Water Environmental Sustainability Research Articles

Harmonization of Business Practices with SDGs: Linking Macroeconomic Influence, Disclosure of CSR, Sharia Business Risks on Company Value with Female Directors

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationships between a number of SDG’s important aspects. This study looks at Islamic business risks, macroeconomics, disclosure related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the effect of having female members on the board of directors on the value of the company. Theoretical framework: The theoretical basis is the literature on the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the business practices implemented by corporations. The study's findings indicate that while macroeconomics does not have an impact on female directors' financial performance, it does have an impact on firm value. Female directors and corporate valuation are unaffected by CSR Disclosure, although financial performance is. Sharia business risk has an impact on female directors and firm value but has no impact on firm value itself. Design/methodology/approach: Data was gathered quantitatively. Using the use of partial least squares structural equation modelling, we studied surveying information from 27 samples, and the research period was 5 years, so the total data was 135 data (27x5 years). Findings: According to the findings, the contribution to the SDG's are a. Reduction of Inequalities (SDG 10), b. Poverty Eradication (SDG 1) and Productive Employment (SDG 8), c. Energy Sustainability (SDG 7) and Environmental Protection (SDG 13), d. Quality Education (SDG 4), e. Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3), f. Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), g. Sustainable Water Environment and Clean Water (SDG 6), h. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). The value of the company is impacted by female directors and financial performance. The effects of macroeconomics, CSR disclosure, and sharia business risks on firm value cannot be mitigated by female directors. Financial performance mediates the impact of CSR disclosure and sharia business risk on company value but not the impact of macroeconomics on firm value. Research, Practical & Social implications: This research aimed was to investigate the potential correlation between the adoption of business practices by corporations and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also, to investigate the connections between various important elements in a networked corporate environment. This study's primary target areas include macroeconomics, Islamic business risks, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure, and the effect of having female directors on the board of directors on corporate value. Originality/value: The study's worth lies in the additional insights it gives into the potential correlation between the adoption of business practices by corporations and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Research progress of TiO2-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater: bibliometric analysis.

The pollution caused by modernization and industrialization has caused serious harm to the biodiversity of the earth. TiO2-based photocatalyst has been widely studied as an effective and sustainable water environment remediation material. In this study, we analyzed the status and research trends of TiO2-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater in depression from 2003 to 2023 to provide a reference for further research. "Doping", "Modification" and "Heterojunction" were used as keywords, and 817 related academic literatures were screened out by using Web of Science database. Through the visualization software VOSviewer and CiteSpace, the authors, institutions and literature keywords were clustered. The results show that since 2008, the annual number of published papers on TiO2-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater has increased from 9 to 114. Among them, China has published 432 articles and made great contributions, and there are many representative research teams. Chinese universities are the main body to study TiO2-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater, but the cooperation between universities is not as close as that abroad. This paper comprehensively analyzes the research hotspots of TiO2-based photocatalytic degradation of wastewater, such as the doping of TiO2 and the construction of different types of heterojunctions of TiO2. It is expected that these analysis results will provide new research ideas for researchers to carry out future research on related topics and let researchers know in-depth research institutions and possible collaborators to conduct academic exchanges and discussions with active institutions.

Calotropis gigantea fiber confined ZIF-67 derived Co, N in-situ assembled hollow carbon fiber to activate peroxymonosulfate for degradation of perfluorooctanoic acid

Perfluorinated compounds have serious impacts on ecosystems and threats to human health, and exploring technologies to remove them is urgently needed. Using Calotropis gigantea fiber (CGF) as the biological template, the precursor of ZIF-67 was firstly in-situ anchored in the inner/outer walls of the fiber and then pyrolyzed to yield the composite catalyst labelled as Co/C@C. In combination with peroxymonosulfate (PMS), the advanced oxidation system, i.e. Co/C@C/PMS, was constructed for the catalytic removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from water. The experimental results showed that under the optimized conditions of PMS dosage of 1.0 g/L, catalyst dosage of 0.5 g/L and pH 3.0, PFOA achieved the degradation efficiency of 72.2% within 4 h at ambient temperature. Combined with free radical quenching, electron paramagnetic resonance, electrochemistry and nitroblue tetrazolium dichloride-based UV-Vis analysis, the reactive oxygen species and diverse pathways were identified, including SO4•−, O2•−, O21 and electron transfer process in the Co/C@C/PMS system. The coexisting anions (HCO3−, Cl−, H2PO4− and NO3−) and real wastewaters showed no significant effects on PFOA degradation, demonstrating that the Co/C@C/PMS system has good resistance to external ions and different media. After four cycles, the degradation efficiency of PFOA was still 62.8%, indicating that Co/C@C has high stability and good reusability. The degradation products of PFOA were mainly short-chain perfluorinated carboxylic acids (C4-C7) and hydrogen-substituted perfluorinated compounds. Based on quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis, their ecotoxicity was finally evaluated via ECOSAR method. In short, natural CGF derived Co/C@C has great potential for the reduction of emerging PFOA to achieve a sustainable water environment for humans.

Identifying the water quality variation characteristics and their main driving factors from 2008 to 2020 in the Yellow River Basin, China.

Understanding of the water quality dynamics and their main influence factors is crucial for sustainable water environment management especially in the sensitive ecosystem area. Here, the spatiotemporal dynamic of water quality in the Yellow River Basin from 2008 to 2020 and its relationship with physical geography, human activities, and meteorology were studied by using Pearson correlation test, and a generalized linear model. The results showed that water quality was significantly improved since 2008, which was reflected from the decreasing trend of the permanganate index (CODMn) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and increasing trend of the dissolved oxygen (DO). However, the total nitrogen (TN) remained severely polluted with average annual concentration inferior to level V. Spatially speaking, the water quality in the upper and lower reaches was better than that of the middle reaches. The whole basin was severely contaminated by TN with 2.62 ± 1.52, 3.91 ± 1.71, and 2.91 ± 1.20mg L-1 from upper, middle, and lower reaches, respectively. Thus, TN should be paid much attention in the water quality management of the Yellow River Basin. The water quality improvement could be attributed to the reduction of pollution discharges and ecological restoration. Further analysis found the variation of water consumption and increase of forest and wetland area contributed 39.90% and 47.49% for CODMn and 58.92% and 30.87% for NH3-N, respectively. Meteorological variables and total water resources contributed slightly. This study is expected to provide in-depth insights for the water quality dynamics and their response to human activities and natural factors in the Yellow River Basin, which could provide theoretical references for water quality protection and management.

Supramolecular Self-Assembly Strategy towards Fabricating Mesoporous Nitrogen-Rich Carbon for Efficient Electro-Fenton Degradation of Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The electro-Fenton (EF) process is regarded as an efficient and promising sewage disposal technique for sustainable water environment protection. However, current developments in EF are largely restricted by cathode electrocatalysts. Herein, a supramolecular self-assembly strategy is adopted for synthetization, based on melamine–cyanuric acid (MCA) supramolecular aggregates integrated with carbon fixation using 5-aminosalicylic acid and zinc acetylacetonate hydrate. The prepared carbon materials characterize an ordered lamellar microstructure, high specific surface area (595 m2 g−1), broad mesoporous distribution (4~33 nm) and high N doping (19.62%). Such features result from the intrinsic superiority of hydrogen-bonded MCA supramolecular aggregates via the specific molecular assembly process. Accordingly, noteworthy activity and selectivity of H2O2 production (~190.0 mg L−1 with 2 h) are achieved. Excellent mineralization is declared for optimized carbon material in several organic pollutants, namely, basic fuchsin, chloramphenicol, phenol and several mixed triphenylmethane-type dyestuffs, with total organic carbon removal of 87.5%, 74.8%, 55.7% and 54.2% within 8 h, respectively. This work offers a valuable insight into facilitating the application of supramolecular-derived carbon materials for extensive EF degradation.

Improving surface water quality of the Yellow River Basin due to anthropogenic changes.

Understanding of how changes in diverse human activities and climate contribute to water quality dynamics is crucial for sustainable water environment management especially in the arid and semi-arid regions. This study conducted a comprehensive estimation of the surface water quality change in the Yellow River basin during 2003-2017 and its responses to varied pollution sources and water volumes under socioeconomic and environmental influences. Basin-wide measurements of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium nitrogen (NH+4-N) and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were used in trend detection. Annual anthropogenic (covering six sectors) and natural (sediment-induced, flow-in from the upstream and stored last year) pollution sources and water components (inflow, natural runoff, water consumption, reservoir storage and evaporation) were compiled for each sub-basin. Bottom-up hierarchical analysis was then performed to differentiate individual contributions. Results showed significant decreasing trends in COD and NH+4-N concentrations and increasing trends in DO concentrations. The middle reaches that traverse the Loess Plateau however remained severely polluted with 11.3-39.0% inferior to level III in 2017. The pollutant load played major positive contributions that gradually increased from upper to lower reaches. Declines in urban, rural and industrial pollution discharges following environmental investments and rural depopulation contributed the most: 78-96% for COD and 55-100% for NH+4-N. The total surface water volume had dilution effects in the upper and middle reaches (3-28%) and condensing effects in the lower reaches (2-37%). Precipitation and vegetation dynamics contributed slightly. The primary unfavorable factors were the growing agricultural pollution discharges and water consumption in the upper and middle reaches that also threatened the lower reaches. This study is expected to provide in-depth insights for the systematic response of regional water quality to combined human interventions and references for water quality management in other arid and semi-arid river basins worldwide.

Evolution of water-use efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt based on national strategies and water environment treatment

Over the past two decades, strategies for sustainable development and water environment governance have become the main ways to improve regional water-use efficiency. However, the evolutionary characteristics and drivers of the regional water-use efficiency remain unclear, and the effectiveness of national strategic instruments must still be evaluated. The study uses the minimum distance to the strong efficient frontier model (MinDS) to measure water-use efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, examines the evolutionary characteristics of water-use efficiency from spatial and temporal perspectives, and further investigates drivers of the evolution of the water-use efficiency. The results indicate that the water-use efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt has greatly improved and been maintained at a high level, especially after the national strategy for this economic belt was established. Water-use efficiency improvement is closely related to water environment treatment. There exists a significant spillover effect on the water-use efficiency in the provinces of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. High-level provinces are helpful in driving neighboring provinces to improve their water-use efficiency, while low-level provinces play a negative role. This study confirms the effectiveness of the national strategy and provides a useful perspective for interprovincial water-use efficiency improvement.

Analysis of Seasonal Variations in Surface Water Quality over Wet and Dry Regions

Water quality is highly affected by riverside vegetation in different regions. To comprehend this research, the study area was parted into wet and dry regions. The WASP8 was applied for the simulations of water quality profile over both Waterways selected from each region. It was found that the Ara Waterway, located in the wet regions, has a higher water quality variation in seasonal scale than that of the Yamuna Waterway, which is in the dry region. The interrelationship between river water quality variables and NDVI produce higher association for water quality variables with Pearson correlation coefficient values of about 0.66, 0.68 and −0.58, respectively, over the annual and seasonal scales in the energy limited regions. This approach will help in monitoring the seasonal variation and effect of the vegetation biomass on water quality for the sustainable water environment.

Environmental Management System as Sustainable Tools in Water Environmental Management: A Review

Background: The Environmental Management System (EMS) is a unique way to develop an environmental policy with adequate planning, including implementation, operation, checking, and management review. Objective: The main stages of the EMS encompass environmental policy, planning, implementation, evaluation, and review. Method: A number of environmental standards (ISO 14000), which were drawn up by the international standardization organization, form an essential part of an EMS. This management system introduces environmental management into the day-to-day functions, long-term operations, and resource management frameworks of the organization. Results: This overview provides important information about the role of the EMS in water resource management and the scope of the EMS in the water system. This management system is used as an instrument to promote sustainable development in society. Conclusion: This paper sheds light on the topic of a sustainable water environment. In addition, some recognized successful EMS systems were reviewed and illustrated. We believe this review provides a guide to a fruitful water environment for successful urbanization planning.

Where Do We Stand Now? A Bibliometric Analysis of Water Research in Support of the Sustainable Development Goal 6

The connections between the scientific findings and SDG 6 are often not clear, which results in increasing the gap between technical developments and academic discourse, and the policy practitioners and/or implementers. The present paper explores the existing scientific research on water that directly connects to SDG 6 using a bibliometric analysis. The 637 scientific articles published between 2015–2021 (till 13 May 2021) were investigated for temporal development, scientific collaboration, existing research focus and the gaps. Interdisciplinary journals such as Science of the Total Environment and Journal of Environmental Management are found to be dominant sources along with water specific journals such as Water Research and Water (Switzerland). Open access journals make a dominant footprint and majority of author collaborations are found among authors from countries such as USA and UK while the research connections among authors from Global South are observed to be weak. Targets 6.1 (safe and affordable water), 6.3 (treatment and reuse of wastewater) and 6.5 (IWRM including through transboundary cooperation) are identified to be the highest referred to targets in scientific research in support of SDG 6. Though a significant evolution of scientific research is observed in connection to SDG 6 with increasing studies on groundwater, water governance, wastewater treatment, etc., in recent years, scientific studies connecting emerging concepts such as water security, water-energy-food nexus and ecosystem based approaches are still in an infant stage which calls for more research connecting these concepts and approaches to SDG 6 targets to attain a sustainable water environment by 2030 and beyond. This paper significantly contributes to tracking the progress in scientific research in connection to SDG 6 as well as highlights the hotspots where more collaboration between scientific communities and policy makers are required.

Lake ecosystem health assessment using a novel hybrid decision-making framework in the Nam Co, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Lake health assessment (LHA), a powerful tool for lake ecological protection, provides the foundation for sustainable water environment management. However, existing methods have not yet considered the effects of fuzziness and randomness on LHA. In addition, most of the current studies on LHA focus on the plain areas, lack of quantitative studies in mountain areas, such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Pythagorean fuzzy cloud (PFC) integration algorithm drawing on the advantages of Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFS) and cloud model was proposed. A novel hybrid decision-making framework combining PFC integration algorithm and TOPSIS model was developed to determine the lake health levels with fuzziness and randomness. An indicator system incorporating ecosystem integrity (physical habitat, water quantity and quality, aquatic life) and non-ecological performance (social services) was established. To comprehensively investigate the lake health level in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Nam Co was selected as study area. Our results confirm that the developed framework in this study can overcome the shortcomings of existing methods and provide a more effective approach for LHA with fuzziness and randomness. In Nam Co, the non-ecological performance was significantly better than the ecosystem integrity. Health levels exhibited a remarkable spatial variation influenced by tourism and grazing, with decreasing health status from the northwestern to southeastern Nam Co. Approximately 85% of the sampling sites were at excellent or healthy levels, 15% were subhealthy, and no sampling sites were unhealthy and sick. Our results highlight that tourism has affected health levels at Nam Co, and effective measures are needed to minimize the impact in ecological fragile areas.

Preface

Preface for ICSID 2020 Proceedings The 2nd edition of the International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructural Development (ICSID 2020) which brought together notable scholars, experts, governmental agencies, policy makers, industrialists, professional bodies and students for the exchange and sharing of experience and ideas on issues pertinent to sustainable infrastructural development, held on July 27th and 28th, 2020. The Conference was organised by the Department of Civil Engineering, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and the consequent world-wide safety measures such as social distancing and ban on traveling, this year’s conference held virtually and provided opportunities for participants to interact and present papers on:Sustainable Water Resources and Environment,Sustainable Housing and Construction Management,Sustainable Construction Materials,Sustainable Infrastructure, Project Management and Computational Modelling,Geotechnics and Transportation Infrastructure,Social Development Issues.The papers presented in the ICSID 2020 are contained within in this proceeding.Two plenary sessions addressed different aspects of Sustainable Infrastructural Development on each of the days of the conference. On day 1, international speakers made their presentations. Prof Innocent Musonda from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa spoke on “Building Sustainable Infrastructure in Post Covid-19 Era” while Dr. Nadine Ibrahim of the University of Waterloo, Canada, spoke on “Sustainability of Urban Infrastructure in Cities, Megacities, and Megaregions”. On day 2, Dr. Thomas B. Eyo from the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, Abuja, Nigeria, presented on “Research and Development: Adoption of Innovations and Technologies for Sustainable Road Infrastructure”.Furthermore, of the over 160 abstracts and full papers received for the conference, 152 were accepted for the conference and packaged in the conference book of abstracts. Six breakout sessions were created on the basis of the conference themes and 76 presentations were scheduled for each day of the conference, while 81 contributed papers were packaged in this proceeding.It is our earnest vision that the presentations documented in this proceeding will serve as a catalyst to collective engagements by researcher, policymakers, industrialists and other stakeholders towards achieving the Sustainable Infrastructural Development that will enrich the quality of life in developing nations.Dr Anthony Nkem EdeChair, ICSID 2020 Conference Organizing CommitteeList of titles EDITORS, ICSID 2020 CONFERENCE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE, Remarks of the Vice-Chancellor, Covenant University, Professor AAA. Atayero at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructural Development (ICSID) on July 27, 2020 are available in this Pdf.

Impact of population growth and land use and land cover (LULC) changes on water quality in tourism-dependent economies using a geographically weighted regression approach.

This paper aims to assess the influence of land use and land cover (LULC) indicators and population density on water quality parameters during dry and rainy seasons in a tourism area in Indonesia. This study applies least squares regression (OLS) and Pearson correlation analysis to see the relationship among factors, and all LULC and population density were significantly correlated with most of water quality parameter with P values of 0.01 and 0.05. For example, DO shows high correlation with population density, farm, and built-up in dry season; however, each observation point has different percentages of LULC and population density. The concentration value should be different over space since watershed characteristics and pollutions sources are not the same in the diverse locations. The geographically weighted regression (GWR) analyze the spatially varying relationships among population density, LULC categories (i.e., built-up areas, rice fields, farms, and forests), and 11 water quality indicators across three selected rivers (Ayung, Badung, and Mati) with different levels of tourism urbanization in Bali Province, Indonesia. The results explore that compared with OLS estimates, GWR performed well in terms of their R2 values and the Akaike information criterion (AIC) in all the parameters and seasons. Further, the findings exhibit population density as a critical indicator having a highly significant association with BOD and E. Coli parameters. Moreover, the built-up area has correlated positively to the water quality parameters (Ni, Pb, KMnO4 and TSS). The parameter DO is associated negatively with the built-up area, which indicates increasing built-up area tends to deteriorate the water quality. Hence, our findings can be used as input to provide a reference to the local governments and stakeholders for issuing policy on water and LULC for achieving a sustainable water environment in this region.

Rapid degradation of ciprofloxacin over BiOCl: Insight into the molecular structure transformation and antibacterial activity elimination

Currently, the widespread usage of antibiotics brings great challenge to sustainable water environment due to the production of drug-resistant bacteria, the rapid and effective removal of antibiotics attracts more and more attention. Herein, a BiOCl microsphere prepared by a facile hydrolysis method via controlling the EG-H2O ratio was found to have unexpected photocatalytic activity for ciprofloxacin (CIP) removal. The photodegradation rate of CIP over optimal BiOCl-20 reached 92.9% in only 3 min of simulated sunlight irradiation, and the mineralization rate was 30.8% after 60 min reaction. The antibacterial tests of CIP solution under different irradiation minutes were evaluated using Escherichia coli (E. coli) as the model bacteria. The results indicated that CIP photodegradation intermediates had also certain antimicrobial potency, which could be eliminated almost completely after 3 min irradiation, although there still had some incompletely mineralized intermediates. In view of these results, the macroscopic degradation behavior of CIP over BiOCl-20 as well as the microscopic existence state and reaction behavior of the intermediates should be clarified. A ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was employed for determination of CIP and its intermediates. Ten primary intermediates were separated and identified, and their corresponding molecular structures were elucidated. Three main photodegradation pathways were deduced, and the correlation between molecular structure transformation and antibacterial activity of CIP was established. Because of the destruction of piperazine ring and defluorination of quinolone ring, the antibacterial activity of the treated CIP solution was weakened or even eliminated. Finally, a possible photodegradation mechanism was proposed, the OVs, O2−, h+ and OH played significant roles in the CIP photodegradation. This work does have great perspective for BiOCl potential application in CIP wastewater treatment.

Environmental Hydraulics Research

Environmental hydraulics research includes the different domains of hydrodynamics, such as the investigation and implementation of the physical and experimental applications, and research into the quantity, quality, modelling and simulation of the attributes associated with flowing water. This topic is studied both from a technical and environmental point of view, with the objective of protecting and enhancing the quality of the environment. It is a cross-disciplinary field of study which comprises open channel/river flows and pressurised systems, combining, among others, new technological, social, and environmental hydraulic challenges. It provides researchers and engineers working in water-related fields with available information, new concepts and tools, new design solutions, eco-friendly technologies, and the advanced materials necessary to address the increasing challenges of ensuring a sustainable water environment—that is, a water environment effectively managed and adequated for generations to come by promoting the adaptation, flexibility, integration and sustainability of recognised environmental solutions. Using advanced numerical and physical models in field experiments, and tests in different types of laboratory set-ups, specialists in environmental hydraulics produce the best analyses, concepts, techniques, tools, and solutions to environmental hydraulic problems, as well as in relation to the water, energy and environmental nexus.

Occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes as emerging contaminants in watersheds of Tama River and Lake Kasumigaura in Japan

Antibiotic resistance is one of the important health issues. Since antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can transfer to pathogenic bacteria in the circulation of human-animal-ecosystems, they are regarded as emerging contaminants. However, little is known about the prevalence of ARGs in water environment. In our study, we investigated the occurrence of ARGs in two watersheds in Japan. Water samples were collected in Tama River in Tokyo in October 2018. Another sampling was conducted in Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture in November 2018. Four ARGs (blaTEM encoding extended spectrum β-lactamase, sulI encoding the resistance to sulphonamide, tetA encoding the resistance to tetracycline, ere(A) encoding the resistance to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin) and one mobile genetic element (intI1 encoding integron) were determined by quantitative PCR. In Tama River, blaTEM and ere(A) were below quantification limit at the most upstream point before receiving wastewater effluent. However, they jumped up in the order of 106–107 copies/L just after receiving the effluent from wastewater treatment plants. The concentrations of the other ARGs and intI1 also increased due to the impact of wastewater effluent. In Lake Kasumigaura, the sampling point which was close to the discharge point of wastewater effluent and the mouth of Sakura River showed the highest copy numbers of intI1, sul1, and ere(A). All target genes were detected at the farthest point in the lake, suggesting that ARGs were persistent in water environment. In order to maintain sustainable water environment, monitoring of ARGs released from wastewater treatment plant is necessary.

Sustainable water environment and water use: A perspective on water resource utilization

Sustainable water environment and water use: A perspective on water resource utilization

Geographic information system-based optimization of sewage treatment facilities by evaluating pollution effects and governance demands

Municipal sewage treatment facilities have important implications for cities' sustainable development and water environment protection. This study's aim is to optimize the sewage treatment facilities by evaluating pollution effects and governance demands for Huai'an City in Jiangsu province, China. The township is chosen as the evaluation unit and the spatial pattern, change trend, and environmental impact of pollution sources are analyzed to examine the demands for sewage treatment facilities in the future. By employing the ArcGIS spatial analysis tools, the spatial matching patterns between municipal treatment capacity and sewage discharge are studied. Considering the characteristics of wastewater discharge and the actual ability and designed capacity of the wastewater treatment facilities, the study area is divided into three types, including sewage treatment potential released type, sewage treatment enhanced type, and status quo maintained type. Comparing the quantity of wastewater discharged with the treatment potential capacity, direction for the construction and operation of sewage treatment facilities is proposed. Results of this study provide a scientific basis for site selection and layout optimization of municipal sewage treatment facilities.

Adapting Urban Water Systems to a Changing Climate: Lessons from the Millennium Drought in Southeast Australia

Feature pubs.acs.org/est Adapting Urban Water Systems to a Changing Climate: Lessons from the Millennium Drought in Southeast Australia Stanley B. Grant,* ,†,‡ Tim D. Fletcher, ⊥ David Feldman, § Jean-Daniel Saphores, †,§ Perran L. M. Cook, # Mike Stewardson, ‡ Kathleen Low, † Kristal Burry, ∇ and Andrew J. Hamilton ∥ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, E4130 Engineering Gateway, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-2175, United States Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering, Engineering Block D, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia Department of Planning, Policy, and Design, 300G Social Ecology I, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-7075, United States Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, The University of Melbourne, 940 Dookie−Nalinga Road, Dookie College, Victoria 3647, Australia Melbourne School of Land and Environment, The University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia Water Studies Centre, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia Melbourne School of Land and Environment, The University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus, 207 Bouverie Street, Victoria 3052, Australia the way Melburnians source and use their water resources and discuss what these changes may portend for other large cities in water-scarce and climate-change-vulnerable regions of the world, in particular, the Southwest region of the United States. MELBOURNE’S WATER SUPPLY Melbourne sources most of its water from protected stream catchments located in uninhabited mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests to the north and northeast of the city (Figure 1). Runoff from these protected catchments flows by gravity into ten harvesting reservoirs and, from there, through a network of aqueducts and pipelines to storage reservoirs where it is distributed, after minimal treatment, to local service reservoirs. Since the first harvesting reservoir was built in the mid-1800s, Melbourne’s protected catchments have provided the city with a safe, low-energy, and mostly reliable source of high quality drinking water. However, they have also left the city vulnerable to water shortages during periods of very low precipitation. 5 To buffer against water shortages, Melbourne recently invested in various water supply augmentation schemes, including an interbasin transfer pipeline (the North−South or Sugarloaf Pipeline) and the largest desalination plant in the Southern Hemisphere (the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant) (Figure 1). These two projects were built at a capital cost of approximately AU$700 million 6 and AU$6 billion, 7 respec- tively, and can deliver annually up to 75 and 150 GL of water to Melbourne; combined, that equates to about 40% of the city’s present day municipal water demand. However, since their completion in 2010 (Sugarloaf Pipeline) and 2012 (Wonthaggi Desalination Plant), neither A LONG HISTORY OF DROUGHT IN MELBOURNE Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent, and its population is one of the most urban. As of 2010, 89% of Australia’s 21 million inhabitants lived in urban areas. 1 Finding adequate water resources to sustain Australia’s cities is an ongoing challenge. 2 Nowhere is that more apparent than in Melbourne, a coastal city of approximately 4 million people located on the country’s southeastern coast. Over its 166-year history, Melbourne has experienced eight major droughts. The most recent one, known as the Millennium Drought, started in 1997 and lasted more than a decade. By 2009, below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures drained the city’s drinking-water reservoirs and stoked bush fires, including the “Black Saturday” fire that damaged 30% of the city’s water supply catchment and claimed 173 lives. 3 The Millennium Drought also altered public perceptions about global climate change, water conservation, and water-use behaviors, and energized city managers and politicians to adopt a wide range of approaches for augmenting water supplies and conserving water resources, although the contribution of climate change to the Millennium drought, while plausible, remains unproven. 4 In this paper, we explore how the Millennium Drought changed © 2013 American Chemical Society Special Issue: Design Options for More Sustainable Urban Water Environment Published: May 3, 2013 dx.doi.org/10.1021/es400618z | Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013, 47, 10727−10734

Protecting Area of Traditional Wooden Construction from Fires Due to Earthquakes Using Local Water – Plan and Implementation of the Project on Environmental Water Supply System for Disaster Prevention –

We hold that potential natural water use in urban areas must be improved to develop an environmental water supply system (EWSS) for disaster prevention. Such uninterrupted water supply systems could protect cities with large numbers of wooden structures from fire due to earthquake and preserve the urban water environment. Our research focused on two examples of water supply system projects -- a gravity-based water supply system in Shirakawa-go and an open irrigation channel system in Kanazawa City, We propose planning and management with the research results of two examples for model projects in Kiyomizu as an important historical district in Kyoto. The EWSS concept opens the way for a sustainable water environment and the restoration of cities while maintaining cultural beauty and safety for the benefit of future generations.