Role of Environmental Forcings on Fecal Contamination Behavior in a Small Intermittent Coastal Stream: Case Study of the Aljezur Coastal Stream, Portugal
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 5
Abstract
The role of environmental forcings on the fecal contamination dynamics in small coastal streams was investigated, using the Aljezur coastal stream (Portugal) as a test case. An integrated modeling approach, combining hydrological and coupled hydrodynamic-fecal indicator bacteria models, was applied to selected scenarios of relevant forcings, on the basis of previously calibrated and validated model applications. The forcings investigated included: tides, winds, waves, atmospheric pressure, bathymetry, river flow, and upstream fecal bacteria concentrations; this study targeted the characterization of the relative importance of these factors on the fecal contamination dynamics, to enhance our understanding of small coastal streams water quality dynamics. Results highlight distinct patterns for dry and wet periods. Fecal bacteria transport is mainly forced by tidal propagation, in dry periods; and by freshwater flows, during wet periods. The analysis reveals a complex hydraulic and water quality dynamic resulting from the interactions between the environmental forcings and strongly dependent on their relative strength. This analysis can be extrapolated for systems with a similar balance between the environmental factors.
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e para a Tecnologia (FCT) project MADyCOS (PTDC/ECM/66484/2006). The first author was also partially funded by the FCT grants SFRH/BD/41033/2007 and SFRH/BPD/87512/2012. The authors thank the participants in the project MADyCOS, the developers of the SELFE model (Prof. António M. Baptista and Prof. Joseph Zhang) for making their code available, and the WWTP utility (Águas do Algarve) for making the WWTP plant data available.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 5 • May 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 5, 2014
Accepted: Oct 14, 2015
Published online: Jan 12, 2016
Published in print: May 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Jun 12, 2016
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