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Eutrophication of Waters (OECD)

Monitoring, Assessment and Control

Modified: October 11, 2017                           

Contents:

• Preamble
• Introduction
  • Summary and Conclusions
  • Water Resource Planning
  • Nutrient Load Assessment
    • Table-1: Trophic characterisation of lakes impairment of various uses
• Correlations between trophic indicators
  • Nitrogen vs Phosphorus
    • Figure-1: Nitrogen vs. Phosphorus
  • Ortho-phosphate-P vs. Total-Phosphorus
    • Figure-2: Ortho-phosphate-P vs. Total-P
• Trophic Terminology and Prediction
  • Sampling Frequency
  • Trophic Terminology
    • Fixed Boundary System or the Diagnostic Model
      • Table-2: Fixed Boundary System or the Diagnostic Model
    • Open Boundary System
      • Table-3: Open Boundary System
• Prediction: (OECD Probability Distribution Diagrams- Vollenweider's dictum)
  • Figure-3: Probability distribution curve for the average lake phosphorus
  • Figure-4: Probability distribution curve for the average chlorophyll a
  • Figure-5: Probability distribution curve for the peak chlorophyll a
  • Figure-6: Probability distribution curve for the average yearly Secchi disk transparency
  • Example of an application of the OECD Probability Distribution Diagrams for lakes in HRM, Nova Scotia
• Water Management
  • Lake Management- Quality objectives as a function of its intended use
  • Predictive Models
    • OECD Management Model (Vollenweider and Kerekes, 1982)
      • Table-4: Management Model- yearly averages
      • Figure-7: OECD Management Model together with the long term correlation equations
    • Vollenweider 1976 Model (Vollenweider, 1976)
      • Figure-8: An example of the Vollenweider (1976) Model with the OECD (1982) Management Model trophic categories superimposed
    • Some sensitive areas and exceptions in modelling
• Nova Scotia lakes- OECD chlorophyll/inlake phosphorus regressions
  • Figure-9: Comparison between the Nova Scotia lakes and the OECD regressions for the chlorophyll/inlake phosphorus concentrations

Preamble

The impact of eutrophication on recreation and tourism is probably the most sensitive area for the public. It may severely alter the recreational value of many water bodies and impair related activities (swimming, fishing, etc.) as a result of the objectionable aspect of the waters, such as reduced transparency, odour, and increased incidence of stinging insects, swimmer's itch, etc. Both social impacts and economic losses may be important and make eutrophication control necessary.

The impact of eutrophication on drinking water supply may be serious. For a number of reasons it generally reduces its final quality and may diminish its safety. Furthermore, it makes its preparation more difficult and costly.

The problems encountered include: rapid clogging of filters by diatoms and other algae; disturbance of floculation treatment by organic substances; persistent and unpleasant taste and odour (e.g. geosmine); abnormal concentration of substances such as manganese, iron and ammonia giving rise to colour or other disturbances; risk of increased bacterial growth in drinking water due to the fouling of the distribution networks and the nutrient content.

Furthermore, because of the high content of organic substances in eutrophied waters and some of the problems listed above (taste, ammonia, regrowth of organisms, etc.) these waters are often extensively chlorinated during treatment as well in the initial transportation and final distribution networks. High levels of both chlorine and organic substances lead to significant concentrations of organochlorinated compounds in drinking water, and these substances are now considered to be potentially hazardous for human health (carcinogenic risk). Waters for potable use should thus be protected from eutrophication.

Introduction

The final report is a synthesis of the main results of the OECD Cooperative Programme on Eutrophication under the Chairman of the Technical Bureau, Dr. Richard Vollenweider. It is the outcome of several years' concerted effort by 18 Member countries, at 50 institutes. The objectives were to establish, through international cooperation, a basis for eutrophication control of inland waters (lakes and reservoirs in particular), and to develop better guidelines for fixing nutrient load criteria compatible with water use objectives.

This report is both complementary and supplementary to the four Regional Project Reports published as follows. A fifth report (the Canadian contribution) has been developed which tests the OECD results on bodies of waters not included in the analytical part.

1. Title: Regional Project Alpine Lakes
• Compiled by: Hj. Fricker
• Chairmanship: M.H. Ambül, H. Löffler and O. Ravera
• Publisher: Swiss Federal Institute for Water Resources and Water Pollution Control (EAWAG), Dübendorf, Switzerland

In the Alpine regions are the headwaters of a large number of European waters. 30 lakes, consisting of 38 lake basins, are included in this project.



2. Title: The Nordic Project: OECD Eutrophication Programme
• Compiled by: S.-O. Ryding
• Chairmanship: C. Forsberg
• Publisher: Nordic Cooperative Organisation for Applied Research (NORDFORSK), SF-00181, Helsinki 17, Finland

This project includes the lakes resulting from the retreat of the great quaternary glaciers. 10 lakes, consisting of 15 lake basins, are included in this project.



3. Title: Project, Shallow Lakes and Reservoirs, Final Report
• Compiled by: J. Clasen
• Chairmanship: H. Bernhardt
• Publisher: Water Research Centre, Medmenham, marlow, Bucks, SL7 2 HD, England

This project includes man-made lakes and reservoirs and other relatively shallow lakes, lagoons and estuarine waters covering a wide variety of geographical situations. 32 waterbodies are included in this project.



4. Summary Analysis of the North American (U.S. Portion) OECD Eutrophication Project: Nutrient Loading-Lake Response Relationship and Trophic State Indices. 455p.
• Compiled by: W. Rast and G.F. Lee
• Project Officers: N. Jaworski and J.H. Gakstatter
• Chairmanship: N. Jaworski, M.T. Maloney and R.A. Vollenweider
• Publisher: Environmental Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, 97300. EPA-600/3-78-008.

This project includes waterbodies covering a wide spectrum of trophic and morphometric conditions and ranging from ultra-oligotrophic pristine lakes to highly eutrophic ones, and from small, shallow, highly flushed lakes to the Laurentian Great Lakes and three sections of the Potomac Estuary. 34 waterbodies were considered.



5. Title: Summary Report of the North American (Canadian Contribution) OECD Eutrophication Project
• Prepared by: R.A. Vollenweider

The Canadian lakes selected are used as a test-case to study the feasibility of applying the OECD results to a large variety of limnological situations.

Statute of the report: The conclusions of this report have been successively agreed by the Water Management Policy Group, the Environment Committee and finally the Council. The technical part of this synthesis report has also been approved by the Water Management Policy Group.

Summary and Conclusions:

The main control strategy is reduction of the external load. In cases where such a reduction to the required tolerance level is impracticable, or impossible (as e.g. in situations of intensive use of the catchment system), management measures other than nutrient reduction have to be employed. Such alternative measures, however, can only be defined using advanced modelling techniques. Notwithstanding the positive achievements of the programme, eutrophication remains a very complex problem and numerous questions are still unanswered.

Although nitrogen or some other factor may be in some particular instances outweigh the role of phosphorus as the limiting factor, most attention here is based on phosphorus control; however, where the term "nutrients" appears, both phosphorous and nitrogen may be considered in order to include potential cases of nitrogen limitation.

It is safer and generally more economic to take early preventive measures to control eutrophication than to develop curative strategies later when water quality has already deteriorated.

Water Resource Planning

1. in most cases, phosphorus is the factor which determines the development of eutrophication;
2. even when another nutrient such as nitrogen is (occasionally or normally) the limiting factor, phosphorus may still be made to play the role of limiting factor through appropriate control.

After reduction of phosphorus from point sources, the relative role of phosphorus from diffuse sources will increase. This means that measures against diffuse sources may become necessary if improvement of water quality cannot be achieved by further elimination of phosphorus point sources.

Diffuse source control is more difficult to achieve. Yet, in many cases, effective prevention of eutrophication, or restoration of eutrophied waters cannot be achieved without such control.

Therefore, the improvement of all aspects of agricultural practices which contribute nutrients to water bodies should be encouraged, with special reference to:

- control of waste from intensive animal husbandry;

- control of the dose, period and methods of fertiliser application in order to achieve minimal loss and optimum up-take by crops;

- control of erosion and run-off from tillage land and from forestry operations;

- control of over-irrigation (fertiliser leaching to ground waters).

In certain situations nutrient contributions from septic tanks may be important. Potential contributions from such sources should be carefully assessed, although no generally applicable methodology exists to control septic tank leaching. However, when septic tank effluent is dispersed by tiled drains in a field, a high degree of phosphorus removal can be achieved for a considerable time, especially with certain types of soils.

Eutrophication cannot really be controlled by herbicides and algicides. As the use of these products presents a hazard, they should only be considered as an interim measure to alleviate symptoms in exceptional cases and strictly limited environments.

Although the OECD Programme was designed to control the mainly negative effects of eutrophication, there may be exceptional cases where an increase in the trophic level can have limited beneficial aspects (e.g. for increasing the population of certain fish species). The potential benefits are, however, rapidly outweighed by the negative effects on all uses as trophic levels increase.

Greater attention should be given to the economic use and the promotion of by-products from water pollution and eutrophication control measures. Instances include: low cost energy gains from sludge digestion (bio-gas); potential use of sludge as fertiliser products; irrigation with waste water ("fertirrigation"); harvesting of primary products from controlled lagooning, etc.

Table-1: Trophic characterisation of lakes impairment of various uses:

Nutrient Load Assessment

For practical purposes, the following break-down scheme is recommended for estimating the total load.

1. external:

- the phosphorus and nitrogen load via the tributaries (including "point" sources along the tributaries, and "diffuse" or "non-point" sources on the drainage basin);

- the point and diffuse sources load which directly enter the lake through the shores;

- the phosphorus and nitrogen load which falls on to the surface of a lake as wet or dry precipitation;

2. internal:

- phosphorus and nitrogen which re-enter from sediments. The net result of the interchange of nutrients between water and bottom sediments can be estimated by making nutrient balances covering relevant periods of time.

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