Determination of priority substances in wastewater using SPE, LCMS and GCMS

In 2000 the Water Framework Directive (WFD), 2000/60/EC, was introduced and a group of 66 chemicals, including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and metals were listed as chosen priority pollutants. The levels of these priority pollutants in the environment are regulated by set environmental quality standards (EQSs) and are affected by a number of emission factors including anthropogenic activities, population equivalents, and weather. In order for these EQSs to be enforced, regular monitoring of all water bodies must be carried out, a process which is both costly and time consuming

Assessing, preventing & managing Priority & Hazardous Substances in surface & groundwaters

This scoping study will provide a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge & research in the assessment, management & prevention of PS/PHS in surface and groundwaters. The short desktop project builds on substantial existing work been carried out by the Analytical Environmental Research Group research group at DCU, and will engage actively with international experts to assess practices occurring in other EU jurisdictions. The adequacy of existing pollution control systems and the potential need for additional pollution control systems will be examined. The final report will provide the relevant agencies with a report that will make recommendations on how best to manage the issue of exceedances of specific pollutants, PS/PHS in surface waters and recommend appropriate management strategies for preventing and limiting inputs of hazardous & non-hazardous substances, as identified by the EPA into groundwaters

Monitoring criteria for priority chemicals leading to emission factors

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC, requires a coordinated approach to water management in respect of whole river basins with a view to protecting the high-status of waters where it exists, preventing any deterioration in the existing status of waters and achieving at least "good status" in relation to all waters. The EPA-funded Monitoring Criteria for Priority Chemicals Leading to Emission Factors aims to establish risk factors for priority substances (PS) & priority hazardous substances (PHS), which will assist in defining the monitoring programme in Ireland for WFD. Indicators are applied to monitored WWTP agglomerations to predict the relative risk of elevated PS/PHS loading to receiving waters across agglomerations over time. In Ireland, where the current state of knowledge and data availability (e.g. emission data from individual installations) is insufficient to support high resolution based models the project team have developed a simple, stochastic, risk-based model that can be applied across catchments to predict the relative risk of elevated PS/PHS loading to receiving water

Devising a risk index for priority substance emissions from WWTPs

A review was used to identify the major factors leading to priority substances (PS) & priority hazardous substances (PHS) loading from WWTPs, integrated and conceptualised into a basic conceptual model. The focus is on readily-available data relevant to major PS/PHS risk factors identified by conceptual modelling, developing appropriate indicators. Databases were compiled for Local Authority and EPA licensed discharges, and agglomeration traffic. Results from these databases were integrated into the risk model for agglomeration PS/PHS loading, combined with basic WWTP (e.g. capacity and treatment level) and agglomeration (e.g. population and area) data, and finally expressed as elevated risk in a national context following normalisation procedures

Licensing & treatment variability among WWTPs in the monitoring criteria for priority chemicals leading to emission factors project

A system for the licensing of waste water discharges from areas served by local authority sewer networks was introduced in 2007 and will require all WWTP to obtain a waste water discharge licence from the EPA by set dates depending on the population equivalent (PE) of the area served by the sewer network. The licensing gives effect to a number of EU Directives, imposing restrictions or prohibitions on the discharge of dangerous substances to receiving water bodies

Priority and hazardous substances

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC) was transposed into Irish law in 2003 as the European Communities (Water Policy) The level of priority substances present in water bodies is most commonly judged against set environmental quality standards (EQSs) . These standards dictate the maximum allowable concentrations (MAC EQS) or range of concentrations (Annual Average or AA EQS) of specific pollutants allowed to ensure compliance with the EC guidelines. The EU WFD was transposed into Irish Law in 2003 and as such these EQS values now form the basis of priority substance water monitoring in Ireland

Experiences and recommendations in deploying a real-time, water quality monitoring system

Monitoring of water quality at a river basin level to meet the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) using conventional sampling and laboratory-based techniques poses a significant financial burden. Wireless sensing systems offer the potential to reduce these costs considerably, as well as provide more useful, continuous monitoring capabilities by giving an accurate idea of the changing environmental and water quality in real time. It is unlikely that the traditional spot/grab sampling will provide a reasonable estimate of the true maximum and/or mean concentration for a particular physicochemical variable in a water body with marked temporal variability. When persistent fluctuations occur, it is likely only to be detected through continuous measurements, which have the capability of detecting sporadic peaks of concentration. Thus, in situ sensors capable of continuous sampling of parameters required under the WFD would therefore provide more up-to-date information, cut monitoring costs and provide better coverage representing long-term trends in fluctuations of pollutant concentrations. DEPLOY is a technology demonstration project, which began planning and station selection and design in August 2008 aiming to show how state-of-the-art technology could be implemented for cost-effective, continuous and real-time monitoring of a river catchment. The DEPLOY project is seen as an important building block in the realization of a wide area autonomous network of sensors capable of monitoring the spatial and temporal distribution of important water quality and environmental target parameters. The demonstration sites chosen are based in the River Lee, which flows through Ireland's second largest city, Cork, and were designed to include monitoring stations in five zones considered typical of significant river systems-these monitor water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, depth, conductivity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. Over one million data points have been collected since the multi-sensor system was deployed in May 2009. Extreme meteorological events have occurred during the period of deployment and the collection of real-time water quality data as well as the knowledge, experience and recommendations for future deployments are discussed

A demonstration of wireless sensing for long-term monitoring of water quality

At a time when technological advances are providing new sensor capabilities, novel network capabilities, long-range communications technologies and data interpreting and delivery formats via the World Wide Web, we never before had such opportunities to sense and analyse the environment around us. However, the challenges exist. While measurement and detection of environmental pollutants can be successful under laboratory-controlled conditions, continuous in-situ monitoring remains one of the most challenging aspects of environmental sensing. This paper describes the development and test of a multi-sensor heterogeneous real-time water monitoring system. A multi-sensor system was deployed in the River Lee, County Cork, Ireland to monitor water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, conductivity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. The R. Lee comprises of a tidal water system that provides an interesting test site to monitor. The multi-sensor system set-up is described and results of the sensor deployment and the various challenges are discussed

Priority & hazardous occurrence in domestic wastewater from small scale systems in Ireland

A wide range of household sources may potentially contribute to contaminant loads in domestic wastewater. Typically domestic wastewater is combined and transported as a single waste stream, however, there is considerable variation in the pollutant and pathogen content of wastewater derived from different activities within the home (e.g. toilet flushing, dish washing, bathing etc.). In Ireland, the issue of unsewered wastewater treatment systems often located in rural areas and estimated to number over 400,000, constitutes a significant diffuse risk to both surface & groundwater. DCU & CIT have teamed up with DkIT and their project partners to carry out a preliminary investigation into the levels of priority & hazardous substances in domestic wastewater from a number of single dwelling houses within the Lough Muckno Catchment, Co. Monaghan and an integrated constructed wetland (ICW) on the grounds of the Castle Leslie Estate in Glaslough, Co. Monaghan