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Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 11535

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Sanitary Engineering and Water Management, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Land Surveying, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Interests: surface hydrology; flood; drought; modelling of hydrological processes; climate change; urban hydrology
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Guest Editor
Department of Sanitary Engineering and Water Management, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Interests: hydrology; hydrometeorology; water management; hydrological modelling; floods; climate change; ecohydrology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The most important resource in the environment is water, which affects all aspects of human life and ecosystems. Integrated water management is a very important in point of view for a region’s sustainable development.  Water management is a complex decision-making process. Increasing human activities, climate variability, and environmental issues are still influencing the quantity and quality of freshwater. The distribution of water resources is characterized by high spatial and temporal variability. For this reason, many regions of the world have severe problems with water scarcity, droughts, and floods. Water management is strongly linked with human activities and can be reflected as technical or other activities in a basin. In particular regions of the world, we are still observing limited human water management activities. Due to this, is very difficult to manage water resources in a sustainable way. On the other hand, there are many reasons for the limitations of water resources. The management of water resources requires many actions that work to shape the water regime and the safety of water availability for different human needs. Moreover, flood and drought risk reduction should be ensured while maintaining the abovementioned aims. Finally, water allocation should include protection and biodiversity of the ecosystem. Generally, there are visible strong relationships between human activities and water resource quality and quantity.

Many examples of activities that are linked with environmental engineering are commonly used in water resource management. Some examples are sewage treatment plants protecting water bodies against pollutants, hydraulics structures that play a crucial role in water resource shaping, water transport that protects against hydroclimatic hazards such as floods and drought, and irrigation and drainage systems that support water availability in agriculture. On the other hand, we also see many examples  of the negative impact of human activities on water resources.

Taking all this into account, there is still a need for investigations on the quantity and quality of water resources and the role of environmental engineering in sustainable water management. Thus, we propose the Special Issue of Sustainability titled Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Management. Therefore, the main objective of this Special Issue is to contribute to the understanding of science-based knowledge, new ideas, new approaches, and novel solutions in environmental engineering for water resource management, including the main challenges such as changes in land cover and climate variability.

Dr. Andrzej Wałęga
Dr. Dariusz Młyński
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • water management optimization
  • ecohydrology
  • hydraulic structures
  • hydropower plants
  • river transport
  • river restorations and regulations
  • water quality
  • sewage treatment technology
  • climate change
  • irrigation and drainage
  • flood and drought protection
  • economic analyses in water management
  • hydroclimatic data needs to design hydraulics structures
  • land use change and water erosion intensity

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4635 KiB  
Article
Applicability of the WASP Model in an Assessment of the Impact of Anthropogenic Pollution on Water Quality—Dunajec River Case Study
by Mateusz Żelazny, Monika Bryła, Bogdan Ozga-Zielinski and Tomasz Walczykiewicz
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2444; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032444 - 30 Jan 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2354
Abstract
This article covers the analysis of the impact of agricultural and municipal pollution on surface waters in a selected pilot section of the Dunajec River in Poland. The analysis was performed using the dynamic Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) model. The operational [...] Read more.
This article covers the analysis of the impact of agricultural and municipal pollution on surface waters in a selected pilot section of the Dunajec River in Poland. The analysis was performed using the dynamic Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) model. The operational use of the WASP allows the assessment of current and future changes in water quality and the planning of measures to reduce adverse impacts on surface waters. Based on the acquired and processed data, the model simulated the impact of the pollutant supply on the water quality in the selected section. The simulations were carried out in three developed scenarios. The results of the simulations of the spread of pollutants in the riverbed show that the adopted scenarios, including an increased supply of pollutants and unfavorable hydrological conditions, will not adversely affect the operation and efficiency of the water intake. Thus in the considered cases, the risk will not reach an unacceptable level. However, a serious threat may be caused by the failure of the sewage treatment plant located in the vicinity of a water intake. The conducted analyses indicate that the WASP may have significant application potential in the risk assessment for surface water intakes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Management)
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27 pages, 5978 KiB  
Article
Influence of Rainfall Events and Surface Inclination on Overland and Subsurface Runoff Formation on Low-Permeable Soil
by Andrzej Gruchot, Tymoteusz Zydroń, Andrzej Wałęga, Jana Pařílková and Jacek Stanisz
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 4962; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14094962 - 20 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2194
Abstract
This paper presents the results of laboratory tests that allowed us to determine the effect of the soil surface inclination and its initial moisture content on the formation of overland and subsurface runoff. The experiments were carried out for the soil that is [...] Read more.
This paper presents the results of laboratory tests that allowed us to determine the effect of the soil surface inclination and its initial moisture content on the formation of overland and subsurface runoff. The experiments were carried out for the soil that is commonly present in the southern part of Poland, including the Outer Carpathians. The results of these measurements served as a reference for overland runoff calculations using the Richards model, simplified Green–Ampt model, and the empirical model (MSME). The results of the measurements showed that, for low-permeable soil, overland runoff is the dominant form. It was shown that a slope in the range of 2.5–5.0% does not have a significant effect on the amount of overland runoff, but affects its dynamics. The measurements also showed that the starting time and amount of overland runoff are strictly associated with the initial soil moisture content. High soil moisture content in the period preceding the onset of rainfall causes faster generation and an increase in overland runoff, which is caused by the saturation of the surface layer of the soil. This mechanism was confirmed by the results of calculations using the Richards model and measurements of the electrical resistance of the soil. Theoretical calculations showed that the results of the runoff calculations using the Richards and Green–Ampt models are strongly dependent on the hydraulic properties of the soil adopted for the analysis. It was also demonstrated that the modified MSME model satisfactorily estimates the amount of overland and subsurface runoff, but requires parameter calibration based on existing hydrological data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Management)
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17 pages, 4168 KiB  
Article
Modular Regulators of Water Level in Ditches of Subirrigation Systems
by Sławomir Bajkowski, Janusz Urbański, Ryszard Oleszczuk, Piotr Siwicki, Andrzej Brandyk and Zbigniew Popek
Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4103; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074103 - 30 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1476
Abstract
Economical management of water resources involves water management on a national scale, including river basins and catchment areas, as well as on the scale of drainage systems. One of the devices for controlling the outflow of groundwater from a network of ditches is [...] Read more.
Economical management of water resources involves water management on a national scale, including river basins and catchment areas, as well as on the scale of drainage systems. One of the devices for controlling the outflow of groundwater from a network of ditches is a flow regulator. In this work, three flow regulators were studied for their water damming capacity in the drainage network and the adjacent ground with the aim of determining their hydraulic characteristics and operating conditions. The adjustment consisted of changing the closing height in order to obtain the required damming level in a ditch. All three tested regulators were characterized by the presence of effective flow Qe, the value of which was determined for different damming levels. Water leaks occurred mainly in places where the damming elements were embedded in vertical guides and, to a lesser extent, at the horizontal joints of successively placed beams. The impact of the overflow shape and the development of the crest line on the obtained flow rate increase was different for the tested S, U, and Z models. The expansion coefficient of the overflow crest equaled kr = 1.0 for the rectilinear S regulator, kr = 1.58 for the labyrinth U regulator, and kr = 1.74 for the compound Z regulator. For the S4 variant, the modular total flow factor reached kQ = 1.19 for the elevation of the upper water above the overflow H = 14.9 cm. The U2 variant was characterized by a modular flow coefficient of kQ = 1.48 for H = 10.7 cm. For the Z1 variant with a cylindrical corner shape, the modular flow coefficient value was kQ = 1.60 for H = 8.2 cm in elevation. For the Z2 variant with an angular corner shape, kQ = 1.63 for H = 8.4 cm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Management)
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29 pages, 3183 KiB  
Article
Analysis of SPI as a Drought Indicator during the Maize Growing Period in the Çukurova Region (Turkey)
by Roman Rolbiecki, Ali Yücel, Joanna Kocięcka, Atılgan Atilgan, Monika Marković and Daniel Liberacki
Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3697; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063697 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3842
Abstract
One of the major challenges for agriculture related to climate change is drought. The increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation in many parts of the world have enhanced the frequency and severity of drought events. Therefore, a detailed analysis is required in order to [...] Read more.
One of the major challenges for agriculture related to climate change is drought. The increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation in many parts of the world have enhanced the frequency and severity of drought events. Therefore, a detailed analysis is required in order to determine the drought frequency and take the necessary precautions. In this study, the climatic conditions in the agricultural region of Çukurova (Turkey) were analysed. Meteorological data for the three provinces of Adana, Mersin, and Osmaniye were used. The aim was to calculate the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for each of the three provinces analysed, and to use these values to detect drought during the different growth periods of maize. We also investigated whether the SPI values for the last 30 years differ significantly between the provinces. Furthermore, indicators such as the duration, magnitude, severity, recurrence, and drought frequency were also calculated. Using linear regression analysis, we determined whether there were trends in the multi-year data for the total precipitation and mean temperature. In addition, the water deficiency was determined by examining the amount of water required by maize and the adequacy of the precipitation in each development period. As a result, it was found that the Çukurova region is prone to droughts, but they follow a mild course in most cases. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the SPI values in the three provinces. The calculated average approximate drought recurrences (Tr) and expected intensities (Iave) were Tr ~ 1.036 years and Iave ~ 5.634 mm year−1 in 3 years for Adana, Tr ~ 1.031 years and Iave ~ −0.312 mm year−1 in 3 years for Mersin, and Tr ~ 1.052 years and Iave ~ −0.084 mm year−1 in 3 years Osmaniye. The research carried out in this paper confirmed that maize cultivation in the Çukurova region is vulnerable to drought, and adaptation actions should be taken immediately. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Management)
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