Marine-Based Waste Stabilisation Ponds, formed by floating boom/skirt curta
in enclosures anchored in sheltered waters, have recently been proposed for
provision of low-cost effluent treatment facilities where land availabilit
y is limited in rapidly expanding coastal cities in the Third World. This p
aper outlines findings from a viability assessment, which drew on a prelimi
nary site evaluation and baseline environmental survey (for a site in shelt
ered waters in the Far East), laboratory studies involving scale model test
s in wave/wind/current flumes, and a structural and design loading study. I
t focuses on hydraulic and hydrodynamic considerations and reports the stud
y's conclusions.