This report summarizes discussions and conclusions from a workshop on water quality modelling approaches for the Peace and Athabasca Rivers. Workshop objectives included identification of research needs in terms of water quality models, discussion and assessment of existing water quality models in terms of short- and long-term needs for basin management, review and assessment of model structure, examination of rate coefficients and the limitations of available data bases, and identification of issues and areas requiring further research. Sections of the report cover the hydrology of the Peace-Athabasca rivers, water quality monitoring programs in those rivers, water quality modelling approaches (including stochastic models, the WASP4 program, the Dynamic Stream Simulation and Assessment Model, pattern recognition techniques, and alternative approaches), and water quality modelling recommendations for the Northern River Basins Study. Includes glossary.

Summarizes the major modelling projects undertaken to model water quality in the Peace, Athabasca, and Slave river systems. The first section describes the scope of the problem of modelling water quality in large complex systems that are relatively oligotrophic, located at relatively high altitudes, and experience highly seasonal environmental fluctuations. It also provides a summary of the models used to predict key water quality variables. Section 2 gives a general overview of the utility and shortcomings of water quality models, with the goal of establishing key criteria for assessing the successes of models developed by the Northern River Basins Study (NRBS). Section 3 summarizes key findings of the NRBS models and evaluates the results against criteria outlined in section 2. Section 4 presents a series of recommendations for modelling dissolved oxygen, transport and fate of contaminants, and distribution of contaminants in the food chain, along with strategic suggestions for future work.

Lists Northern River Basins Study technical reports by issue number, subject, and geographic area studied. Subject areas used to classify the reports are: hydrology/hydraulics, nutrients/dissolved oxygen, contaminants, food chain, drinking water, other uses, traditional knowledge, and synthesis and modelling. Ten geographic divisions are used: three each for the Athabasca and Peace Rivers, and one each of the Wapiti/Smoky rivers, Peace-Athabasca Delta, Lake Athabasca, and Rivière des Rochers/Slave River.

The main objective of the Water Framework Directive in the European countries is to achieve a “good status” of all the water bodies, in the integrated management of river basins. In order to assess the impact of improvement measures, water quality models are necessary. During the previous decades the progress in computer technology and computational methods has supported the development of advanced mathematical models for pollutant transport in rivers and streams. This book is intended to provide the fundamental knowledge needed for a deeper understanding of these models and the development of new ones, which will fulfil future quality requirements in water resources management. This book focuses on the fundamentals of computational techniques required in water quality modelling. Advection, dispersion and concentrated sources or sinks of contaminants lead to the formulation of the fundamental differential equation of pollutant transport. Its integration, according to appropriate initial and boundary conditions and with the knowledge of the velocity field, allows for pollutant behaviour to be assessed in the entire water body. An analytical integration is convenient only in one-dimensional approach with considerable simplification. Integration in the numerical field is useful for taking into account particular aspects of water body and pollutants. To ensure their reliability, the models require accurate calibration and validation, based on proper data, taken from direct measurements. In addition, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis are also of utmost importance. All the above items are discussed in detail in the 21 chapters of the book, which is written in a didactic form for professionals and students.

Annotation This book provides a broad based understanding of the water quality prediction process and evaluates the merits and cost effectiveness in using water quality models under field conditions.