Environmental modelling and water quality

In collaboration with the Environment Agency and the European chemical industry we have developed an innovative version of LowFlows Enterprise to model the impacts of direct discharges on receiving waters. This software provides GIS based pre and post processing facilities for Agency models and fully integrates a 1-D river model for modelling in-stream concentrations of both conservative and non-conservative determinands. Using this software, in collaboration with CEH, we developed national riverine Oestrogen pressures maps for all significant river catchments within England and Wales on behalf of the Environment Agency. This project compiled and integrated data from over 1500 STW discharges with river flow estimates incorporating the impacts of over 46,000 abstractions and 200 impounding reservoirs.

Our water quality modelling experience also includes the development of phosphate and nitrate concentrations SIMCAT in-stream models, on behalf of the Environment Agency, within catchments being used to pilot the DEFRA Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative. This project apportioned the nutrients between agricultural and point sources using estimates of diffuse pollutant loads and load data for sewage treatment works.