Abstract:In Greece, and particularly in many southeastern and island areas, there is severe pressure on water resources, further exacerbated by the high demand of water for tourism and irrigation in summertime. The integration of treated wastewater into water resources management is of paramount importance to meet future demands. Despite this need, only a few projects of effluent reuse have been implemented, most of them being pilot projects of crop or landscape irrigation. The most important projects which are currently in practice are those of Thessaloniki,
Lake Karla, Greece, was almost completely drained in 1962 both to protect surrounding farmlands from flooding and to increase agricultural area. Loss of wetland functions and values resulted in environmental, social, and economic problems. A number of restoration plans were proposed to address these problems. The plan approved by the government in the early 1990s proposed construction of a 4200-ha reservoir solely to improve water storage and flood attenuation functions. However, the Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel states that the primary goal of any restoration project is to create resilient and sustainable ecosystems, as measured on a human timescale, in order to improve the ecological character and enhance the socioeconomic role that the wetland plays in the watershed. This study utilizes Ramsar guidelines for sustainable restoration of Lake Karla. Eight additional restoration measures are proposed based on functional analysis of the wetland to enhance additional wetland functions and support multiple values for humans and nature.
A b s t r a c t. This paper presents the calibration equations of two capacitance probes for monitoring the soil water content in a lysimeter field. Capacitance probes provide readings at desired depths and time intervals. The calibration equations are derived by regression analysis between measurements of scaled frequency and volumetric soil water content. The calibration equations are compared with the manufacturer default equations to estimate the irrigation water depth. The accuracy of capacitance probes in monitoring soil water content increased by using the site-specific calibration equations rather than the manufacturer default equation.K e y w o r d s: capacitance probes, calibration equations, soil water content, Diviner 2000, EnviroScan
Constructed wetlands are widely used all over the world for the treatment of municipal wastewaters, which are characterized by high concentrations of pathogens. The objectives of this study were (1) to study the effect of solar radiation and temperature on the ability of a constructed wetland to reduce the concentration of total coliforms (TC), and (2) to evaluate the relationship between the presence of Salmonella spp. in the outflow and the concentration of TC. The results of this study showed that under Mediterranean environmental conditions, the percentage reduction in coliforms was lower during winter compared to all other seasons. Maximum removal of coliforms was achieved under conditions of high solar radiation and temperature. In addition, solar radiation was found to play a greater role in coliform die-off at low temperatures than at high temperatures. Finally, it was found that the probability of Salmonella spp. appearance in the outflow of the wetland was related to the concentration of TC. The increase in coliform bacteria in the effluents also increased the chances of Salmonella appearance. The risk of Salmonella spp. appearance in the outflow is minimized when the concentration of TC is below 10(2)/100 mL.
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