The integrated project AquaTerra of the EU sixth framework lays foundations for better understanding of river-sediment-soil-groundwater systems

The integrated project "AquaTerra" with the full title "integrated modeling of the river-sediment-soil-groundwater system; advanced tools for the management of catchment areas and river basins in the context of global change" is among the first environmental projects within the sixth Framework Program of the European Union. Commencing in June 2004, it brought together a multidisciplinary team of 45 partner organizations from 12 EU countries, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia and Montenegro. AquaTerra is an ambitious project with the primary objective of laying the foundations for a better understanding of the behavior of environmental pollutants and their fluxes in the soil-sediment-water system with respect to climate and land use changes. The project performs research as well as modeling on river-sediment-soil-groundwater systems through quantification of deposition, sorption and turnover rates and the development of numerical models to reveal fluxes and trends in soil and sediment functioning. Scales ranging from the laboratory to river basins are addressed with the potential to provide improved river basin management, enhanced soil and groundwater monitoring as well as the early identification and forecasting of impacts on water quantity and quality. Study areas are the catchments of the Ebro, Meuse, Elbe and Danube Rivers and the Brévilles Spring. Here we outline the general structure of the project and the activities conducted within eleven existing sub-projects of AquaTerra.     

Water quality management worldwide

This article analyzes water quality on a global scale. An overview of the global water supply and demand situation is presented first, including regional and country information, as well as data on selected water use patterns. The focus then shifts to a discussion of water pollution, its various causes, impact, and remedies, with emphasis on legal and administrative solutions. Water pollution control expenditures and the resultant achievements are dealt with in the final third of the article, with projections to 1995. A wide variety of published sources was dovetailed to obtain a composite picture and most likely scenario; this was supplemented with primary interviews by the author conducted in North America, Western and Eastern Europe, and Oceania at the start of the 1980s.     

MANAGEMENT OF WATER QUALITY IN RELEASES FROM SOUTHWESTERN IMPOUNDMENTS1

ABSTRACT. The objective of this investigation was to determine the selectivity of withdrawal which is possible in southwestern reservoirs. Two stratified flow solutions were examined to test their applicability under field conditions. Although both appeared capable of accurate prediction of the outflow velocity profile, the Bohan-Grace solution, which required less input data, was utilized to predict the chemical constituents of single and simultaneous releases from several southwestern impoundments. Prediction of outflow water quality was within fifteen percent for southwestern reservoirs as shallow as fifty-five feet. The withdrawal layer thickness for the subject Texas impoundments included the entire hypolimnion or epilmnion depending on outlet location. The sensitivity of the velocity profile to seasonal changes, reservoir discharge rate and withdrawal port dimensions also is illustrated.     

AN OPTIMIZATION MODEL FOR EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF URBAN WATER RESOURCES1

ABSTRACT: A mathematical programming model is proposed to determine economically efficient urban water resource allocation and pricing policy by maximizing the sum of the consumer and producer surplus. The optimization of this nonlinear problem is accomplished by the use of linear programming algorithm. The feasibility of using recycled water for municipal purposes is examined in a planning context. The impact of higher water quality discharge standards on pricing and allocation of water is analyzed and the attractiveness of water reuse option is demonstrated.     

PHOSPHORUS MANAGEMENT TO PROTECT LAKE WATER QUALITY1

ABSTRACT: The Hallett Quarry gravel pit lakes are an active sand and gravel extraction operation located 0.4 km north of the City of Ames, Iowa. During periods of drought, these lakes serve as a supplemental water supply for Ames. A modified version of the Vollenweider input-output model was used to predict future water quality under various watershed land use, drainage, and lake configurations. The dominant factor controlling the future water quality of the lakes was found to be the nutrient input. It is recommended that a management plan to protect the future water quality should be oriented towards reducing the sources of phosphorus to the lakes.     

环境监测质量管理实践与探讨

环境监测质量管理是环境监测实验室的重要工作之一,是保证环境监测数据“准确性、精密性、代表性、完整性、可比性”的重要手段。在总结环境监测实验室（二级站）环境监测质量管理实践经验的基础上,针对管理过程中存在的领导重视程度不够、体系文件宣贯不到位、技术人员上岗证考核不系统、现场采样和样品管理质控有缺陷等方面问题,提出了强化制度落实、加强技术培训、试行全过程质控等对策建议。