Monitoring micropollutants in the Swist river basin

Abstract

Micropollutant pathways were studied for the Swist river basin (Western Germany). The aim was to verify the effectiveness of a monitoring approach to detect micropollutants entering the river. In a separate sewer system, water was frequently found to be contaminated with micropollutants. Improper connections of sewage canals to the stormwater network seemed to be the cause of pollution. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) exerted the largest influence on micropollutants for the receiving river. During a flu outbreak, antibiotics in the Swist stemming from WWTPs increased remarkably. Elevated levels of pharmaceuticals were measured in discharges from a combined sewer overflow (CSO). The study showed that the pharmaceutical load of a CSO was significantly reduced by advanced treatment with a retention soil filter. Painkillers, an anticonvulsant and beta blockers were the most often detected pharmaceuticals in the sewage of urban areas. Herbicides, flame retardants and industrial compounds were also observed frequently. On cropland, Chloridazon and Terbuthylazine compounds were often found in landscape runoff. Fungicides and insecticides were the most frequent positive findings in runoff from orchards. The paper shows that a coherent approach to collecting valid information regarding micropollutants and to addressing relevant pathways as a basis for appropriate management strategies could be established.

Terbuthylazine and desethylterbuthylazine: Recent occurrence, mobility and removal techniques

“…TBA and DET were previously detected in effluent streams located immediately prior to the outlets of four waste water plants, as well as in water course discharges; 20% and 25% of readings were recorded as positive (above 0.2 µg L -1 ) between July 2010 and August 2011, respectively (Christoffels et al 2016). From April 2009 to November 2010, 83 of surface water samples collected in the south-eastern province of Jaen (Spain), a region with four natural parks, reservoirs, wetlands and a high olive oil production, showed TBA and DES to be two of the most detected chemicals (Robles-Molina et al 2014).…”

Carbamazepine as a Possible Anthropogenic Marker in Water: Occurrences, Toxicological Effects, Regulations and Removal by Wastewater Treatment Technologies

“…Heavy rainfall can often cause increased leaching of PhACs from openly dumped municipal and hospital solid waste. Storm water runoff can lead these compounds to surface water, consequently increasing the concentration of PhACs in surface water [23,88].…”

Impact of Combined Sewer Systems on the Quality of Urban Streams: Frequency and Duration of Elevated Micropollutant Concentrations

“…Although the relevance of the problem is pointed out by various authors, only few papers deal with this form of pollution of urban streams. Some studies are based on grab sampling in overflowing structures or receiving waters (e.g., [4][5][6]), others used automated samplers to create time series over spilling events [7][8][9][10] or to obtain flow weighted event mean concentrations (EMC) [8,[11][12][13]. The specific challenges and impediments of MP sampling during wet weather are discussed by [14].…”