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Long-term dynamics of dissolved organic carbon: Implications for drinking water supply
- Source :
- Science of The Total Environment. 432:1-11
- Publication Year :
- 2012
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2012.
-
Abstract
- Surface waters are the main source of drinking water in many regions. Increasing organic carbon concentrations are a cause for concern in Nordic countries since both dissolved and particulate organic carbon can transport contaminants and adversely affect drinking water treatment processes. We present a long-term study of dynamics of total (particulate and dissolved) organic carbon (TOC) concentrations in the River Fyris. This river supplies drinking water to approximately 200000 people in Uppsala, Sweden. The River Fyris is a main tributary to Lake Malaren, which supplies drinking water to approximately 2 million people in the greater Stockholm area. Utilities responsible for drinking water supply in both Uppsala and Stockholm have expressed concerns about possible increases in TOC. We evaluate organic carbon dynamics within the Fyris catchment by calculating areal mass exports using observed TOC concentrations and modeled flows and by modeling dissolved organic carbon (as a proxy for TOC) using the dynamic, process based INCA-C model. Exports of TOC from the catchment ranged from 0.8 to 5.8 g m − 2 year − 1 in the period 1995–2010. The variation in annual exports was related to climatic variability which influenced seasonality and amount of runoff. Exports and discharge uncoupled at the end of 2008. A dramatic increase in TOC concentrations was observed in 2009, which gradually declined in 2010–2011. INCA-C successfully reproduced the intra- and inter-annual variation in concentrations during 1996–2008 and 2010–2011 but failed to capture the anomalous increase in 2009. We evaluated a number of hypotheses to explain the anomaly in 2009 TOC values, ultimately none proved satisfactory. We draw two main conclusions: there is at least one unknown or unmeasured process controlling or influencing surface water TOC and INCA-C can be used as part of the decision-making process for current and future use of rivers for drinking water supply.
- Subjects :
- Environmental Engineering
Climate
Water supply
Rivers
Tributary
Dissolved organic carbon
Water Movements
Environmental Chemistry
Computer Simulation
Organic Chemicals
Waste Management and Disposal
Sweden
Total organic carbon
geography
geography.geographical_feature_category
business.industry
Drinking Water
Environmental engineering
Models, Theoretical
Particulates
Pollution
Carbon
Environmental science
Water treatment
Seasons
Surface runoff
business
Surface water
Environmental Monitoring
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00489697
- Volume :
- 432
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Science of The Total Environment
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....0985d1d60db0327f821f26ed0422045a