Antti Kaseva

www.turkuamk.fi

LIETO3.11.2011

Active wetlands project &

water quality measurement techniques

Topics

Active wetlands

• General information• Project idea• Coals• Role of TUAS• Practice• Situation• Preliminary experiences

Water quality measurement

• Water sampling & online water quality monitoring

• Examples and experiences of few water quality monitoring techniques

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ACTIVE measures onWETLANDS

for decreasingnutrient load in the

Baltic Sea

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Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007-2013 Southern Finland–Estonia Sub-programme

Project acronym: ACTIVE WETLANDS

Priority: 1. Safe and healthy environment

www.centralbaltic.eu

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Funding

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Background

• Agriculture is the largest anthropogenic source of nutrients (N and P) enhancing eutrophication of the Baltic Sea

• Constructed wetlands are recognized as a powerful tool to retain nutrients that have leached from arable land.

• Nutrients that are bond to soil particles are reduced by sedimentation in wetlands

• Large and thus efficient wetlands are still rare due to their high investment costs

• Nitrogen components can be reduced by denitrification and assimilation by plants

• Dissolved P however is retained poorly, if at all• The efficiency of small wetlands could be increased?

– idea by WWF Finland (wetland projects)Algae blooms in the Baltic Sea. Summer 2008 (www.ymparisto.fi)

Project goals

• Project aims to work out and promote methods and techniques to enhance nutrient retention in wetlands (hereby entitled "active wetlands“)

• Model biological and economical efficiency of wetlands

• Increase awareness of the importance of wetlands in decreasing the nutrient load from agriculture.

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Project organisation

Lead Partner: • MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Jokioinen, Finland Partners: • Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Research

Department/ Research Programme for Integrated River Basin Management, Helsinki, Finland

• WWF Finland, Helsinki, Finland • Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS), Turku,

Finland • Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of

Forestry and Rural Engineering, Department of Water Management, Tartu, Estonia

• Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF), Tartu, Estonia

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Active Wetlands project - work packages and activities -

WP1 coordination and

management

WP2Small-scale design and

engineering of pilot wetlands

WP3Biological and economical

models

WP4Communication and

awareness

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Project activities by work packagesWP2:

• Pilot studies and treatments established for wetlands both in Finland and Estonia

WP3:

• Watershed models of different complexity will be used to assess the wetland effects on a wider scale

• Economical calculations and modelling are performed in order to assess to costs of wetland construction and maintenance compared to the benefits in nutrient retention

WP4:

• Communication and awareness of wetlands is enhanced

• Co-operative transnational development of wetland restoration, conservation and construction is enhanced between Finland and Estonia

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TUAS and Active wetlands

TUAS is primary engaged to implementation of WP2 in Finland in co-operation with MTT

TUAS is responsible for:

Building up of 1-2 test sites with chemical phosphorus removal systems (autumn 2010)

• Creating and maintaining online monitoring systems for test sites (autumn 2010)

• Planning and executing of manual water sampling plan (autumn 2010– autumn 2012)

• Collect objective data on feasibility of the measures (autumn 2010 )

About possible active methods

2 different kind of methods based on chemical phosphorus precipitation have been applied

a). Solid ferric sulphate doser (Ferix-3)• Ferric sulphate is dosed to stream relative to magnitude

of water flow (Ferix-3 to water in ratio 1:30 000)

b). Ferric hydroxide granule buffer (Sachtofer PR)• Granules origin is in pigment industry • Consist of calcium sulphate and iron compounds• Water flow is directed slowly through granule buffer

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Ferix-3

Picture: MTT, Salo, Jansson & Närvänen

Principal structure of ferric sulphite doser

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Doser headpeace (left), solid ferric sulphate (right corner) and doser prototype in the test

Active Wetland Pilot site at Lieto Nautela

Doser (left) and online water quality monitoring equipment (right corner)

Pilot sites in Jokioinen (MTT)

Ojainen Pilot site granule buffer

Sachtofergranules

Pond

Water level adjustment

Filter size 6 m³

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Pilot site of granule buffer (left & middle) and ferric hydroxide granules (right corner)

Usage of chemicals

• The chemical precipitation of phosphorus by ferrous and aluminium sulphates has been used in waste water treatment plants already decades ago

• Chemicals are inexpensive and in wide use

• Chemicals are effective way to bind both dissolved and particulate phosphorus into insoluble sludge

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Preliminary experiences

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• It is too early say how the tested methods work in the different situations and in long run.

• However, both methods have shown promising results (the reduction of soluble P)

• Also some development of the methods have already been done.

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More information at site.

Water quality measurement techniques-

examples & experiences from water quality research projects in

Turku University of Applied Sciences

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Water sampling &

online water quality monitoring

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Water quality monitoring

Water sampling and lab analysis

• Water sample laboratory• Traditional method• more simple for field staff• “Reliable”• No expensive devices needed• Also possibility for automatic

sampling• Only reliable way for direct nutrient

measurements

Online water quality monitoring

• Increasing method• Quick, instant result• Cheaper at wide areas / many

monitoring sites?• No transport or contamination risk• Not dependent of labs• Trained users needed• Possibility of unmanned observation!• Possibility to notice short term

changes on water quality!

Turku University of Applied Sciences has experiences on online water

quality monitoring in:

• Standing and running surface waters

• Baltic sea• Waste waters (single households)• (Ground waters)

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Parameters monitored online:

• Blue-green algae (phycocyanin) & temperature

• Nitrate & turbidity (Total P correlated with turbidity in clay-turbid

waters)

• Temperature, salinity (Cond.), dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity,

chlorophyll α, blue-green algae (phycocyanin)

• Flow (water level and/or acoustic doppler method)

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Water quality monitoring techniques, equipment and

monitored sites-

Examples

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Continuous monitoring of Blue-green algae -Public information and an early warning system

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• An optical measuring sensor (Trios) is mounted on swimming beach

• Amount of blue-green algae and water temperature is measured every hour

• Results are sent automatically to webpages via GSM twice a day

• SMS alert for person responsible possible to set

Monitoring of public swimming beaches

• Three steps risk for BGA; low risk (0-3 mg/l), increased risk (3-10 mg/l) and high risk (>10 mg/l), ”traffic lights” for swimming.• Also the swimming temperature information is important for the public.• Positive feedback from the public, media and municipalities.

River water & wetland monitoring

• Seasonal and short-time changes

- Flow

- Nutrient concentrations and load (P, N)

- Dissolved solids load

- Other parameters• Effectiveness of constructed wetlands and other water treatment actions

- Nutrient and TSS retention• Short measuring interval –> accurate data to detect short-time changes and

calculate total loads• Continuous monitoring combined with laboratory samples• Data transfer via GSM from field directly to webpages

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Measuring equipment at running waterbodies

• YSI 6000-series multiparameter sondes• S::Can nitrolyser spectrometers• Pressure sensors and acoustic dopplers for flow measurements• GSM dataloggers• Powered normally with 12V battery• Sensor cleaning: mechanical wipers, compressed air• Maintenance interval 2-12 weeks

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Online vertical profiling system, Archipelago Sea• Continuous vertical monitoring of water column• Seasonal and short-time changes• Floating and anchored platform• Ice-free period (May – November/December)

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Features

• Energy from solar panels

• Data transfer via GSM-logger

• Programmable vertical sampling

– Profiling interval, e.g. 6 times a day

– Max and min sampling depth

– Sampling step size, e.g. from every meter

• Parameters (YSI 6000-series multiparameter sonde):

– Temperature

– Salinity

– Dissolved oxygen

– pH

– Turbidity

– Chlorophyll α

– Blue-green algae (phycocyanin)

Water temperature 2009

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Lake Kakskerta onsite vertical profiling results (manned measures)

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For more results:visit http://www.natureit.net/

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Thank You!Thank you

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Turku University of Applied SciencesAntti Kaseva Project Coordinator Sepänkatu 1 Finland20700 TURKUGSM +358 40 355 0909e-mail: antti.kaseva@turkuamk.fi

www.turkuamk.fi