Abstract
Pollution incidents cause transient water quality alterations during the passage of contaminants’ plume along watercourses, with plume passage period and contaminants’ concentrations modelled by advection-dispersion equations. Despite being transient, water quality alterations can impose many impacts on the streamwater ecosystem services. This study proposes two frameworks based on Habitat Equivalency Analysis to be applied during assessments of streamwaters’ pollution incidents and respective compensation panoramas: (1) Streamwater interim loss framework, to calculate interim loss debits caused by transient alterations in the streamwater quality; (2) Total credit framework, to calculate streamwater credits generated by improvements in selected watercourse’s streamwater quality, produced by wastewater treatment plants in this study. The amount of credits calculated in the selected watercourses assists in the proposal of suitable compensatory remediation projects to offset interim losses. Frameworks’ calculations are founded on IVA, a water quality index for protection of aquatic life and aquatic communities. Frameworks’ calculations depend on three parameters: IVA, watercourses fluxes and the present value multiplier. The frameworks were calculated in ΔIVAxL, unit defined by multiplying sensed alterations in streamwater quality (as ΔIVA) and streamwater flux, in liters (L). The frameworks were applied to two major streamwater pollution incidents in Brazil, caused by the dam collapses of Mariana and Brumadinho, suggesting suitable compensatory remediations’ projects for the respective streamwater interim losses. Depending on the selected project, Brumadinho compensation period varied from 2 to 5 years, with estimated costs in the 2020 Int.$ 5.7–18.7M range; Mariana compensation period varied from 8 to 20 years, with estimated costs in the 2020 Int.$ 16.7–58.1M range. Based on Brumadinho compensatory remediation projects, an average water pollution environmental damage value per interim loss was calculated, 1.17E-4 2020 Int.$/ΔIVAxL, which might be useful in comparing streamwater pollution evaluations around the world.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Data may be available upon request.
Notes
Until 21/10/2021, 262 victims were identified, with 8 still missing (https://www.bombeiros.mg.gov.br/operacao-brumadinho-completa-mil-dias accessed on 08 November 2021).
Available at http://feam.br/recuperacao-ambiental-da-bacia-do-rio-paraopeba/-acoes-e-programas-de-recuperacao-ambiental-da-bacia-hidrografica-do-rio-paraopeba (accessed on 09 November 2021).
Resolução CONAMA n° 357/2005.
Available at http://www.igam.mg.gov.br/monitoramento-da-qualidade-das-aguas2/monitoramento-da-qualidade-das-aguas-superficiais-do-rio-doce-no-estado-de-minas-gerais (accessed on 09 November 2021).
Resolução CONAMA n° 357/2005.
Water Quality Historical Monitoring Series, available at http://www.repositorioigam.meioambiente.mg.gov.br/handle/123456789/405 (accessed on 09 November 2021).
https://www3.bcb.gov.br/CALCIDADAO/publico/exibirFormCorrecaoValores.do?method=exibirFormCorrecaoValores (accessed on 09 November 2021).
OECD (2020), ‘Purchasing power parities (PPP)’ (indicator), https://doi.org/10.1787/1290ee5a-en (accessed on 09 November 2021).
Abbreviations
- ANA:
-
Brazilian national water agency
- CETESB:
-
São Paulo state environmental company
- ES:
-
Ecosystem services
- HEA:
-
Habitat equivalency analysis
- HPP:
-
Hydroelectric power plant
- IVA:
-
Water quality index for protection of aquatic life and aquatic communities
- PVM:
-
Present value multiplier
- PPP:
-
Purchasing power parity
- Qref:
-
Reference river flux
- TEV:
-
Total economic value
- WQI:
-
Water quality index
- WWTP:
-
Wastewater treatment plant
- ΔIVAxL:
-
Unit defined by multiplying sensed alterations in streamwater quality (as ΔIVA) and streamwater flux, in litres (L)
References
Atkinson TC, Davis PM (2000) Longitudinal dispersion in natural channels: l. Experimental results from the River Severn, U.K. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci Discus Eur Geosci Union 4(3):345–353.
Atlas (2017) Atlas esgotos: despoluição de bacias hidrográficas—Agência Nacional de Águas, Secretaria Nacional de Saneamento Ambiental. Brasília: 2017. http://atlasesgotos.ana.gov.br/. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
Battin T, Besemer K, Bengtsson M et al. (2016) The ecology and biogeochemistry of stream biofilms. Nat Rev Microbiol. 14:251–263. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2016.15
Binning C, Carter M, Mackie K, Matthews N, McGlynn G, McVay P, Palmer D, Scoccimarro M, Wilks L (1995) Techniques to value environmental resources: an introductory handbook. Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, the Commonwealth Department of Finance, and the Resource Assessment Commission. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, Australia.
Brüggemann R, Trapp S, Matthies M (1991) Behaviour assessment for a volatile chemical in the Rhine River. Environ Toxicol Chem 10:1097–1103. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620100901
CETESB (2003) Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental. Relatório de qualidade das águas interiores do Estado de São Paulo 2002. São Paulo: Cetesb, 2003 (Série Relatórios). https://cetesb.sp.gov.br/aguas-interiores/publicacoes-e-relatorios/. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
Chee YE (2004) An ecological perspective on the valuation of ecosystem services. Biol Conserv 120:549–565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.03.028
Cole S, Kriström B (2008) Tank Collapse and Chemical Release (Helsingborg, Sweden). Case Study Report. http://web.archive.org/web/20100613124354/http://www.envliability.eu/docs/D12CaseStudies/D12_REMEDE_Tank_Collapse_Sweden_Oct%2008.pdf. Accessed 08 Nov 2021
de Groot R, Brander L, van der Ploeg S, Costanza R, Bernard F, Braat L, Christie M, Crossman N, Ghermandi A, Hein L, Hussain S, Kumar P, McVittie A, Portela R, Rodriguez LC, ten Brink P, van Beukering P (2012) Global estimates of the value of ecosystems and their services in monetary units. Ecosyst Serv 1:50–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2012.07.005
Desvousges WH, Gard N, Michael HJ, Chance AD (2018) Habitat and resource equivalency analysis: a critical assessment. Ecol Econ 143:74–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.07.003
Dunford RW, Ginn TC, Desvousges WH (2004) The use of habitat equivalency analysis in natural resource damage assessments. Ecol Econ 48:49–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2003.07.011
EFTEC (2010) Economics for the Environment Consultancy Ltd (2010). Scoping Study on the Economic (or Non-Market) Valuation Issues and the Implementation of the WFD—Final Report for the European Commission Directorate-General Environment. https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/economics/pdf/Scoping%20Study.pdf. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
ELD (2013) Environmental liability directive: training handbook and accompanying slides for European Commission DG Environment. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/legal/liability/pdf/eld_handbook/ELD%20Training%20Handbook%20-%202%20days_en.pdf. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
Farber SC, Costanza R, Wilson MA (2002) Economic and ecological concepts for valuing ecosystem services. Ecol Econ 41:375–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(02)00088-5
Farzadkhoo M, Keshavarzi A, Hamidifar H, Javan M (2018) A comparative study of longitudinal dispersion models in rigid vegetated compound meandering channels. J Environ Manag 217:78–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.03.084
Fu W, Fu H, Skøtt K, Yang M (2008) Modelling the spill in the Songhua river after the explosion in the petrochemical plant in Jilin. Environ Sci Pollut Res 15(3):178–181. https://doi.org/10.1065/espr2007.11.457
IGAM (2020A) Avaliação da qualidade das águas e sedimentos do Rio Paraopeba: acompanhamento da qualidade das águas do Rio Paraopeba após 1 ano do rompimento da barragem da Mina Córrego Feijão da Mineradora Vale/SA—Brumadinho/MG/Instituto Mineiro de Gestão das Águas. Belo Horizonte: Igam, 2020. http://www.meioambiente.mg.gov.br/images/stories/2020/ACOES_RECUPERACAO_PARAOPEBA/Caderno_1_ano_Igam_desastre_Brumadinho.pdf. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
IGAM (2020B) Encarte especial sobre a qualidade das águas do Rio Doce após 4 anos de rompimento da barragem de fundão 2015-2019/Instituto Mineiro de Gestão das Águas. Belo Horizonte: Igam, 2020. http://www.igam.mg.gov.br/images/stories/2020/QUALIDADE_AGUAS/Encarte_4_anos_-_Desastre_Doce_-_Final.pdf. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
Jiang Y, Dinar A, Hellegers P (2018) Economics of social trade-off: balancing waste-water treatment cost and ecosystem damage. J Environ Manag 211:42–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.01.047
Keeler BL, Polasky S, Brauman KA, Johnson KA, Finlay JC, O’Neill A, Kovacs K, Dalzell B (2012) Linking water quality and well-being for improved assessment and valuation of ecosystem services. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109(45):18619–18624. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215991109
Kennedy CJ, Cheong S-M (2013) Lost ecosystem services as a measure of oil spill damages: a conceptual analysis of the importance of baselines. J Environ Manag 128:43–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.04.035
Lamparelli MC (2004) Grau de trofia em corpos d’água do Estado de São Paulo: avaliação dos métodos de monitoramento. São Paulo (BR). Thesis (PhD)—Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo. https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/41/41134/tde-20032006-075813/publico/TeseLamparelli2004.pdf. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
Launay M, Le Coz J, Camenen B, Walter C, Angot H, Dramais G, Faure J-B, Coquery M (2015) Calibrating pollutant dispersion in 1-D hydraulic models of river networks. J HydroEnviron Res 9:120–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jher.2014.07.005
Leibundgut C, Maloszewski P, Külls C (2009) Tracers in Hydrology. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470747148
NOAA (1995) Habitat equivalency analysis: an overview. NOAA Damage assessment and restoration program, policy and technical paper series, No. 95-1, (Revised 2000). https://casedocuments.darrp.noaa.gov/northwest/cbay/pdf/cbhy-a.pdf. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
Pavanelli DD, Voulvoulis N (2019) Habitat equivalency analysis, a framework for forensic cost evaluation of environmental damage. Ecosyst Serv 38:100953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2019.100953
Ranganathan J et al. (2008) Ecosystem services. A guide for decision makers. World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C. http://pdf.wri.org/ecosystem_services_guide_for_decisionmakers.pdf. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
Rebouças CC, Doumer ME, Pedrelli TD (2019) Análise dos custos de operação e manutenção da Estação de Tratamento de Esgoto de Balneário Camboriú-SC. In: Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, 30., 2019, Natal. Anais Eletrônicos do 30° Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental. ABES - Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental, 2019. p. 1–8. https://abesnacional.com.br/XP/XP-EasyArtigos/Site/Uploads/Evento45/TrabalhosCompletosPDF/V-114.pdf. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.
Reddy VR, Behera B (2006) Impact of water pollution on rural communities: an economic analysis. Ecol Econ 58:520–537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.07.025
Scemama P, Levrel H (2016) Using habitat equivalency analysis to assess the cost effectiveness of restoration outcomes in four institutional contexts. Environ Manag 57:109–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0598-6
Scheffer M, Carpenter S, Foley JA, Folke C, Walker B (2001) Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature 413(6856):591–596. https://doi.org/10.1038/35098000
Sharon O, Fishman SN, Ruhl JB, Olander L, Roady SE (2018) Ecosystem services and judge-made law: a review of legal cases in common law countries. Ecosyst Serv 32:9–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.05.010
Sokac M, Veliskova Y (2019) Analytical Solution of the Advection-Dispersion Equation Using Asymmetrical Pollution Distribution. IOP Conf Ser: Earth Environ Sci 221: 012027. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/221/1/012027
Taylor GI (1954) The dispersion of matter in turbulent flow through a pipe. Proc R Soc London Ser A 223:446–468. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1954.0130
van Mazijk A, Veling E (2005) Tracer experiments in the Rhine Basin: evaluation of the skewness of observed concentration distributions. J Hydrol 307:60–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2004.09.022
Walker BH (1992) Biodiversity and ecological redundancy. Conserv Biol 6:18–23. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1992.610018.x
Wang C, Feng Y, Zhao S, Li BL (2012) A dynamic contaminant fate model of organic compound: a case study of Nitrobenzene pollution in Songhua River, China. Chemosphere 88(1):69–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.02.065
Zagatto PA, Lorenzetti ML, Lamparelli MC, Salvador MEP, Menegon Jr. N, Bertoletti E (1999) Aperfeiçoamento de um índice de qualidade de águas. Acta Limnol Brasil 11(2):111–126
Acknowledgements
DDP would like to thank MSc. João Pedro Pinheiro Vieira for the fruitful discussions in streamwater pollution. DFD and DDP would like to thank Dr Marta Condé Lamparelli for the first draft revision. Authors are grateful to the reviewers for their insightful comments on this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary information
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pavanelli, D.D., Domingues, D.F., Hoch, P.G. et al. Transient Alterations in Streamwater Quality Induced by Pollution Incidents: Interim Losses Calculations and Compensation Alternatives Based on Habitat Equivalency Analysis. Environmental Management 69, 576–587 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-021-01571-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-021-01571-x