Water Pollution Abatement Research Articles

The Adoption of Bundled Sustainable Farm and Environmental Practices by Coffee Farmers in Southwest Ethiopia.

Despite numerous efforts to introduce sustainable farm and environmental practices (SFEPs), such as pruning, soil erosion control, and water pollution abatement measures), their adoption by smallholder farmers is awfully low in Ethiopia. As a result, smallholder coffee farmers in the country remain in poverty traps even if there is room to enjoy coffee returns by doubling the yield by implementing sustainable practices. On the other hand, most previous coffee sustainability studies focus on the economic, livelihood, and poverty alleviation impact of private sustainability standard schemes. Despite the holistic advantages of the adoption of bundled SFEPs over individual adoption practices, it has been overlooked by earlier scholars in the country. In southwest Ethiopia, few farmers applied sustainable coffee farm practices (particularly pruning, stumping, the use of fertilizer, and mulching), and the yields gained by the farmers are quite low. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the factors affecting the adoption of bundled SFEPs and their intensity at the farm household level in southwest Ethiopia based on cross-sectional data obtained from 153 sampled coffee farm households for the 2019/2020 cropping season. The study results showed that the farmers' adoption of different SFEPs depended on farm and management characteristics (total size of coffee holdings, multiple plots, remoteness of coffee farm, hired labor, and farming experience), socioeconomic variables (literacy, household size, and training), and Fairtrade coffee certification. Likewise, the intensity of SFEPs implementation is influenced by literacy and hired labor. Providing training and supplementing coffee farmers with farm equipment used for SFEPs, promoting small-scale mechanization options to address seasonal labor constraints, as well as strengthening Fairtrade organizations will facilitate the adoption of multiple SFEPs by coffee farmers in the country.

A Pilot Study of a Hybrid Process Involving In Situ Regenerated Activated Carbon, Membrane Separation and Advanced Oxidation for Water Pollution Abatement

The assessment of a pilot-scale hybrid system coupling powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption with membrane ultrafiltration (UF), in respect of activated carbon regeneration and organic micropollutant removal, was investigated in this study. Field tests with two adsorbents (i.e. a commercial PAC and a PAC-Fe(II) composite), conducted in the premises of Thessaloniki Water Treatment Plant, demonstrated the high efficiency of the combined PAC/UF process. Regeneration efficiencies varying between approximately 95% and 110%, complete diclofenac (DCF) degradation and rather moderate mineralization (TOC removal) rates of up to 47%, can be achieved by UVC/H2O2 or photo-Fenton oxidation after 4 hours of treatment; this performance is attributed to the in situ generation of reactive oxidant species by photolysis of H2O2, which seems to enhance the process effectiveness. Among the two adsorbent materials tested, composite PAC-Fe(II) exhibited a higher DCF adsorption capacity than the original PAC, probably due to the improved chemisorption and/or the electrostatic attractive interactions between the negatively charged DCF molecules and the positively charged iron species, at neutral pH. Furthermore, a rather insignificant effect of PAC-Fe(II) loading on the regeneration efficiency was observed. The advantages of totally controlled H2O2 dosages and short operating times render the hybrid PAC/UF system a promising alternative to conventional and advanced drinking water purification methods.

The Legal Framework of Water Quality Management in Turkey

After the 1970’s, an unprecedented urbanization and industrial activities have resulted in severe inland and coastal water degradation in Turkey. Infrastructure investment in wastewater management has fallen behind schedule due to the lack of required extensive financing to implement large projects. On the other hand, land-use planning has been overlooked due to increased demand for housing and legal gaps that weaken the enforcement in that respect. Turkey is updating its regulations within the framework of the current EU directives after becoming a candidate country to the European Union (EU). Comprehensive reforms related to institutional and legal issues have gradually taken place with the objective of meeting the defined strategies for water pollution abatement. A new “Water Law '' has been drafted for ensuring a more efficient water management by updating the existing legal framework where needed and with emerging issues (e.g. climate change). In 2021, a “Consultative Assembly on Water'' was established to analyze the content and items of the new “Water Law '', in particular, and the conclusion statement was displayed. In this study, Turkey’s water quality management policies are presented by taking into consideration the present urgent actions and future needs, development at national, regional and municipal levels as well as the on-going EU accession process together with regional and international agreements. An assessment of inland and coastal water quality is done according to the regulations in force and set standards.

Investigating the Relationship Between Export Diversification and River Water Pollution: A Time Series Analysis of the Indian Experience

This article attempts to test the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) for export diversification and river water pollution (proxied by biochemical oxygen demand) for India during the period from 1986 to 2019. Over the past decade, India’s merchandise exports have been dominated by pollution-intensive industries such as mineral fuels, pharmaceuticals, nuclear reactors, organic chemicals and electrical machinery, iron and steel, and textiles. Additionally, India’s export mix is weakly diversified or a small number of commodities form the merchandise export basket. River water pollution is one of the gravest ecological threats in this country. Although a host of reasons define this ecological devastation, this study attempts to investigate if the weakly diversified, pollution-intensive export basket has any link with biochemical oxygen demand. Dickey–Fuller (ADF) and Philip–Perron (PP) tests are employed to determine the stationary properties of the variables and the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration test, as well as the bounds test to check the short- and long-run cointegration. Findings suggest that (a) export diversification is strongly cointegrated with biochemical oxygen demand both in the short and in the long run, and (b) the conventional inverted U-shaped EKC was not validated. Furthermore, a weakly diversified export basket increases water pollution. Suggested policy initiatives to combat industrial water pollution include the introduction of economic instruments. The water pollution abatement experience of industrial clusters suggests that radical institutional and governance reforms are paramount for successful policy reforms. Finally, there is a need to reduce the export commodity basket concentration not just to insulate the economy against global dynamics but also for achieving the goal of sustainable development. JEL codes: F18, Q56, Q53. Q580

Welfare impacts of introducing water pollution tax in the Olifants river basin in South Africa: A revisited analysis using a top-down micro-accounting approach

ABSTRACT Addressing the high levels of poverty and inequality in South Africa remains a central policy concern. In this regard, this paper uses a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) microsimulation approach to revisit the effects of taxing water pollution on poverty and inequality at the level of a river basin. We combined the commodity and factor price changes from a regional environmental CGE model, after introducing the water pollution tax, with household survey data from the 2012 National Income Dynamics Survey (NIDS) to explain the welfare impacts. The result shows that the tax policy will in general have adverse impacts in terms of welfare, poverty, and inequality. However, the tax policy coupled with a supply-side compensatory measure such as subsidising water pollution abatement has the potential to reduce regional poverty and inequality as well as improve the ecological status of the river. Our finding has policy implications for national and regional water resource managers.

Interface-Promoted Direct Oxidation of p-Arsanilic Acid and Removal of Total Arsenic by the Coupling of Peroxymonosulfate and Mn-Fe-Mixed Oxide.

As one of the extensively used feed additives in livestock and poultry breeding, p-arsanilic acid (p-ASA) has become an organoarsenic pollutant with great concern. For the efficient removal of p-ASA from water, the combination of chemical oxidation and adsorption is recognized as a promising process. Herein, hollow/porous Mn-Fe-mixed oxide (MnFeO) nanocubes were synthesized and used in coupling with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to oxidize p-ASA and remove the total arsenic (As). Under acidic conditions, both p-ASA and total As could be completely removed in the PMS/MnFeO process and the overall performance was substantially better than that of the Mn/Fe monometallic system. More importantly, an interface-promoted direct oxidation mechanism was found in the p-ASA-involved PMS/MnFeO system. Rather than activate PMS to generate reactive oxygen species (i.e., SO4·-, ·OH, and 1O2), the MnFeO nanocubes first adsorbed p-ASA to form a ligand-oxide interface, which improved the oxidation of the adsorbed p-ASA by PMS and ultimately enhanced the removal of the total As. Such a direct oxidation process achieved selective oxidation of p-ASA and avoidance of severe interference from the commonly present constituents in real water samples. After facile elution with dilute alkali solution, the used MnFeO nanocubes exhibited superior recyclability in the repeated p-ASA removal experiments. Therefore, this work provides a promising approach for efficient abatement of phenylarsenical-caused water pollution based on the PMS/MnFeO oxidation process.

Treatment of pesticide intermediate industrial wastewater using hybrid methodologies

Abatement of water pollution is being a major concern to be dealt with, as the scarcity of water for basic needs of human beings is increasing drastically. As a part of diminishing water pollution, treatment of industrial wastewater prior to disposal plays a paramount role. Due to the typical characteristics of pesticide, intermediate industrial waste water the treatment is also challenging issue. In this study three different sequential methodologies (Methodology-I: combined rotavapour distillation, fenton and anaerobic biological process, Methodology-II: combined rotavapour distillation, photo fenton and anaerobic biological process, Methodology-III combined coagulation, fenton, electro oxidation and anaerobic biological process) has been evaluated for the treatment of pesticide intermediate industrial wastewater. Among the three sequential methodologies opted in this study for the treatment of pesticide intermediate industrial wastewater, percentage removal of COD was 95% in methodology-1 (i.e. combined rotavapor distillation, fenton and anaerobic biological treatment).

Rationale for Convergence of Institutional Arrangements Based on Individualized Approach to Cross-Border Water Pollution

The present research featured the level of cross-border water pollution in a resource- type region. In spite of the fact that the cross-border water pollution abatement spans more than half a century of experience, its actions rarely go beyond administrative measures, which is why the problem remains as relevant as before. Nevertheless, all stakeholders are highly interested in solving the issue, which means that the existing measures have to be tested for performance. The issue requires new recommendations on the convergence of various highly effective institutional arrangements. The article presents a rationale for assessment and analysis of the composite indicators of measures aimed at solving the problem of cross-border water pollution. The authors believe that performance should not be confused with the actual solution of the problem, not to mention reaching the goal of sustainable development on a particular territory. The research delivered some practical recommendations concerning the matter of cross-border water pollution in a resource-type region. The recommendations go beyond the scope of administrative management and focus on inter-municipal cooperation and eco-compensation trade schemes.

Synthesis and properties of porous ester-silica nanoparticles

Ester-silica nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using a facile two-surfactant synthesis route in neutral medium involving silica (tetraethyl orthosilicate, TEOS) and organosilica (3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl 5-(trimethoxysilyl)pentanoate, P Me ) precursors. The ester hydrolysis generates carboxylic acid groups, which confer a strongly negative zeta potential to the NPs at neutral pH. The extent of hydrolysis during the synthesis was quantified by FTIR. The NP size was shown to be highly dependent on hydrodynamic factors such as stir bar size and stirring speed, enabling to fine-tune the NP diameter. The textural properties of the NPs could be monitored using appropriate fraction x of silica precursor, x = [TEOS]/([TEOS]+2 [P Me ]). For NPs with a silica fraction x higher than 0.5, a significant porosity could be observed, with mesoporosity appearing for x ≥ 0.7. The physicochemical and textural properties of the prepared materials open applications for water pollution abatement of specific organic compounds. This is exemplified by the efficient adsorption of rhodamine B from the liquid phase by the prepared NPs due to their physicochemical and textural parameters, including a high specific surface area and porosity, strong electrostatic forces and lipophilicity of the pore walls. Porous ester-silica nanoparticles containing free carboxylic acid groups can be prepared and used for dye encapsulation. • Ester-silica NPs can be prepared using a two-surfactants method in buffered medium at pH 7. • The size of the NPs can be tuned by varying the hydrodynamic factors during the synthesis, such as stir bar size and stirring speed. • The porosity of the NPs ranges from non-porous (pure silsesquioxanes) to microporous then mesoporous for organosilane fraction equal or lower than 30%. • The extent of ester cleavage during the synthesis depends on the organic fraction, and can be easily determined by FTIR. Most of it arises during the elimination of the surfactant. • The carboxylic acid groups in the NPs lead to a strongly negative ζ potential, and enables high loadings of rhodamine B.

Sequential Abatement of FeII and CrVI Water Pollution by Use of Walnut Shell-Based Adsorbents

In this study walnut shells, an inexpensive and readily available waste, were used as carbonaceous precursor for preparation of an innovative adsorbent (walnut-shell powder (WSP)) which was successfully tested for the removal of FeII from synthetic acid mine drainage (AMD). Then, the exhausted iron-contaminated adsorbent (WSP-FeII) was recovered and treated with sodium borohydride for the reduction of adsorbed FeII to Fe0. The resulting material (WSP-Fe0) was subsequently tested for the removal of CrVI from aqueous solutions. Treatability batch experiments were employed for both FeII and CrVI-contaminated solutions, and the influence of some important experimental parameters was studied. In addition, the experimental data was interpreted by applying three kinetic models and the mechanism of heavy metal removal was discussed. The overall data presented in this study indicated that fresh WSP and WSP-Fe0 can be considered as promising materials for the removal of FeII and CrVI, respectively. Furthermore, the present work clearly showed that water treatment residuals may be converted in upgraded materials, which can be successfully applied in subsequent water treatment processes. This is an example of sustainable and environmentally-friendly solution that may reduce the adverse effects associated with wastes and delay expensive disposal methods such as landfilling or incineration.

After the Blast: The Ecological Recovery of Mount St. Helens by Eric Wagner

87 Reviews It is surprising that more scholarship has not been written on water pollution abatement in western Oregon, given McCall’s regard. Speaking for the River corrects that oversight with deep research and convincing analysis — a testament both to the author’s work and to the Portland State University History Department, where he began this project over a decade ago as a master’s student. In the end, Hillegas-Elting offers a thesis that squares with most environmental histories on natural-resource regulation. “In claiming to speak for the river,” he writes in closing, “we are, in fact, speaking for ourselves” (p. 238). Such a self-critique made me wonder what we might be missing, then, by limiting our scope to White liberal activists, scientists, and politicians. To what extent has water pollution affected communities of marginalized race and class? What have Native people thought of settlers’ Janus-faced relationship with the Willamette? And what do we make of Oregon’s powerful anti-fluoridation movement, which draws on the language and legacy of environmentalism ? Regardless of the direction future research takes, Speaking for the River sets up historians to better understand the Willamette River’s history, as well as the ways in which we continue to misunderstand its beautiful, temperamental intricacies. Taylor E. Rose Yale University AFTER THE BLAST: THE ECOLOGICAL RECOVERY OF MOUNT ST. HELENS by Eric Wagner University of Washington Press, 2020. Illustrations, maps, 248 pages. $29.95 cloth. In After the Blast, Eric Wagner sheds light on how the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens generated new ways of thinking about enduring ideas in ecology and evolution. Wagner brings readers into conversation with a fascinating array of scientists, from the foremost senior scientists to those who played supporting roles. This scholarship demonstrates that scientific advancements about complex systems rarely develop through inquiry by individuals alone; rather they develop through the loosely interconnected efforts of a research community — often one that evolves over time and across geographies. This book, a work of environmental science writing by an author with advanced science training (Ph.D., Biology, University of Washington), is organized in four parts: More than the Boom; Natural Experiments; Of Logs and Lakes; and Changes to the Land. Through these sections, readers gain insight into how scientists tapped into the “unprecedented opportunity . . . to test on the grandest of scales some of the oldest and most durable theories in ecology and evolution about how life responds to a massive disturbance, how it recovers from one, or how it does not” (p. 5). An epilogue, Volcán Calbuco, which focuses on a southern Chilean mountain that erupted in 2015, brings the narrative into the present by reporting on the field-based interactions between Mount St. Helens scientists and Chilean scientists, prospectively propelling advancements in the southern hemisphere. Readers with an interest in the natural history of the Pacific Northwest as well as those with interest in the history of environmental science will find much utility in this work. Particularly interesting are the discussions of the evolution of key ecological concepts, especially ecological succession, disturbance, and biological legacies. Also interesting is discussion of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest as one of the first sites of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program of the National Science Foundation. Readers with an interest in other historical fields (environmental history, forestry history, public lands history, regional history) also will find a number of relevant insights. These historical perspectives, however, are not specifically applied in this book. Consequently, the scholarship is best appreciated as an environmental science narrative, rather than a historical argument. 88 OHQ vol. 122, no. 1 Wagner’s scholarship is strong. He conducted interviews with tens of scientists, often in field settings, to substantiate the narrative. The ecological precision and nuance that emerges from these interviews indicates sustained , careful, mutually respectful interaction between the author and scientists to get the story right. In addition, the author draws on his background in biology to anchor key insights. For instance, Wagner communicates how an eminent scientist bequeathed a carefully tended dataset to a scientist trained in the use of new analytical tools. This transfer of data across the generations of scientists resulted...

Investigation of water quality in wet and dry seasons under climate change

Providing fresh water suitable for drinking and farming and living organisms in the ecosystem is essential. To evaluate water quality, qualitative indicators are often employed for managing water resources and water quality protection and pollution abatement. This study evaluated the quality of Borkhar basin water resources using three different water quality indices, including National Institutes of Health Water Quality Index (NIHWQI) having nine parameters, the Oregon Water Quality Index (OWQI) having eight parameters, and the Canadian Water Quality Indices (CWQI) with 22 main parameters. Using data for a period of 30 years, NIHWQI, OWQI and CWQI were used. To analyze water quality of the entire basin for current and future time. Results showed that water quality of the basin was in a very moderate range according to NSFWQI, and was in a very bad range accordingly to OWQI. Water quality forecasts showed that future water quality would be bad, based on OWQI and moderate based on NSFWQI, whereas based on CWQI, it will be good for drinking, and bad for aquatic animals, recreation, irrigation, and livestock use.

Catchment scale assessment of river-water quality in an ungauged environment

This paper examines the application of coupled integrated model SWAT with emphasis on dynamic, physically-based modelling approaches that integrate the effects of different environmental processes across catchment scales in characterising and quantifying river water quality status. The plan is to address morphological and ecological impacts on streams and by extension, the creation of a link to correctly assess river water quality based on the attributes of the delineated catchment in ungauged and data-poor environments. The resultant pollutions are conditioned on the heterogeneity of the landscape features that control both hydrology and pollutant export coefficients which are variably distributed across catchment. The study area was delineated into five (5) landuse, land cover attributes: forest, cultivation, impervious, urbanisation and industrial within the following settlements, Ita-Iku, ABUAD farm, Ago-Aduloju, Igbemo, Ogbese-Ise and Ita-Ogbolu. A total of twenty-nine quality parameters were invesigated with the results indicating that the regions with with close proximity to emerging urbanisation and industrial development were most impacted. This serves as a policy guiding tool for water resource managers to incorporate different management scenarios in the surface water pollution abatement and control.Keywords: Water quality, catchment delineation, pollution abatement

Study and Application of Various Activated Carbons and Ash used in Water Purification Techniques: A Review

Water pollution is increasing due to the different factors such as population growth, large-scale urbanization, deforestation, and unethical activities in the river or other sources of water. Various experts have been working in the field of the preparation ofactivated carbon from renewable energy including cost-effective technologies and products in an eco-friendly manner for various applications. This review article discusses methodologies utilized by various experts for the preparation of activated carbon for the abatement of water pollution. Biomasssuch ascoconut shell, Moringaoleifera seed, Peanut shell, Pomegranate peel, Rice husk, Lemon shell, Banana peel, and Orange Peel are found extremely helpful in the field of treatment of the contaminated water. The reviewed literature showed that the Biomass can be isolatespollutants from contaminated water through physical, mechanical, and biological techniques and removes various physicochemical pollutants such as pH, color, DO, turbidity, conductivity, turbidity, chloride, fluoride, TSS, TDS, BOD, COD, nitrate, phosphate, and heavy metal, etc. from contaminated water.

A review of sludge pretreatment methods and co-digestion to boost biogas production and energy self-sufficiency in wastewater treatment plants

Regardless of the water sanitation infrastructure and the degree of water pollution abatement that it could promote, the debate has intensified about the adaptation of sewage treatment objectives to concepts of circular economy and sustainability. This discussion includes understanding how to promote more efficient use of energy and inputs and the utilization of intermediate and final resources that can be generated in the liquid, solid, and gaseous phases throughout the wastewater treatment. Growing concerns over energy security, environmental impacts, and rising energy costs of wastewater treatment plants have made the anaerobic digestion process a viable technology to produce renewable energy. Therefore, biogas generated in anaerobic sewage treatment units and anaerobic sludge digestion has great potential. This work aims to review recent advances in technology to induce biogas generation in anaerobic digesters, including pretreatment methods (thermal, physical-chemical, and biological) and co-digestion with other organic residues. Mechanisms, advantages, drawbacks, technical and economic aspects are discussed. Among the strategies evaluated, biological pretreatment and co-digestion are more promising in terms of efficiency and costs. Nevertheless, these technologies should be carefully assessed from different perspectives to consolidate their full-scale application.

Water utilization and treatment efficiency of China's provinces and decoupling analysis based on policy implementation

As one of the fastest-growing economies, China faces challenges of improving water utilization and treatment. This study performed the slack-based measure data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) which considered undesirable outputs to evaluate water utilization and treatment efficiency of the 30 provinces in the mainland of China and applied the Tapio decoupling elasticity model to examine the relationship between policy implementation and the performance of water utilization and treatment during 2008–2017. The result shows that the northern and northwestern provinces have taken the leading position in the efficiency of water utilization and treatment. The northeastern provinces have largely increased the efficiency but the southwestern provinces have the efficiency declined. Additionally, nearly half of the eastern and central-southern provinces have decreased the efficiency. The decoupling analysis recognized that environmental inspection and the investment in environmental components for new construction projects have a decoupling relationship with water use per capita, COD discharge, and wastewater discharge in most of the provinces, indicating their effective practice in enhancing the performance of water utilization and treatment. On the contrary, the mechanism of environmental impact assessment needs to be advanced to better support the improvement of water utilization and treatment. This study identified the development and the potential improvements of water utilization and treatment efficiency of China on provincial and regional perspectives, and determined the contribution of the selected policy measures to the management of water utilization and treatment, allowing the design of tailored roadmaps to address the regional gaps in water utilization and pollution abatement.

Investigation of water quality in wet and dry seasons under climate change

Background: Providing fresh water suitable for drinking and farming and living organisms in the ecosystem is essential. To evaluate water quality, qualitative indicators are often employed for managing water resources and water quality protection and pollution abatement. Aim: This study evaluated the quality of Borkhar basin water resources using three different water quality indices, including National Institutes of Health Water Quality Index (NIHWQI) having nine parameters, the Oregon Water Quality Index (OWQI) having eight parameters, and the Canadian Water Quality Indices (CWQI) with 22 main parameters. Material and methods: Using data for a period of 30 years, NIHWQI, OWQI and CWQI were used. To analyze water quality of the entire basin for current and future time. New findings: Results showed that water quality of the basin was in a very moderate range according to NSFWQI, and was in a very bad range accordingly to OWQI. Water quality forecasts showed that future water quality would be bad, based on OWQI and moderate based on NSFWQI, whereas based on CWQI, it will be good for drinking, and bad for aquatic animals, recreation, irrigation, and livestock use.

Effects of annealing temperature on the structure, morphology, and photocatalytic properties of SnO2/rGO nanocomposites

Water pollution abatement is a problem in today’s society that requires urgent attention. Moreover, photocatalysts are an effective method to treat environmental pollution, and SnO2/reduced graphene oxide composite photocatalysts have been extensively studied in recent years. The synthesis parameters for these photocatalysts significantly affect their morphologies, structures, and properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of annealing temperatures on the properties of SnO2/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites, which were hydrothermally fabricated at 180 °C for 24 h and annealed at 200 °C–800 °C. The structural characteristics of the fabricated nanocomposites were studied via x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and Raman scattering analyses. The observed results indicated that increasing the annealing temperature from 200 °C to 800 °C increased the average SnO2 nanoparticle size from 4.60 nm to 9.27 nm; in addition, the Raman scattering peaks of the SnO2 increased, and those of the reduced graphene oxide significantly decreased as the annealing temperature was increased. Furthermore, the specific surface area of the samples decreased due to the increase in calcination temperature. The amount of reduced graphene oxide content in all the samples was measured using thermo-gravimetric analysis. The optical properties of the samples were studied using ltraviolet–visible absorption spectra, and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by decomposing methylene blue under visible light using the samples as catalysts. In particular, the photocatalytic properties of nanocomposites decreased significantly with increasing annealing temperature. Among the samples, the photocatalytic activity of that annealed at 200 °C is most satisfactory as it has the smallest particle size and the largest specific surface area. The results of our research could facilitate the production of efficient catalysts with suitable properties.

University-Industry Knowledge Collaboration in Chinese Water Pollution Abatement Technology Innovation System

University-Industry Knowledge Collaboration in Chinese Water Pollution Abatement Technology Innovation System

Effects of Water Quality Monitoring on Plant-Level Pollution: Evidence from the Clean Water Act

This paper utilizes a 70% drop in ambient water quality monitoring to show that point sources increase their pollutant discharges in the posttreatment period. Our sample examines 264 major municipal plants in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia from 1990 to 2010. Results show that plants in the treatment group increase the relative quantity and concentration discharges of biological oxygen demand between 18% and 39% in contrast to the control group. Estimated coefficients are large in magnitude given prior evidence on the inflexibility of water pollution abatement levels relative to discharge limits.