Author(s): B. Lin; S. M. Kashefipour; E. Harris; R. A. Falconer
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Keywords: Water quality; Faecal coliform; Decay rate; Numerical modelling; Estuaries; Rivers
Abstract: Details are given herein of a numerical model study aimed at quantifying the impact of various bacterial inputs into estuarine and riverine waters on the bathing water quality. In this study faecal coliform has been used as the water quality indicator organism. The numerical model developed for this study combines a depth integrated two-dimensional coastal model and a cross-sectionally integrated one-dimensional river model, capable of predicting the water surface elevation, velocity and faecal coliform distributions simultaneously across the entire model domain. The model was then applied to a large estuary, namely the Ribble Estuary, UK, and calibrated using water level, velocity and faecal coliform concentration measurements from six surveys. In order to predict the faecal coliform concentration distribution, variable decay rates were used, i.e. different values for the decay rates were applied to sea and riverine waters, during day and night time hours and wet and dry weather conditions.
Year: 2001