The role of water treatment abstraction in the flux and greenhouse gas emissions from organic carbon and nitrogen within UK rivers

Finlay, Nina; Johnson, Karen; Worrall, Fred

doi:10.1002/2016wr019362

Cited by 9 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…As shown by the previous studies of Finlay et al (), Noacco et al (), and Worrall et al (), the extensive monitoring records maintained in the United Kingdom over time and space mean that the United Kingdom is the ideal location for considering STWs as a source of DOC to rivers.…”

Section: Approach and Methodologymentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Worrall et al () attempted to correct the previous estimates of DOC flux and found the range 812 in 1,975 to 3,875 ktonnes C in 2004, that is, far higher than found here, but that study used the HMS data that contained the transcription error and also used data calibrated from water colour. Finlay et al (), when considering the fluvial flux of carbon from the United Kingdom, used a value of 904 ktonnes C/year for DOC flux at the tidal limit for the period 2005 to 2015 on the basis of values from Worrall et al () as updated in Worrall et al () but not using the same interpolation methods as in this study—this study would give the average annual DOC flux at the tidal limit for the period of 2005 to 2014 as 859 ktonnes C/year. Given the flux from STWs, it can be concluded that, at maximum, sewage effluent would comprise 3.6% of the DOC flux at the tidal limit of the United Kingdom.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finlay, Johnson, and Worrall () considered the role of drinking water abstraction from rivers and groundwater in diverting organic matter from rivers. Water abstraction for drinking water supply will remove particles (which would include particulate organic matter [POM]) and then flocculate dissolved organic matter (DOM) to remove DOC.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies have shown that areas receiving urban drainage and especially sewage treatment discharge have higher GHG fluxes to the atmosphere than have those without urban influence and more natural land uses-from China (Wang et al, 2017) and from the United States (Aitkenhead-Peterson & Steele, 2016). Finlay, Johnson, and Worrall (2016) considered the role of drinking water abstraction from rivers and groundwater in diverting organic matter from rivers. Water abstraction for drinking water supply will remove particles (which would include particulate organic matter [POM]) and then flocculate dissolved organic matter (DOM) to remove DOC.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies do not quite measure the same thing as one is based upon urban run-off and the other upon direct measurement of sewage treatment plant final effluent; urban run-off will include other sources, combined storm overflows in particular. In contrast,Finlay et al (2016) found that for water abstraction, that is, taking water in from rivers for domestic supply, the per capita sink of DOC relative to rivers was 0.41 kg C/ca/year (0.18 to 0.72 kg C/ca/ year), that is, lower than the value predicted here for the return flow through STWs, suggesting that even for the lower values of DOC flux from sewage effluent discharge, there is a net contribution of DOC to rivers from the water industry. Within this study, we do not provide further independent verification of the presence or impact of DOC from sewage treatment discharges.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The importance of sewage effluent discharge in the export of dissolved organic carbon from U.K. rivers

Worrall

Howden

Burt³

et al. 2019

Hydrological Processes

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The flux of fluvial carbon from the terrestrial biosphere to the world's oceans is known to be an important component of the global carbon cycle, but within this pathway, the flux and return of carbon to the river network via sewage effluent has not been quantified. In this study, monitoring data from 2000 to 2016 for the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand of the final effluent of sewage treatment works from across England were examined to assess the amount of DOC contributing to national‐scale fluvial fluxes of carbon. The study shows that the median concentration of DOC in final effluent was 9.4 compared with 4.8 mg C/L for all surface waters for the United Kingdom over the study period and that the DOC in final effluent significantly declined over the study period from 11.0 to 6.4 mg C/L. Rivers receiving sewage effluent showed a significant, on average 19%, increase in DOC concentration downstream of sewage discharges. At the scale of the United Kingdom, the flux of DOC in final effluent was 31 ktonnes C/year with a per capita export of 0.55 kg C/year and compared with an average annual flux of DOC from the United Kingdom of 859 ktonnes C/year, that is, only 3.6% of national‐scale flux. The lability of this DOC was limited, with only 7.4% loss of final effluent DOC concentration over in‐stream residence times of up to 5 days. The direct decline in DOC concentration from sewage treatment works was not large enough on its own to explain the declines observed in DOC concentration in U.K. rivers at their tidal limit.

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Section: Approach and Methodologymentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The importance of sewage effluent discharge in the export of dissolved organic carbon from U.K. rivers

Worrall

Howden

Burt³

et al. 2019

Hydrological Processes

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Human impact on long‐term organic carbon export to rivers

et al. 2017

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Anthropogenic landscape alterations have increased global carbon transported by rivers to oceans since preindustrial times. Few suitable observational data sets exist to distinguish different drivers of carbon increase, given that alterations only reveal their impact on fluvial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) over long time periods. We use the world's longest record of DOC concentrations (130 years) to identify key drivers of DOC change in the Thames basin (UK). We show that 90% of the long‐term rise in fluvial DOC is explained by increased urbanization, which released to the river 671 kt C over the entire period. This source of carbon is linked to rising population, due to increased sewage effluent. Soil disturbance from land use change explained shorter‐term fluvial responses. The largest land use disturbance was during the Second World War, when almost half the grassland area in the catchment was converted into arable land, which released 45 kt C from soils to the river. Carbon that had built up in soils over decades was released to the river in only a few years. Our work suggests that widespread population growth may have a greater influence on fluvial DOC trends than previously thought.

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The fate of suspended sediment and particulate organic carbon in transit through the channels of a river catchment

Worrall

Burt

Howden

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

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Particulate organic matter (POM) transiting through rivers could be lost to overbank storage, stored in-channel, added to by erosion or autochthonous production, or turned over to release greenhouse gases to the atmosphere (either while in the water column or while stored in the channel). In the UK, a net loss of POM across catchments has been recorded, and the aim here was to investigate the balances of processes acting on the POM. This study considered records of suspended sediment and POM flux in comparison to stream flow, velocity, stream power, and residence time for the River Trent (English Midlands, 8,231 km 2 ). We show that for the lower two thirds (106 km) of the River Trent, 2% is lost to overbank storage; 10% is lost to the atmosphere in the water column; and 31% is turned over while in temporary storage. Permanent in-channel storage is negligible, and for the lower course of the river, material stored in-channel will have a residence time of the order of hundreds of days between the last flood hydrograph of one winter and the first winter storm of the next winter (usually in the same calendar year).When considered at the scale of the UK, 1% POM in transit would be lost to overbank sedimentation; 5% turned over in the water column, and 14% turned over while in temporary storage. In the upper third of the study river channel, there is insufficient stream power to transport sediment and so in-channel storage or in-channel turnover over to the atmosphere dominate.The in-channel processes of the River Trent do not conform to that expected for river channels as the headwaters are not eroding or transporting sediment. Therefore, the source of sediment must be lower down the channel network.

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The role of water treatment abstraction in the flux and greenhouse gas emissions from organic carbon and nitrogen within UK rivers

Cited by 9 publications

References 33 publications

The importance of sewage effluent discharge in the export of dissolved organic carbon from U.K. rivers

The importance of sewage effluent discharge in the export of dissolved organic carbon from U.K. rivers

Human impact on long‐term organic carbon export to rivers

The fate of suspended sediment and particulate organic carbon in transit through the channels of a river catchment

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