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Predicting microbial pollution concentrations in UK rivers in response to land use change

Hampson, Danyel, Crowther, John, Bateman, Ian, Kay, David, Posen, Paulette, Stapleton, Carl, Wyer, Mark, Fezzi, Carlo, Jones, Philip, Tzanopoulos, Joseph and others. (2010) Predicting microbial pollution concentrations in UK rivers in response to land use change. Water Research, 44 (16). pp. 4748-4759. ISSN 0043-1354. (doi:10.1016/j.watres.2010.07.062) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:30016)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2010.07.062

Abstract

The Water Framework Directive has caused a paradigm shift towards the integrated management of recreational water quality through the development of drainage basin-wide programmes of measures. This has increased the need for a cost-effective diagnostic tool capable of accurately predicting riverine faecal indicator organism (FIG) concentrations. This paper outlines the application of models developed to fulfil this need, which represent the first transferrable generic FIO models to be developed for the UK to incorporate direct measures of key FIG sources (namely human and livestock population data) as predictor variables.

We apply a recently developed transfer methodology, which enables the quantification of geometric mean presumptive faecal coliforms and presumptive intestinal enterococci concentrations for base- and high-flow during the summer bathing season in unmonitored UK watercourses, to predict FIG concentrations in the Humber river basin district. Because the FIG models incorporate explanatory variables which allow the effects of policy measures which influence livestock stocking rates to be assessed, we carry out empirical analysis of the differential effects of seven land use management and policy instruments (fiscal constraint, production constraint, cost intervention, area intervention, demand-side constraint, input constraint, and micro-level land use management) all of which can be used to reduce riverine FIO concentrations.

This research provides insights into FIG source apportionment, explores a selection of pollution remediation strategies and the spatial differentiation of land use policies which could be implemented to deliver river quality improvements. All of the policy tools we model reduce FIG concentrations in rivers but our research suggests that the installation of streamside fencing in intensive milk producing areas may be the single most effective land management strategy to reduce riverine microbial pollution. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/j.watres.2010.07.062
Uncontrolled keywords: Water Framework Directive, Faecal indicator organisms, Water quality modelling, Microbial source apportionment, Nutrition driven food policy, Agro-environmental policy
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Q Science > QH Natural history > QH541 Ecology
S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Depositing User: Joseph Tzanopoulos
Date Deposited: 24 Nov 2014 10:28 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:07 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/30016 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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