EVALUATION OF DIFFUSE AND CONCENTRATED POLLUTION AT WATERSHED SCALE

Abstract

The study presents an integrated approach in order to analyse and quantify pollution dynamics at basin scale depending on concentrated and diffuse sources. More specifically, an integrated model for urban drainage system has been exploited in order to simulate the complex sewer network - wastewater treatment plant and receiving water body. Moreover, a quali-quantitative model has been developped in order to simulate the non-point sources pollutant (agricultural and zoo-technical) in term of water river discharges and nutrient, produced from the wash off of soils. Finally, different models have been coupled in order to reconstruct the whole pollutant load for the receiving water body and to single out the different pollution sources. The proposed approach has been applied to the experimental Nocella catchment located in Sicily (Italy), with an area of about 50 km2. The river receives wastewater and stormwater from two urban areas drained by combined sewers. The study demonstrates that the analysis of water quality in partially urbanised natural basins is complex depending on variable polluting contributions of the different parts of the system.