Calibration is a process of comparing model results with field data and making the appropriate adjustments so that both results agree. Calibration methods can involve formal optimization methods or manual methods in which the modeler informally examines alternative model parameters. The development of a calibration framework typically involves the following: (1) definition of the model variables, coefficients, and equations; (2) selection of an objective function to measure the quality of the calibration; (3) selection of the set of data to be used for the calibration process; and (4) selection of an optimization/manual scheme for altering the coefficient values in the direction of reducing the objective function. Hydraulic calibration usually involves the modification of system demands, fine-tuning the roughness values of pipes, altering pump operation characteristics, and adjusting other model attributes that affect simulation results, in particular those that have significant uncertainty associated with their values. From the previous steps, it is clear that model calibration is neither unique nor a straightforward technical task. The success of a calibration process depends on the modeler's experience and intuition, as well as on the mathematical model and procedures adopted for the calibration process. This paper provides a summary of the Battle of the Water Calibration Networks (BWCN), the goal of which was to objectively compare the solutions of different approaches to the calibration of water distribution systems through application to a real water distribution system. Fourteen teams from academia, water utilities, and private consultants participated. The BWCN outcomes were presented and assessed at the 12th Water Distribution Systems Analysis conference in Tucson, Arizona, in September 2010. This manuscript summarizes the BWCN exercise and suggests future research directions for the calibration of water distribution systems.

Since the late 1980s, the use of commercial fertilisers in most Eastern European countries has decreased at an unprecedented rate. We examined the impact of this dramatic reduction in agricultural inputs on concentrations of nutrients in four rivers in Eastern Europe: the Emajogi and Ohnejogi (Estonia), the Daugava (Latvia), and the Tisza (Hungary). Time series of nitrate (NO3-N) and phosphate (PO4-P) concentrations and data on runoff were selected to represent catchments with substantial areas of agricultural land and available time series of sufficient length and frequency. The study period was 1987-1998. We detected downward trends in nitrate-N and phosphate-P in only two of the four rivers. Our results imply that the response to the extensive decrease in agricultural intensity since the late 1980s has been slow and limited in many rivers. Corresponding results in the literature are inconclusive and comprise several examples of both decreasing and non-decreasing nutrient concentrations. Our findings, along with similar data from other studies, indicate that large cuts in nutrient inputs do not necessarily induce an immediate response, particularly in medium-sized and large catchment areas. Moreover, the difference we noted between nitrogen and phosphorus suggests that factors other than reduced fertiliser application influenced the inertia of the water quality response.

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