River water quality modelling: III. Future of the art

This paper is the third of a three-part series summarizing the background t o and objectives of the activity of the IAWQ Task Group on River Water Qual ity Modelling (RWQM). On the basis of the two other papers and a comparison between the best known state of the art river model, QUAL2E, and the IAWQ Activated Sludge Model (ASM) No. 1, the Task Group proposes to develop impr oved conversion models for inclusion in a river water quality model. The mo del should describe the cycling of oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus in both water and sediment, and should be compatible with the ASM to support the d evelopment of integrated emission reduction strategies. The model should be particularly well suited to handle problems characterized by significant t emporal and spatial influences (e.g. CSOs and NPSs). It should serve for re search, education, improved communication, knowledge transfer, regulatory a pplications such as catchment planning, and improved data collection. Antic ipated results of the Task Group effort include: (i) standardized conversio n sub-models; (ii) a decision support tool to guide model construction and usage; and (iii) case study applications. The model development, which is n ot intended to result in a software product, is intended to be an open-ende d and flexible process to encourage the participation of interested profess ionals. (C) 1998 IAWQ Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserve d.