GREAT-ER: a new tool for management and risk assessment of chemicals in river basins Contribution to GREAT-ER No.10

The GREAT-ER (Geo-referenced Regional Exposure Assessment Tool for European Rivers) project team has developed and validated an accurate aquatic chemical exposure prediction tool for use within environmental risk assessment schemes. The software system GREAT-ER 1.0 calculates the distribution of pre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inWater science and technology Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 179 - 185
Main Authors Schowanek, D., Fox, K., Holt, M., Schroeder, F. R., Koch, V., Cassani, G., Matthies, M., Boeije, G., Vanrolleghem, P., Young, A., Morris, G., Gandolfi, C., Feijtel, T. C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London IWA Publishing 01.01.2001
Subjects
Alkylbenzene sulfonate
Boron
Catchment area
Catchment areas
Catchments
Chemicals
Compartments
Computer simulation
Data storage
Detergents
Ecological risk assessment
Environmental assessment
Environmental monitoring
Environmental risk
Exposure
Geographic information systems
Geographical information systems
Information storage
Information systems
Linear alkyl sulfonates
Mathematical models
Predictions
Regional analysis
Regional development
Risk assessment
Risk management
River basins
Rivers
Satellite navigation systems
Software
Sulphonates
Surface water
Terrestrial environments
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Summary:The GREAT-ER (Geo-referenced Regional Exposure Assessment Tool for European Rivers) project team has developed and validated an accurate aquatic chemical exposure prediction tool for use within environmental risk assessment schemes. The software system GREAT-ER 1.0 calculates the distribution of predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of consumer chemicals in surface waters, for individual river stretches as well as for entire catchments. The system uses an ARC/INFO – ArcView (® ESRI) based Geographical Information System (GIS) for data storage and visualization, combined with simple mathematical models for prediction of chemical fate. At present, the system contains information for four catchments in Yorkshire, one catchment in Italy, and two in Germany, while other river basins are being added. Great-ER 1.0 has been validated by comparing simulations with the results of an extensive monitoring campaign for two ‘down-the-drain’ chemicals, i.e. the detergent ingredients boron and Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonate (LAS). GREAT-ER 1.0 is currently being expanded with models for the terrestrial (diffuse input), air and estaurine compartments.
ISSN:0273-1223
1996-9732
DOI:10.2166/wst.2001.0088