Monitoring of drinking water distribution system by SCADA in Antalya City, Turkey

Antalya water and wastewater administration has recently completed SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system. The system enabled the on-line continuous monitoring of many water quantity and quality parameters such as flow rate, pressure, temperature, pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, and free residual chlorine. Additionally, water levels in the distribution reservoirs, water pumps, energy consumption and the closing valves are monitored and controlled by the SCADA system. Beside the on-line continuous monitoring, field sampling and lab analyses of other water quality parameters such as total organic carbon, THM, bromide, iron, nitrogen and phosphorous groups, and coliform bacteria were conducted. The results of field sampling agreed with the on-line monitoring values. The SCADA system proved to be very useful for reducing water losses, improving water quality, reducing energy consumption and improving the reliability of the system

A sustainable method of effluent disposal: case study of Antalya sea outfall, Turkey

Antalya city, located along the Turkish Mediterranean coast, lacked a proper sanitation system till 1996. An integrated water & wastewater project has been implemented to protect groundwater resources used for drinking and seawater quality. The project involved collection, treatment and final disposal of effluents by a deep sea outfall system. A current research project has been realized to evaluate performance of Antalya Sea Outfall. Seasonal in-situ measurements and bacteriological monitoring studies have been realized. The discharged wastewater plume is observed to be submerged in summer and to reach sea surface in winter condition. The results of the monitoring program exhibit considerable spatial and temporal variations. The resultant total and fecal coliform numbers comply well with the Turkish Standards for the use of coastal and sea water for recreation

Suitability of pesticide risk indicators for less developed countries: a comparison

Pesticide risk indicators provide simple support in the assessment of environmental and health risks from pesticide use, and can therefore inform policies to foster a sustainable interaction of agriculture with the environment. For their relative simplicity, indicators may be particularly useful under conditions of limited data availability and resources, such as in Less Developed Countries (LDCs). However, indicator complexity can vary significantly, in particular between those that rely on an exposure–toxicity ratio (ETR) and those that do not. In addition, pesticide risk indicators are usually developed for Western contexts, which might cause incorrect estimation in LDCs. This study investigated the appropriateness of seven pesticide risk indicators for use in LDCs, with reference to smallholding agriculture in Colombia. Seven farm-level indicators, among which 3 relied on an ETR (POCER, EPRIP, PIRI) and 4 on a non-ETR approach (EIQ, PestScreen, OHRI, Dosemeci et al., 2002), were calculated and then compared by means of the Spearman rank correlation test. Indicators were also compared with respect to key indicator characteristics, i.e. user friendliness and ability to represent the system under study. The comparison of the indicators in terms of the total environmental risk suggests that the indicators not relying on an ETR approach cannot be used as a reliable proxy for more complex, i.e. ETR, indicators. ETR indicators, when user-friendly, show a comparative advantage over non-ETR in best combining the need for a relatively simple tool to be used in contexts of limited data availability and resources, and for a reliable estimation of environmental risk. Non-ETR indicators remain useful and accessible tools to discriminate between different pesticides prior to application. Concerning the human health risk, simple algorithms seem more appropriate for assessing human health risk in LDCs. However, further research on health risk indicators and their validation under LDC conditions is needed

A three-dimensional water quality-macrophyte interaction model for shallow lakes

A dynamic three-dimensional water quality model for macrophyte-dominated shallow lakes was proposed and tested. The proposed model is capable of simulating macrophytes and its interactions with water quality constituents such as dissolved oxygen (DO), organic nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate, organic phosphorus, orthophosphate, biochemical oxygen demand, phytoplankton and the sediment layer in shallow lakes. An existing two-dimensional hydrodynamic model has been utilized in conjunction with the water quality model to simulate water levels, velocities and flow rates. The modelled macrophyte processes are photosynthesis, respiration, mortality and excretion. Hourly simulation of photosynthesis process has been realized. The hourly simulations need special attention to predict diurnal variations of DO in macrophyte dominated lakes. The proposed water quality simulation model was subjected to calibration, verification and prediction processes using the data collected from Mogan Lake, Turkey. Mogan Lake exhibits wide variations of macrophyte biomass seasonally. The lake also exhibits highly variable DO levels both seasonally and diurnally. Statistical error quantification methods have been utilized to test the goodness of fit between the water quality model predictions and field measurements. Good agreement has been achieved between model predictions and measurements. Moreover, uncertainty analysis has been carried out for macrophyte and DO constituents. The analysis showed that the magnitude of the saturated growth rate of macrophyte is the most sensitive model parameter both for macrophyte and DO. The proposed water quality simulation model gave some promising initial results as a management tool to predict the expected reductions for the undesired consequences of eutrophication problem

Urban Water Pipe Networks Management Towards Non-Revenue Water Reduction: Two Case Studies from Greece and Turkey

Non-revenue water (NRW) accounts for water, revenues, and energy losses. NRW is a big part of the water input in the water distribution systems worldwide, exceeding even 50% in several cases around the globe. The need for conservative water use is today more pressing than ever due to the stressing climate change impacts, forcing water utilities to consider applying effective NRW reduction strategies. The problem gets even worse across the Mediterranean basin that faces severe water scarcity conditions along with increasing water needs. An integrated methodology addressing the NRW problem is currently lacking. The assessment of a network's current operating status based on the International Water Association water balance and performance indicators available is a good start. The real or physical losses represent the biggest "water use" due to the high leakage often being the case. The most effective way to address them is through pressure management. To increase its efficiency, the use of the system's hydraulic simulation model is necessary. The present paper presents two cases (Kos Town in Greece and Antalya City in Turkey) where the above mentioned concept was applied

Spectroscopic Analysis of an Antimalarial Drug’s (Quinine) Influence on Human Serum Albumin Reduction and Antioxidant Potential

Quinine (Qi) is a well-known drug used in malaria therapy; it is also a potential anti-arrhythmic drug used in the treatment of calf cramps, rheumatoid arthritis, colds, and photodermatitis. Moreover, it is used in the food industry for the production of tonics. This study aimed to analyze the interaction between quinine and a transporting protein—human serum albumin (HSA)—as well as the influence of Qi on both protein reduction and antioxidant potential. It was found that Qi (via spectrofluorometric measurements and circular dichroism spectroscopy) binds to HSA with a low affinity and slightly affects the secondary structure of albumin. As demonstrated by the use of ABTS and FRAP assays, HSA has a higher antioxidant and reduction potential than Qi, while their mutual interaction results in a synergistic effect in antioxidant activity and reduction potential