The Impact of the Water Framework Directive on Catchment- Management Planning in the British Isles (Abridged)

The water framework Directive is proposed as a mechanism for applying river-basin management across the European Union. Proposals for River-Basin Management Plans might have an impact on the present system of Local Environment Agency Plans and on schemes which are used in the British Isles to provide river management on a catchment basis. For this study, representatives from the Environment Agency, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and European Parliament advisors were interviewed. In addition, Local Environment Agency Plans were assessed for compatibility with the requirements of River-Basin Management Plans.     

Assessing the Flow Needs of Rivers

Human and environmental needs sometimes conflict: the more for the environment, the less for the people and vice versa . Environmental needs include soil water, wetlands, lakes, rivers and estuaries. The paper recognizes that all these aspects must be catered for, but focuses on the flow needs of rivers; in particular, it suggests a method to determine river-flow targets which are objective, sustainable, integrated with river-quality characteristics and economically justified. Such targets could help the Environment Agency to balance human and environmental water needs in a rational manner.     

The design of vegetative constructed wetlands for the treatment of highway runoff.

The Environment Agency for England and Wales are responsible for assessing the effects of highway runoff and for monitoring the treatment systems/procedures which have been introduced for the reduction of deleterious effects. The Agency is looking into the improvement of surface water management in terms of best management practices and plans to work in partnership with the Highways Agency to achieve this aim. Among the treatment options being considered are constructed wetlands. Draft Guidelines have been developed to provide information on their design. This paper describes procedures for carrying out an Environmental Sensitivity Analysis to determine whether treatment by a constructed wetland is appropriate. Information on water quality and quantity is required as well as the sensitivity of the receiving environment. The legislative position, particularly in relation to the discharge quality of the water and the conservation status of the receiving environment, needs also to be considered. The factors that will determine the most appropriate wetland design criteria include traffic loadings, road drainage area, land availability, cost and the size/extent and type of the receiving water body. The following structures are recommended for incorporation in the overall design; oil separator and silt trap, spillage containment, settlement pond, vegetative wetland and final settlement tank. The operation and maintenance procedures and the monitoring requirements for a functioning wetland are described.     

The Impact of Disinfected Treated Wastewater in a Raw-Water Reservoir

During the 1995–97 drought, serious difficulties were experienced by Essex and Suffolk Water in obtaining sufficient water to meet demand. As an emergency measure, a consent to discharge up to 30 Ml/d of ultraviolet disinfected treated wastewater into a raw-water reservoir was obtained from the Environment Agency. Performance of the ultraviolet plant and results of monitoring are reported, reporting procedures are outlined, and the reaction of media and water consumers are described.     

Integrated Environmental Planning for Sustainable Development: The Environment Agency's Role

The Environment Agency is midway through a programme of 'local environment agency plans' for all of England and Wales by the Millennium. To complement them, the Agency has published two overarching plans - one of which is regional and the other sub-regional in scale. 'Thames Environment 21' and 'The North Wessex Plan' deal with the potential impact of development pressures and their consequent implications for the environment. Both give practical expression to the Agency's environmental strategy for the Millennium, which concentrates on issues of direct concern to local planning authorities, e.g. addressing climate change, improving air quality, managing water resources, managing waste and enhancing biodiversity.     

Welsh Water's Partnership Approach to Beating the Drought in North Wales

This paper describes how Dwr Cymru – Welsh Water managed the drought of 1995–1996 in North Wales without restricting supplies to customers. The summer of 1995 experienced a major increase in the demand for water which, when combined with thirteen months of below-average rainfall, meant that resources had to be skilfully managed, using control rules and minimizing leakage on the network. The subsequent winter replenishment of the resources was critical and, with over thirty scattered resources supplying North Wales, a variety of solutions had to be employed. A key to the successful implementation of the chosen solutions was the partnership approach adopted with interested parties such as angling clubs and the Environment Agency.
The paper outlines a variety of differing solutions which were adopted and identifies the role of partnership.     

Agriculture: Sustainable Business – Sustainable Environment?

Irrigation is a small but important part of UK agriculture, accounting for about 150 000 ha of land and 160 000 Ml of water in a 'dry'year. By the year 2021, the irrigated area is predicted to increase by 14% and the volume applied by 50%. Irrigation is of significant economic importance to (a) farmers, (b) growers, (c) the food industry – improving crop yields, quality, consistency and reliability.
The environmental impacts of irrigation on river flows and wetland biodiversity are now receiving more attention. Irrigators are given advice on environmental impacts, voluntary agreements are secured between groups of irrigators and the Environment Agency, and on-farm reservoirs are constructed to reduce summer abstraction and provide more secure and flexible supplies. Better long-term planning and short-term management are essential.     

Arriving at the Economic Level of Leakage: Environmental Aspects

In England and Wales, recent droughts and the future threat posed by climate change has intensified the debate on the suitability of either resource-development or demand-management approaches to ensure that supply and demand are kept in balance. The need to reduce leakage from water distribution systems has gained almost universal acceptance, and discussion now centres on what should be included in the cost-benefit analysis in determining that economic level of leakage.
This paper (a) reviews the role of the Environment Agency in leakage control and the current thinking on the economic level of leakage, (b) argues the case for the inclusion of environmental costs and benefits, and (c) explores some of the reasons why water companies appear to be reluctant to pursue the goal of further leakage reduction.     

Future Issues in Environmental Protection: a European Perspective

The report on 'Europe's Environment', published in 1995 by the European Environment Agency, presents clear information on (a) the state of the environment, (b) pressures stressing it, and (c) the human activities behind these issues. It sets the style for improved presentation of environmental management issues through the use of environmental indicators. This will help the UK environmental manager to target policy and/or management response, and to view their issues - whether at local, regional or national level - within a wider European and thereby global context. Key environmental problems for Europe are transport, land degradation, diffuse pollution of water, loss of natural habitats, waste production, and a range of local pressures - such as poor air quality - caused by conurbations. Future environmental management must be capable of integrated multi-media application, and should be applied at the most appropriate level, drawing on a range of approaches from 'top down'regulation through to a 'bottom up'commitment by individuals.     

THE WATER EFFICIENCY OF RETROFIT DUAL-FLUSH TOILETS: EXPERIENCE FROM SOUTHERN ENGLAND

In Water Resources Plan submissions to the Environment Agency in 1999, water companies predicted increases in demand over the next twenty-five years. With significant environmental and economic constraints on new resource developments, attention has focused upon the potential savings that water-efficiency measures can achieve.
The use of water for toilet flushing accounts for about 30% of household consumption, thereby offering considerable potential for water saving. The conversion of existing single-flush siphonic cisterns to dual-flush operation could be one method of achieving a desired reduction in water use, in accordance with the 'twin-track' approach to balancing supply and demand.
This small study, which was jointly funded by Southern Water and the Environment Agency, sought to measure the effectiveness of dual-flush toilets in reducing water consumption through an eight-month study of five retrofit devices which were installed in thirty-three unmetered domestic properties in West Sussex.     

Advances in on-line drinking water quality monitoring and early warning systems

Significant advances have been made in recent years in technologies to monitor drinking water quality for source water protection, treatment operations, and distribution system management, in the event of accidental (or deliberate) contamination. Reports prepared through the Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC) and United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) agree that while many emerging technologies show promise, they are still some years from being deployed on a large scale. Further underpinning their viability is a need to interpret data in real time and implement a management strategy in response. This review presents the findings of an international study into the state of the art in this field. These results are based on visits to leading water utilities, research organisations and technology providers throughout Europe, the United States and Singapore involved in the development and deployment of on-line monitoring technology for the detection of contaminants in water.     

An Assessment of the Suitability of the Environment Agency's Water-Quality Classification System for Use in Urban Catchments

Despite the increasing range of water-quality indicators, the classification and target-setting strategy which has been adopted by the Environment Agency for England and Wales is dominated by the assessment of water chemistry at low flow. Using the example of Pymme's Brook in north London, this paper examines the suitability of such data for classifying the quality of urban watercourses and its ability to reveal quality changes. The data expose a weakness in the Environment Agency's methodology, because they suggest that, when used alone, chemical monitoring leads to water quality being greatly over-estimated and inappropriate targets being set. It is therefore recommended that other quality indicators should be fully integrated into the assessment system in order to overcome these problems.     

Developments in Urban Pollution Management

The paper presents background information about the development of the original edition of the Urban Pollution Management Manual (1994) and gives reasons why the manual was updated relatively soon after initial publication (1998). The latter part of the paper examines three specific issues where the changes between the two editions have proved to be contentious in terms of implementation of the 'asset management plan 3'programme by the UK water industry, namely: (i) the choice of environmental criteria for protecting river aquatic life; (ii) meeting the requirements for controlling aesthetic pollution; and (iii) the role of simplified modelling in urban pollution management studies. The paper concludes that any increased cost implications for the implementation of the programme are as a result of changes in Environment Agency policy, rather than due to technical changes in procedures.     

Public perceptions of river corridors and attitudes towards river works

The Environment Agency has accepted the need for public participation in decisions concerning river management in keeping with Agenda 21 concerns for environmental policies that command a good measure of public support. In the past, public participation has often relied upon consultations involving formal meetings with interest groups and local politicians. Methods of public consultation are changing. In tapping public opinion the Environment Agency now relies less on public meetings and increasingly more on a direct approach and involvement of the public. Research at Middlesex University is part of the attempt to provide opportunities for the representation of views of the lay public to be considered within the management of rivers and river corridors. The research has used surveys of representative samples of members of the public, often at riverside sites. This paper reports on some of the research projects that have developed on these themes, and analyses the implications of their results for river management and the protection of nature conservation values.     

Orthophosphate Concentrations in the River Thames

Observed concentrations of orthophosphate in the River Thames, from its source to its tidal limit, exceed 0.1 mg P/1 for most of its length; reasons for annual and seasonal variations are explained. By using data routinely collected by the Environment Agency throughout the Thames catchment, the orthophosphate load in the river, derived from agricultural sources and sewage-treatment works, is estimated.
A water quality model, TOMCAT, has been adapted to simulate observed data and used to estimate river concentrations if orthophosphate loads from sewage-treatment works are reduced.     

Unitary management and environmental performance by monitoring and protection of mineral resources for construction materials from Romania

Today, protection of natural mineral resources depends on their reasonable use and management. Environment management is essential in understanding the complex actions between the present earth surface and the control of production in the extractive field. All branches of extractive activities and competitiveness on the global market are closely connected with the application of coherent and unitary programs for the protection of natural resources and the environment by economic agents. As in other European countries, Romania has adopted standards, laws, norms or settlements concerning not only the quality of products but also an integrated system of quality and environment management.     

Perspectives on multi-benefit water reuse systems: A confluence of water and wastewater management planning

The multiple benefits of water reuse have yet to be fully realized in our urban water management systems. One pathway to optimal implementation is to plan for their integration with wider assets in water resource or drainage and wastewater management plans. This paper explores the perspectives of water resource and wastewater management planners. Qualitative data was gathered from a workshop organized by the Chartered Institution for Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) with 25 participants from England's Water Service Providers (WSPs), regulators (Ofwat and the Environment Agency) and consultants working within the UK water sector. The participants acknowledged that water reuse is relevant to both water resource and drainage and wastewater management planning, but that current regulatory and funding frameworks are constraining effective engagement between water resource and drainage and wastewater management planners by encouraging the development of separate plans. A general consensus of the participants was that it would be beneficial to include water reuse technology within current and future Water Resource Management Plans (WRMPs) and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). Participants suggested this could be developed through collaborative working partnerships and support from regulatory and funding frameworks that allow for the growth and development of innovative technologies and nature-based solutions. Participants also highlighted a stronger economic case could be made for water reuse technologies if the approach seeks to capture the wider benefits and not only the ‘best value’ solution. Societal acceptance and the availability of good quality data will be key to the successful adoption of any incentivized water reuse schemes.     

MEASURING FLOW THROUGH SMALL WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS USING MODIFIED DOSING SYPHONS

The Environment Agency have proposed that daily flow volume discharged from small wastewater treatment works should be capable of being measured to an accuracy of ±8%, where the daily totalised flow volume is estimated to be greater than 5m³. It is estimated that every water company in the UK has several hundred small wastewater treatment works that will be required to be equipped with the capability of measuring the released daily totalised flow volume for specified periods. This paper investigates the feasibility of modifying existing dosing syphons, which are present within many of these works, to operate as flow measuring devices. Laboratory testing of a full-scale syphon demonstrated that by the addition of two water level detectors and a data logger to monitor the filling part of the syphon cycle, it is possible to accurately calculate the daily totalised flow volume within the Environment Agency's proposed performance criteria.     

浅谈天然气采输过程环境保护管理

环境管理作为HSE管理的重要内容之一，与安全管理同样重要。天然气采输工程包含大量的工艺作业，若环境风险防控措施不到位，极易引发严重的环境污染事故。文章分析了天然气采输过程所涉及的环境保护问题，并对目前环境管理现状进行分析，识别天然气采输过程中的环境风险，分别从技术措施和组织管理措施两个方面提出了环境管理建议，为天然气采输过程的环境保护工作提供指导性依据。     

饮用水水质标准与水系传染病

介绍了世界卫生组织 ( WHO)、欧盟 ( EC)和美国环保局 ( USEPA)所制订的饮用水水质标准的特点 ,指出了我国饮用水水质标准与这三部标准的差距与不足 .着重对饮用水标准中微生物指标的确定进行了讨论 ,指出了病原微生物 (如沙门氏菌、霍乱弧菌、军团菌、脊髓灰质炎病毒、隐孢子虫及贾第虫等 )所引起的一些水系传染病 ,介绍了控制原生动物的几项有效措施 .