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Water
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Diffuse Water Pollution
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Diffuse Water Pollution

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 28342

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Antonio Lo Porto

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Guest Editor
Water Research Institute - National Research Council, IRSA-CNR, Bari, Italy
Interests: integrated water resources management; diffuse water pollution; EU WFD implementation; river basin planning; irrigation management
Dr. Anna Maria De Girolamo

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Guest Editor
Water Research Institute - National Research Council, IRSA-CNR, Bari, Italy
Interests: Eco-hydrology, erosion, diffuse water pollution, modelling hydrology and water quality, climate change impacts on water resources, Integrated Water Resources Management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diffuse water pollution from urban and rural sources keeps impacting worldwide water resources, apparently regardless of the efforts made. In order to overcome this problem and improve the overall quality of surface- and groundwater resources, several research gaps still exist that deserve attention: What is the actual effectiveness of mitigation measures for rural and urban sources? How to draw a basin scale Program of Measure able to achieve its goals? Which is the time gap to see the effects of mitigation measures? Are current monitoring schemes good enough to allow reporting on before and after management implementation? Are we actually able to carry out correct sources apportionment? Are Natural Based Solutions effective in reducing diffuse pollution load? Do different climatic/environmental conditions influence the effects of diffuse pollution and of mitigation measures? Is the current knowledge able to deliver TMDL allocations? Are our modelling tools adequate in handling sediment erosion/delivering and transport of compounds of emerging concern of diffuse origin?

The Special Issue on “Diffuse Water Pollution” is aimed at collecting the cutting-edge research on this topic, including selected papers presented at the “2018 SWAT International Conference” held in September 2018 in Brussels.  

Dr. Antonio Lo Porto
Dr. Anna Maria De Girolamo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • NPS
  • hydrological models
  • sediment
  • best management practices
  • program of measures
  • TMDL
  • urban SUDs

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1855 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Nitrate Pollution Pathways on a Vulnerable Agricultural Plain in Slovenia: Taking the Local Approach to Balance Ecosystem Services of Food and Water
by Miha Curk, Matjaž Glavan and Marina Pintar
Water 2020, 12(3), 707; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12030707 - 05 Mar 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3043
Abstract
Groundwater pollution with nitrate of agricultural origin is a major problem in many countries. A great deal of effort is focused on finding ways to reduce leaching from agricultural land. In this study, different land management scenarios were evaluated with the SWAT model [...] Read more.
Groundwater pollution with nitrate of agricultural origin is a major problem in many countries. A great deal of effort is focused on finding ways to reduce leaching from agricultural land. In this study, different land management scenarios were evaluated with the SWAT model in order to determine which are the most effective in reducing nitrate leaching on specific soil types in the Krška kotlina alluvial plain (Slovenia). The area is very important both for agriculture production and drinking water resources. The model was calibrated for three soil moisture field trial sites, each representing one major soil type of the area. Simulated soil moisture values were in good agreement with the observed values (PBIAS (percent bias) ±25%). Of the nine land management scenarios that were evaluated, vegetable rotation caused the most nitrate leaching on all soil types, but it fared better on Cambisol than on Fluvisol. Orchards on the other hand leached the least amount of nitrate, but also fared better on Cambisol. Presented studies should be considered as a preliminary stage in the study of nitrate pollution in the investigated area. Results show that nitrate leaching varies for different land management scenarios on different soil types. Further work should concentrate on field trials to evaluate the impacts of reduced fertilization on nitrate leaching and both crop yield and quality on different soil types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Water Pollution)
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15 pages, 1979 KiB  
Article
Source Apportionment of Nutrient Loads to a Mediterranean River and Potential Mitigation Measures
by Anna Maria De Girolamo and Antonio Lo Porto
Water 2020, 12(2), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020577 - 20 Feb 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2676
Abstract
The aims of the study were to quantify nutrient loads from point and diffuse pollution sources in the Rio Mannu stream and to simulate mitigation measures for reducing nutrient loads delivered to the Santa Gilla wetland. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model [...] Read more.
The aims of the study were to quantify nutrient loads from point and diffuse pollution sources in the Rio Mannu stream and to simulate mitigation measures for reducing nutrient loads delivered to the Santa Gilla wetland. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was used for simulating hydrology, nutrient balance and water quality. At the basin scale, the input from fertilisers was 80.3 kg ha−1 year−1 total nitrogen (TN) (87.6% of the total input) and 27.6 kg ha−1 year−1 of total phosphorus (TP) (99.8% of the total input). Atmospheric deposition and biological N-fixation together accounted for about 12% of the total TN input. The TN and TP from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were about 14.2 t year−1 and 3.1 t year−1, respectively. Nutrient loads delivered to the river system differed among the sub-basins, with TP ranging from 0.2 kg ha−1 year−1 to 2.7 kg ha−1 year−1, and the sum of organic N and NO3-N ranging from 1.8 kg ha−1 year−1 to 22.9 kg ha−1 year−1. Under high flow conditions, NO3-N and TP accounted for 89% and 99% of the total load, respectively. The low flow contribution to the total load was very low, with NO3-N and TP accounting for 2.8% and 0.7%, respectively. However, the natural hydrological regime in the study area is intermittent, and low flow represents a critical condition for the water quality due to the high concentrations of TP and NO3-N from WWTP discharge. To improve the water quality, the reuse of treated wastewater from three WWTPs for irrigation purposes on olive cultivation, coupled with a 20% reduction in fertiliser application, was simulated. The results showed a reduction in nutrient loads at the outlet for all hydrological conditions. However, additional measures are needed for improving water quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Water Pollution)
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21 pages, 2986 KiB  
Article
Modelling Impacts of a Municipal Spatial Plan of Land-Use Changes on Surface Water Quality—Example from Goriška Brda in Slovenia
by Matjaž Glavan, Sara Bele, Miha Curk and Marina Pintar
Water 2020, 12(1), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12010189 - 09 Jan 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3015
Abstract
Intensive agriculture causes nutrient leaching and accelerates erosion processes, which threatens the good quality status of surface waters, as proposed by the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive. The purpose of this study was to define the impact of two alternative agricultural land-use [...] Read more.
Intensive agriculture causes nutrient leaching and accelerates erosion processes, which threatens the good quality status of surface waters, as proposed by the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive. The purpose of this study was to define the impact of two alternative agricultural land-use change scenarios defined in a Municipal Spatial Plan on surface water quality by using the Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model. As experimental area, we chose a small Kožbanjšček stream catchment (1464 ha) situated in the Goriška Brda region in Slovenia. The area, due to favorable conditions for vineyards, is facing increasing deforestation. The change of 66.3 ha of forests to vineyards would increase the sediment, nitrate, and phosphorus loads in the stream by 24.8%, 17.1%, and 10.7%, respectively. With the implementation of vegetative buffer strips as a mitigation measure of the current situation, we could reduce the sediment, nitrate, and phosphorus loads by 17.9%, 11.1%, and 3.1%, respectively, while a combination of the two land-use change scenarios would result in a slight increase of the above-mentioned loads, corresponding to 0.61%, 2.1%, and 6.6%, respectively, compared to the baseline situation. The results confirm that, as we can increase pollution levels with deforestation, we can also reduce water pollution by choosing proper types of land management measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Water Pollution)
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19 pages, 3615 KiB  
Article
Measuring Streambank Erosion: A Comparison of Erosion Pins, Total Station, and Terrestrial Laser Scanner
by Daniel T. Myers, Richard R. Rediske and James N. McNair
Water 2019, 11(9), 1846; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11091846 - 05 Sep 2019
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5806
Abstract
Streambank erosion is difficult to quantify; models and field methods are needed to assess this important sediment source to streams. Our objectives were to (1) evaluate and compare three techniques for quantifying streambank erosion: erosion pins, total station, and laser scanning, (2) spatially [...] Read more.
Streambank erosion is difficult to quantify; models and field methods are needed to assess this important sediment source to streams. Our objectives were to (1) evaluate and compare three techniques for quantifying streambank erosion: erosion pins, total station, and laser scanning, (2) spatially assess streambank erosion rates in the Indian Mill Creek watershed of Michigan, USA, and (3) relate results with modeling of nonpoint source pollution. We found large absolute and relative errors between the different measurement techniques. However, we were unable to determine any statistically significant differences between techniques and only observed a correlation between total station and laser scanner. This suggests that the three methods have limited comparability and differences between measurements were largely not systemic. Further, the application of each technique should be dependent on site conditions, project goals, desired resolution, and resources. The laser scanner collected high-resolution data on clear, barren streambanks, but the erosion pin and total station were more representative of complex vegetated banks. Streambank erosion rates varied throughout the watershed and were influenced by fluvial processes. We estimate that streambank erosion contributed 28.5% of the creek’s total sediment load. These findings are important to address sources of watershed impairments related to sedimentation, as choosing an applicable technique for individual purposes can help reduce the challenges and costs of a streambank erosion study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Water Pollution)
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29 pages, 2964 KiB  
Article
Modelling Nitrate Reduction Strategies from Diffuse Sources in the Po River Basin
by Anna Malagó, Fayçal Bouraoui, Marco Pastori and Emiliano Gelati
Water 2019, 11(5), 1030; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11051030 - 16 May 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4387
Abstract
Water contamination caused by the presence of excessive amounts of nitrate can be catastrophic for aquatic ecosystems and human health. Due to these high risks, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on finding effective measures to reduce nitrate concentrations in rivers [...] Read more.
Water contamination caused by the presence of excessive amounts of nitrate can be catastrophic for aquatic ecosystems and human health. Due to these high risks, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on finding effective measures to reduce nitrate concentrations in rivers and aquifers. In this study, we used the SWAT model based on grid-cells of 5 minutes of resolution for assessing the processes involved in nitrate loads generation and transport into aquifers and rivers and for providing basin management strategies of nitrate reduction. We applied the model in the Po River Basin (Italy), one of the most densely populated and highly agriculturally exploited area in the Mediterranean basin. The model was successfully calibrated and validated in eight monitoring stations along the Po River for the period 2000–2012. Simulated monthly streamflow and nitrate concentrations were in good agreement with observations, obtaining values of bias around ±25% in both calibration and validation. Among the tested scenarios of nitrogen reduction from agricultural sources, red clover cover crop after corn, coupled with a targeted reduction of mineral fertilizers and the limitation of nitrogen manure leads to a reduction of nitrate leaching and nitrogen emissions of around 37%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Water Pollution)
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24 pages, 4039 KiB  
Article
Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Streamflow, Sediment and Nutrient Loadings of the Minija River (Lithuania): A Hillslope Watershed Discretization Application with High-Resolution Spatial Inputs
by Natalja Čerkasova, Georg Umgiesser and Ali Ertürk
Water 2019, 11(4), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040676 - 01 Apr 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4237
Abstract
In this paper we focus on the model setup scheme for medium-size watershed with high resolution, multi-site calibration, and present results on the possible changes of the Minija River in flow, sediment load, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) load in the [...] Read more.
In this paper we focus on the model setup scheme for medium-size watershed with high resolution, multi-site calibration, and present results on the possible changes of the Minija River in flow, sediment load, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) load in the near-term (up to 2050) and long-term (up to 2099) in the light of climate change (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios) under business-as-usual conditions. The SWAT model for the Minija River basin was setup by using the developed Matlab (SWAT-LAB) scripts for a highly customized watershed configuration that addresses the specific needs of the project objective. We performed the watershed delineation by combining sub-basin and hillslope discretization schemes. We defined the HRUs by aggregating the topographic, land use, soil, and administrative unit features of the area. A multisite manual calibration approach was adopted to calibrate and validate the model, achieving good to satisfactory results across different sub-basins of the area for flow, sediments and nutrient loads (TP and TN). After completing the climate change scenario calculations, we found that a net decrease of flow (up to 35%), TN (up to 34%), and TP (up to 50%) loads are projected under both scenarios. Furthermore, we explored the changes in the streamflow composition and provide new insight on the reason of projected nutrient load decrease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Water Pollution)
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22 pages, 3821 KiB  
Article
A Spatial Analysis to Define Data Requirements for Hydrological and Water Quality Models in Data-Limited Regions
by Ersilia D’Ambrosio, Anna Maria De Girolamo, Marinella Spanò, Vera Corbelli, Gennaro Capasso, Massimo Morea, Raffaele Velardo, Ossama M.M. Abdelwahab, Antonio Lonigro, Fabio Milillo, Giovanni Francesco Ricci, Giovanni Romano, Angelantonio Calabrese, Barbara Casale, Roberto Mauro, Giuseppe Pappagallo and Francesco Gentile
Water 2019, 11(2), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11020267 - 03 Feb 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4591
Abstract
The objective of the present work is a spatial analysis aimed at supporting hydrological and water quality model applications in the Canale d’Aiedda basin (Puglia, Italy), a data-limited area. The basin is part of the sensitive environmental area of Taranto that requires remediation [...] Read more.
The objective of the present work is a spatial analysis aimed at supporting hydrological and water quality model applications in the Canale d’Aiedda basin (Puglia, Italy), a data-limited area. The basin is part of the sensitive environmental area of Taranto that requires remediation of the soil, subsoil, surface water, and groundwater. A monitoring plan was defined to record the streamflow and water quality parameters needed for calibrating and validating models, and a database archived in a GIS environment was built, which includes climatic data, soil hydraulic parameters, groundwater data, surface water quality parameters, point-source parameters, and information on agricultural practices. Based on a one-year monitoring of activities, the average annual loads of N-NO3 and P-PO4 delivered to the Mar Piccolo amounted to about 42 t year−1, and 2 t year−1, respectively. Knowledge uncertainty in monthly load estimation was found to be up to 25% for N-NO3 and 40% for P-PO4. The contributions of point sources in terms of N-NO3 and P-PO4 were estimated at 45% and 77%, respectively. This study defines a procedure for supporting modelling activities at the basin scale for data-limited regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Water Pollution)
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