The European Union has introduced a new bathing water directive where future classification of recreational waters will be based on the microbial parameters Escherichia coli, and intestinal enterococci. Introduction of enterococci as a new quality parameter may pose a challenge in some areas because relatively less is known about these organisms compared to E. coli. In the present study, the relative abundance of intestinal enterococci, E. coli, and ten fecal sterol and stanol biomarkers were investigated in water and sediment at two estuarine beach sites affected by fecal pollution. In the bathing water, enterococci were relatively more abundant at low E. coli concentrations. In the sediment, enterococci were generally more abundant than E. coli with surface concentrations between 1.0 × 10² and 4.5 × 10³ CFU cm⁻³. Enterococci populations were relatively similar in water and sediment, and were phenotypically different from that of nearby pollution sources. The putative human specific genetic marker esp in Enterococcus faecium was not detected in water or sediment samples despite occasional inputs of human waste from storm water overflows. Sterol and stanol profiles suggested a direct link between water and sediment pollution profiles on days with wind conditions that facilitated resuspension. Sediment resuspension may occur at wind speeds exceeding 6–8 m s⁻¹, and could contribute significantly to enterococci concentrations in the overlying water. The study emphasized that recontamination of the water column due to wind induced resuspension should be considered when evaluating indicator levels and microbial hazards in estuarine recreational waters.

The paper describes a novel approach to reduce ammonia emissions from Concentrated Animal and Feeding Operations (CAFO) in general, and from poultry houses in particular. The approach is based on installing a dedicated air capturing system on the feeding infrastructure that draws air from close to the litter. Air at these locations has NH₃₍g₎ concentrations an order of magnitude higher than at the vents of the ventilation system. Moreover, while the dedicated waste air drawing system can work continuously, the operation of the ventilation system is intermittent and directed towards maintaining the birds climatically-comfort. The NH₃₍g₎ rich waste air is conveyed to an acidic (0 < pH < ~5) bubble column reactor in which ammonia is converted to [Formula: see text]. The reactor operates in a batch mode, starting at pH 0 (1 N HCl solution) and is switched to a new acidic absorption solution just before NH₃₍g₎ breakthrough occurs, at around pH 5. Experiments with a wide range of NH₃₍g₎ concentrations showed that the absorption efficiency is practically 100% throughout the process as long as the face velocity is below 4 cm/s. The advantages of the method include high absorption efficiency, lower NH₃₍g₎ concentrations in the vicinity of the birds, generation of a valuable product (a high concentration ammonia solution) and the separation between the ventilation and ammonia treatment systems. A small scale pilot operation conducted for 5 weeks in a broiler house showed the approach to be technically feasible. A larger scale pilot study is required for fine-tuned cost estimation.

This study presents the analysis of two series of concentrations of airborne particulate matter (APM) collected in two exploratory campaigns aimed at elucidating the source-receptor problem (SRP) in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires. Although several techniques have been previously applied to interpret these measurements, we have almost exclusively used here the method of angular distances among objects (ADO) to discuss its advantages as a tool in understanding environmental questions within the source-receptor framework. We present a simple method of calculating the ADO, explain its chemical interpretation and the information that is possible to get by classifying the angular distances. A comparison among ADO with principal component analysis and Kohonen artificial neural networks is also discussed.

Littoral zones are characterized by gradients in depth and vegetation biomass, influencing nutrient retention capacity. A field experiment was conducted in a Phragmites australis dominated littoral zone to investigate nutrient retention and its effect on surface water quality. Measurements were done in mesocosms where water levels could be manipulated. Nutrient status was investigated along a gradient perpendicular to the shore during two growing seasons, one with a stable water level and one with a gradually decreasing water level. Nutrient concentrations in sediment, soil pore water and surface water were significantly lower in the vegetated than in the unvegetated zone. The negative correlations of nutrients in sediment and water, with nutrient contents of the vegetation suggest a direct effect of the vegetation. Nutrient uptake and biomass of the vegetation was higher in continuously flooded soils than in seasonally emerging sediments higher along the littoral gradient, probably due to the increased salinity in drained zones. Denitrification rate was highest in the unvegetated zone and was positively related to water level. Flooded littoral zones did result in a higher nutrient retention than drained zones. On small scale, for an optimal nutrient retention a fluctuating regime is not necessarily better suited than a stable water level, but on a larger scale it can substantially increase the width of the vegetated zone. It is important to optimize conditions for helophyte growth since the positive effect of vegetation on nutrient retention, at least at local scale, has been demonstrated in this study.

The aim of this in situ study was to investigate the fatty acid (FA) composition and content in roots and shoots of Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens, grown under heavy metal stress (Cd, Pb, Zn). The composition of FA was quite similar for the two plants and the two organs; main FA were palmitic acid (C16:0), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). For both plants, the major FA that characterized the roots was C18:2 whereas C18:3 was the prominent FA in shoots. For the first sampling (S1), in the roots of L. perenne and T. repens, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were affected by metal contamination while, in the second sampling (S2), PUFA were affected in the shoots of the two plants. This alteration of PUFA was well correlated with the bioaccumulation factor of metals which decreased in roots and increased in shoots with the time. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between the PUFA decrease and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, indicating the occurrence of a lipid peroxidation induced by the metal stress.

Water resources are threatened globally and declining water quality is primarily due to stormwater, agricultural, urban, and mining runoffs. Steamboat Creek in Nevada is the largest non point source (NPS) of pollution to the Truckee River. Treatment wetlands are a cost-effective and reliable technique to control NPS pollution, therefore, a large-scale wetland along Steamboat Creek has been proposed as a component of a regional watershed restoration plan. This study used ten parallel pilot-scale wetland mesocosms, and tested the effects of drying and rewetting, hydraulic retention time (HRT), and high nitrogen loading on the efficiency of nutrient and total suspended solids (TSS) removal. Drying and rewetting produced noticeable effects on nutrient retention, but the effect was short-lived. During longer HRT period nutrient removal in manipulated mesocosms with an 8 h HRT were higher than controls with a 4 h HRT. Reducing the HRT from 4 h to 30 min further decreased nutrient interception. During increased influent nitrogen loading (9.5 ± 2.4 mg l⁻¹), manipulated mesocosms functioned as sinks for total nitrogen (TN) with removal efficiency increasing from 45 ± 13% to 87 ± 9%. The average change in TN concentration was 9.1 ± 2.2 mg l⁻¹. Drying/rewetting and varying HRT influenced total phosphorus (TP) and TSS similarly, and TP removal was associated with TSS removal. Results can help make decisions regarding wetland construction, management, and operation more effective in order to reduce nutrient loads to the Truckee River.

An investigation was made into a novel system aimed at reducing the impact of highly polluting wastewaters, and based on the combined action of catalytic oxidation and microbial biotechnology. The experimental part incorporated the following three schemes: chemical treatment using Fenton's reaction for a single process (stage 1); biological treatment only (stage 2); and chemical oxidation followed by biological treatment (stage 3). Wastewaters with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT; 7,200-7,400 mg O₂ l⁻¹) were oxidized by stoichiometric amounts of dilute hydrogen peroxide (35%) in the presence of water soluble iron catalysts, either Fe (II) or Fe (III), at concentrations up to 1% w/w and above. As a result, transformation by chemical means of recalcitrant organics to more easily attackable end-products occurs, that can subsequently undergo conventional or advanced (microflora and biomass dispersed or adhered) biological treatments, with 90% of chemical oxygen demand abatement and 95% of MBT.

The present study aims to understand the hydrochemistry vis-à-vis As-exposure from drinking groundwater in rural Bengal. The characteristic feature of the groundwaters are low Eh (range, -151 to -37 mV; mean, -68 mV) and nitrate (range, 0.01-1.7 mg/l; mean, 0.14 mg/l) followed by high alkalinity (range, 100-630 mg/l; mean, 301 mg/l), Fe (range, 0.99-38 mg/l; mean, 8.1 mg/l), phosphate (range, 0.01-15 mg/l; mean, 0.54 mg/l), hardness (range, 46-600 mg/l; mean, 245 mg/l) and sulphate (range, 0.19-88 mg/l; mean, 7.2 mg/l), indicating reducing nature of the aquifer. The land use pattern (sanitation, surface water bodies, sanitation coupled with surface water bodies and agricultural lands) demonstrates local enrichment factor for As/Fe in groundwater. Among these, sanitation is the most prevailing where groundwater is generally enriched with As (mean, 269 μg/l) and Fe (mean, 9.8 mg/l). Questionnaire survey highlights that ~70% of the villagers in the study area do not have proper sanitation. This demonstrating the local unsewered sanitation (organic waste, anthropogenic in origin) could also cause As toxicity in rural Bengal. In the agricultural lands, higher mean values of alkalinity, phosphate, sulphate, hardness and electrical conductivity was observed, and could be linked with the excessive use of fertilizers for agricultural production. Bio-markers study indicates that the accumulation of As in hair and nail is related with the construction of exposure scenario with time dimension. The strength and weakness of the on-going West Bengal and Bangladesh drinking water supply scenario and achievability towards alternative options are also evaluated.

The mobility of mercury (Hg) deposited on soils controls the concentration and toxicity of Hg within soils and in nearby streams and lakes, but has rarely been quantified under field conditions. We studied the in situ partitioning of Hg in the organic top layer (mor) of podsols at two boreal forest sites differing in Hg deposition and climatic regime (S. and N. Sweden, with pollution declining to the north). Soil solution leaching from the mor layer was repeatedly sampled using zero-tension lysimeters over 2 years, partly in parallel with tension lysimeters. Concentrations of Hg and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were higher while pH was lower at the southern site (means ± SD: Hg = 44 ± 15 ng L-¹, DOC = 63.0 ± 31.3 mg L-¹, pH = 4.05 ± 0.53) than at the northern site (Hg = 22 ± 6 ng L-¹, DOC = 41.8 ± 12.1 mg L-¹, pH = 4.28 ± 0.43). There was a positive correlation over time between dissolved Hg and DOC at both sites, even though the DOC concentration peaked during autumn at both sites, while the Hg concentration remained more constant. This correlation is consistent with the expected strong association of Hg with organic matter and supports the use of Hg/C ratios in assessments of Hg mobility. In the solid phase of the overlying Of layer, both Hg concentrations and Hg/C ratios were higher at the southern site (means ± SD: 0.34 ± 0.06 μg g-¹ dw and 0.76 ± 0.14 μg g-¹ C, respectively) than at the northern site (0.31 ± 0.05 μg g-¹ dw and 0.70 ± 0.12 μg g-¹ C, respectively). However, concentrations in the solid phase differed less than might be expected from the difference in current atmospheric input, suggesting that the fraction of natural Hg is still substantial. At both sites, Hg/C ratios in the upper half of the mor layer were only about two thirds of those in the lower half, suggesting that the recent decrease in anthropogenic Hg deposition onto the soil is offset by a natural downward enrichment of Hg due to soil decomposition or other processes. Most interestingly, comparison with soil leachate showed that the average Hg/C ratios in the dissolved phase of the mor layers at both sites did not differ from the average Hg/C ratios in the overlying solid organic matter. These results indicate a simple mobilisation with negligible fractionation, despite differences in Hg deposition patterns, soil chemistry and climatic regimes. Such a straight-forward linkage between Hg and organic matter greatly facilitates the parameterisation of watershed models for assessing the biogeochemical fate, toxic effect and critical level of atmospheric Hg input to forest soils.

The role of land use on fate of metals in soils is poorly understood. In this work, we studied the incorporation of lead in two neighboring soils with comparable pedogenesis but under long-term different agricultural management. Distributions of anthropogenic Pb were assessed from concentrations and isotopic compositions determined on bulk horizon samples, systematical 5–10 cm increment samples, and on 24-h EDTA extracts. Minor amounts of anthropogenic lead were detected until 1-m depth under permanent grassland, linked to high earthworm activity. In arable land, exogenous Pb predominantly accumulated at depths <60 cm. Although the proximity between the two sites ensured comparable exposition regarding atmospheric Pb deposition, the isotopic compositions clearly showed the influence of an unidentified component for the cultivated soil. This work highlights the need for exhaustive information on historical human activities in such anthropized agrosystems when fate of metal pollution is considered.