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Aquiclude stability is vital for the realization of water-preserving coal mining. And its evaluation, influencing factors, and their significance analysis are quite topical for the ecosystem conservation. The purpose of this paper was to establish an evaluation index system of weakly cemented aquiclude stability. An evaluation index system was built based on three evaluation factors (subsidence, seepage, and deformation), three subfactors (subsidence gradient, seepage rate, and horizontal deformation), and four evaluation criteria (unstable, weakly stable, medium stable, and stable). The evaluation method was applied to evaluate the index for the case study of Yili No. 4 Coal Mine in Xinjiang, China. Based on the geological conditions of the close-distance coal seams in the mine under study, the main influencing factors and subordinate functions of evaluation index S t a were analyzed. The above three factors’ weights were assessed as 0.1095, 0.3090, and 0.5815, respectively, and the proposed evaluation method’s feasibility was verified by the water level variation in the observation hole. The range and variance analyses were performed to assess the significance of the mining heights of the upper and lower coal seams and the coal seam spacing. The results showed that the aquiclude stability negatively correlated with the mining heights and positively correlated with the coal seam spacing. The decreasing order of influence significance on the aquiclude stability was as follows: upper coal seam mining height, lower coal seam mining height, and coal seam spacing. Water protection mining was an effective measure to control the S t a , and the findings provided a reference value and academic significance for the ecosystem conservation.

In 2012 the Dutch High-Water Protection Programme (HWPP) was initiated. This programme prioritised dike strengthening projects for the near future with a yearly budget of around 350 million Euros. ...

The article presents results of the inventory of recreation facilities in the river basins (the Aley, the Charysh, and the Chumysh) and lakes (Bolshoye Yarovoe, Zavyalovo, and Chany) in the South of Western Siberia. The article shows the actual interaction of elements of recreational and water protection infrastructure on recreation-significant areas of the coast. Out of 72 objects identified in the study area, 19 are located within the water protection zone of water bodies. Potential conflicts of land use and benefits of joint development of recreational and water protection facilities were assessed on the coasts. For spatial analysis, specialized indicators are proposed: the coastal protection index and the recreational reserve index. The results of calculation of indices on the example of basins of key water bodies are presented and their differentiation by the degree of protection of the coast and the level of development of recreational infrastructure is shown. Conclusions are drawn about the need to clarify the theoretical and methodological tools for making tactical and strategic decisions in the management of recreational areas.

Determining value of erosion network density in the water protection zone is the compulsory index in the automated information system of water bodies state monitoring. The authors of the article developed and tested when studying the Tsimlyansk reservoir water protection zone recommendations for determining erosion network density by materials of distant inspections carried out using pilot-less aircraft (PLA) and tools of geographic information systems (GIS). In the article assessment of erosion network density for the Belgorodsk reservoir water protection zone carried out using given recommendations is presented. Such inspections are especially actual for the banks where regular observation benchmark network is lacking or they have low transport accessibility. Based on series of photographs made by pilotless aircrafts using Agisoft Photo Scan programme relief numerical models and orthophotomaps of the water protection zone are constructed. By direct and indirect signs position of tolwegs for the relief linear erosion forms of different orders—from furrows and grooves to brooks and small rivers. According to the recommendations developed by the authors, the water protection zone is divided into elementary segments and for every of them the value of erosion network density determined using GIS tools. Assessment of erosion network density showed that on the background of general low degree of the relief horizontal dismemberment for the Belgorodsk reservoir water protection zone the reservoir right-bank within Shebekinsky municipal region was distinguished noticeably. The erosion network density of this plot by 5–7 times exceeds the value of this parameter for the whole water protection zone of the reservoir. And only here relief erosion forms fully located within the water protection zone predominate noticeably, that is not characteristic for the rest part e the reservoir cost.

During the operation of poultry farms a large amount of poultry manure is accumulated. Surface wastewater from landfills for storing poultry manure can become the main source of pollution of natural waters. Thus, one of the most important problems of environmental protection is the development of effective systems for protecting aquatic ecosystems from pollution by waste water generated at landfills for storing poultry manure. The purpose of research was the analysis of water protection systems for treatment of surface wastewater from the territory of poultry farms. The authors of the article consider the problem of protection of water bodies from contamination by surface wastewater from the catchment area of poultry farms. The example of surface wastewater from the catchment area of the poultry farm “Sverdlovskaya” has shown the negative impact on water ecosystems. Our own studies of snow contamination from the catchment area of the poultry farm have shown a high content of not only organic and biogenic substances, but also heavy metals. A biotechnology of wastewater treatment using natural ion-exchange materials, followed by bioregeneration of the latter by higher aquatic vegetation, has been developed. The use of an accumulative phytofilter is an effective method of protecting water ecosystems from contamination by surface wastewater from catchment areas of poultry farms, and the design ensures not only the environmental friendliness of the technology, but also naturally fits into the landscape of the area.

In recent years, the water quality of lakes has been deteriorating, and the water eutrophication phenomenon is particularly serious. Therefore, it is of great significance to evaluate the water eutrophication of lakes accurately to achieve water protection management. Numerous mechanistic or data-driven methods have been proposed to perform evaluations of the water eutrophication status. However, issues with these methods must still be solved, such as the use of unreasonable thresholds for the water eutrophication levels based on arbitrary numerical values and inaccurate threshold intervals in the water eutrophication evaluation criteria. To solve these problems, an integrated water eutrophication evaluation algorithm is proposed in this study. An evaluation model based on a multidimensional trapezoidal cloud model is first established, where numerical intervals are employed to characterize the thresholds of different water eutrophication levels instead of arbitrary numerical values. The Atanassov’s interval-value intuition language numbers are introduced to identify the model parameters, which are calculated based on the data of a specific lake rather than relying on inaccurate classification threshold intervals. Finally, the water quality data of Qionghai were used to validate the proposed method. Experimental results showed that this method can provide a more accurate and reasonable evaluation of water eutrophication compared with other methods.

The study is dedicated to the issue of implementing rules of sustainable development on farms. Research was conducted on 310 farms. The farm classification criterion was the education of the farm manager. Farms in four provinces were analyzed: Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Mazowieckie, Lubelskie, and Wielkopolskie. The aim was to determine the knowledge and scope of applying sustainable development in farming, depending on the farmer's education level. The research consisted of determining the importance attached by farmers, depending on their declared level of formal education, to features of a sustainable farm and advantages of this mode of management for the environment, the society, and agricultural producers themselves. It was assumed that the higher the farmer's education level, the better the familiarity with sustainable development principles and their practical application. It was found that depending on the agricultural producer's education, the importance attached to individual variables characterizing a sustainable farm varied. In terms of environmental advantages, the most important feature was water protection; among benefits for the society, safe food was considered to be of the highest significance, while for producers, the most important was a higher income. The research results did not make it possible to unambiguously state that university education determines farmers' familiarity and compliance with sustainability principles. In some cases, farmers, who had good knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices, failed to apply them in their operations.

A prototype of an expert system for decision-making support in optimizing measures aimed to protect pilot water objects from diffuse pollution in the Volga basin was developed based on special expedition studies carried out in 2018–2019, generalized results of earlier long-term studies, improved methodological approaches, and specially developed GIS. The prototype consists of fine interrelated blocks, which can be used to evaluate the anthropogenic load from different types of pollution sources (point and diffuse) and the parameters that characterize this pollution, and describe the methods and results of diffuse runoff calculation as well as possible water protection measures, and their efficiency. The prototype of the expert system allows the users (decision makers) to evaluate the extent of diffuse pollution and to choose the priority measures to reduce its effect on pilot water objects.

The authors of the article aim to study the evolutionary changes in methodological approaches to the formation and management of land use of water protection zones and coastal strips. As a result, four phases of land use development of water protection zones and coastal strips are considered. In particular those which took place in the following periods: 1950–1970, 1970–1990, 1990 to the present, and it is also noted that the fourth phase (period) is coming. The essence of it is to create a system of land use (formation and management) of water protection zones and coastal strips, based on environmental and socially-oriented management and institutional government support. The authors note that one of the most important principles is a comprehensive approach to the formation and management of protected land use of water protection zones and coastal strips. For this, one of the first attempts to generalize international and national experience in the development of an integrated approach is presented. And also a variety of factors that to the greatest extent accelerated the development of an integrated approach to the formation and management of land use of water protection zones and coastal zones with different levels of economic development.The authors found that the sustainable (balanced) development of land use in water protection zones and coastal zones requires solving a number of problems, which in turn are divided according to their scale. In particular, global (affects the interests of the population of the whole Earth), regional (determine the conditions of development of individual regions) and local (determine the conditions of development of specific cities, towns, territorial communities). The ratio of scales and priorities of different disciplines in the system of complex formation and management of land use of water protection zones and coastal strips is also presented, which allowed the main problems to be conditionally divided into: nature protection (or, also called — ecological); natural, social and economic. It is noted that the relationship between the level of management and the scale and priority of the problem is a methodological basis for building a vertical structure of integrated formation and management of land use of water protection zones and coastal strips

Masonry is one of the most common building envelope systems in the world, providing an excellent water protection solution against rain. Water transport in masonry walls composed of bricks and mortar joints can be strongly affected by the nature of the interface between brick and mortar. In this study, two-dimensional water uptake experiments and numerical simulations are performed to study the effect of interface resistance on moisture transport in masonry samples with horizontal and vertical interfaces. Neutron radiography is used to document the time- and space-resolved moisture content distribution in different masonry samples. In the simulation of moisture transport, an interface resistance models the imperfect contact between brick and mortar. A good agreement between measured and simulated moisture content distribution is observed for different masonry samples. Moisture transport in masonry could be strongly affected by the interface resistance, when interface is in proximity to moisture source. The orientation, horizontal or vertical, of the interface between brick and mortar does not have an influence on the value of the interface resistance. However, the interface resistance depends on the capillary pressure at the interface. In the range of capillary moisture transport, a lower capillary pressure at the interface will lead to a larger interface resistance.

Permanent partitioning represents one of the more effective approaches for an innovative management of water distribution networks (WDNs) because it allows simplification of the network control defining small subsystem defined as a district meter area (DMA) in which it is simpler to compute water balance, to achieve pressure management and to check water quality. The design of permanent water network partitioning (WNP) is very difficult to apply to large water networks using traditional approaches based on empirical considerations and trial and errors techniques. Recently, the authors developed the software SWANP that allows definition automatically of the number and dimension and shape of a DMA using different innovative heuristic optimization procedures. In this paper a novel release 3.5 of SWANP is presented that implements novel algorithms, based on social network theory for the clustering phase and a genetic multiobjective for the dividing phase, to automatically design DMAs of a real, large water network in Alcalá de Henares, Spain.

Hydrologic processes that control river flow in Bhutan’s Chamkhar Chhu basin are important for understanding water supply vulnerability to downstream populations in a changing climate. Seasonal source waters and flow paths of streamflow of the basin were determined using isotopic and geochemical tracers for water year 2016. Samples including surface water, groundwater, glacier meltwater, and precipitation were collected in premonsoon, monsoon, and postmonsoon seasons along an elevation transect from 2,538 to 5,158 m. Solute trends in surface waters demonstrate the major influence that tributaries can have on main stem hydrochemistry and the increasingly important role of groundwater below 3,500 m. Groundwater’s role in flow is supported by a two-component hydrograph separation using SO42− as a tracer and shows that groundwater is especially important to river flow in the premonsoon. Source waters to river flow were calculated using δ18O as a tracer, indicating that rain and meltwater are more evenly important across the elevation transect in the early monsoon period than in the postmonsoon period when ice melt contributions rapidly wane with distance from the glacier.

Hundreds of thousands of children continue to die each year from diarrhea. We piloted a low-cost liquid chlorine point-of-use (POU) water treatment among elementary school children in Bangladesh. We began the 1-month intervention in four schools (two urban and two rural) by introducing POU drinking water hardware and behavior change communication. We trained teachers to deliver sessions encouraging students to drink chlorinated water from their own small plastic bottles to avoid disease transmission. We used cue cards and flip charts as visual aids. We evaluated the acceptability, feasibility, and potential for sustainability after 1 month and after 14 months of the intervention. During 1-month follow-up, among 141 drinking events observed, 141 students (100%) drank chlorinated water. In 93 or 66% of events, students used their own bottles, and in 43 (30%) of the events, they used common cups or hands washed before drinking. During the 14-month follow-up, we observed 732 drinking events. In 653 of 732 events (89%), students drank chlorinated water; in 78 events (11%), they consumed water from untreated drinking water sources. Among those who consumed chlorinated water, 20% (131/653) used their own bottles to drink water, 72% (467/653) used common cups, and 8% (55/653) used both hands to drink water. Most stated that they drank chlorinated water because it is safe, it has health benefits, and treatment reduces germs. Introduction of specific hardware, weekly hygiene sessions, and education materials enabled schools to treat water at POU and students to consume treated water.

A method named “pre-oxidation treatment for spontaneous combustion inhibition” was proposed to proactively prevent coal spontaneous combustion. In this method, coal samples are firstly oxidized under room temperature by an oxidizer, which have an oxidizing capacity equivalent to the capability of oxidizing only active functional groups in coal. In this way, functional groups residing in the coal structure with high reactivity will be oxidized and heat will be released at the same time. With a large amount of water protection set up in advance, the heat can be released safely. After the highly active functional groups are oxidized, the reaction products left contain more stable functional groups with low activity, thus reducing the risks of spontaneous combustion. Underpinned by the theory, the method was tested by using different aqueous solutions of oxidants to pre-oxidize various coal samples. Results show that the method of pre-oxidation treatment for spontaneous combustion inhibition can significantly reduce the risk of coal spontaneous combustion. Among all the tested aqueous solutions of oxidants, the sodium persulfate solution is the most appropriate one.

The subject of the research is particular qualities of water resources causing methodological difficulties of their quantity and quality assessment according to the data from hydra monitoring conducted by specialized bodies.The purpose of the work is estimate of state, utilization, and protection of water resources in order to solve problems of water development environment of the country.The author argues that at least two assessments are necessary — of static storage and of renewable capacity. Data of Russian water resources, their ecological state, and their utilization in the economy, as well as anthropogenic impact and its after-effects are given and analyzed. The author also analyzes the reasons of discrepancy between the data on the water quality in the water bodies and the information about negative impact reduction in Russia. Tasks for water resources and water economy management system are formulated, the quality of these tasks solution in modern Russia is assessed; objective as well as subjective factors complicating the system’s work are revealed. The scientific tasks for the development of water resources and water economy management system are formulated.It is concluded that water is the major biosphere cosystemforming factor depending on the capacity, consumptive water use methods, as well as other factors of water protection that should be within the competence of water resources management in order to improve the nation’s environment protection. Nevertheless, the Russian water resources and water economy management system remains behind the developed countries level, and it needs a speedy development in the directions indicated in the article.

To address water and hygiene infrastructure deficiencies in health-care facilities (HCFs) in Siaya County, Kenya, portable water stations, soap, and water treatment products were provided to 109 HCFs in 2005. In 2011 and again in 2016, we interviewed staff in 26 randomly selected HCFs, observed water sources, water stations, and tested source and stored water for chlorine residual and Escherichia coli. Of 26 HCFs, 22 (85%) had improved water supplies, and 22 (85%) had functioning handwashing and drinking water stations, but < 50% provided soap or water treatment. Thirteen (50%) of 26 source water samples yielded E. coli; 24 (92%) of 26 stored water samples yielded no E. coli, including nine with residual chlorine and nine untreated samples from sources yielding no E. coli. Eleven years after implementation, 85% of HCFs continued to use water stations that protected water from recontamination. Sustainable provision of soap and water treatment products could optimize intervention use.

To tackle the symptoms of eutrophication in the open Baltic Sea and Finnish coastal waters, Finland has agreed to reduce both total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) inputs. Due to large investments in treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters, TP loads started to decrease already in the mid-1970s and the respective TN loads in the mid-1990s. During the last two decades, much effort has been spent in decreasing the load originating from diffuse sources. Trend analyses in 1995–2016 showed that, despite various mitigation measures, riverine nutrient export has not substantially decreased, and especially the export from rivers draining agricultural lands remains high. In some areas TN concentrations and export were increasing and we found evidence that it was linked to ditching of peatlands. Several factors connected to climate/weather (e.g. temperature and precipitation) have counteracted the mitigation measures, and therefore Finland will not achieve the nutrient reduction targets by 2021. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-019-01217-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Large wastewater treatment plants (>50,000 population equivalents) treat more than 80% of the wastewater treated on a global scale, today it might be even >90%. They therefore provide the most relevant contribution to water protection from urban and industrial wastewater. This was already the case in 1971 when academics realised that progress in the scientific community alone will not succeed in a rapid transfer of research results to practitioners in design and operation of these plants. At the same time, it was recognised that urgent problems in practice are not recognised early enough by the globally networking scientific community. The most effective means of solving these problems was the creation of a new forum where experts from both sides meet. Scientists normally create their special conferences and workshops to enhance global co-operation in their specific field of research and development. This is reflected in the existence of many IWA Specialist Groups (SG) with global representation. The IWA Large Wastewater Treatment Plants (LWWTP) events and the formation of the LWWTP Specialist Group have been the first to take care of a complex technology for water protection, where specialists from most other SGs can meet and discuss together with the practitioners designing and operating treatment plants. In fact, many new Specialist Groups had their origin in the workshop series starting in 1971 in Vienna, taking care of many specific problems reported from practice. The managers and chief operators of large plants, usually only served by meetings of national professional associations, got a new opportunity for global exchange of knowledge and experience together with the global network of scientists and researchers. Highlights The IWA specialist group on Design, Operation and Costs of LWWTPs has supported technical development and innovation in the field since the 1970s.; The specialist group provides the international network and suitable platforms to connect practitioners and researchers from around the globe.; The conferences are providing the rapid transfer of research results to practitioners to solve urgent problems in practice.

The article considers the nature monuments of republican significance, the Okhlebininsky gypsum cave and the Bolshoi Kolpak rock, located in the Iglinsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan, as a socio-ecological-economic system. This involves the determination of environmental requirements and conditions for the development of recreation. Environmental requirements include nature conservation. In addition, to prevent adverse anthropogenic impacts on nature monuments on the adjacent land and water objects, protection zones are created. If the regimes of protection of nature monuments are established and declared for a long time, then for security zones this task is relevant. Determining the boundaries of protected areas on the ground requires consideration of many territorial factors. In determining the protected areas of the studied nature monuments, the boundary of the objects was taken into account, according to the state cadastral registration, relief conditions (slope steepness, difficult passage), the configuration of the river and its water protection zone, the state of nature monuments. In order to prevent and normal functioning, it is necessary to install information and warning stands along the access roads to the Bolshoi Kolpak rock and to the Okhlebininsky gypsum cave. Determining the conditions for recreation involves the compilation of determinants of the development of eco-tourist routes for nature monuments.

Water is indispensable to life because all the functions of living beings rely on its presence: breathing, nutrition, circulation, and reproduction. Water forms part of all living bodies, both animal and vegetable. It is a natural resource necessary for human life. This natural resource has been threatened by climate change and its scarcity has been reported in many locations worldwide. According to the FAO, in 2014 almost 50 countries were faced with water shortages: Africa is the continent with the highest percentage of water stress (41%), while Asia has the highest percentage of countries with total water shortage (25%). Confronted with this critical problem, it is necessary that people of all ages, races, and cultures become aware of the value that water represents and take action in both the individual and collective spheres. To ensure that the next generation understands water’s properties and functions, and learns to value and take care of it, this action should start in schools, which play a fundamental role in the education of children and young people.

Beech trees growing in biodiverse patches in Belgium have higher radial growth and are less physiologically sensitive to drought than those in monocultures. Forest diversification therefore alleviates the negative effects of drought on beech. Common beech, a widespread and economically important tree species in Europe, is known to be drought sensitive. For ensuring its survival under increasing future drought conditions, we need to advance our understanding on the relationships between drought and its growth performance. Diversifying forests has been proposed as a management strategy to mitigate the effects of drought, because a more complete use of the available water is expected. We made use of a tree species diversity gradient in Belgium to study if beech trees growing in diverse forest patches are more resistant and resilient to drought than beech trees in monocultures. Combining dendrochronological and stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen isotope (δ18O) data allowed for studying the effect of tree species diversity on the response of beech growth to drought regarding stem radial growth and physiological performance. Up to 62% enhanced stem radial growth strongly increased growth stability, and higher resistance to drought was observed for beech trees in diverse forest patches. Beech performs best in three-species mixtures, particularly those with oak and maple. In drought years, beech growth is more reduced in monocultures than mixtures. During these drought years, δ13C values increased, and the increase was weaker in beech trees of diverse stands compared to monospecific stands, indicating enhanced stomatal conductance and growth continuation in mixtures. δ18O patterns did not indicate a clear effect of diversity or the response of beech trees to drought. Overall, our results indicate that until now, still the positive effects of diversity on beech growth outperform the negative effects induced by drought.

There is evidence that stakeholders' willingness and motivations to support sustainable river management strategies plays a crucial role in the success of water management policies. Earlier works have highlighted some of the drivers of stakeholders' willingness, however, the generalizability of much published research on this issue is problematic given that much of the research focuses on the Global North. By conducting in‐depth interviews and applying content analysis, this paper aimed at exploring stakeholders' willingness and motivations to support sustainable water resource management as well as what stakeholders would do to support sustainable management of water resources. Results show that stakeholders appear to be willing to support water protection measures due to a wide range of motivations. Therefore, policymakers may need to emphasize those motivations when encouraging the public and/or segments of the society to engage in sustainable water resource management practices.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) has been mainstreamed in many large municipal water systems as part of a paradigm shift in the drinking water industry towards water safety planning and risk-based system assessment. Small water systems (SWSs) are generally more vulnerable to typical water system hazards, and consequently have a higher risk of waterborne disease outbreak. In this paper, a review of experiences in implementing QMRA in SWSs helps elaborate the sources of risks and highlights some of the challenges facing SWSs in developed countries. A critical review of the important elements for practical implementation of QMRA was conducted. The investigation focuses on aspects related to challenges in identifying relevant hazards to SWSs to create failure scenarios, acquiring monitoring data for pathogens' concentrations in source water, estimating treatment efficiencies of typical small system technologies, and access to software tools to support successful implementation. The review helped outline ways through which SWSs can overcome the identified challenges in implementing QMRA. An adjusted framework for implementing QMRA for small water systems was formulated and discussed.

Water intake with fixed height limits the application of selective withdrawal technology in a certain degree. This study proposes a technological idea to install baffles on water intake. Through the rotation of upper and lower baffle, poor water layer can be blocked. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model for the upper baffle on water intake is constructed. The results show that the baffle installed on the upper part of orifice can reduce the withdrawal layer thickness and flow on the upper part of orifice centre. Thereby, the withdrawal flow on lower part can be indirectly increased. While, baffle length and inclining angle are the important factors to influence the withdrawal layer thickness and flow distribution. Therefore, the adjusting range of selective withdrawal can be economically enhanced by installing baffles on water intake.

An Agri-environmental measure (AEM) is a payment to farmers to reduce environmental risks or to preserve cultivated landscapes. The single farm scale that is the basis for the AEM has often inhibited the achievement of the environmental goals since many biophysical processes (e.g. soil erosion, water pollution, biodiversity losses) occur at landscape scale. This creates a spatial scale mismatch between the implementation scale of the measures and the ecological processes controlling the target agri-environmental issues. In this paper, we propose how to address this spatial scale mismatch by analysing nine case studies of AEMs implementation at landscape scale concerning biodiversity conservation and water protection. The analysis highlights that the inclusion of the landscape scale in AEMs depends on the level of the involvement of the local stakeholders (SH) in the building process. When the authorities created the space for the SHs to participate in the defining process of AEMs, the inclusion of local knowledge led to the emergence of new landscape and site-specific AEMs which were not previously considered by the autorities. On the contrary, when the SHs were only allowed to choose among the AEMs predefined by the authorities, many site specificity and acceptance issues arose. The creation of space in Rural Development Programmes for collaborative, bottom-up and landscape scale AEMs and the overcoming of institutional constraints in the design of specific actions are the key ingredients for the successful adoption of measures and for enhancing their effectiveness. In this paper, we explore in depth what made these stories successful and provide a framework for the implementation of site-specific and landscape AEMs.

Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions (δD and δ18O values, respectively) were analyzed for "sake," a traditional Japanese alcohol beverage, to assess these values for the identification of its geographic origin. We collected sake (Junmai-shu; made of only rice, water, and koji) and its source water (i.e., brewing water) from breweries in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and measured the isotopic compositions of water in these samples. The δD and δ18O values for the sake are well correlated with their respective values for the corresponding brewing water (δD; r = 0.92, δ18O; r = 0.80). Furthermore, based on the δD-δ18O cross plot, sake brewed in Niigata Prefecture is distinguishable from that brewed in countries other than Japan. These results imply that this dual isotope (δD and δ18O) analysis is potentially useful in identifying the geographic origin of sake.

In Switzerland, surface waters are protected by the Swiss Water Protection Ordinance (OEaux; OFEV 1998), which stipulates that the water quality shall be such that the water, suspended matter, and sediments contain no persistent synthetic substances to ensure the protection of aquatic life. Local agencies are in charge of water quality monitoring, using a set of validated methods. Several lists of priority substances have been developed for aquatic microcontaminants for surface water monitoring but not for sediments. Some local agencies have established sediment monitoring programs, but to date, there exists no harmonized methodology for sediment quality assessment in Switzerland. Within the main goal of developing and providing methodologies for monitoring sediment quality in Switzerland, a screening was performed to help prioritize sediment-relevant microcontaminants. The screening approach was largely based on the NORMAN (network of reference laboratories, research centers, and related organizations for monitoring emerging environmental substances) system and was carried out in four steps: (1) identification of candidate substances, (2) selection of sediment relevant substances, (3) classification of substances into different categories based on identified data gaps and envisaged actions, and (4) ranking within each action category. This paper describes the methodology used in the prioritization process for sediment-relevant substances and provides recommendations for monitoring strategies in Switzerland.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) owns and operates five potable water treatment plants. Currently four of the treatment plants utilize ozone as the primary disinfectant. The Metropolitan ozone contactors are over-under baffled and include 10 chambers, an afterbay, and an effluent channel. Ozone is generally added in either the first countercurrent gas/liquid flow chamber (Chamber 1) or the first and second (co-current gas/liquid flow) chambers. Disinfection credit is received from ozone residuals in Chambers 2 through 6. An ozone destruct system collects and destroys ozone off-gases from Chambers 1 through 9 and an ozone quenching system is used to minimize dissolved ozone from leaving the contactors. Severe drought in California, and resulting water supply limitations, have created significant operational issues ranging from reduced plant flows to source water changes and water quality challenges. The combination of reduced flow and different source water cond...

Insects have a strong influence on the state of forests. Damage by pests often results in negative changes in the forest ecosystem. The benzoylphenylurea insecticide Dimilin is widely used in agriculture and forestry to control pests. The purpose of the study is to estimate possible forest damage from Acantholyda posticalis and to analyze the effectiveness of the Dimilin insecticide. The paper provides the following description of possible damage from Acantholyda posticalis: with the extent of damage to crowns of 74%, the blight of pines will be 9%; with the predicted crown damage from tree browsers the potential loss of pine tree recruitment will be 93%; shrinkage of forest stands by 0.09% will result in the loss of water protection properties of forests amounting to 5.33 thousand EUR; the loss of water regulation functions will amount to 2.13 million EUR.

Human beings have entered the stage of big data in the information age. How to use big data to serve all walks of life is a very worthy of discussion. This article thought that the mine well under - ground real-time monitoring data and mining production, living and ecological water demands as the research object, from the large data set up, management, analysis, and maintain the four aspects, combining the reality of mine work, using the large system decomposition-coordination principle and fuzzy hierarchy comprehensive evaluation method, the multi-objective dynamic programming model for nonlinear iterative simulation optimization, determine coal water - coordinate the development of new pattern and the underground water source water coal mining technology, mine Wells under - ground multi-objective efficient mixing technology, realizing the accurate, intelligent mine water utilization. Research method, this paper USES “Knowledgediscovery from GIS” and “Simonett rubik’s cube” concept, cyber GIS method is applied to build the mine Wells under - ground real-time monitoring to the big data is discussed, at the same time points out the characteristics of the coal mining situation of real-time, and possible problems are derived, which provide reference for other mines to establish large data.

Drinking water purification and distribution processes shape the bacterial community in tap water; however, this study calls attention to the impact of source water on tap water bacterial community. Herein, paired source and tap water samples were collected from 46 drinking water supply systems in different watersheds across China, and high-throughput sequencing delineated that bacterial richness and diversity decreased and biogeographical distribution pattern weakened in tap water compared to source water. Despite the great changes of bacteria from source to tap, Bayesian-based SourceTracker analysis still verified that the proportional contributions of source water to shaping the tap water bacterial community ranged from 0% to 92.8% (49.73% ± 30.22% on average). This indelible contribution was further confirmed by the Mantel test (P 0.001), Procrustes test (P 0.001) and variance partition analysis, which showed that the source water together with geographical location explained 40.11% of tap water bacterial community variation. To explore the potential reasons that explain the great differences in the impact of source water among different samples, the universal shift pattern of bacterial communities from source to tap was summarized as a classification of dominant bacterial taxa: "sensitive taxa" versus "resistant taxa". The taxa including Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and δ-Proteobacteria could act as biomarkers to distinguish samples between source and tap water, and were classified as sensitive taxa. In contrast, α-Proteobacteria, β-Proteobacteria, γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria were classified as resistant taxa. The abundance of sensitive taxa was negatively correlated with the SourceTracker proportion, while the abundance of resistant taxa was positively correlated with the SourceTracker proportion (P 0.01). Thus, variation in source water bacterial community could be responsible for the degree of impact on tap water. Our findings give notice that the impact of source water microbiomes must be taken more seriously, and sufficient source water protection and engineering control strategies should be implemented to prevent the biological consequences of source water on tap water.

The main aim of the research was to analyze expenditures for sewage management and water protection and to identify Polish commune types that are characterized by the highest expenses. The analyses were made using classification trees in Statistica software (Dell Statistica (data analysis software system), version 13, Dell Inc., Round Rock, TX, USA). For this purpose, a database consisting of seven independent variables was prepared.

Florida water-resource professionals deciding whether to implement a costly water protection program or to invest in better tap water treatment technology may wonder: Are such investments justified? What are the benefits of the program or investment decision? Just how highly do Floridians value their water? This 5-page fact sheet written by Tatiana Borisova, Syed Irfan Ali Shah, Tara Wade, Xiang Bi, and Kelly Grogan and published by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department reviews studies that help assess the value Floridians assign to maintaining or improving the quality of the water supply. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1059

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) pulmonary infections are a growing concern worldwide, with a disproportionate incidence in persons with pre-existing health conditions. NTM have frequently been found in municipally-treated drinking water and building plumbing, leading to the hypothesis that an important source of NTM exposure is drinking water. The identification and quantification of NTM in environmental samples are complicated by genetic variability among NTM species, making it challenging to determine if clinically relevant NTM are present. Additionally, their unique cellular features and lifestyles make NTM and their nucleic acids difficult to recover. This review highlights a recent work focused on quantification and characterization of NTM and on understanding the influence of source water, treatment plants, distribution systems, and building plumbing on the abundance of NTM in drinking water.

Objective To analyze the incidence of otorrhea in the postoperative period of patients submitted to tympanotomy to place ventilation tube, and who did not protect the ear when exposed to water. Methods Open, randomized-controlled trial. Eighty patients submitted to unilateral or bilateral ear grommet tympanostomy were included and divided into two groups: Auricular Protection and Non-Protection to water during bathing and activities in water. Results In the first postoperative month, the Non-Protection Group presented a significant increase in the number of patients with otorrhea and in the incidence. Four patients of the Protection Group (11%) presented at least one episode of otorrhea in this period, representing an incidence of 0.11 (standard deviation ±0.32) episode/month, whereas in the Non-Protection Group there were 12 episodes (33%; p=0.045) and incidence of 0.33 (±0.48; p=0.02). Between the 2nd and the 13th postoperative months, there was no difference between groups. Seven patients in the Protection Group (20%) had at least one episode of otorrhea, representing an incidence of 0.04 (±0.09) episodes/month, while in the Non-Protection Group there were seven episodes (22%; p=0.8) and incidence of 0.05 (±0.1; p=0.8). Conclusion Patients who underwent ear protection when exposed to water had a lower incidence of otorrhea in the first postoperative month than those who did not undergo protection. From the second month, there was no difference between groups. RESUMO Objetivo Avaliar a incidência de otorreia no período pós-operatório em pacientes submetidos à timpanotomia para colocação de tubo de ventilação e que não realizaram proteção auricular quando expostos à água. Métodos Ensaio clínico controlado, aberto e randomizado. Foram incluídos 80 pacientes submetidos à timpanotomia para colocação de tubo de ventilação unilateral ou bilateral, divididos em dois grupos: Grupo Proteção e Grupo Não Proteção auricular da água durante o banho e as atividades aquáticas. Resultados No primeiro mês pós-operatório, o Grupo Não Proteção apresentou aumento significativo tanto no número de pacientes com otorreia quanto na incidência. Quatro pacientes do Grupo Proteção (11%) apresentaram ao menos um episódio de otorreia neste período, representando incidência de 0,11 (desvio padrão ±0,32) episódio/mês, enquanto no Grupo Não Proteção ocorreram 12 episódios (33%; p=0,045) e incidência de 0,33 (±0,48; p=0,02). Entre o 2º e o 13º meses pós-operatórios, não houve diferença entre os grupos. Sete pacientes do Grupo Proteção (20%) apresentaram ao menos um episódio de otorreia, representando incidência de 0,04 (±0,09) episódios/mês, enquanto no Grupo Não Proteção foram registrados sete episódios (22%; p=0,8) e incidência de 0,05 (±0,1; p=0,8). Conclusão Pacientes que realizaram a proteção auricular quando expostos à água apresentaram menor incidência de otorreia no primeiro mês pós-operatório do que aqueles que não a realizaram. A partir do segundo mês, não houve diferença entre os grupos.

In this study, polyethylene and zeolite, as media in two-stage biological aerated filters (BAF), were evaluated for simultaneous removal of ammonia nitrogen and organics in micro-polluted water under low temperature conditions. For specific source water, the contaminants removal characteristics are evaluated by single-factor experiment to determine the suitable pH, air-water ratio (AWR) and hydraulic load ratio (HLR). Ammonia nitrogen and permanganate index in BAFs were promoted effectively with pH = 7~8, AWR = 1.0:1.0~2.0:1.0, HLR = 1~4 m3/(m2·h), low pollution loads and a temperature of 10°C. Based on the response surface analysis, the optimum parameters were as follows: pH of 7.94, AWR of 1.41:1.0 and HLR of 1.39 m3/(m2·h), for simultaneous removal of ammonia nitrogen and permanganate index, their removal rates were respectively 59.76% and 18.16%. BAF has a great advantage in emergency treatment of low temperature micro-polluted water, and response surface analysis can be used to optimize operating parameters.

Forest is the most important natural resource of the Baikal natural territory (BNT), which ensures sustainable development of the ecological system of the Lake Baikal, performing water protection, soil protection and water regulation functions. The article describes the issues of transition to a new technological order - the creation of a digital monitoring platform to support the rational use of forests. We formulate characteristics of the current state of forests and analyze the problems of forest resources monitoring in the BNT. We consider the types of digital platforms of different levels and propose basic requirements for forest digital monitoring.

The article describes the application of an integrated systematic approach to the organization of surveys at the architectural spatial environment pre-design studies stage in the water protection zone of the Temernik River. The authors propose to use the geological portal “Geobaza” when conducting engineering surveys on the territory to increase the economic feasibility of the developed architectural project and reduce the time for the pre-project engineering studies’ execution.

The occurrence of illicit drugs in natural waters (surface, source and drinking water) is of interest due to the poor sanitation coverage and the high consumption of drugs of abuse in Brazil. In addition, little is known about the effects of these compounds on aquatic organisms and human health. This work investigates the occurrence of cocaine (COC) and its major metabolite, benzoylecgonine (BE), in surface and drinking water collected in rivers from a populated geographic area in Brazil. Surface water samples were collected in 22 locations from 16 different rivers and one dam from Sao Paulo State, whereas drinking water samples were collected in 5 locations. Samples were collected during the dry and wet season. Among the 34 surface water samples analyzed, BE was detected above the LOD in 94%, while COC in 85%. BE concentrations ranged from 10ngL-1 to 1019ngL-1 and COC concentrations from 6ngL-1 to 62ngL-1. In the drinking water samples analyzed, BE and COC were found in 100% of the samples analyzed. For BE, concentrations were found in the range from 10ngL-1 to 652ngL-1, and COC was quantified in concentrations between 6 and 22ngL-1. These concentrations are one of the highest found in urban surface waters and may pose some risk to aquatic species. However, no human health risk was identified using the Hazard Quotient. BE is proposed as a reliable indicator of sewage contamination in both source and drinking water.

Manitoba has abundant freshwater resources, and developing and implementing integrated watershed management plans is essential to ensure a healthy future. This article provides an assessment of progress in Manitoba since the early 1990s (Mitchell and Shrubsole, 1994) regarding integrated watershed management plans. It explains current conditions, including the structural framework, governance, public consultations and First Nations participation, along with examples of experiences, successes, failures, and lessons learnt. The Water Protection Act, proclaimed in 2006, empowered conservation districts to develop and implement integrated watershed management plans as the water planning authority, and represents the most significant change.

Rapid urbanization has induced numerous ecological and environmental issues seriously threatening the ecological security. The ecological security pattern (ESP), an effective way for protecting the ecological security, is becoming increasingly important in reconciling the rapid urbanization and ecology protection in urban planning practices. Based on the cost-distance analysis method, we constructed a three-rank (basic, moderate and strict-rank) composite ESP of Gaoming (Guangdong, China) aiming at protecting the survivals and habitat securities of rare vegetations, wild animals and human beings. The proposed composite ESP is established on five equal-weighted individual ESPs (namely Geology-ESP, Hydrology-ESP, Atmosphere-ESP, Biodiversity-ESP and Farmland-ESP) for geologic disasters prevention, flood prevention and drinking water protection, air pollution prevention, biodiversity conservation and farmland protection, respectively. Our results show that under the basic, moderate, and strict- rank ESPs, the integration and connectivity of the ecological components are constantly improved, but the connectivity between neighboring urban patches decline gradually. The moderate-rank ESP proves to be the optimal spatial pattern for balancing the conflicts between urban development and ecological protection. Notably, the ESP that considers the security of atmosphere and farmland securities, which protects the regional farmlands better and well balance the expansions of industrial and residual lands, proves to be much more reasonable.

Today, promoting abundant renewable energy use, such as heating system using ground-source heat, has become imperative. The preservation of traditional wooden dwellings unique to Kyoto called Kyo-machiya has recently become a priority policy in Kyoto, Japan. However, due to their poor airtightness and thermal insulation, Kyo-machiya dwellings require considerable energy to heat during winter. Most Kyo-machiya dwellings have a well from which residents are supplied source water for drinking, washing and other purposes. Well water can potentially be harvested as a heat source, providing a comfortable, low-consumption indoor environment during winter months. In this study, an experiment was conducted to examine the practicability of installing simple ground-sourced heat-pump systems in the existing wells of Kyo-machiya dwellings. A heat pump system comprising an indoor unit and outdoor unit was installed near a well in a Kyo-machiya dwelling. Antifreeze solution was circulated in a pipe that passed through the well water. The heat captured from the water was returned to the heat pump. Heat gain from the well water was calculated from the measured temperature and the flow rate of the circulating antifreeze solution. Furthermore, an analysis model reproducing the experiment is suggested to examine the efficient operation of the heat-pump system.

Public environmental monitoring and control of fresh waters in Primorsky Territory has been conducted since 2003 when the "Clean Water" Scientific-Public Coordination Center was created. The long-term program of water protection in the Russian Far East was formulated in compliance with the Russian Clean Water Project in 2003. The network of more than 60 public ecological agencies (PEAs) was coordinated through the Clean Water Center in which the trained teachers, schoolchildren, students and amateurs conducted research on the ecological condition of regional freshwater resources and studied the biodiversity of the unique biota of Primorye. The results of this public work are compatible with activities of professional scientists and state environmental agencies.

Despite significant advances in reverse osmosis (RO) applications, membrane fouling is an inevitable problem that reduces the quantity and quality of produced water and is associated with reducing the energy efficiency of the entire system. The aim of this study was to expand our understanding of the modified fouling index (MFI), which is a reliable tool used to provide insight into the fouling characteristics of the RO process in advance. The applicability of MFI to predict RO membrane performance was verified using a 50 m3/day pilot-scale ultrapure water (UPW) production plant study. The correlation between MFI and RO membrane performance (i.e., ∆(differential pressure)) was well validated based on seven months of pilot operation data. MFI-UFflux-10kDa was selected as a proxy for the fouling potential measurement according to the target process (or source water) to support the stable operation of UPW plant applications. Case studies including sensitivity analyses and electrochemical deionization (EDI) concentrate reclamation have verified the intimate correlation between the MFI and RO performance. The results from the current study are expected to provide practical insight and technical guidelines for RO-based plant engineers/operators.