- 1. Environmental Engineering Criteria for action & planning
Julian Jones
2. Dairy Farmer 1982 An Agricultural Perspective . 3. 2013 Iain
Claridge IPCC 2013 report: Human activity 'dominant cause' of
warming Climate change Why cant we fix it ? Causes or effects ?
What are the tools ? - Public Health - Catchment Water Balance -
Nutrient (Carbon) Cycling Planning - Biodiversity Gain / Social
Equality 4. Parliamentary Question Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary
of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her
Department is taking to define microbial public health standards
for (a) water courses and (b) discharges into them. [2678] Mr.
Morley: The Surface Water Abstraction Directive specifies
microbiological standards for waters that are abstracted for
potable water supply. The quality of the abstracted water
determines the level of treatment of raw water required for potable
consumption. The Bathing Waters Directive specifies mandatory and
guideline standards for identified bathing waters. In the UK most
are tidal waters not watercourses. The few inland bathing waters
are all lakes or ponds. The Bathing Waters Directive is currently
under review. There are no microbial water quality standards that
are generally applicable to all water courses or discharges. The
microbiological quality of inland watercourses is highly variable,
due to land runoff from livestock agriculture and from urban
drainage after rainfall, as well as from continuous discharges of
treated effluent from sewage works. 13 June 2005, House of Commons,
Hansard 5. Watercourses - Concentration & Dispersal Cycle Dry
weather flows allow sedimentation & concentration of wastes Wet
(storm) weather flows allow rapid self-cleansing of accumulated
river sediments - The pathogenic flush 6. Are river weirs a health
risk? Our disrupted hydrological cycle allows extended periods of
minimal flows in UK rivers. Self-cleansing is suspended for long
periods allowing dangerous accumulations of pathogens. 25,000+
storm overflows and other sources. 7. Multi drug resistant bacteria
develop in sewage treatment plants As bacteria wind their way
through sewage treatment processes, the selective pressures against
them increase. In consequence, there is a greater effort by
bacteria to pass on survival enhancing genetic information. The
further along that the wastewater had progressed through the
treatment process the greater the tendency was development of
multi-resistant strains. Additionally, the study demonstrated that
these multi- resistant bacteria also simultaneously carried, and
then passed around their multiple transferable drug- resistance
plasmids. Thus drug resistance and the transfer of multi-drug
resistant occurs in wastewater treatment plants. [Nippon Koshu
Eisei Zasshi 1990 Feb;37(2):83-90.] 8. Raw Human Sewage Pouring
Into America's Lakes And Streams .. (SSOs) typically occur when
rainwater seeps into broken sewer pipes and fills them past
capacity. Treatment plants can't handle the rush of water and
sewage, so overflow valves like SSO 700 in Cincinnati open up and
let the disease-carrying waste spill out.. What it is, is human
waste -- hundreds of gallons of it at a time flowing untreated from
toilets into the creek. Sanitary Sewer Overflow 700 is not only
disgusting, it is illegal. But the city won't shut it off because
plugging SSO 700 and more than 100 pipes like it all over
Cincinnati would require raising sewer rates about 1,500%. USAToday
20 Aug 2002 Underinvestment in sewerage infrastructure is a global
problem 9. STRAINER&WETLAND FORSTORMSEWAGE EBLEY MILL FISH
LADDER WEIR POTENTIAL HYDRO POWER SITEREGRADEDRIVER Naturalistic
solutions to sewer incapacity are cheap & straight- forward
Stroud Urban Wetlands & Severn Trent Water Lydia Williams,
Leeds Metropolitan Univ, 1993 & 2003 (Water21) 10. A Local
Authority taking responsibility Storm Water Swale, Reedbeds &
Ponds at Churchdown Park For Churchdown Council Tams Brndi, MSc
Budapest University, 2011, Water21 by disconnecting the sewer
(achieved by a united & collaborative community focused on
critical risks) 11. We need Safe & viable plans for water
everywhere Functioning landscapes that also benefit water
resources, livelihoods & meet WFD Food, energy, water,
biodiversity, leisure, etc. Stroud Urban Wetlands Lydia Williams,
Leeds Metropolitan Univ, 1993 (Water21) 12. Sustainability an issue
of great confusion (GCC Draft Report) (It means safe & viable)
Ecological processes are complex and poorly understood Resource and
pollution debts Precautionary approach Water (public health, flood
& drought) = finite focus for sustainability* AND URGENT ACTION
! * Water Framework Directive , Localism & Agenda 21 13. Water
Cycle Carbon CycleNitrogen Cycle We are part of nature and must
integrate our actions with natural cycles 14. Our great
misunderstanding with water. Problems with water resources are
global and so are the solutions But usually the real causes are
overlooked 15. Drought and floods 'may become a way of life' TOWNS
swamped by floods just months ago could suffer deluges each winter
and droughts each summer, the Environment Agency says. A spokesman
said parts of the South-East could see a regular pattern of floods
every winter and droughts every summer because of extreme weather
patterns. She said: "Climate change is believed to be the cause of
these seemingly contradictory circumstances and the agency is
gravely concerned that flooding will once again cause devastation
this winter." "We have this very strange set of circumstances in
which people are still cleaning up after the floods while we are
having to top up rivers. "It is a serious concern that we could
have floods each winter and water shortages in the summer." The
Daily Telegraph 12/07/2001 Drought and floods 'may become a way of
life' TOWNS swamped by floods just months ago could suffer deluges
each winter and droughts each summer, the Environment Agency says.
A spokesman said parts of the South-East could see a regular
pattern of floods every winter and droughts every summer because of
extreme weather patterns. She said: "Climate change is believed to
be the cause of these seemingly contradictory circumstances and the
agency is gravely concerned that flooding will once again cause
devastation this winter." "We have this very strange set of
circumstances in which people are still cleaning up after the
floods while we are having to top up rivers. "It is a serious
concern that we could have floods each winter and water shortages
in the summer." The Daily Telegraph 12/07/2001 How is climate
change the cause of floods and droughts in a single year ? That
just may become a way of life this is a very strange set of
circumstances. 16. Just as seen in UK floods and drought afflicting
the very same areas. 17. Caused by Extremes in rainfall amplified
by human disruption of the natural hydrological cycle (ecology). A
student level of understanding yet all largely ignored. Floods =
Droughts Built environment & chemical agriculture Degraded
landscapes are the biggest cause of flood & drought 18. "It
cannot be repeated often enough that there is no shortage of water
in Britain. We divert only a small fraction of the throughput of
our water cycle for human purposes. We use less than 1% of total UK
rainfall and less than 10% in the South East." GMB Union,
Huffington Post , 30 April 2012 rapid changes in perception
presently Is there a UK water shortage ? 19. The Full Hydrological
Cycle Functioning ecology : Balanced rainfall, steady
evapo-transpiration, good infiltration to water table V Schauberger
20. Our Half Hydrological Cycle Disrupted ecology and degraded
landscapes: causes rainfall extremes, rapid evapo-transpiration,
flooding, poor infiltration to (falling) water table and drought V
Schauberger 21. UK must urgently adapt for extremes: EA Britain
must become more resilient to both drought and flooding, EA
chairman Chris Smith has said. New figures from the agency show
that one in every five days saw flooding in 2012, but one in four
days saw drought. Lord Smith said urgent action was vital to help
"prepare and adapt" many aspects of Britain for such extremes. With
the population of the water-stressed south-east of England
projected to grow by almost a quarter by 2035, Lord Smith argued
that the number of smaller reservoirs needed to be increased
immediately and that new ways of transferring water from areas
where it is plentiful to areas where it is scarce must be
established. Part of the UKs flooding problem is due to previous
policies. For decades, farmers were paid to drain boggy land in
order to improve it for grazing. BBC News, 4 March 2013 Forecaster
Bill Giles tells Lord Smith: its not a new kind of rain. Its
completely normal The veteran meteorologist has criticised remarks
by Lord Smith, the chairman of the Environment Agency, who had
blamed the growing threat of flooding on a new kind of
precipitation, known as convective rain. Mr Giles, who joined the
Met Office in 1957 and was head weather presenter at the BBC
between 1983 and 2000, insists that convective rain has been a
regular feature of British weather since the beginning of time.
Daily Telegraph, 10 Feb 2013 nuance & perception is almost
everything 22. Landscapes - Key Climate Modifiers & Regulators
Implications for Agriculture, farmers are guardians of major
aquifer recharge processes. 50+ years of chemical farming &
drainage. Severely disrupted water cycle. Major cause of flood
& drought Trees are also important moderators of temperature
and organs of water renewal. They intercept, capture and infiltrate
rainfall, draw up groundwater. They create rainfall through
evapo-transpiration, and seeding (nucleation) of raindrops via
pollens & terpenes. Thermal benefits. Wetlands provide similar
benefits (Water Quantitave & Qualitative). Pre-human
intervention 25% UK land area comprised wetlands, now less than 2%.
Return to extensive wetlands essential for WFD. Important agents of
climate & weather change operate at a micro-/sub microscopic
level (bacteria [in clouds and soil], algae, plankton, solar wind
& cosmic ray interactions, etc). The ecosystem is the main
engine of weather & climate powered & orchestrated by solar
activity. 23. 2010 Losing up to 60 tonnes/Ha per annum - @
100/tonne 24. Effects of temperature gradient on run-off &
infiltration Solaractivity(thermal
&solarparticleeffects)influencesrun-off
&infiltrationthroughsub- surfacetemperaturegradient
andit'seffectsonmicro¯oflora/faunaactivity accordingtosoil
type&humuscontent determiningcapillaryactionandevaporation. 20o
C 19o C 18o C 17o C 16o C 15o C 14o C 13o C 12o C 11o C 10o C 9o C
8o C 7o C 6o C Run-offaccelerated Nutrientleaching Groundwater
removal NegativeTemperatureGradient (DisruptedEcology) Monocultural
agriculture Built environments PositiveTemperatureGradient
(FunctioningEcology)Polycultural agriculture&forestry
Infiltrationenhanced Nutrientemission Groundwater recharge V
Schauberger 25. Landscape lessons to learn - Retention
(attenuation) - Enhance infiltration - Reduce evaporation with
(multi) functional water, food & energy landscapes for greater
resources, well being & social equality all around the world.
Water Heroes: Rajendra Singh Empowering communities by restoring
groundwater & rivers in Rajasthan since 1986
http://tarunbharatsangh.in/ hydratelife.org 26. Farming crimes
against the water cycle Arable field, Gloucestershire. 30cm of
topsoil lost in 50+ years of arable farming (effects of tillage
& chemicals) - agricultural soil degradation (capillary action)
typically comprises the biggest single cause of flood & drought
in any river catchment, also severely degrading watercourse
biodiversity here. Good ecological status for watercourses can only
be met with legitimate farming methods long term. 27. A
(micro)biological understanding of soil function Tillage and
agrochemicals kill carbon sequestrating soil microbiology, limiting
rain infiltration. Historic and ongoing releases of soil carbon to
the atmosphere exceed that from burning fossil fuels. Biological
monoculture farming enables carbon sequestration, water resource
(flood & drought) benefits. - A long term transition for
farmers. Light-independent photosynthesis by soil bacteria : 3 CO2
+ 9 ATP + 6 NADPH + 6 H+ C3H6O3-phosphate + 9 ADP + 8 Pi + 6 NADP+
+ 3 H2O (The Calvin Cycle an endothermic, cooling reaction that
stores carbon (humus) & creates water). 28. Photosynthesis
plant selection Although Phragmites australis are classified as C3
photosynthesisers, recent studies of P. australis ecotypes have
shown that individual population have not only adapted to different
weather conditions through physiological alterations, but
population have also changed from C3 to C4 process, or have become
C3 - C4 intermediates, which exhibit characteristics of either C3
or C4 plants. Over 90 differing ecotypes of P. australis making
plant selection important. Salt marsh ecotypes C3 like C3 C4
intermediates Sand dune ecotypes C4 like C3 C4 intermediates Swamp
ecotypes C3 29. Gravel Sand Soil Soil Type Roots cannot pass
through heavy clay easily, and in sandy or gravel material there is
little microbial activity. The clay loam in the centre of the
diagram is optimal for reed beds, but a proprietary soil mixture
& method of installing is best. 30. Grazing livestock for
improved soil carbon function (Mob Grazing) Rob Richmond,
Chedworth, Gloucestershire (Nuffield Scholar). Achieving 0.8% Soil
Carbon Sequestration per annum by reverting to traditional grasses
& herb varieties, careful mob grazing, no artificial fertiliser
(composted manure only) and few modern chemicals enabling symbiotic
microbial associations on plant roots. 31. Effective Catchment
Regulation Is largely a matter of numbers & metrics - they
provide the lead here . But of what ? Soil erosion risk areas Cath
Edwards MSc Keele University 2012, Water21 32. How well do NVZs,
ESAs or CSFs work ? Ogbourne St. George NVZ over time since
designation F. Worrall, E. Spencer, & T.P. Burt, Journal of
Hydrology, 2009 This study considers the concentrations of water
nitrate in areas designated as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) for
between 12 and 15 years. Sixty-nine percent of NVZs showed no
significant improvement in water concentrations even after 15
years. In comparison to a control catchment 29% of NVZs showed a
significant improvement but 31% showed a significant worsening.
Differences between NVZs could not be significantly related to the
size of the NVZ, uptake of the scheme, extent of uptake, land use
change or geology of the local aquifer. The lack of objective
success for NVZ designation suggests that nitrate pollution control
strategies based on input management need to be rethought. 33.
societies collapse when their investments in social complexity
reach a point of diminishing marginal returns. While climate
change, invasions, crop failures, disease or environmental
degradation may be the apparent causes of societal collapse, the
ultimate cause is usually an economic one, inherent in the
structure of society rather than in external shocks which may
batter them: diminishing returns on investments in social
complexity Joseph A. Tainter. The Collapse of Complex Societies,
1988 34. Benefits of Hydropower Ebley Mill Comparison Head Kaplan
Crossflow Archimedes Screw Return On Investment Range over Lifetime
Lowest Highest 1,236,775 4,925,990 4,938,585 220,160 1,289,440 Arun
Cappi MSc Loughborough University 2012, Water21 35. Ossberger
Crossflow upstream 1.01 downstream 1.95 (Gain, 0.94). Shannon
Weiner Biodiversity Index, measured from 0 (biologically inert) to
5 (undisturbed tropical rain forest) Archimedes Screw upstream 1.69
downstream 1.97 (Gain, 0.28). Ossberger Kaplan upstream 1.56
downstream 2.00 (Gain, 0.44). Benefits of Hydropower Cath Edwards
MSc Keele University 2012, Water21 Traditional turbines are more
effective at remediating the agricultural toxins that harm
fisheries 36. Slad, Historic Land-Use Changes Key Catchment Flood
Identifiers Ordnance Survey 1902 & 1923 Arable Farming
Dereliction of Millponds Paved Development Siltation 37. Defining
critical flood risk 180,000+ cubic metres of water to store in
catchment for control of a 1 in 75 year flood event in a 14.5 Km2
catchment. Ilaria Pretto, MSc Trento University, Water21, 2008 38.
Identifying historic water management structures an opportunity for
town to meet country for mutual benefit Adam Broadhead, PhD
Sheffield University, Water21 Heritage hydropower impoundment 39.
Resolving risk by creating resources Flooding is largely caused by
disrupted natural landscapes and neglected historical solutions The
community-led approach is an effective route to resolve critical
flood risk Landowners have a preference for partnerships within
their community (rather than with bureaucracies) Attenuation
volumes for flood/drought control are feasible on all UK
watercourses Could be self-financing in the longer term Huge
potential for renewable energy, biodiversity, food production,
irrigation reservoirs, drinking water, and leisure by restoring
landscapes Goodwill is the key factor 40. Arun Cappi, MSc
Loughborough University, Water21, 2011 - Gabriella Kovacs, MSc
Budapest University, Water21, 2011 41. Surveying for flood
attenuations 42. Scheme Maximum impoundment height (m) Max.
capacity (m3) % of the 180,000 m3 target Number of impound ments 1
1.3 155720.3 86,5% 236 2 1.3 and 2 258835.0 143,8% 222 3 2 219118.2
121,7% 72 Slad Valley Flood Attenuation Scoping Study Anett Szabo,
MSc Budapest University, Water21, 2011 43. Above: Claypits village
near Stroud. 60 acres of additional plantation can provide 100% of
the villages potential domestic energy needs for a total cost of
25,000. Right: pumping station and conventional sewer connection,
by comparison, costs an estimated 500,000, which wastes energy and
fails to realise the full value of sewage as a sustainable resource
all adding up to negative environmental & climatic impacts.
Reedbeds Biomass Plantation Lake Lindsay White, Leeds Metropolitan
Univ, 1995 (Water21) 44. 2 kms Biomass Plantation (filling) Lake
Reedbeds Applying the Claypits Approach to a War Zone Heglig 1
Courtesy Oceans-ESU 45. A civil war had been fought over oil ...
Courtesy Oceans-ESU 46. Oil wastewater at 50,000+ BOD Courtesy
Oceans-ESU 47. 50,000 m3/day recovered water Heglig 1 Courtesy
Oceans-ESU 48. Within 2 years of filling Heglig 1 lake, the local
population were able to commence fishing Courtesy Oceans-ESU 49.
Oil-waste system is just the start of a complete approach to the
wider environment here medicinal and other plants are prepared to
create an ongoing economic framework, lasting long after the oil
ceases flowing. Courtesy Oceans-ESU 50. Restoring biodiversity
within and around oil systems all for 90% less cost than the
conventional approach Courtesy Oceans-ESU 51. Oceans ESU Ltd: Short
Course on Reed Bed Technology, March 2010 Hydrological Monitoring
Weather station data gives information on climatic influences of
bioremediation systems Climate data is then used to develop
mathematical models of each system 52. Developing the Catchment
Plan Constructing a water / carbon balance model Root zone water
balance Transition zone water balance Aquifer water balance
Critical flood/drought risk resolution provides a finite focus for
action 53. Developing the Catchment Plan Mapping the historical and
the geological Ordnance Survey 10,560 - 1903 Position of Fault
(British Geological Survey) 54. 2013 Iain Claridge What are the
tools ? - Public Health - Catchment Water Balance - Nutrient
(Carbon) Cycling Planning - Biodiversity Gain / Social Equality -
Participatory Principle Collaborative goodwill is the key tool for
success ! 55. www.water21.org.uk
