A BIVARIATE-REGRESSION MODEL FOR ESTIMATING CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF STREAMFLOW OR GROUNDWATER / Modèle de régression bivarié pour l'évaluation de la composition chimique de l'écoulement total ou des eaux souterraines

Abstract

Regressions between concentrations of major inorganic constituents and either specific conductance or streamflow discharge characterize chemical-quality conditions at a sampling site or of an area and can be used to estimate streamflow chemical-quality composition over time and in space where information is lacking or deficient. In this manner, less costly water quality network operations may be achieved for a given programme, enabling available resources to be reallocated to the collection and analysis of data where information is deficient.

The SYSLAB system is a sequential set of documented special-purpose computer programs for statistically and graphically analysing historical water-quality records and deriving relevant regression relationships based upon this analysis. These computer programs have been applied under a variety of hydrological conditions to characterize regional chemical-quality patterns across the United States and in Pakistan. Case-study results using the proposed methodology are presented for Nigeria, Japan, and Pakistan.     

THE TWO-AXIS METHOD: A NEW METHOD TO CALCULATE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION OVER A BASIN / La deux-axes méthode: une nouvelle méthode pour la calculation de la précipitation moyenne d'un bassin versant

Abstract

The two-axis method, used to calculate average precipitation over a basin, is based on three assumptions inherent in the Thiessen and isohyetal methods. The method follows four steps: (1) The two axes of a basin are drawn following a standard procedure; (2) for each raingauge location a station angle is determined by either measuring or calculating the angle between lines connecting the station location to the farthest ends of the two axes; (3) each station is assigned a weight (the ratio of its angle to the sum of all station angles); (4) average area precipitation is calculated as the sum of the products of corresponding station weights and measured precipitation. The method is fast, efficient, and is readily computerized.     

FEASIBILITY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENTS USING THE EARTH'S FIELD / La practabilité des mesures électromagnétiques de l'écoulement total en utilisant le champ magnétique de la terre

Abstract

Experimental work on electromagnetic streamflow measurements on the tidal Fraser River in British Columbia shows that the method of using the earth's magnetic field has two advantages: it gives an instantaneous value of the water velocity integrated over the entire cross section of the river and it is independent of temperature. In the Canadian climate both factors are important. The instrumentation is relatively inexpensive and it consists of a digital to analog converter, strip chart recorder, cable and silver electrodes. The instrumentation is essential for noise filtering and signal amplification. However, the final interpretation of the measured signal is quite difficult; it requires measurements from an electronic analog of the river cross section, resistivity of the ground below, conductivity of the water and a numerical hydrodynamic model. The flow velocities obtained from the measurements of induced potentials, caused by the Fraser River flowing across the earth's magnetic field, compared favourably with velocities computed from a proven hydrodynamic numerical model.     

Developing environmental standards for abstractions from UK rivers to implement the EU Water Framework Directive / Développement de standards environnementaux sur les prélèvements d'eau en rivière au Royaume Uni pour la mise en œuvre de la directive cadre sur l'eau de l'Union Européenne

Abstract

Under the European Union Water Framework Directive, Member States must put in place a river basin planning framework to determine what measures are necessary to maintain and improve the ecological status for all surface water bodies. The governmental organisations legally responsible for implementing the Directive in the UK have recognised that an appropriate river flow regime is fundamental to maintain a healthy river and, as a result, they need to regulate abstractions and effluent discharges and ensure sufficient water is released from impoundments. This paper reports on the process of producing environmental standards that define the maximum abstraction allowable from UK rivers, to leave sufficient flow to maintain a healthy river ecosystem. As there are currently insufficient data available to determine the relationships between river flow and ecological status empirically, expert knowledge was captured through a series of workshops at which leading UK freshwater scientists defined maximum levels of river flow regime alteration that would achieve ecological objectives for different river water body types. For the least ecologically sensitive rivers, maximum abstractions in the range 15–35% of the natural flow were proposed, depending on the flow magnitude and time of year. For the most sensitive rivers, the maximum abstraction proposed was in the range 7.5–25%. The knowledge was used by the responsible UK authorities to develop environmental standards. The authorities subsequently used the environmental standards to determine regulatory standards that could be implemented within practical constraints and current licensing policies.