Abstract
Past studies have projected that global mean sea levels could be up to between 0.98 and 2.92 m higher by the year 2100 than pre-industrial levels, which could seriously affect wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, there is currently a lack of guidelines regarding how these types of installations can adapt to sea level rise (SLR). The present research analyzes how SLR might affect WWTPs that are situated near the coastline and how they can adapt by using experiences of land subsidence as a proxy. The Tohoku region in northern Japan experienced severe land subsidence (up to − 1.14 m in Ishinomaki city) after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with staff from three significant WWTPs in the area to elucidate the effects that land subsidence had on their operations and how they could adapt to an increase in land subsidence or SLR. The results suggest that for land subsidence of − 0.53 m (equivalent to a SLR of + 0.53 m), the surveyed WWTPs were considered to be able to operate normally, without undertaking any major adaptation actions. Critical levels that influence the vulnerability and adaptation strategies of WWTPs to SLR were identified. These critical levels can help differentiate between the three types of SLR-induced flooding that can affect the plants, namely coastal flooding, discharge flooding and groundwater inundation. WWTPs utilizing combined sewage systems may face more difficulties when adapting to SLR. Finally, the authors proposed limit-state adaptation pathways for WWTPs situated in low-lying coastal areas, including a sequence of possible countermeasures and a timeline for specific actions to take place.
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Notes
In these WWTPs, no mechanical and electrical components are located underground, and the impacts of rising groundwater could cause the buoyancy in them. However, the experience of Sunamachi WWTP in Koto Ward, Tokyo, which underwent severe land subsidence in the middle of the twentieth century, indicates that this is not a major problem. In separate interviews (not detailed in this paper), staff at this plant told the authors that when there was no inflow of wastewater into the treatment plant, this appeared to float, but that the issue could be easily solved by maintaining the flow of wastewater influent. Hence, in the present work this issue was not considered to be a significant problem and was ignored in the analysis. Nevertheless, some measures to protect underground components, such as rubber connecting parts, can be useful to minimize disruption.
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Acknowledgements
The present work was conducted under the funding of the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science—Global Leadership Initiative, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo. The authors would also like to thank Minami-Gamo, Sen-en and Ishinomaki-Tobu WPC for cooperating with the authors in the elaboration of this research. A part of the present work was performed as a part of activities of Research Institute of Sustainable Future Society, Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University.
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Cao, A., Esteban, M. & Mino, T. Adapting wastewater treatment plants to sea level rise: learning from land subsidence in Tohoku, Japan. Nat Hazards 103, 885–902 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04017-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04017-5