From Waste to Resource

Rodrı́guez, Diego J.; Serrano, Hector Alexander; Delgado, Anna; Nolasco, Daniel; Saltiel, Gustavo

doi:10.1596/33436

Cited by 34 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…Direct discharges of sewage and other untreated wastewater into urban streams are major cause of degradation in all Latin American countries (Lee, 2000;Rodríguez & Martine, 2008;Noyola et al, 2012;Tellman et al, 2018;UN, 2019;Rodríguez et al, 2020). Our findings indicate that there is a wide range of management strategies for dealing with sewage in the area, ranging from household septic tanks to city-wide sewerage collection and water treatment plants.…”

Section: Current Status Of Urban Streams In Latin Americamentioning

confidence: 79%

“…For example, various reviews of superficial waters in Latin America (e.g., Noyola et al, 2012 (Bower, 2014;Mena-Rivera et al, 2018). As urban sprawl continues to increase in Latin America, freshwater resources will continue to degrade and lose their value as sources of ecosystem services to humans (Lee, 2000;McDonald et al, 2011;Wade, 2012;Tellman et al, 2018;Rodríguez et al, 2020).…”

Section: Current Status Of Urban Streams In Latin Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Bogota, Colombia, a single water treatment plant receives 60% of all residual waters from the city, highlighting the stress that urban growth has over current infrastructure Alfonso & Pardo, 2014;Peña-Guzmán et al, 2016). Sewage discharges cause major alteration to stream ecosystems, mostly related to the large amounts of organic matter, nutrients, and contaminants entering streams (Rodríguez et al, 2020). Studies in urban streams in Puerto Rico provide an example of how ecosystems recover once inputs of sewage are removed.…”

Section: Current Status Of Urban Streams In Latin Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All regions of the planet are expected to continue experiencing increases in urban land use and in urban population density (Montgomery & Elimelech, 2007;McDonald et al, 2011). Urban areas can have many negative effects on the environment, adding particular pressure on water resources (Vörösmarty, Lévêque & Revenga, 2005;Vörösmarty, et al, 2010;Seto, Parnell & Elmqvist, 2013;Rodríguez et al, 2020). Urban water demand requires access to large volumes of clean water, which are often located a long Walteros, J.M., & Ramírez, A.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the 1960s, more than 50% of its population live in urban areas (Montgomery & Elimelech, 2007). Today, over 80% of the population lives in cities of 20 000 or more inhabitants, making Latin America more urban than western Europe (Rodríguez & Martínez, 2008;Koop & van Leeuwen, 2017;Romulo et al, 2018;Rodríguez et al, 2020). As a whole, Latin America has abundant water resources; yet they are unevenly distributed.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Urban streams in Latin America: Current conditions and research needs

Walteros

Ramírez

2020

RBT

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Introduction: Latin America is a highly urbanized region, with most of its population living in cities and urban centers. While information about urban streams in Latin America is rather limited, streams are expected to experience similar environmental impacts and conservation issues as urban streams in parts of the globe, including habitat loss, channelization, sewage discharge, trash, and loss of riparian habitats. Objective: We surveyed a network of researchers from approximately 80% of the countries in Latin America to obtain information on the condition, state of knowledge, and threats to urban streams in the region. Methods: Most participants were reached via the Macrolatinos@ network (www.macrolatinos.net). Results: We obtained 104 responses from researchers in 18 of the 23 Latin American countries. Most urban streams are impacted or degraded, and inputs of contaminants and wastewater discharges were considered major drivers of stream degradation. Most respondents indicated that stream channelization is common, with some streams completely channelized or buried. Sewage and rainfall runoff management were identified as a major factor degrading streams, with most respondents suggesting that streams are a primary destination for wastewater discharge, much of which is untreated. Major limitations to urban stream conservation in Latin America are the result of limited ecological knowledge, lack of citizen interest or political will to protect them. There are isolated efforts to restore urban streams and riparian zones, but these are initial steps that need further development. Conclusions: Our research network of Latin American scientists proved to be a valuable tool to assess a large number of urban rivers in a relatively understudied region. Urban streams in Latin America face a diversity of stressors and management challenges, and we propose three areas that would benefit from further research to improve our understanding and management of these systems: (1) Studies should focus on the watershed, rather than isolated reaches, (2) researchers should strive to attain a better understanding of ecosystem function and the services provided by urban streams to justify management and restoration efforts, and (3) studies that integrate economic models where downstream users pay for upstream protection and restoration could prove beneficial for many Latin American cities in attempting to address water conservation issues.

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Section: Current Status Of Urban Streams In Latin Americamentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Current Status Of Urban Streams In Latin Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Current Status Of Urban Streams In Latin Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Urban streams in Latin America: Current conditions and research needs

Walteros

Ramírez

2020

RBT

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Heterogeneous Photocatalysis for Wastewater Treatment

Pouran,

Habibi‐Yangjeh

2024

Catalysis for a Sustainable Environment

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Understanding questions and concerns about potable water reuse: An analysis of survey write‐in responses

2023

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Urban centers around the world are grappling with the challenges associated with population increases, drought, and projected water shortages. Potable water reuse (i.e., purification of municipal wastewater for reuse as drinking water) is an option for supplementing existing water supplies. Public perception research on potable water reuse has predominantly employed surveys with multiple-choice questions that constrain survey respondents to describe their concerns by choosing from several response options. This research examines hundreds of write-in responses to a large public survey in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to provide a detailed analysis of residents' questions and concerns about potable water reuse. Findings demonstrate that allowing respondents to voice their actual concerns adds richness and nuance that cannot be obtained from multiple-choice response data alone. Especially with controversial resource considerations, such as potable water reuse, planners would benefit from a full understanding of the problem before engaging with the community.

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From Waste to Resource

Cited by 34 publications

References 0 publications

Urban streams in Latin America: Current conditions and research needs

Urban streams in Latin America: Current conditions and research needs

Heterogeneous Photocatalysis for Wastewater Treatment

Understanding questions and concerns about potable water reuse: An analysis of survey write‐in responses

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