António A. L. Sampaio Duarte

Eutrophication vulnerability analysis: A case study

River Cavado water quality variability was studied for eutrophication vulnerability assessment at a new surface water supply intake. Since the river flow regime is artificially controlled by upstream multipurpose reservoirs, mathematical modelling was applied in evaluating alternative management scenarios. Due to the fact that surface water quality at intake location is mainly affected by a wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge 5 km upstream, algae and nutrients concentration simulations have been worked out in order to identify critical situations. Different algal concentration profiles along the river were obtained for local conditions of light energy, water temperature and estimated nutrient loads, showing high probability of eutrophication occurrence for some of the simulated scenarios. The discussion of results of this study appears to be very useful for river basin wide water management policies evaluation.

Domestic water uses: Characterization of daily cycles in the north region of Portugal

Nowadays, there is an increasing discussion among specialists about water use efficiency and the best measures to improve it. In Portugal, there have been a few attempts to expand the implementation of in situ water reuse projects. However, there is a lack of information about indoor water uses and how they are influenced by sociodemographic characteristics. There are several studies that investigate per capita global water usage, but the partitioning of this volume per domestic device and daily cycles is yet unknown. Identified as one of the key questions in sustainable building design, the water end-use is of primary importance to the design of hydraulic networks in buildings. In order to overcome this lack, a quantitative characterization of daily water uses for each domestic device was performed, based on a weekly monitoring program in fifty-two different dwellings in the northern region of Portugal (Vila Real, Valpaços and Oporto). For forty of them, each water usage of different domestic devices of each dwelling was recorded. At the same time, the remaining twelve dwellings were also monitored in order to register the volume of water consumed in each utilization of each domestic device. This paper presents the results of this complete monitoring program, using collected data to establish indoor water use patterns for each domestic device, aiming to support a more realistic approach to residential water use. The daily cycles in the different cities, where the monitoring program was performed, are also presented, in order to evaluate possible influences of sociodemographic characteristics.

WIT Transactions on Information and Communication Technologies

The emerging theory of vulnerability of water pipe networks intends to give an important contribution for the design of this important component of water supply systems, as well as, for the assessment, rehabilitation and management of the existing ones. The fundamental contribution of this theory is to design water pipe networks more robust since it is able to identify the most vulnerable parts of them. The concept of vulnerability is associated with the disproportionateness of the failure consequences in relation to the initial damage. It is not a theory of robustness. The main objective of this research work is to explain how the risk of a vulnerable failure scenario of a water pipe network may be accessed and how the theory of vulnerability can be relevant.

A risk management methodology for protozoa control in drinking water supply systems

Over the last two decades, enteric protozoa have been recognized as a major concern regarding waterborne diseases, mostly due to the occurrence of a high number of outbreaks worldwide, leading to serious public health problems. The complexity of these problems advises an integrated analysis of the microorganisms’ characteristics and life cycle linked with the catchment-toconsumer drinking water system in order to bring light upon the failures that underlie these undesirable events. Several studies have been developed in order to mitigate these impacts on public health, attending to the main paths of water contamination, and the processes of advanced treatment and monitoring. Moreover, risk management methodologies were also improved in order to provide the incorporation of the multiple barrier approach in drinking water risk assessment tools, which must be able to identify hazards and the major vulnerabilities of drinking water contamination by pathogenic protozoa. In this work, the authors present a protozoa control strategy, based on a risk management methodology and consisting of three fundamental steps: identification of hazardous events and drinking water system failures; qualitative risk assessment associated with the identified events and failures; definition of risk mitigation measures for protozoa control. A case study will be used for testing the proposed methodology towards the design of a strategic plan to minimize the resilience of the events related to the presence of these pathogens in water sources and to increase the sustainability of water resource management.

Methodology to evaluate the risk of vulnerable failure scenarios in a water pipe network

The emerging theory of vulnerability of water pipe networks intends to give an important contribution for the design of this important component of water supply systems, as well as, for the assessment, rehabilitation and management of the existing ones. The fundamental contribution of this theory is to design water pipe networks more robust since it is able to identify the most vulnerable parts of them. The concept of vulnerability is associated with the disproportionateness of the failure consequences in relation to the initial damage. It is not a theory of robustness. The main objective of this research work is to explain how the risk of a vulnerable failure scenario of a water pipe network may be accessed and how the theory of vulnerability can be relevant.