The impacts of ‘run‐of‐river’ hydropower on the physical and ecological condition of rivers

This paper synthesises published literature on run‐of‐river hydropower, highlighting its potential to affect both the physical and ecological conditions of river systems. The paper considers the limited number of direct studies and reviews a wider literature on the two principal impacts of such schemes on river systems: the introduction or maintenance of in‐channel barriers and water abstraction/flow regime alteration. We outline how river systems are likely to be impacted by such schemes and identify the key issues arising from their continued development. Potential mitigation approaches are highlighted and the areas of future research required to adequately address current knowledge gaps are identified.     

潮河流域水质分析研究

指出潮河是密云水库支柱水源，潮河的水质关系到北京人民的身体健康，采用“水质综合评价法”对潮河水质进行了分析，结果表明潮河上游水质状况良好，适合作为城市水源地水源。     

Evaluation of the water quality in the Guadarrama river at the section of Las Rozas‐Madrid,Spain

The variation of the water quality of the Guadarrama river and its tributaries in a section of Las Rozas‐Madrid, Spain, was studied during the time period between January 2003 and January 2008. The parameter water quality index (WQI) was used to determine the water quality based on the conventional parameters of pollution. It was found that the WQI was slightly affected in the section evaluated. The value of the WQI was in the range of 56–64, which corresponded to the classification of ‘good quality’. It was determined that 64.3% of the organic matter present in the river was removed in the section of Las Rozas‐Madrid. The river acted as a plug flow reactor and a first‐order kinetics governed the ultimate biological oxygen demand (BOD₅) (BOD_U) decay. The value of the first‐order constant demonstrated the river's high self‐purification capacity. In addition, a high linear relationship was found between the WQI and the dissolved oxygen deficit (D). Therefore, a quick determination of WQI may be carried out if the values of D are known. These are easily obtainable by field measurements.     

A new management approach for the remediation of polluted surface water outfalls to improve river water quality

Comprehensive strategies are required by water companies to effectively manage the remediation of polluted surface water outfalls (PSWOs). This paper describes the approach adopted by Thames Water since 1997. The elimination of diffuse pollution sources by identifying and rectifying domestic and commercial foul to surface water drainage misconnections has resulted in sustainable improvements to the local environment across the Thames region.     

山西定襄段牧马河水质改善技术方案研究

牧马河流域的治理由来已久,各地技术专家给出很多解决方案,目前主要有3种方案,一种是ZHB-SS絮凝剂一体化技术,一种是生物槽处理技术,一种是稳定剂技术应用。这3种方案如何应用才能达到节约的目的。经过多次了解情况,现场做了污水处理试验对比以及取样后室内做对比试验,确定了最佳的治理改善方式。     

Challenges to surface water quality in mid‐sized African cities: conclusions from Awetu‐Kito Rivers in Jimma,south‐west Ethiopia

Rapid urbanization and industrialization, uncontrolled population growth, indiscriminate waste discharge and poor infrastructure are problems that African cities are facing. This paper describes an exemplary case study from Jimma, south‐west Ethiopia. A cross‐sectional study was conducted along the Awetu‐Kito drainage system in Jimma town to assess the level of pollution from urban dwellers and related activities. The study indicates that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) norms for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO) and orthophosphates are not met downstream of the major industrial and institutional activities. Small‐scale industries, Jimma University and residential areas contributed 50, 15 and 23% pollution load on the river, respectively. It can be concluded that the pollution effect in Jimma town is mainly as a result of the growing (uncontrolled) industrial activities and not to discharge of household wastewater. Given the same trends of urbanization and population growth, similar development (socio‐economic) indicators and similar climatic conditions, the key findings for Jimma are transferable to other mid‐sized African cities.     

Regional water quality management for the Karun–Dez River basin, Iran

To achieve water quality goals in a river basin, a water quality management model (WQMM) has been developed through the geographic information system (GIS) approach and a mathematical water quality model. The developed model has been applied to the Karun and Dez Rivers, where water quality has decreased due to heavy pollutant loads from Khuzestan province cities and surrounding areas. Pollution sources, land use, geographic features and measured water quality data of the river basin were incorporated into the Arc‐View GIS database. With the database, the management model calculated management type and management cost for each management project in the river basin. Until now, river management policy for polluted rivers in Iran first penalizes pollution sources and then constructs treatment plants for the pollution sources whose wastewater is released untreated and for which the wastewater quality goal of the Iranian Department of Environment is not met. Different management projects with a time programme were proposed and they were compared with the results of the river quality without any management approach. It became clear that the results based on the management approach were much better than those for the unmanaged condition from the viewpoint of the achievement of water quality goals and cost optimization.     

Influence of temperature and river discharge on water quality of the western scheldt estuary

Dissolved oxygen concentrations and information on the nitrification process collected respectively during a 14- and a 5-year period in the self-purifying part of the Western Scheldt estuary have been studied. In the polluted part of the stream, ammonium concentrations over the period 1967–1977 have been considered as well.This paper demonstrates the high variability of these 3 parameters (oxygen, start of the nitrification process, ammonium) owing to the hydrological conditions: temperature and river discharge.Neither the levels of ammonium in the polluted upper part of the stream, nor the concentrations of nitrate and dissolved oxygen in the recuperation part of the Scheldt estuary have changed significantly during the periods studied (respectively 5, 10 and 14 years). A relation between these parameters and time could be hidden by hydrological factors.Water quality of a stream can be assessed by interpreting oxygen, nitrate, and ammonium concentrations, only if all environmental and hydrodynamical parameters are known simultaneously.     

Influence of stormwater control measures on water quality at nested sites in a small suburban watershed

ABSTRACT

Stormwater control measures (SCMs) are designed to mitigate the deleterious impacts of urban runoff on the water quality of receiving waters. To assess the cumulative effects of SCMs at the watershed scale, we monitored longitudinal changes in storm discharge and stream water chemistry at high temporal resolution in a suburban headwater stream in Charlotte, NC. SCMs significantly decreased or stabilized instream concentrations of reactive solutes (nitrate, soluble reactive phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon) relative to the upstream control site. However, SCM outflows minimally influenced concentrations of less reactive solutes (major ions) which increased with urbanization. Additionally, instream concentration variability correlated with antecedent moisture conditions – representative of watershed storage availability – highlighting the role that SCM storage availability plays in the timing of solute delivery to the stream. Our results show that SCMs decrease instream concentrations of biogeochemically reactive solutes but the mitigation potential is temporally dynamic and influenced by antecedent conditions.     

The impact of cattle farming best management practices on surface water nutrient concentrations,faecal bacteria and algal dominance in the Lake Oconee watershed

The objective of this study was to assess water quality in the Lake Oconee watershed and evaluate the best management practices used by cattle farms to reduce water contamination. Inorganic nutrient concentrations, algal abundance and faecal bacteria were highest in the cattle farming areas. The diatom community where cattle had no access was dominated by Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki and Fragilaria crotonensis Kitton, and in sites where cattle were allowed direct access to the lake, Asterionella formosa Hassal, Nitzschia palea (Kützing) Smith and Navicula rostellata Kützing dominated. The latter three taxa are well‐known high‐nutrient diatoms. High populations of green algae (coccoid Desmidiaceae) were found where cattle had access. Sources of faecal pollution were identified using polymerase chain reaction detection, with Bifidobacterium adolescentis as a marker of human faecal pollution and Bacteroides (BoBac) indicating cattle faecal pollution. Overall, riparian buffers were most effective at reducing pollution from cattle operations.     

Impacts of climate and land‐cover changes on water resources in a humid subtropical watershed: a case study from East Texas,USA

This study investigates the response of water resources regarding the climate and land‐cover changes in a humid subtropical watershed during the period 1970–2009. A 0.7°C increase in temperature and a 16.3% increase in precipitation were observed. Temperature had a lower increase trend, and precipitation showed definite increasing trend compared to previous studies. The main trend of land‐cover change was conversion of vegetation and barren lands to developed and crop lands affected by human intervention, and forest and grass to bush/shrub which considered to be caused by natural climate system. Hydrologic responses to climate and land‐cover changes resulted in increases of surface run‐off (15.0%), soil water content (2.7%), evapotranspiration (20.1%) and a decrease in groundwater discharge (9.2%). We found that surface run‐off is relatively stable with precipitation, whereas groundwater discharge and soil water content are sensitive to changes in land cover, especially land cover brought about by human intervention.     

Assessment of seasonal and polluting effects on the quality of river water by exploratory data analysis

22 Physico-chemical variables have been analyzed in water samples collected every three months for two and a half years from three sampling stations located along a section of 25 km of a river affected by man-made and seasonal influences. Exploratory analysis of experimental data have been carried out by box plots, ANOVA, display methods (principal component analysis) and unsupervised pattern recognition (cluster analysis) in an attempt to discriminate sources of variation of water quality. PCA has allowed the identification of a reduced number of “latent” factors with a hydrochemical meaning: mineral contents, man-made pollution and water temperature. Spatial (pollution from anthropogenic origin) and temporal (seasonal and climatic) sources of variation affecting quality and hydrochemistry of river water have been differentiated and assigned to polluting sources. An ANOVA of the rotated principal components has demonstrated that (i) mineral contents are seasonal and climate dependent, thus pointing to a natural origin for this polluting form and (ii) pollution by organic matter and nutrients originates from anthropogenic sources, mainly as municipal wastewater. The application of PCA and cluster analysis has achieved a meaningful classification of river water samples based on seasonal and spatial criteria.     

Influence of eco‐hydrological factors on aquatic plant succession in a regulated river: a case study of the Petchburi River,Thailand

Monitoring of aquatic plant biomass in the Petchburi River, a regulated river system in Thailand, was carried out together with the examination of eco‐hydrological characters and the sedimentary organic content. The surveys were performed during May, August and November of 2010 and 2011. The results indicated temporal variation in water velocity (0.08–2.51 m/s) and medium to low organic levels (0.58–4.68%) of the benthic substrates. Dominant aquatic plants were Hydrilla verticillata (L.F.) Royle and Potamogeton malaianus Miq. with the highest biomass of 70.84 and 182.72 g/m², respectively. The biomass was substantially decreased during the flood‐induced discharge period. This study indicates that Potamogeton has more adaptive potential to high water velocities than Hydrilla, while Hydrilla prefers lower water velocities. Discharge velocities of less than 0.5 m/s could provide positive growth rates of such submerged plants. Approaching the discharge control from this ecological point of view can further contribute to river habitat conservation.     

Energy recovery in the water industry: an assessment of the potential of micro‐hydropower

Water supply is a core service on which civilised society depends. It involves considerable energy consumption, CO₂ emissions and costs. As such, scientific efforts in the water industry in recent years have focused on improving the sustainability of water supply. This paper examines the potential for energy recovery in the water industry which may be exploited through the use of mini or micro‐hydropower installations. A case study of water infrastructure in Ireland is included in the analysis to highlight the potential of this concept in practice. The results of this investigation show that in certain circumstances significant energy, environmental and economic savings are available with modest investment.     

Stormwater impact on water quality of rivers subjected to point sources and urbanization – the case of Addis Ababa,Ethiopia

Urbanization of a catchment often causes degeneration of rivers. We studied the water quality of three rivers in Addis Ababa based on the impact of stormwater and non‐point sources, and urbanization. Along these rivers several point sources were registered, with direct discharge of industrial and domestic wastes into them. To distinguish the impact of these year‐round point‐sources from stormwater, we analysed physicochemical parameters, nutrients and heavy metals sampled from upstream to downstream sections of each river in the dry and wet season. Dissolved oxygen (DO), NO₂–N, NH₄–N, PO₄–P, (Cr(VI) and Cu) exceeded international standards, pointing to a generally poor water quality of the rivers in both seasons. NO₃–N, Mn and Zn were problematic in dry season only. Although stormwater improved DO, conductivity, PO₄–P, Cr(VI) and Zn, the levels were still critical, pointing to construction sites, agriculture and pit latrines, somewhat offsetting the effect of stormwater dilution. No clear impact of urbanization pressure was found.     

Comparative study of the Cd. Cu and Pb determination by AAS and by ICP-AES in river water : Application to a mediterranean river (Congost river, Catalonia, Spain)

The accuracy, precision, detection limit and rapidity in the determination of Cd, Cu and Pb in river water by AAS determination, previous extraction with APDC-MIBK system, is compared with direct determination method ICP-AES. Both methods show a similar detection limit and an analogous accuracy by the addition standard method. With a calibration curve only ICP-AES presents good accuracy, this technique is advantageous in long term precision and requires minimum sample preparation. The sample stability at different temperature conservation is studied. Finally both methods are applied to the determination of Cd, Cu and Pb in Congost river water.     

Simulating the impacts of future land use and climate changes on surface water quality in the Des Plaines River watershed, Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, Illinois

Modeling the effects of past and current land use composition and climatic patterns on surface water quality provides valuable information for environmental and land planning. This study predicts the future impacts of urban land use and climate changes on surface water quality within Des Plaines River watershed, Illinois, between 2010 and 2030. Land Change Modeler (LCM) was used to characterize three future land use/planning scenarios. Each scenario encourages low density residential growth, normal urban growth, and commercial growth, respectively. Future climate patterns examined include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emission Scenario (SRES) B1 and A1B groups. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was employed to estimate total suspended solids and phosphorus concentration generated at a 10 year interval. The predicted results indicate that for a large portion of the watershed, the concentration of total suspended solids (TSS) would be higher under B1 and A1B climate scenarios during late winter and early spring compared to the same period in 2010; while the summer period largely demonstrates a reverse trend. Model results further suggest that by 2020, phosphorus concentration would be higher during the summer under B1 climate scenario compared to 2010, and is expected to wane by 2030. The projected phosphorus concentrations during the late winter and early spring periods vary across climate and land use scenarios. The analysis also denotes that middle and high density residential development can reduce excess TSS concentration, while the establishment of dense commercial and industrial development might help ameliorate high phosphorus levels. The combined land use and climate change analysis revealed land use development schemes that can be adopted to mitigate potential future water quality impairment. This research provides important insights into possible adverse consequences on surface water quality and resources under certain climate change and land use scenarios.     

热网供回水压力及供热质量的分析研究

对集中供热管网的供回水压力问题进行了分析,并运用simulink对管网动态系统进行模拟,具体分析供热管网的运行状态,提出了调节阀的调节值,保证了热网的供热质量,满足用户的用热要求。     

A dimensional analysis‐based model for the prediction of nitrogen concentrations in Laborec River,Slovakia

During the past decades, several models that predict the concentration profiles after a discharge of pollutants in a river have been developed. A model that predicts nitrogen concentrations in a river has been developed and is presented in this paper. The developed model that determines nitrogen concentrations in a water stream is based on a dimensional analysis. Fundamentals of the modelling of the pollutant predictions in a water stream consist of a derivation of function dependency from expressed non‐dimension arguments. Non‐dimension arguments are stated from variables, which influence the occurrence of pollutants. The model for the prediction of nitrogen concentrations in water streams has been developed for the Laborec River (eastern Slovakia). The differences between the nitrogen concentrations predicted from developed models and measured concentrations in the river are also discussed here.     

Assessment of water quality in the vicinity of peat extraction sites: The case of Pien‐Saimaa,Finland

Peatlands have an important global role as carbon sinks. Locally, however, peat bog extraction can cause pollution in nearby watercourses. The aim of this study is to investigate the application of multivariate methods in the renovation and protection of eutrophic lakes surrounded by agricultural and peat extraction areas. The analytical data used in the study originated from a national water quality database and the period studied was 2000–2013. Multivariate methods: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) were applied to solve interactions of variables and pollution sources in a complex water ecosystem. Leaching from the peat bog area was found to be the main source of iron, which has an important role as a precipitator of phosphorus in loose sediment and in water. Nutrient ratios had no direct correlation to algae blooms, but high ratios indicated an increased likelihood of an upcoming bloom.