Water Quality Research Journal of Canada 

About: Water Quality Research Journal of Canada is an academic journal published by UWA Publishing. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Water quality & Adsorption. It has an ISSN identifier of 1201-3080. Over the lifetime, 669 publications have been published receiving 11799 citations. The journal is also known as: Water quality research journal.

Review of the Persistence of Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates in Aquatic Environments

Abstract: Alkylphenol ethoxylates, in particular nonylphenol ethoxylates, are widely used nonionic surfactants that are discharged in high quantities to sewage treatment plants and directly to the environment in areas where there is no sewage or industrial waste treatment. This article reviews the treatability of nonylphenol ethoxylates and nonylphenol in sewage treatment plants and their persistence in aquatic environments. Nonylphenol ethoxylates can be biologically degraded in sewage treatment plants and in natural environments. Some of the degradation products, including nonylphenol, are more persistent than the parent surfactants and they are found in receiving waters of sewage treatment plants. Nonylphenol in particular is found at high concentrations in some sewage sludges that may be spread on agricultural lands. While some sewage treatment plants discharge significant amounts of nonylphenol ethoxylate degradation products in their final effluents and digested sludges compared to what enters the plant, others degrade nonylphenol ethoxylates more or less completely. The differences in treatment efficiency of such compounds and their degradation products among different sewage treatment plants have been attributed to the load of the surfactants in influent streams, plant design and operating conditions, and other factors such as temperature of treatment. The highest nonylphenol ethoxylate elimination rates were achieved in plants characterized by low sludge-loading rates and nitrifying conditions. In natural waters, it appears that parent nonylphenol ethoxylates are not persisent, but some degradation products may have moderate persistence, especially under anaerobic conditions. Recent results from mesocosm experiments indicate moderate persistence of nonylphenol in sediments, with half-lives of 28 to 104 days. Microbial acclimation to the chemicals is an important determinant of persistence vis-à-vis biodegradation. Sunlight photodegradation of such products is also likely important. Further research on the persistence in natural environments of the lower ethoxylate and carboxylate degradation products, as well as nonylphenol, is necessary. Based on the limited data available, nonylphenol and the lower ethoxylates and carboxylates are persistent in groundwater. They are also persistent in landfills under anaerobic conditions, but they do not appear to be persistent in soil under aerobic conditions. Recommendations are made for further research in order to more fully characterize the treatability of nonylphenol ethoxylates and their degradation products in sewage treatment plants and their persistence in the natural environment.

Modification and Application of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI) for the Communication of Drinking Water Quality Data in Newfoundland and Labrador

Abstract: In Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), drinking water quality monitoring is conducted by the provincial government on all public water supply systems and results are communicated to communities on a quarterly basis. This paper describes the application of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI) as a communications tool for reporting the drinking water quality results. The CCME WQI simplifies the communication of results while integrating local expert opinion, without challenging the integrity of the data. The NL Department of Environment and Conservation successfully tested the use of the CCME WQI on selected drinking water quality data sets, and developed a phased approach for its implementation as a practical means of presenting available physical, chemical, organic and microbiological results to communities. The CCME WQI index categorization schema was modified by adding a new ranking category to incorporate local expert opinion. This paper describes the development of the phased approach for calculating water quality indices, the testing methodology used, the rationale for modifying the existing CCME WQI index categorization schema, and the implementation of an automated CCME WQI calculator in the provincial drinking water quality database. The paper also discusses the challenges encountered in using the CCME WQI especially with respect to incorporation of contaminants, microbiological and trihalomethanes data. The benefits and downfalls of this application are also discussed.

A review of the efficiency of buffer strips for the maintenance and enhancement of riparian ecosystems

Abstract: Vegetative buffer strips are being widely promoted as an effective technique to protect rivers and streams from the negative impacts of adjacent land uses including forestry and agriculture. An extensive review of the literature revealed that despite the intuitive appeal of buffer strips, data demonstrating their efficacy is highly variable and most studies demonstrating significant nutrient removal in buffer zones come from studies undertaken in riparian buffers greater than 30 m wide. These buffers are much wider than what land managers can typically expect farmers to remove from active production in order to protect water quality. Research attempting to demonstrate the efficacy of riparian buffers needs to focus on buffer widths that are within the range that landowners are likely to “give up” in the name of water quality protection. Lack of experimental evidence from buffers in the 1- to 10-m width range typically encountered on farms makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the efficacy of riparian buffers in agricultural areas.