Understanding the role of land use in urban stormwater quality management

Urbanisation significantly impacts water environments with increased runoff and the degradation of water quality. The management of quantity impacts are straight forward, but quality impacts are far more complex. Current approaches to safeguard water quality are largely ineffective and guided by entrenched misconceptions with a primary focus on 'end-of-pipe' solutions. The outcomes of a research study presented in the paper, which investigated relationships between water quality and six different land uses offer practical guidance in the planning of future urban developments. In terms of safeguarding water quality, high-density residential development which results in a relatively smaller footprint would be the preferred option. The research study outcomes bring into question a number of fundamental concepts and misconceptions routinely accepted in stormwater quality management. The research findings confirmed the need to move beyond customary structural measures and identified the key role that urban planning can play in safeguarding urban water environments.     

A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

Europe has a long history of human pressure on freshwater ecosystems. As pressure continues to grow and new threats emerge, there is an urgent need for conservation of freshwater biodiversity and its ecosystem services. However, whilst some taxonomic groups, mainly vertebrates, have received a disproportionate amount of attention and funds, other groups remain largely off the public and scientific radar. Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) are an alarming example of this conservation bias and here we point out six conceptual areas that need immediate and long-term attention: knowledge, threats, socioeconomics, conservation, governance and education. The proposed roadmap aims to advance research, policy and education by identifying the most pressing priorities for the short- and long-term conservation of freshwater mussels across Europe.     

An investigation into reservoir NOM reduction by UV photolysis and advanced oxidation processes

A comparison of four treatment technologies for reduction of natural organic matter (NOM) in a reservoir water was made. The work presented here is a laboratory based evaluation of NOM treatment by UV-C photolysis, UV/H(2)O(2), Fenton's reagent (FR) and photo-Fenton's reagent (PFR). The work investigated ways of reducing the organic load on water treatment works (WTWs) with a view to treating 'in-reservoir' or 'in-pipe' before the water reaches the WTW. The efficiency of each process in terms of NOM removal was determined by measuring UV absorbance at 254 nm (UV(254)) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In terms of DOC reduction PFR was the most effective (88% removal after 1 min) however there were interferences when measuring UV(254) which was reduced to a lesser extent (31% after 1 min). In the literature, pH 3 is reported to be the optimal pH for oxidation with FR but here the reduction of UV(254) and DOC was found to be insensitive to pH in the range 3-7. The treatment that was identified as the most effective in terms of NOM reduction and cost effectiveness was PFR.