Managing Water Resource Quality
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No. 5 / September 2005 / Research & Development The magazine of the Scientific Chronicles Managing water resource quality Resource management involves both qualitative aspects (combating pollution) and quantitative parameters (protecting the resource by finding alternative solutions, e.g., desalination or the reuse of wastewater). This magazine mainly concentrates on qualitative aspects. Veolia Environnement Research & Development is also working on quantitative parameters. Did you know? Key information Since Antiquity, humans have France for the quantitative and The volume of water has remained “Access for everyone to the always had to face the issue of qualitative management and constant on the planet for around essential services of water and water supply. monitoring of water resources, and 3.4 billion years: 1.4 billion km3, of wastewater is a priority for The Mayas abandoned their cities to implement systems to counter which just 0.7% is readily accessible Veolia Water. To achieve this, it resource deterioration. when the water was no longer fit freshwater. is necessary to have effective for consumption. Today, there are an ever- The 12% of the world’s population in techniques to protect the quality The Greeks developed systems to increasing number of sources of developed countries use 85% of the catch rainwater, and simple but pollution, and water resource water consumed each year in the of water resources.” efficient irrigation systems. management is of global world. Antoine Frérot Napoleon I decided in 1805 to importance. The UN has divert part of the water flowing in introduced a specific program President,Veolia Water under the UNEP or the United the Ourcq River into Paris via a The average consumption of Nations Environment Program. canal. However, the quality of the drinking water, per day and per water distributed was not good and person, is estimated at: it led to a series of epidemics. In 700 l for an American, 200 l for a 1854, Prefect Haussmann and European, 30 l for an African. Contents Eugène Belgrand, Director of Paris Water and Wastewater, decided to Page 1 Water quality is also under threat: build a sewer system and transport I Did you know? According to UNESCO, each day 2 freshwater in closed aqueducts, I Key information safe from pollution. The water million metric tons of waste material is pumped from the Seine and Marne released into the world’s waterways. I Research objectives rivers upstream from Paris was Just 5 of Europe’s 55 rivers are Page 2 treated by slow sand filtration. considered intact. Need to know about… In the 1960s, River Basin Ancient water tank in Delos, In Asia, all rivers flowing through cities I Authorities were established in Greece. are seriously polluted. Page 3 I Close-up on Research Research objectives & Development programs At its Berlin Center of Water Expertise (KWB) (Germany), Veolia Environnement is carrying out Page 4 research projects on improving water resource management, in particular focusing on: I For more information… I Natural and artificial recharging of aquifers; Video fact sheet I Understanding the natural phenomena of bank filtration, and the mechanisms involved in I eliminating impurities; I Contact I The chemical reactions of water’s components. Michel Dutang Director of Research, Development and Technology, Veolia Environnement. “Gaining a better understanding of the natural processes involved in the production of drinking water to develop them in a less costly way, especially in developing countries, is one of the challenges of Veolia Environnement Research & Development.” Managing water resource quality Copyright : Institut Pasteur Cyanobacteria: Anabaenopsis. Need to know about… There are two water cycles: the large of a river or lake. The filtered water is cleaned Condensation or natural water cycle, including surface of its impurities and flows into the aquifer to Precipitation and underground water flows (evaporation, then be used as a source of drinking water. In condensation, precipitation, infiltration and Berlin, this treatment method can be used Evaporation run-off), and the small or domestic water cycle because of the suitability of the local geology, (man intervenes in the natural cycle by in particular at lakes Wannsee and Tegel. Infiltration extracting water from rivers and aquifers, This very inexpensive process results in a Run-off treating it to make it fit for consumption, then water of excellent quality. distributing it and treating it again after use to remove pollution before returning it to the Combating the proliferation of algae Large water cycle. natural environment). From one water cycle and cyanobacteria in Berlin to the other, the water is always the same. Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green It is therefore essential to manage resources, algae, are at the interface between the as any untreated pollution can reappear animal and vegetable worlds. Minuscule in Production in our drinking water. size, they can secrete substances of drinking water Stream intake (cyanotoxins) that are highly toxic to Wastewater collection Sources of deterioration humans and aquatic populations. When Wastewater Storage treatment in water quality cyanobacteria and microalgae proliferate in Distribution Discharge into the natural There are a variety of sources of water water, the result is called an algal bloom. environment pollution: chemical, biological and even This massive proliferation can have serious organic (viruses or pathogenic bacteria), consequences on living beings. Small water cycle. agricultural (insecticides, weed killers, Very difficult to remove because of their fertilizers, nitrogen, nitrates, etc.), or accidental extremely small size, these two types of industrial pollution (heavy metals). Water can organisms are a major problem for drinking even be polluted by urban discharge. water treatment plants and for swimming Berlin Center of Water Expertise Laboratories in Adelaide and Indianapolis areas. Climate change could lead to a rise in In 1999, the Berlin Land contracted mana- gement of its water and wastewater ser- temperatures of between 1.4 to 5.8°C by 2050, vices to Veolia Water along with other part- according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental ners. The Berlin Center of Water Expertise (KompetenzZentrum Wasser Berlin - KWB) Panel on Climate Change) report published in was established in 2000. Its research pro- January 2001, Climate Change 2001: Impacts, grams focus, in particular, on bank filtration, The artificial river and aquifer recharging. Adaptation and Vulnerability. Veolia Another Veolia Water subsidiary, United Environnement’s experts have detected that Water International, in partnership with the This is an extraordinary tool for the research carried state government of South Australia and the summer temperature in Berlin (Germany) out on aquatic pollution by the German the Australian government’s CSIRO has increased by 3.2°C since 1912. One of the Environmental Protection Agency (UBA), and used (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial consequences is the appearance of new by the Berlin Center of Water Expertise (KWB). Research Organisation), manages an aqui- micro-algae some of which can be toxic. Comprised of a 750 meter long by 1-meter wide fer recharging program using treated was- plastic loop in which water flows, it is used to test in tewater in Adelaide. In Indianapolis (USA), Veolia Water an artificial environment various pollution scenarios Indianapolis (VWI), which manages the What is bank filtration? that could occur in a natural river. city’s water services, has developed a pro- This is a natural treatment process for drinking The KWB uses this unique research tool in gram to prevent algal proliferation. It has particular to gain a better understanding of river just been awarded ISO 9001 Certification. water. The aim is to filter water through the pollution by microalgae and cyanobacteria. various layers of sediment that line the banks Page 2 / The magazine of the scientific chronicles / No. 5 / September 2005 / Managing water resource quality Managing water resource quality Algal proliferation. Close-up on Research & Development programs In conjunction with the Berlin Center of geological characteristics, as well as the Water Expertise, Veolia Environnement changes over time and space to the Research & Development mainly water’s chemical and microbiological concentrates on bank filtration and artificial makeup. recharging systems for aquifers to treat freshwater. At the same time, other Basins for artificially recharging the aquifer programs are run by Veolia Environnement have been installed on the banks of Lake research, in particular, pollution risks. Tegel, northwest of Berlin. This lake is partially fed by water discharged from a Research on bank filtration and treatment plant. It is an ideal site to study artificial systems for recharging the artificial recharging of the aquifer. The Artificial recharging of the aquifer at Lake Tegel. aquifers Center of Water Expertise has studied One of the current interdisciplinary various aspects of this recharging system research programs at the Center of Water using excess surface water. At the same Expertise deals with bank filtration and time, several piezometers* have been artificial systems for recharging the aquifer, installed to monitor and manage the whether in the laboratory (artificial river), at aquifer. a technical site or in the natural environment. The many tools implemented at the Marienfelde research site (monitoring The objectives are to: