Wagener, T., Winsemius, H.C., Woods, R.A., Zehe, E. & Cudennec, C. (2013) A decade of Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB) – a review. Hydrological Sciences Journal doi:10.1080/02626667.2013.803183.

Humborg, C., Conley, D.J. & Rahm, L. (2000) Silicon retention in River basins: far reaching effects on biogeochemistry and aquatic foodwebs in coastal marine environments. Ambio 29(1), 45–50.

Rabalais N.N., Turner R.E., Justic D., Dortch Q., Wiseman, W.J. Jr. & Sen Gupta, B.K. (1996) Nutrient changes in the Mississippi Rover and system responses on the adjacent continental shelf. Estuaries 19(2B), 386–407.

Meybeck, M, (2003) Global analysis of river systems from Earth System controls to Anthropocene syndromes. Phil. Trans. Royal Acad. B, 358, 1935–1955.

Montanari, A., Young , Savenije, H.G., Hughes, D., Wagener, T., Ren, L., Koutsoyiannis, D., Cudennec, C., Toth, E., Grimaldi, S., G. Blöschl, G., Sivapalan, M., Beven, K., Gupta, H., Hipsey, M., Schaefli, B., Arheimer, B., Boegh, E., Schymanski, S.J., Di Baldassarre, G., Yu, B., Hubert, P., Huang, Y., Schumann, A., Post, D., Srinivasan, V., Harman, C., Thompson, S., Rogger, M., Viglione, A., McMillan, H., Characklis, G., Pang, Z. & Belyaev, V. (2013) “Panta Rhei – Everything Flows”: Change in hydrology and society – The IAHS Scientific Decade 2013–2022. Hydrological Sciences Journal (accepted).

Neal, C. & Davies, H. (2000) A summary of river water quality data collected within the Land–Ocean Interaction Study: core data for eastern UK rivers draining to the North Sea. Sci. Total Environ. 251–252, 585–665.

Seitzinger, S., Kroeze, C., Bouwman, A.F., Caraco, N., Dentener, F. & Styles, R.V. (2002) Global patterns of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and particulate nitrogen inputs to coastal systems; recent conditions and future projections. Estuaries 25, 640–665.

Vörösmarty, C.J., McIntyre, P.B., Gessner, M.O., Dudgeon, D., Prusevich, A., Green, P., Glidden, S., Bunn, S.E., Sullivan, C.A., Reidy Liermann, C. & Davies, P.M. (2010) Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity. Nature 467, 555–561.

EDITORBerit Arheimer

Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) 60176 Norrköping, Sweden

CO-EDITORSAdrian Collins

ADAS, Pendeford House, Wobaston Road, Wolverhampton WV9 5AP, UK

Valentina Krysanova Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, PO Box 601203,

Telegrafenberg, D-14412 Potsdam, Germany

Elango Lakshmanan Department of Geology, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India

Michel Meybeck Sisyphe (UMR 7619), CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie

4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France

Mike Stone Department of Geography and Environmental Management University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave West, Waterloo

Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada

Contents

Preface by Berit Arheimer, Adrian Collins, Valentina Krysanova, Elango Lakshmanan, Michel Meybeck & Mike Stone

v

1 Key Notes: Global Freshwater Quality and Panta Rhei

Heavy metal contamination in rivers across the globe: an indicator of complex interactions between societies and catchments Michel Meybeck

3

Challenges for water-quality research in the new IAHS decade on: Hydrology Under Societal and Environmental Change Matthew R. Hipsey & Berit Arheimer

17

2 Regional Overviews

Pan-EuropeThe future development of chemical monitoring of priority substances in the context of the Water Framework Directive Mario Carere, Bernd Manfred Gawlik, Linda Rado & Andrea Vergari

33

Pan-European information needs on quality of freshwater Anita Künitzer 39

Regional overview of nutrient load in Europe – challenges when using a large-scale model approach, E-HYPE Chantal Donnelly, Berit Arheimer, René Capell, Joel Dahné & Johan Strömqvist

49

South EuropeThe complex task of maintaining water quality in Mediterranean basins: Case study, Llobregat River basin, Spain J. Paredes, A. Andreu & A. Solera

59

East EuropeOverview of water quality problems in Estonia with the focus on drained peat areas as a source of nitrogen Anatoli Vassiljev & Irina Blinova

69

Euro-AsiaOn the problems of water quality in Russia and some approaches to their solution G. M. Barenboim, V. I. Danilov-Danilyan, A. N. Gelfan & Yu. G. Motovilov

77

AfricaWater quality issues in West and Central Africa: present status and future challenges Samuel Pare & L. Yvonne Bonzi-Coulibaly

87

North AmericaField to watershed scale water quality adaptations to address a changing world Jaehak Jeong, Robin Taylor, Santhi Chinnasamy, Colleen Green Rossi & Xavier M. Osorio Leyton

96

South AmericaWater resources in South America: sources and supply, pollutants and perspectivesWouter Buytaert & Lutz Breuer

106

East AsiaWater quality problems and control strategies in China Haijun Zuo, Pengtao Yu, Yanhui Wang, Valentina Krysanova, Huixia Wang, Lihong Xu, Shuai Pan & Wei Xiong

114

Recent developments in river water quality in a typical Mongolian river basin, the Kharaa case study Jürgen Hofmann, Michael Rode & Philipp Theuring

123

Water quality problems in Japanese lakes: a brief overview Naoyuki Kishimoto & Satoshi Ichise

132

South AsiaIssues of water quality, health and poverty: the Indian scenario Akhilendra Bhushan Gupta & Sunil Gupta

142

Water quality hot spots in Indian rivers Jakir Hussain & Ikbal Husain 150

Fluorosis prevalence in rural India: An example from Rajasthan Ikbal Husain & Jakir Hussain

158

3 Process Understanding

Loire River eutrophication mitigation (1981–2011) measured by seasonal nutrients and algal pigments C. Minaudo, F. Moatar, M. Meybeck, F. Curie, N. Gassama & M. Leitao

167

Recent evolution and expected changes of nutrient loads in a heavily exploited watershed: the Po River, Italy Pierluigi Viaroli, Marco Bartoli, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Mariachiara Naldi, Daniele Nizzoli & Giampaolo Rossetti

175

Assessment of groundwater quality contamination by nitrate leaching using multivariate statistics and Geographic Information Systems Ioannis Matiatos & Niki Evelpidou

183

Groundwater pollution and the safe water supply challenge in Cotonou town, Benin (West Africa) Henri S. V. Totin, Ernest Amoussou, Léocadie Odoulami, Patrick A. Edorh, Moussa Boukari & Michel Boko

191

Effects of residence time and nutrient load on eutrophic conditions and phytoplankton variations in agricultural reservoirs Mitsuyo Saito, Shin-ichi Onodera & Yuta Shiimizu

197

Nutrient transport and surface water–groundwater interactions in the tidal zone of the Yamato River, Japan Shin-ichi Onodera, Mitsuyo Saito, Masashi Yoshikawa, Koki Onishi, Yuta Shimizu & Hiroko Ito

204

The dynamics of dissolved oxygen and metabolic rates in a shallow subtropical urban lake, Louisiana, USA Y. Jun Xu & Ryan Mesmer

212

The quality of surface water and groundwater in the eastern Haouz and Tassaout area, Morocco Samia Rochdane, Abdennabi El Mandour, Mohammed Jaffal, Mahjoub Himi & Albert Casas

220

ECOMAG: a distributed model of runoff formation and pollution transformation in river basins Yu. Motovilov

227

Parameterizing dynamic water quality models in ungauged basins: issues and solutions Eva Mockler & Michael Bruen

235

Water quality as a limiting factor for irrigated agriculture Sima Belic, Andelka Belic & Milica Vranesevic

243

Groundwater trace metal pollution and health risk assessment in agricultural areas Jing Li, Fa Dong Li, Qiu Ying Zhang, Guang Shuai Zhao, Qiang Liu & Shuai Song

250

Combined use of stable isotope ratios to understand groundwater quality changes in Kumamoto area, southern Japan Takahiro Hosono, Takahiro Tokunaga, Akane Tsushima, Makoto Kagabu, Haruhiko Nakata & Jun Shimada

257

Assessing the changes in groundwater quality around tanneries: the Chennai example, India K. Brindha & L. Elango

265

Hydrogeological investigation of groundwater resources in the district of South 24 Parganas, India R. K. Majumdar & S. Kar

271

Freshwater quality monitoring systems: ways towards improvements Marina G. Erechtchoukova, Peter A. Khaiter & Dennis P. Khaiter

278

Suspended sediment flux modelling in a transboundary Himalayan river basin Archana Sarkar, R.D. Singh & Nayan Sharma

286

Spatial and temporal distribution of PAHs in the North Saskatchewan River, Alberta, Canada Mike Stone, Adrian L. Collins, Curtis Brock & Darcy McDonald

294

4 Impact of Change

Summer dredging campaigns and their effect on water quality H. Proffitt, P. Beckwith & N. Smith

305

Land use and water quality trends of the Fitzroy River, Australia Bofu Yu, Marianna Joo & Chris Carroll

313

Water temperature sensitivity under climatic change: comparison between mountain and lowland rivers in the Loire basin A. Beaufort, V. Bustillo, F. Curie, F. Moatar, A. Ducharne & D. Thiery

321

Potential effects of human and climate change on freshwater resources in Pakistan Abdul Qadir, Safdar Ali Anwar, Nadia Jamil & Arshed Makhdoom Sabir

329

Changes of the basic physico-chemical characteristics of small rivers influenced by anthropogenic elements in the area of Łódź, Poland Adam Bartnik & Piotr Moniewski

336

Groundwater vulnerability to changes in land use and society in India P. S. Datta

345

Integrating riparian wetlands into river basin management – towards an ecohydrological approach Beáta Pataki, Géza Jolánkai, István Zsuffa & Herta Czédli

353

Ecohydrological perspectives of declining water sources and quality in traditional water bodies of Delhi R.B. Singh, S. Gahlot & Anju Singh

361

Key word index 369

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World Proceedings of H04, IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013 (IAHS Publ. 361, 2013) 3-16.

Heavy metal contamination in rivers across the globe: an indicator of complex interactions between societies and catchments

MICHEL MEYBECKSisyphe (UMR 7619), CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France [email protected]

Abstract Metal contamination (i.e. a deviation from the natural content) of river particulates is closely associated with human history. Natural contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sn and Zn in pristine streams depend on basin lithology. Their quantile distributions (C10%, C50%, C90%, in parts per million) in French pristine streams are similar to those observed for 178 pristine large rivers, whose medians are very close to average shale composition. In another set of 400 rivers of unknown status or under human pressure, C90% values are close to levels observed in very contaminated water bodies (harbours, sewers), a confirmation of the metal issue severity at the global scale. In Western Europe, metal contamination history as archived in river sediments, shows: (i) a similar order of metal sensitivity to human pressures (Hg = Cd > Pb = Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni); (ii) a maximum contamination state from 1950–1970, and; (iii) an effective decontamination for sensitive metals since 1980 or earlier, as a result of technological changes, metal recycling, decreased use of coal and environmental measures. Current state indicators, contents and enrichment factors, are favourable compared to 1940, and depend on the dilution by river sediment loads. Leakage rates of metals, which define the pressure/driver ratio, range in the River Seine between 0.1% and 10%, depending on the metal and time periods. Per capita excess loads, expressing the pressure, were found to be similar for a given metal, in Western Europe, the Danube and Mississippi river basins and were highest around the 1970s. Meanwhile, contamination is increasing in newly-industrialised countries (e.g. the Yangtze River, China). World rivers have entered the Anthropocene era. Regional surveys performed within short periods should now be preferred to the traditional approach of reporting global averages, and these new surveys should encompass pristine, degrading and recovering river basins.Key words metal contamination; river basins; fluvial sediment; leakage rate; per capita excess load; Anthropocene

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World Proceedings of H04, IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013 (IAHS Publ. 361, 2013)17-30.

Challenges for water-quality research in the new IAHS decade on: Hydrology Under Societal and Environmental Change

MATTHEW R. HIPSEY1 & BERIT ARHEIMER2

1 School of Earth and Environment (M004) & Centre for Ecohydrology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands WA 6009, [email protected] Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Folkborgsvägen 1, 601 76 Norrköping, Sweden

Abstract Emerging water quality research challenges of the next decade are related to understanding how the function of complex catchment sub-systems interact and co-evolve in response to an unprecedented level of environmental change. Several high-level challenges are identified in this paper that relate to those of the new IAHS thematic decade (“Panta Rhei”: 2013–2022), but explored within the specific context of water quality science. We review current research trends and outline the need for new approaches able to deal with complexity, non-stationarity and uncertainty in future scenarios. We then identify opportunities that exist for the community-driven integration of the diversity of models of hydrology, biogeochemistry and society, with environmental sensing approaches and cyber-infrastructure as a way to integrate process-driven and data-driven approaches for exploring river basin health and water quality dynamics. By embedding our collective efforts in development of a global network of catchment observatories, we believe we can support further knowledge discovery through facilitating comparative analyses and synthesis activities.Key words water quality; river health; aquatic systems; new IAHS decade; network science; open source


The future development of chemical monitoring of priority substances in the context of the Water Framework Directive

MARIO CARERE1, BERND MANFRED GAWLIK2, LINDA RADO3 & ANDREA VERGARI3

1 Italian Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy [email protected] European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Via Enrico Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy3 Italian Ministry of the Environment, Via Cristoforo Colombo, 161, 00144 Rome, Italy

Abstract Article 16 of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is the legal basis for the identification and review of the European priority substances that should be reduced or eliminated from all emissions, discharges, releases and losses in surface water bodies. Directive 2008/105/EC has defined environmental quality standards (EQS) for 33 priority substances and eight additional pollutants. In 2012, the European Commission published a proposal Directive (COM (2011) 876) with a revised list of priority substances and the derivation of EQS in the water column and biota: 15 new substances were selected through a procedure of prioritization based on a risk assessment methodology with the use of monitoring and modelling data collected over a period of four years. In the list of the new substances, there are several pesticides widely used across Europe, as well as biocides, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, industrial chemicals and also POP (persistent organic pollutants) such as dioxins and heptachlor. The control of the existing and future priority substances requires substantial effort from all the Member States with respect to the monitoring strategies and, in particular, for the selection of analytical methods that must comply with the legal obligations imposed by Directive 2009/90/EC. For this reason, and in the context of the Working Group E on chemical aspects of the WFD, an expert group, CMEP (Chemical Monitoring and Emerging Pollutants), chaired by Italy and the European Commission (DG JRC) has been established with the aim of supporting all the Member States in the implementation of chemical monitoring for European surface water bodies.Key words priority substances; chemical monitoring; Water Framework Directive; environmental quality standard


Pan-European information needs on quality of freshwater

ANITA KÜNITZERCENIA, česká informační agentura životního prostředí, Vršovická 1442/65, 100 10 Praha 10, Czech [email protected]

Abstract In Europe, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU Member States to achieve good ecological and chemical status of their water bodies by the year 2015. In 2009, Member States reported the status of their water bodies, including pressures, impacts and measures taken, to the European Commission. This huge amount of data has been analysed since then and the results were published by the end of 2012 in a series of reports by the European Environment Agency and its European Topic Centre on inland, coastal and marine waters. The political analysis was published by the end of 2012 as “a Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources” by the European Commission, including accompanying documents. This article reviews the main findings and identifies the main areas for further research need.Key words water; quality; Europe; rivers; groundwater


Regional overview of nutrient load in Europe – challenges when using a large-scale model approach, E-HYPE

CHANTAL DONNELLY, BERIT ARHEIMER, RENÉ CAPELL, JOEL DAHNÉ & JOHAN STRÖMQVISTSwedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, 60176 Norrköping, Sweden

[email protected]

Abstract The homogenous set-up of the HYPE model for Europe (E-HYPE) gives an overview of riverine nutrient transport from land to sea and surface water concentrations across the continent. Results indicate that loads and concentrations of total nitrogen are highest in the western part of Europe, draining to the North Atlantic Ocean. High phosphorous concentrations were more dispersed and coincided principally with major urban centres. Spatially-consistent moderate total phosphorous loads were also seen across the agricultural regions of Western Europe and north of the Black Sea. By analysing where modelled data and observations agree or disagree it may be possible to identify major knowledge gaps in the model. Spatial variation in results can help contribute to understanding of hydrological and nutrient processes in the wide variety of climates, physiological and anthropogenic conditions represented across the European continent. The predictability is limited by the quality of the continental-scale input data and the optimisation of model parameters to multiple sites. Key words water; nitrogen; phosphorous; load; concentration; spatial pattern; pan-Europe; open data; model; predictability; knowledge gaps


The complex task of maintaining water quality in Mediterranean basins: Case study, Llobregat River basin, Spain

J. PAREDES, A. ANDREU & A. SOLERAUniversitat Politècnica de Valencia, Water and Environmental Engineering Research Institute, [email protected]

Abstract Many river basins in Southern European (SE) countries suffer common freshwater quality and management problems. Although in recent decades there has been an improvement in wastewater treatment and in the number of people connected to treatment facilities, the eutrophication problem has not decreased, and emerging contaminants are becoming a new social concern. The irregular Mediterranean hydrology, wastewater discharges from highly populated areas and the extensive use of water resources for agriculture are the main environmental pressures of Mediterranean basins where maintaining adequate water quality, and good environmental status, while providing a reliable water supply, is a difficult task. In many of these basins water scarcity and long drought periods affect river flows and, consequently, the dilution and self-purification capacity of water bodies. Furthermore, diffuse and groundwater pollution by agriculture, and the massive use of water resources by irrigated agriculture are other main factors in river and aquifer water quality. However, new water policies, including the European Framework Directive, are demanding more environmental protection for our water bodies. In this paper we explain the common stressors of the environment and water quality in these southern countries’ basins. As an example of such basins we present the Llobregat River basin (LRB) case, in Spain. The importance of this river is that it is the main water supply resource of several cities, including Barcelona, and the main receptor of effects of different human activities. Water quality is compromised by human environmental pressures and low river flows in scarcity periods.Key words water quality; water quantity; Southern European countries; Mediterranean basins; Llobregat River, Spain


Overview of water quality problems in Estonia with the focus on drained peat areas as a source of nitrogen

ANATOLI VASSILJEV1 & IRINA BLINOVA2

1 Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, Tallinn, 19086, [email protected] National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Akadeemia tee 23, Tallinn 12618, Estonia

Abstract The eutrophication caused by enlarged loads of nutrients from watersheds remains one of the most important problems for surface waters in Estonia. The changes in the agricultural sector of the Estonian economy at the beginning of 1990s led to a drastic decrease in application of mineral fertilizers and also in livestock population. Nevertheless, very little evidence was found that these changes noticeably influenced concentrations of nutrients in rivers. This fact confirms the opinion of some researchers that the impact of

agriculture on the pollution of surface water by nutrients was overestimated. Intensive pollution of surface water may be caused by wide-scale soil amelioration. Currently, about one third of the Estonian territory is drained and most of this area is covered by peat soils. Intensively managed peat soils can act as a source of nutrients. In this study, the potential contribution of the nitrogen leached from the peat soils to nitrogen load coming from watersheds was estimated. Data on long-term monitoring, field investigations and modelling have been analysed. The results showed that drained peat soils must be regarded as a noticeable diffuse source of nitrogen in Estonia.Key words water; rivers; nitrogen; drained peat soils; eutrophication


On the problems of water quality in Russia and some approaches to their solution

G. M. BARENBOIM, V. I. DANILOV-DANILYAN, A. N. GELFAN & YU. G. MOTOVILOV Water Problems Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Gubkina Str., 119333 Moscow, [email protected]

Abstract An overview of water resources in Russia is presented in terms of the problem of water scarcity. It is shown that physical water scarcity, defined as insufficient resources to satisfy demand, is a feature of water security in very few regions of Russia, whereas most regions have enough water to meet industrial, agricultural and household needs, as well as environmental constraints. Inadequate water quality creates, to a larger extent than physical availability of water, the most serious water scarcity problem in the country. A synopsis of some water quality problems in Russia is presented. As the predictable consequence of increasing anthropogenic impact, many water bodies in the industrial and urbanized regions of Russia are badly polluted. The main sources of surface water pollution, as well as changes in the relative contributions of these sources over the last two decades, are analysed. As a specific concern, the problem of drinking water supply and sanitation is presented. A rising gap between the research and engineering communities is considered as one of the reasons for the water quality problems and bridging this gap is one of the main research challenges in water quality management in Russia. Two examples of effective implementation of research findings into practice are demonstrated: (1) new modelling tools for water quality prediction, and (2) new technology for monitoring of organic xenobiotics. Key words water quality; anthropogenic pollution; water supply and sanitation; modelling; monitoring


Water quality issues in West and Central Africa: present status and future challenges

SAMUEL PARE & L. YVONNE BONZI-COULIBALYLaboratoire de Chimie Organique, Structure et Réactivité, Department of Chemistry, UFR/SEA, Ouagadougou University, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract An overview of freshwater quality in West and Central Africa is proposed by reviewing recent selected literature. Water quality degradation in the region is mainly attributable to: anthropogenic activities, communities’ socio-economic conditions and natural sources. Surface and groundwater contamination by organic matters, Escherichia coli, nitrates, phosphates, pesticides, hydrocarbons, heavy metals and fluorine ions are reported. In cash crop production areas, the large quantities of pesticides and fertilizers used explain residues in the ground and surface water in many countries. Unsafe domestic wastes are an important source of water pollution in capital cities due to overcrowding, poverty, and low sanitation in precarious neighbourhood areas. Eutrophication is seasonally observed in lakes or lagoons with high concentrations of nitrates in urban areas. The challenges to overcome are a promotion of strategic research with a high diffusion level, pollution prevention measures which include the behaviours of all communities through the application of laws and respect of norms, an allocation of financial support for water analysis and treatment, and suitable sanitation for

health preservation. To face the pollution of freshwater by pesticides residues, fluorine and arsenic ions, intensive research based on local natural materials for cheap and easy water purification technologies is a priority. Key words freshwater; quality; pollution; present status; future challenges; West Africa; Central Africa


Field to watershed-scale water quality adaptations to address a changing world

JAEHAK JEONG1, ROBIN TAYLOR1, SANTHI CHINNASAMY1 COLLEEN GREEN ROSSI2 & JAVIER M. OSORIO LEYTON1

1 Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University System, 720 East Blackland Rd, Temple, Texas 76502, USA [email protected] Bureau of Land Management, 440 West 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101, USA

Abstract Limited input data per desired simulation area challenges watershed models capabilities. Weather input is essential for accurate modelling of hydrological processes, yet many world regions do not have these data readily available. The Agricultural Policy eXtender Model (APEX) offers a spatial weather generator to assist these data scarce regions. APEX can also simulate small landscape to large scale watersheds with steep rainfall gradients. The APEX weather generator creates daily weather values that are correlated in time and space, based on monthly weather statistics using a probabilistic method, that are then linked to flow, water quality and soil properties. Recent developments in APEX on streamflow routing methods include the addition of two new routing methods: Storage with Variable Slope and Variable Storage Coefficient. These methods improve flow and in-stream water quality simulation results by incorporating the diffusive momentum in streamflows and channels that are mildly sloped or affected by flashy floods. The alterations in routing allow for proper accounting of the new algorithms in development for contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) including hormones, metals and insects/pests, in addition to improving wetland/riparian zone impacts on these constituents. The CECs are being linked to soil physical and chemical properties (i.e. metals linked to soil saturation and clay content). Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus pools have also been altered.Key words water quality; water quantity; APEX; EPIC; SWAT; model; simulation


Water resources in South America: sources and supply, pollutants and perspectives

WOUTER BUYTAERT1 & LUTZ BREUER2

1 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, Skempton Building, London, UK [email protected] Institute for Landscape Ecology and Resources Management, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Germany

Abstract South America has the largest availability of water resources both per capita and per area. However, the continent also hosts some of the world’s regions with the highest water scarcity. Compared to the attention to water quantity, water quality is a much more silent threat. It is increasing rapidly under the pressure of increasing urbanization and vigorous economic growth, especially in highly water demanding industries such as mining and agriculture. We review the major drivers of water quality deterioration in South America and the interaction with water availability. Despite its complexity, some geographical patterns can be identified, relating to the agricultural dominated southeast of the continent, the Andes in the west, and the Amazonian basin. Potential threats to water quality and aquatic ecosystem integrity are identified from both diffuse and point sources, originating from large-scale land-use conversion, intensification of agriculture, and expanding industrial activities such as mining and hydropower.Key words South America; water quality; mining; agriculture; sediment


Water quality problems and control strategies in China

HAIJUN ZUO1, PENGTAO YU1, YANHUI WANG1, VALENTINA KRYSANOVA2, HUIXIA WANG1, LIHONG XU1, SHUAI PAN1 & WEI XIONG1

1 Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, [email protected] Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany

Abstract China’s development is severely limited by water shortage, whereby the per capita water resource is only about one quarter of the global average. The limited supply of water has been further aggravated by declining water quality over the past three decades. Almost all water bodies across China, i.e. rivers, lakes and groundwater, are polluted to some degree. According to the Environment Bulletin of China, 24.3% of the monitored sections of the seven major rivers were in water quality grade IV–V (meaning no longer suitable as drinking water) in 2009, and 18.4% below grade V, which means that the water cannot be used for any purposes. The water quality of rivers in northern China was found to be particularly impaired. For example, 42.2% of monitored sections along the Haihe River were classified as worse than quality grade V in 2009. Seven of the nine key lakes in China are also severely polluted and suffer eutrophication on account of elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. The groundwater supplies for 97% of 195 cities investigated were also found to be polluted. Key pollutants are organic or inorganic nitrogen and active phosphate, which is sourced from not only industrial point pollution, but increasingly from agricultural diffuse pollution and domestic inputs. Although a substantial effort has been made to reduce water pollution from point sources, improvements have largely been offset by the increasing diffuse pollution caused by the over-use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. Some strategic suggestions for more rigorous rules of environmental protection in China, particularly for controlling agricultural diffuse water pollution are presented.Keywords water quality; water pollution; water body; environmental protection; China


Recent developments in river water quality in a typical Mongolian river basin, the Kharaa case study

JÜRGEN HOFMANN1, MICHAEL RODE2 & PHILIPP THEURING2

1 Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Department Ecosystem Research, Mueggelseedamm 310, D-12587 Berlin, Germany [email protected] Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department Aquatic Ecosystems Analysis and Management, Brückstr. 3a, D-39144 Magdeburg, Germany

Abstract The objective of this study is to evaluate current water quality conditions in the Kharaa River basin in northern Mongolia. Based on surveillance data from the Mongolian environmental authorities and our complementary monitoring scheme, we evaluated nutrient and sediment bound heavy metal contamination on a sub-basin scale. Although the headwaters of the Kharaa represent natural background conditions (total nitrogen (TN) 0.46–0.58 mg N L–1, total phosphorus (TP) 0.011 to 0.018 mg P L–1) and population densities within the catchment are very low (<10 inhabitants km-2), the river basin is facing relatively high anthropogenic pressure on water quality in the middle and especially in the lower reaches (total nitrogen 1.50–1.52 mg N L –1, total phosphorus 0.18–0.26 mg P L–1). The main contributors to these nutrient emissions are urban settlements with a high proportion of households without connection to wastewater treatment plants and, to a lesser extent, agricultural land use. The nutrient levels have a significant eutrophication potential in the Kharaa River. Heavy metal concentrations in river sediments show a high variability within the river system. Especially elevated concentrations of As, Pb and U can be related to the impact of mining activities in parts of the basin. The drinking water abstraction through bank filtration showed initial alterations of raw water quality indicated by slightly increasing concentrations of heavy metals and pollution indicators like chloride and boron. The results of the Kharaa River basin case study are related to water quality conditions in other Mongolian river basins. Key words nutrients; heavy metals; water quality monitoring; rivers; Mongolia


Water quality problems in Japanese lakes: a brief overview

NAOYUKI KISHIMOTO1 & SATOSHI ICHISE2

1 Faculty of Science & Technology, Ryukoku University, 1-5 Yokotani, Setaoe-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2194, [email protected] Lake Biwa Environmental Research Institute, 5-34 Yanagasaki, Otsu, Shiga 520-0022, Japan

Abstract Japan experienced serious environmental pollution during the period of high economic growth. As a result of targeted management and remediation strategies, the pollution problems have generally declined. However, eutrophication, invasive alien species and lake warming all continue to represent major issues for Japanese lakes. These pressures are disturbing indigenous lake ecosystems and affecting the physicochemical condition of the waterbodies. To help prevent eutrophication and its ecological impact, there is a need to reinforce control measures for diffuse pollution and small-scale wastewater treatment, and a concomitant need to develop an economical nitrogen-removal technology. Lake warming is projected to be more serious in the future, and this will alter vertical mass transport patterns, the redox state of sediments and ultimately lake ecosystems. However, we have little knowledge of the potential influence of lake warming at present. Therefore, further detailed limnological studies on lake warming and monitoring of lake environments should be encouraged.Key words lake pollution; environmental administration; eutrophication; invasive alien species; lake warming; Japanese lakes; Lake Biwa

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World Proceedings of H04, IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013 (IAHS Publ. 361, 2013) 142-149

Issues of water quality, health and poverty: the Indian scenario

AKHILENDRA BHUSHAN GUPTA1 & SUNIL GUPTA2

1 Professor of Civil Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur 302017, India2 Consultant Paediatrician, KRASS Jaipur, India [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract India faces a significant challenge from environmental pollution as almost 85% of the most prevalent diseases are water-borne due to microbiological or chemical contamination. In Rajasthan, the country’s largest state, about 50% of the potable water sources are contaminated with total dissolved solids, fluorides and nitrate in excess of the prescribed national standards for human health. This paper presents an overview of the major water quality problems faced by India and especially the state of Rajasthan, and summarizes some recent developments in the field of fluorosis and nitrate toxicity along with the technologies devised to remove these chemicals from drinking water supplies, as a result of recent research.Key words drinking water quality; human health; microbiological contamination; fluorosis; nitrate toxicity; new pathophysiologies


Water quality hot spots in Indian rivers

JAKIR HUSSAIN1 & IKBAL HUSAIN2

1 National River Water Quality Laboratory, Central Water Commission, New Delhi – 110016, [email protected] Public Health Engineering Department, Bhilwara – 311001, Rajasthan, India [email protected]

Abstract Deteriorating water quality has become a serious problem in developing countries. Almost 70% of India’s surface water resources have become contaminated due to the discharge of untreated sewage and

industrial effluents. The CWC and CPCB are monitoring all rivers in 22 basins, monthly, bimonthly or quarterly. The water quality monitoring of major rivers indicates that organic pollution is predominant and almost all the surface water sources are contaminated to some extent by Coliform group bacteria, making their water unfit for human consumption unless disinfected. Specific stretches of the following rivers: Sabarmati, Godavari, Satluj, Yamuna, Cauvery, Ganga, Krishna, Tapi, Mahanadi and Brahmani, are grossly polluted with respect to organic and bacterial pollution. Data reveal that at water quality stations on the Chenab, Jhelum, Ganga, Mahi, Sabarmati, Tapi, Narmada, Bharigathi, Brahmani, Subarnarekha, Mahanadi, Brahmaputra, Cauvery, and Krishna rivers and tributaries, there are high levels of trace and toxic metals.Key words Indian rivers; water quality; pollution; DO; BOD; coliform; metals; hot spots


Fluorosis prevalence in rural India: an example from Rajasthan

IKBAL HUSAIN1 & JAKIR HUSSAIN2

1 Public Health Engineering Department, Bhilwara - 311001, Rajasthan, [email protected] 2 National River Water Quality Laboratory, Central Water Commission, New Delhi - 110016, [email protected]

Abstract Fluorosis is endemic in 17 states of India and about 62 million people are at risk of fluorosis from drinking high fluoride water. In Rajasthan, 24 out of 32 districts are fluorotic and 15 million of the population are at risk. An exploratory qualitative study was carried out to describe the perception of the community regarding fluoride and related health problems; 876 habitations of the 1643 habitations studied were found to have >1.5 mg/L fluoride, ranging from 0.2 to 23.2 mg/L. A detailed fluorosis study was done in 63 habitations with >5.0 mg/L fluoride and 9242 individuals were examined. The overall prevalence of dental and skeletal fluorosis was found to be 5880/9242 (63.62%) and 1183/4839 (26.51%), respectively. The Dean’s Community Fluorosis Index for the study area varies from 1.08 to 3.04. The Government has introduced some domestic and community-based defluoridation techniques, but people are still using traditional tactics. Key words fluoride; dental fluorosis; skeletal fluorosis; CFI; defluoridation; Rajasthan, India

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World Proceedings of H04, IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013 (IAHS Publ. 361, 2013). 167-174

Loire River eutrophication mitigation (1981–2011) measured by seasonal nutrients and algal pigments

C. MINAUDO1, F. MOATAR1, M. MEYBECK2, F. CURIE1, N. GASSAMA1 &M. LEITAO3

1 Laboratoire GéoHydrosystèmes Continentaux (GeHCO) – Université François Rabelais, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours, [email protected] Sisyphe (UMR 7619), Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France3 Bi-Eau, 15 rue Lainé-Laroche, 49000 Angers, France

Abstract The Loire River basin is very sensitive to eutrophication due to its multiple-channel morphology, summer low flows, high water temperatures, and high exposure to nutrient inputs from agriculture and urban sources. The seasonal variation of nutrients and chlorophyll-a from the river headwaters to the estuary (1012 km) was studied by harmonic analysis for three periods between 1981 and 2011. The Upper Loire does not present significant seasonal variations. The eutrophication level of the Middle and Lower Loire, favoured by hydroclimatic conditions, is responsible for significant seasonal amplitude of algal pigments, nutrients and physico-chemical variables. In the Middle Loire, the summer phosphate minimum (15 µg L -1) is controlled by algal uptake, and the summer nitrate minimum (0.8 mg-N L-1) is attributed to algal uptake and denitrification. The 1991 European Directives had an impact on phosphorus levels, but nitrate levels kept increasing slightly, showing a lack of appropriate agro-environmental measures in the Loire River basin.Key words Loire River; eutrophication; nutrients; seasonality; phosphate; nitrate


Recent evolution and expected changes of nutrient loads in a heavily exploited watershed: the Po River, Italy

PIERLUIGI VIAROLI1, MARCO BARTOLI1, GIUSEPPE CASTALDELLI2, MARIACHIARA NALDI1, DANIELE NIZZOLI1 & GIAMPAOLO ROSSETTI1

1 Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parco Area delleScienze 11/A, I-43124 Parma, [email protected] Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, via Borsari 46, I-44121 Ferrara, Italy

Abstract The Po River watershed accounts for about 25% of the total surface and about 40% of the gross domestic product of Italy. Agricultural, industrial and urban development, along with hydromorphological modification of rivers and canals, are responsible for water quality deterioration. Frequent and persistent summer droughts and extreme floods have occurred concurrently in the last two decades, likely as early signals of exacerbation of global change effects. In this contribution we review the evolution of hydrological regime and nutrient loadings in the last three decades, short-term studies (2003–2007) on the effects of persistent drought conditions on river discharge, nutrient loadings and stoichiometry, and salt wedge intrusion. To date, diffuse nitrate contamination has been one of the major threats. We identified and assessed possible nitrogen sources in the watersheds of four tributaries of the Po River (Parma, Mincio, Oglio and Po di Volano) with different livestock pressure, crop production and population densities.Key words nutrients loadings; nutrient stoichiometry; river discharge; extreme hydrological events; agriculture; livestock


Assessment of groundwater quality contamination by nitrate leaching using multivariate statistics and Geographic Information Systems

IOANNIS MATIATOS & NIKI EVELPIDOUFaculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Panepistimiopolis, Athens, [email protected]

Abstract The present study examines nitrate contamination and groundwater quality in the Megara basin of Attica Prefecture (Greece). Hydrochemical data were assessed using descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis to: (1) classify the data into hydrochemically similar groups, and (2) to investigate geochemical and human-related factors responsible for the observed groundwater quality. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to incorporate both thematic (land-use) data and groundwater chemistry to study the extent and variation of nitrate contamination and to establish spatial relationships with specific land-use types. The results indicate that more than 70% of the groundwater samples located around the national highway had nitrate concentrations that exceeded acceptable levels according to international legislation and guidelines (Directive 98/83/EC, EPA, WHO). The combined spatial analysis and statistical hydrochemical evaluation show that nitrate contamination in groundwater is closely associated with specific land-use classes and activities (e.g. agriculture, pasture, industries, urban effluents).Key words groundwater; nitrate leaching; multivariate statistical analysis; GIS analysis


Groundwater pollution and the safe water supply challenge in Cotonou town, Benin (West Africa)

HENRI S. V. TOTIN1,2, ERNEST AMOUSSOU1,2, LÉOCADIE ODOULAMI1, PATRICK A. EDORH3, MOUSSA BOUKARI4 & MICHEL BOKO1,3

1 Laboratory Pierre PAGNEY, Climate, Water, Ecosystems and Development, University of Abomey-Calavi, Department of Geography, 03BP1122, Cotonou, Benin2 Department of Geography, University of Parakou, Benin, BP123, Parakou, [email protected]; [email protected] Interfaculty Centre of Training and Research in Environment for Sustainable Development; Department of Microbiology, University of Abomey-Calavi, 03 BP 1463, Cotonou, Benin4 Laboratory of Applied Hydrology, University of Abomey-Calavi, BP 526 Cotonou, Benin, Cotonou, Benin

Abstract Environmental change has impacted water systems inducing groundwater pollution in the town of Cotonou, in Benin, West Africa. Accordingly, it is important to improve the understanding of the drinking water supply problem, focusing on key aspects of the pollution problem and alternative approaches to the provision of safe water for human consumption. This study was based on the integration of existing literature, physicochemical and bacteriological analyses, assessment of drinking water quantity and the returns from participative investigations. Water quality standards in Benin reflect those set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results of the study suggest that the shallow aquifer (depth less than 2 m) is more polluted by wastes and often by septic tanks situated less than 5 m from water sources. Groundwater mineralization depends on human activities, induced recharge and saltwater intrusion. Bacteria counts frequently exceed drinking water guidelines and standards (0 coliform counting units (CFU)/100 ml). Given these pollution problems, the shallow Quaternary aquifer is excluded for drinking water supply which is restricted to the Continental Terminal aquifers on the Plateau of Allada. Sustainable safe water supply is dependent on groundwater quality protection using an ecosystems approach, deep aquifer water extraction and rational water use by multiple consumers.Key words Cotonou, Benin; groundwater quality; ecosystems approach; safe water; sustainable potable water supply


Effects of residence time and nutrient load on eutrophic conditions and phytoplankton variations in agricultural reservoirs

MITSUYO SAITO1, SHIN-ICHI ONODERA2 & YUTA SHIIMIZU2

1 Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama, 7008530, Japan [email protected] Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima, 7398521, Japan

Abstract The effects of residence time and nutrient load on eutrophic conditions and phytoplankton variations were examined on six ponds highly influenced by agricultural activity in western Japan. Estimated residence times ranged from 7 to 2348 days, which decreased from summer to winter. The nutrient condition was totally in a N-rich and P-limited condition compared with the Redfield ratio in both summer and winter. The estimated budget of DIN, DIP and dissolved silica (DSi) suggests that the ponds acted as a sink of nutrients to the downstream environment throughout the year. Fluorescence was clearly higher in the shorter residence time ponds. It suggests that cyanobacteria with relatively low chlorophyll content were dominant in the longer residence time while other phytoplankton was dominant in the shorter residence time. The opposite trend in residence time and fluorescence from August to December suggests that the dominant primary producer changed from cyanobacteria to diatoms. Key words agricultural reservoirs; eutrophic condition; phytoplankton; residence time; nutrient load


Nutrient transport and surface water–groundwater interactions in the tidal zone of the Yamato River, Japan

SHIN-ICHI ONODERA1, MITSUYO SAITO2, MASASHI YOSHIKAWA1, KOKI ONISHI1, YUTA SHIMIZU3 & HIROKO ITO4

1 Graduate School of Integrated Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 7398521, Japan

[email protected] JSPS PD Fellowship, CMES, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan3 JSPS PD Fellowship, NARO Western Region Agricultural Research Center, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan 4 Geo-Research Institute, 4-3-2 Itachibori, Nishi, Osaka, 5500012, Japan

Abstract This study examined nutrient transport dynamics and surface water–groundwater interactions in the tidal area of the Yamato River near Osaka, Japan. Spatial variation in radon (222Rn) and hydraulic gradient suggest that groundwater discharges to the river in the upstream reaches, but in the zone near the river mouth, river water recharges the groundwater. The deep groundwater depression is likely due to heavy groundwater extraction for use in Osaka up to 1970. Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) levels were negatively correlated with dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). Based on mass balance calculations, nutrient production occurred in the tidal reach. Approximately 3% of dissolved total nitrogen (DTN) and 9% of dissolved total phosphorus (DTP) loads were attributed to upstream sources. Key words nutrient; tidal rivers; groundwater; megacity; Yamato River, Japan


The dynamics of dissolved oxygen and metabolic rates in a shallow subtropical urban lake, Louisiana, USA

Y. JUN XU & RYAN MESMERSchool of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, [email protected]

Abstract Ecosystem metabolism is an important indicator of biological activities in the context of enhanced nutrient fluxes to freshwater. In this study, we assessed both the gross and net primary production, and respiration of a shallow subtropical lake that is influenced by a highly developed urban environment. A real-time water quality monitoring platform with multi-parameter probes was deployed in the centre of the lake to record changes in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and other water quality parameters at 15-minute intervals from July 2008 to July 2009. The measurements were used to quantify lake productivity with a single station diel oxygen change method. The data suggested a mean annual gross primary productivity of 4.41 g O 2 m-2 d-1, a mean annual net primary production of 2.13 g O2 m-2 d-1, and a mean annual respiration of 5.90 g O2 m-

2 d-1. Annually, a total of 1610 g O2 m-2 were produced compared with a respiratory consumption of 2150 g O2 m-2. Monthly respiration rates were equal to, or greater than, monthly productivity rates during the monitored year, suggesting that this shallow subtropical urban lake was heterotrophic in net terms throughout most of the year.Keywords lake eutrophication; dissolved oxygen; metabolic rates; net productivity; community respiration;subtropical urban lake

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World Proceedings of H04, IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013 (IAHS Publ. 361, 2013 220-226

The quality of surface water and groundwater in the eastern Haouz and Tassaout area, Morocco

SAMIA ROCHDANE1, ABDENNABI EL MANDOUR1, MOHAMMED JAFFAL2, MAHJOUB HIMI3,4 & ALBERT CASAS4

1 GEOHYD Laboratory, Cadi Ayyad University, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Marrakesh, Morocco [email protected] Research Team Civil Engineering and Geoengineering, Cadi Ayyad University, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Marrakesh, Morocco3 National School of Applied Sciences of Al Hoceima. Mohammed Premier University, Morocco4 Faculty of Geology, MartíFranquès s/n. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract The eastern Haouz and Tassaout area of Morocco is an intra-mountain plain characterized by a semi-arid climate, where there is an increasing demand for agricultural productivity. To meet this need, local irrigation is dependent on the supply of water from surface and aquifer sources. Piezometric mapping shows that groundwater recharge is driven by anastomosis in contact with limestones outcropping in the High Atlas Mountains, and by re-infiltration of irrigation water along the upper Tassaout River. Another recharge area is located further downstream in the plain bordering the Jebilet Mountains. The hydrodynamic behaviour of the

groundwater in the eastern Haouz and the Tassaout area is controlled by a divide, as evidenced by gravity anomalies. Electrical conductivity measurements and geochemical analysis have been used as a basis for mapping groundwater quality. The salinization problem is mainly caused by the presence of shales and salt Triassic deposits, whereas alternative pollution is primarily due to water contamination by nitrate leaching.Key words Haouz plain; Tassaout area, Morocco; irrigation; geophysics; piezometric; salinity; nitrate pollution


ECOMAG: a distributed model of runoff formation and pollution transformation in river basins

YU. MOTOVILOV Water Problems Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkina St. 3, 119333 Moscow, Russia [email protected]

Abstract The ECOMAG model consists of hydrological and water quality submodels, which operate at a daily time step. The hydrological submodel describes the main processes of the terrestrial hydrological cycle: snow accumulation and melting, soil freezing and thawing, water infiltration into unfrozen and frozen soil, evapotranspiration, the thermal and water regime of soil, and the lateral surface, subsurface, groundwater and channel flow. The water quality submodel describes the processes of pollutant accumulation on the surface, dissolution of pollutants by rain or snowmelt waters, penetration of soluble pollutants into soil, interaction with the soil solution and soil matrix, and biochemical degradation of pollutants. The transfer and transformation of pollutants in the river system are described, taking into account the lateral diffusive inflow of pollutants by surface, subsurface and groundwater flows, the load from point sources of pollutants discharged to the rivers, the exchange of pollutants between the river water and river bed. An application of the hydrological and water quality submodels is shown for simulating water quality dynamics in river basins of the Kola Peninsula which is exposed to intensive pollution from the Pechenganickel Industrial Complex. Simulated nickel concentrations in river water are compared with the corresponding observed data. Results of modelling experiments are presented to illustrate the impact of Pechenganickel on water quality in river channels.Key words ECOMAG model; river basin; runoff formation; nickel; pollution transformation; water quality; Russia


Parameterizing dynamic water quality models in ungauged basins: issues and solutions

EVA MOCKLER & MICHAEL BRUENUCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research, School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University College Dublin, [email protected]

Abstract The redundancy and ill-conditioned nature of model identification and parameter estimation make it difficult to identify a hydrological model that can correctly split the flow dynamics and associated contaminant transport and transformation between each of its conceptual pathways. The Pathways project, funded by the Irish EPA, combines insights from conceptual catchment modelling and detailed fieldwork investigations to inform an integrated water management tool. Within this project, a user-friendly GIS application is being developed for environmental managers interested in water quality modelling using the Pathways Computational Engine (PACE) model. This variable structure water quality model can be used to investigate hydrological and contaminant processes at sub-catchment scale and to incorporate expert knowledge relating to flow pathways and contaminant transport along these pathways. In this paper, parameter identification issues related to the hydrological model are discussed with an investigation of groundwater parameters for catchments underlain by locally important aquifers.Key words hydrological processes; catchment modelling; flow path contributions; parameter identification


Water quality as a limiting factor for irrigated agriculture

SIMA BELIC, ANDELKA BELIC & MILICA VRANESEVIC University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Water Management, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia [email protected]

Abstract Water quality for irrigation is evaluated for specific watercourses in the area of Vojvodina, Serbia. The classifications used to assess the usability of irrigation water of various qualities are the FAO classification, USSL classification, the classification according to Nejgebauer and the chloride classification of irrigation water. An additional assessment of the usability of irrigation water was also used and included determining the value of the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), sodium percentage (SSP), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), residual sodium bi-carbonate (RSBC), magnesium content (MAR), permeability index (PI), and Kelly’s ratio (KR). The overall assessment is that water analysed for the irrigation systems cannot be used because of its inappropriate effects on soil salinity. An analysis of the suitability of the phreatic aquifer for irrigation showed its inappropriate characteristics. Only a small number of water samples could be recommended for irrigation.Key words Danube-Tisza-Danube Hydro System; water quality; irrigation; classification; sustainability


Groundwater trace metal pollution and health risk assessment in agricultural areas

JING LI1, FA DONG LI1, QIU YING ZHANG2, GUANG SHUAI ZHAO1, QIANG LIU1 & SHUAI SONG1 1 Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China [email protected] Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050021, China

Abstract Irrigation projects have diverted water from the lower reaches of the Yellow River for more than 50 years in China. This study was conducted to quantify the hydrochemical and trace metal characteristics, map the spatial distribution of the health risk caused by trace metals, and identify the origin of trace metals in groundwater in the north part of Henan-Liaocheng Irrigation Area (HLIA). Results show that the mean value of the sum of hazard quotients (ΣHQs) exceeded the generally acceptable risk level recommended by the US EPA. The maximum ΣHQs was 3.79 for the local residents, and the spatial distribution of ΣHQs did not show a significant trend in relation to distance perpendicular to the Yellow River. Primary sources of Fe, Se, Zn, Ba and Mn were associated with geogenic origin; B, Mo Sr, and V were from industrial and agrochemical processes.Key words trace metal; hazard quotients (HQs); groundwater; spatial distribution; origin; Yellow River


Combined use of stable isotope ratios to understand groundwater quality changes in Kumamoto area, southern Japan

TAKAHIRO HOSONO1, TAKAHIRO TOKUNAGA2, AKANE TSUSHIMA1,3, MAKOTO KAGABU2, HARUHIKO NAKATA2 & JUN SHIMADA2

1 Priority Organization for Innovation and Excellence, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, [email protected] Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan3 Present address: Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-19, Nishi-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan

Abstract Combined use of several stable isotope ratios is increasingly recognized as an important approach for

comprehensive understanding of water deterioration mechanisms. However, such trials have not often been seen and the importance of the application of these tracers has not been fully demonstrated. This paper presents a case study in Kumamoto groundwater, southern Japan, applying multiple isotope ratios (δ13CDIC, δ15NNO3, and δ34SSO4) for better understanding the causes of groundwater deterioration. Our results showed that sulfate in the groundwater originates from multiple sources (pyrite oxidation, volcanic components and anthropogenic materials), but nitrate was mostly derived from anthropogenic sources. Anthropogenic impact to DIC was also assessed by using δ13CDIC data. This study showed that multiple-use of isotope tracers is advantageous for comprehensive understanding of the cause of water quality change. However, the utility of this approach should be developed as a better tool for elucidating the pollution attenuation mechanisms in future work.Key words groundwater; quality change; multiple stable isotope ratios; Kumamoto area, Japan


Assessing the changes in groundwater quality around tanneries: the Chennai example (India)

K. BRINDHA & L. ELANGODepartment of Geology, Anna University, Chennai – 600 025, [email protected]

Abstract A study was carried out with the aim of assessing the groundwater quality with respect to chromium around tanneries in a part of Chennai, southern India. The wastes from these tanneries are treated in the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) and released to open drains that join the Adyar River flowing nearby. Water samples were collected from 22 locations in March 2010 and analysed for chromium content. The chromium concentration in groundwater was compared with the study carried out in 2008. EC ranged from 985 to 5344 µS/cm and was at permissible levels in only 5.3% of groundwater samples. The chromium concentration ranged from 5 to 35 µg/L which was within the maximum permissible limit of 50 µg/L (Bureau of Indian Standards for drinking water quality). A general pattern of high concentration in the northeastern part of the study area was found where the tanning industries and CETP are located. The CETP started functioning in 1995 in this area after stringent rules were imposed to treat the effluent before its disposal. However, before 1995, effluent with high concentration of many ions was released to open drains without proper treatment. In 2008, the chromium concentration in the study area ranged from 4 to 990 µg/L while EC ranged from 584 to 6690 μS/cm. Due to the functioning of the CETP, the chromium in groundwater has decreased, as evident from the studies in 2008 and 2010. However, the quality of groundwater based on EC is still poor, which may be because the CETP removes chromium effectively as it is a potentially-toxic heavy metal, rather than decreasing the concentration of all the ions in groundwater. Hence, it is essential to remove the TDS and to frequently monitor the groundwater quality at regular intervals.Key words leather industry; tannery pollution; chromium; electrical conductivity; total dissolved solids; Chennai, India


Hydrogeological investigation of groundwater resources in the district of South 24 Parganas, India

R. K. MAJUMDAR & S. KARDepartment of Geological Sciences, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700032, West Bengal, [email protected]

Abstract The South 24 Parganas district in India, consists of alluvial and marine sediment of Quaternary age. In this region, groundwater from a confined aquifer is the major source of drinking water. The aquifer is located at a depth of between 160 m and 335 m. This paper reports the results of integrated geological and geochemical investigations to assess the subsurface lithology, hydrological characteristics, groundwater chemistry, depth to the freshwater and seawater intrusion in this critical aquifer. Vertical electric soundings (VES) were conducted to determine facies change in the subsurface lithology and the existence of a saline water zone overlying the aquifer. The VES curves are interpreted by the 1-D inversion technique and the results show the presence of five to six prominent layers consisting of alluvial top soil, saline water, brackish water, an impermeable clay layer, freshwater and the bottom clay with silt and sand lenses, under the prevailing hydrodynamic conditions. The average depth of the confined aquifer is 180 m and the average resistivity of the freshwater zone is about 62 Ohm-m. Lithological characteristics of the area constructed from VES analyses are used to identify potential

zones in the aquifer for abstracting drinking water. Geochemical investigations demonstrate that the TDS of the aquifer ranges from 590 to 965 mg/L and is a suitable source for drinking water supply.Key words VES studies; brackish water; confined aquifer; TDS; Sodium Adsorption Ratio

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World Proceedings of H04, IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013 (IAHS Publ. 361, 2013 278-285

Freshwater quality monitoring systems: ways towards improvements

MARINA G. ERECHTCHOUKOVA, PETER A. KHAITER & DENNIS P. KHAITERYork University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, [email protected]

Abstract Investigation and management of the quality of freshwater resources require data on the status of aquatic environments. These data are traditionally collected by routine monitoring systems which are supported by federal and/or local governments operating under limited budgets. This makes the optimization of water quality monitoring systems, in general, and monitoring designs, in particular, an urgent issue. The paper presents a model-driven approach to the development of efficient multi-parameter temporal designs for stream monitoring systems. The approach is based on an operation research model developed using cost-effectiveness analysis and non-linear regression models describing multi-parameter interactions. The developed model does not require site specific parameterization other than a series of water constituent concentrations measured at a given observation site. This approach was tested on a small river with a highly urbanized watershed and the results were compared with existing monitoring programmes.Key words freshwater quality; monitoring designs; model driven approach; constraint optimization; rivers


Suspended sediment flux modelling in a transboundary Himalayan river basin

ARCHANA SARKAR1, R.D. SINGH1 & NAYAN SHARMA2

1 National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee-247667, India2 Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee-247667, India

Abstract Artificial neural network (ANN) models have been developed for simulation of daily suspended sediment flux in the Subansiri River basin, which is a transboundary eastern Himalayan basin and the biggest sub-basin of the Brahmaputra River in India. Modelling was conducted on two datasets: (1) daily discharge and suspended sediment concentration data of 15 years (1993–2007) and (2) daily data of climate (rainfall, temperature) and snow cover area along with discharge and suspended sediment concentration for six years (2001, 2003–2007). The performance of ANN models has been compared with conventional sediment rating curves (SRC) and multiple linear regression models (MLR) having similar input data. ANN models were found to be considerably better than the SRC and MLR models. This paper concludes by providing discussion about how the different type of input data, length of input data and lagging of input data affects the accuracy of sediment flux estimation in a large Himalayan River basin and also provides guidance on the types of tasks for which different types of input data may be preferable.Key words suspended sediment flux; artificial neural networks; multiple linear regression; Himalaya; Brahmaputra River; Subansiri River; India


Spatial and temporal distribution of PAHs in the North Saskatchewan River, Alberta, Canada

MIKE STONE1, ADRIAN L. COLLINS2, CURTIS BROCK3 & DARCY McDONALD3

1 Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada [email protected] ADAS, Pendeford House, Wobaston Road, Wolverhampton WV9 5AP, UK3 Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resources, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Abstract Northern Canadian Rivers provide a broad range of ecosystem services, but increasing pressures from development and resource extraction have negatively impacted the ecology and water quality of many of these relatively pristine river systems. The North Saskatchewan River (NSR) drains an area of 57 000 km2 in northern Alberta and provides water for multiple uses. However, landscape disturbance has increased the flux of a variety of sediments and associated contaminants in this river. To evaluate the spatial (gradient from headwater to downstream sites) and temporal (inter-annual) variation of PAHs in the NSR, grab samples of fine-grained river bed/bank sediment deposits were collected in 2010 and 2011 at 20 monitoring sites over a distance of 1000 km from Rocky Mountain House to Lloydminster. An additional 10 samples were collected in 2011 at the confluence of the main river with tributaries of varying land use. Individual congeners of 16 PAHs were extracted from sediment samples and analysed for PAHs. Compared to data reported for other northern Canadian rivers, PAH levels in the NSR are comparatively low (7 to 40 ng/g) and well below the sediment quality guidelines consensus-based Threshold Effect Concentration (TEC). PAHs in NSR sediment are primarily of pyrogenic origin and likely originate from mining processes, combustion of fossil fuels and some industrial discharges.Key words polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; sediment; North Saskatchewan River, Canada; sediment quality guidelines


Summer dredging campaigns and their effect on water quality

H. PROFFITT1, P. BECKWITH2 & N. SMITH1

1 Canal & River Trust, Environment Team, Peels Wharf, Evans Croft, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 3QZ, [email protected] G4S Carbon and Energy Solutions, 1320 Montpellier Court, Gloucester Business Park, Gloucester GL3 4AH, UK Abstract The Canal & River Trust was established in July 2012 within England and Wales, to manage inland waterways, docks, reservoirs and estates that had previously been the responsibility of British Waterways. The key purpose of the new Trust is to “act as guardian for the canals and rivers of England and Wales – ensuring that history, nature and communities are central to everything we do”. As part of this remit, the Trust is responsible for maintaining navigation for approx. 2000 miles of waterways. In order to achieve this, the Trust needs to dredge sediment out of its waterways to maintain a minimum depth of ~1.5 m. In the past, dredging was only conducted over the winter months from October through to March, but due to contractual changes and a backlog of identified problems, a “year round” dredging programme has been operating since 2011. In September 2011, dredging on the Aylesbury Arm contributed to a fish kill in the area. On investigation, mean ammoniacal nitrogen in the sediment was 181 mg kg -1, coupled with water pH 8.0 and temperature of 15.1C, led to ammoniacal nitrogen concentrations >4 mg L-1 in the water column. A second fish kill, in the Tame Valley canal during a dredging project in July 2012, appeared to be attributed to high water temperatures, BOD and COD in the sediment leachate samples taken after the event. Parallels were drawn between the two cases and questions were raised about the sediment sampling regime, which historically has been based on determining a safe and cost-effective re-use or disposal routes. This paper discusses the events over the last two years and the proposed new approaches to future sediment testing and water quality monitoring as well as reinstating on-site emergency remedial measures.Key words dredge; sediment; water quality; fish kill; Aylesbury Arm, UK; Tame Valley, UK; canal

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World Proceedings of H04, IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013 (IAHS Publ. 361, 2013)313-320.

Land use and water quality trends of the Fitzroy River, Australia

BOFU YU1, MARIANNA JOO2 & CHRIS CARROLL3 1 School of Engineering, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, [email protected] Dept of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, Block C East, 41 Boggo Rd, Dutton Park,

Queensland 4102, Australia3 Dept of Natural Resources and Mines, 209 Bolsover Street, Rockhampton, Queensland 4700, Australia

Abstract Analysis of long-term trends in water quality indicators is critical to an understanding of the cause and effect of environmental change for resources management. The Fitzroy Basin is the second largest catchment in Australia, and one of the largest sources of freshwater and sediment for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. The basin was largely undisturbed prior to the 1960s. At present, about 90% of the basin has been cleared for grazing, cropping, and sown pasture. The paper shows that in spite of the large-scale, rapid land clearing, and an increase in sediment concentration at a given discharge, there are no significant trends in mean annual sediment concentration nor in the sediment discharge into the GBR lagoon. Three factors are identified to have contributed to this: (a) declining rainfall in parts of the basin since the 1970s; (b) high inter-annual variability; and (c) the unpredictable nature of where runoff-generating events occur for large river basins. Key words land clearing; land use; sediment discharge; water quality trend; Fitzroy, Australia


Water temperature sensitivity under climatic change: comparison between mountain and lowland rivers in the Loire basin

A. BEAUFORT1, V. BUSTILLO2, F. CURIE1, F. MOATAR1, A. DUCHARNE3 &D. THIERY4

1 Laboratoire GéoHydrosystèmes Continentaux (GeHCO) – Université François Rabelais, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours, [email protected] CESBIO UMR 5126 (CNES-CNRS-IRD-UPS), IUT Paul Sabatier, Antenne d’Auch-24, rue d’Embaquès 32000 Auch, France3 Sisyphe (UMR 7619), Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France4 Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), 3 avenue Claude-Guillemin-BP 36009 45060 Orléans Cedex 2, France

Abstract In a context of climate change, the capacity to forecast the thermal regime of rivers is a major challenge for water resource management and for aquatic ecosystem preservation. To address the geographic distribution of daily water temperature within the entire drainage network of the Loire basin (110 000 km2), we based our work on the equilibrium temperature concept, as developed in the ICC-Hydroqual project. Sixty-eight sub-basins (300 to 3000 km2) are delineated, in which Strahler orders are considered to behave similarly. The model uses a heat balance with five terms based on meteorological variables provided by Safran interpolation analysis (8 km 8 km) of Météo-France. The simulation of the river discharge was performed by means of the semi-distributed hydrological model EROS. The performance of the model for simulating water temperature over the last 33 years (1974–2007) for 71 sampling stations led to median RMSE = 1.97°C. Thermal regime at the end of the 21st century (2080–2100) was simulated using 13 changing climate (A1B) and hydrological scenarios derived by the EROS model. The combination of these scenarios results in the same increase of the mean annual temperature by 2.2°C (±0.6°C). The increase of the mean monthly temperature is similar for mountain rivers (mean basin elevation 600 m) and for lowland rivers (mean basin elevation 130 m). The water temperature increases by 3.0°C (±0.9°C) in spring and autumn and by 2.6°C (±0.7°C) in summer. This limited increase in summer can be explained by the rise of the energy loss by the net long-wave radiation and by the evaporative heat flux, correlated with a reduction of the increase of the net short-wave radiation.Key words thermal models; climate changes; equilibrium temperature; mountain and lowland rivers; Loire Basin; France


Potential effects of human and climate change on freshwater resources in Pakistan

ABDUL QADIR1, SAFDAR ALI ANWAR2, NADIA JAMIL1 &

ARSHED MAKHDOOM SABIR3

1 College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-i-Azam, Campus, Lahore 54590, [email protected] Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-i-Azam, Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan3 Rice Research Institute Kala Shah Kaku, 17 Km G.T. Road, Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract Pakistan is facing severe degradation of freshwater resources, threatening its environment and economy. Among the freshwater resources, rivers particularly are facing multiple problems such as; trans-boundary water exploitation, pollution, diversion and climate change. Water utilization agreements and practices have tremendously reduced the flow of the rivers and disrupt the aquatic ecological integrity. The water harvesting policy for hydropower generation and irrigation adopted by India and Pakistan has greatly influenced and disturbed the natural flow of rivers. The controlled and regulated water bodies, such as dams and barrages make the rivers poor in biodiversity through habitat fragmentation. The situation is further aggravated due to pollution stress, ill-planned industrialization, urbanization and agriculture. These factors have fragmented the populations of different endemic species such as Mahsheer (Tor putitora, Hamilton), Palla (Hilsa ilisha, Hamilton) and the Indus blind dolphin (Platanista minor, Owen) to the verge of extinction. Similarly, significant reduction in the annual catch of commercial fishes from rivers and lakes has been recorded. Pakistan is experiencing a change in rainfall pattern resulting in frequent floods and drought. Heavy rains, floods and drought destroy the agriculture and infrastructure putting unaffordable stress on the economy of Pakistan and affecting the ability of government to deal with the crisis. There is an urgent need to focus on the impacts of anthropogenic stress and climate change on aquatic organisms in the rivers of the Pakistan. This paper is an attempt to highlight the impacts of human and climate change on water resources and aquatic fauna. Key words human activities; climate change; habitat fragmentation; water resources


Changes of the basic physico-chemical characteristics of small rivers influenced by anthropogenic elements in the area of Łódź, Poland

ADAM BARTNIK & PIOTR MONIEWSKIDepartment of Hydrology and Water Management, University of Łódź, Narutowicza str. 88, 90-138 Lodz, Poland [email protected]

Abstract Two small rivers draining the western part of the Łódź Hills (central Poland) were studied. The rivers differ in both land use and bed characteristics (one urban and one suburban). The analyses were based on six-year-long time series. The spatial and temporal variability of basic physical and chemical parameters of surface water, such as temperature, pH, SEC and dissolved oxygen, were investigated. The level of urbanization defines the rate and direction of pollutant migration in the environment; it also influences the environment’s ability to reduce the contamination. Understanding the seasonal variability of the basic physico-chemical water properties enables the prediction of transformations in the basin and the design sanitary sewer management adequate for the areas of different urbanization levels.Key words water quality; anthropopressure; urban hydrology; Poland


Groundwater vulnerability to changes in land use and society in India

P. S. DATTA Independent Consultant on Water & Environment, 87, Kadambari Appt, Sec-9, Rohini, Delhi, India [email protected]

Abstract In many parts of India, the freshwater pollution crisis has become evident at different times in response to population growth, agricultural intensification, urbanization, industrialization and ad hoc management approaches. Average groundwater recharge from rainfall varies widely (<8–20%). Groundwater in many places is polluted by salinity, F (<1–46.0 mg L-1), NO3 (<20–1600 mg L-1), and heavy metals Zn (3–41 µg L-1), Cu (5–182 µg L-1), Fe (279–1067 µg L-1), Pb (31–622 µg L-1), Ni (<1–105 µg L-1), Cd (<1–202 µg L-1). Slow infiltration of agricultural/urban surface runoff mixing with available pollutants in cross-sector wastes is

responsible for groundwater pollution. Over-exploitation problems have induced the intermixing of highly polluted water with freshwater along specific flow-pathways and this has increased the lateral extension of the groundwater pollution problem. Groundwater vulnerability to pollution has been assessed using the integration of information on groundwater recharge, contamination characteristics, isotope fingerprinting, the Software PHREEQC for aqueous and mineral saturation index, and GIS. The freshwater crisis across India associated with groundwater pollution can be better managed by the strict enforcement of regulatory measures restricting unplanned water abstraction and waste disposal, guided by overarching ethical considerations. Key words groundwater; recharge; pollution; exploitation; vulnerability; land-use; society; isotope; India


Integrating riparian wetlands into river basin management – towards an ecohydrological approach

BEÁTA PATAKI1, GÉZA JOLÁNKAI1, ISTVÁN ZSUFFA2 & HERTA CZÉDLI1

1 University of Debrecen, Department of Civil Engineering, Otemető str. 2-4, H-4028 Debrecen, [email protected] VITUKI Mendei str. 3, H-1173 Budapest, Hungary

Abstract In recent decades, ecologists and water managers have recognized that the riparian wetlands, besides their ecological value and potential, provide numerous – in certain cases badly abused or overused – ecosystem services, even at the river basin level. However, at present, despite numerous guidelines and directives, there is practically no scientifically supported management of endangered riparian wetlands at the local or basin scale. Wetlands should be a coherent part of integrated river basin management to ensure their conservation, sustainable use and also their positive impacts on the river and river basin. However, complex and flexible long-term wetland management plans, which could be integrated into the river basin management plans, are not available. Thus a united ecologically and hydrologically appropriate method is missing. The paper describes the role of the ecohydrological approach and summarizes the state of the art, issues and potential responses with the example of the Hungarian Danube Basin.Key words ecohydrology; riparian wetlands; integrated river basin management; Hungarian Danube Basin


Ecohydrological perspectives of declining water sources and quality in traditional water bodies of Delhi

R.B. SINGH1, S. GAHLOT1 & ANJU SINGH2

1 Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007, [email protected], [email protected] 2 Department of Geography, Aditi College (University of Delhi), Delhi Auchandi Road, Bawana, Delhi-110039, India

Abstract This paper investigates the spatio-temporal changes in the traditional water bodies of Delhi along with the processes and forces behind the water quality change, and the ecohydrological consequences of the changing status of traditional water bodies. In 1970, the total number of water bodies was 807 with an area of 14.41 km 2, which declined by 21% to 640, having an area of 8.51 km2 in 2008. About 108 (23%) dry water bodies have disappeared and this contributes to loss of 4.47 km2, i.e. 60% of the area under the dry water bodies. The study shows that there is not only decline in the total number of water bodies but there is deterioration in the quality of water bodies. Among 27 wet water bodies, only 11 have clean water, the remaining 16 were filled with dirty water and filth due to inflow of wastewater from the nearby residential area and dumping of garbage around them. The land use in the catchment areas influences water quality through inflow of nutrients, organic and inorganic contaminants and siltation. The study reveals that extinction of traditional water bodies and dying tradition of construction and management of these water bodies has resulted in the serious decline in the level of groundwater in Delhi. The area of brackish water (EC > 2000 μs/cm) increased by 70% from 1977 to 2000. Birds like coots which prefer clean water have also started dwindling with the loss of habitat. The Indian purple moorhen has become uncommon in recent times and the number of frogs has declined in Delhi. The Delhi Government has prepared a Nine Point guideline for the revival of water bodies of Delhi. Key words ecohydrology; water quality; traditional water bodies; biodiversity; Delhi, India

mailto:[email protected]

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Understanding Freshwater Quality Problems in a Changing World Proceedings of H04, IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Assembly, Gothenburg, Sweden, July 2013 (IAHS Publ. 361, 2013).









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hydrologie.orghydrologie.org/redbooks/a361/361 description... · Web viewContributions are included from each continent providing a review of water quality problems worldwide, with