Evaluation of Risk Zones Over a River Pathway, Downstream a Release Point, Under Seasonal Pollutant Biodegradability

G. Maria and C. Maria

Abstract
In order to simulate the scenario of an accidental pollutant release in a river pathway, and to evaluate the pollution risk downstream the source, an advective-dispersive stationary model has been used. By accounting for the recorded data on the water quality parameters over one year, and for the seasonal variation of the pollutant biodegradability, the model prediction accuracy has been improved. By applying a probabilistic analytical method, that includes the release statistics from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), together with the dispersion model predictions, the risk zones along the river are identified for every month of the year. The probabilistic analysis can be used to derive site-specific assessments and can support the WWTP failure prevention measures.

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Keywords
Risk assessment, pollutant riverine dispersion