Organiser
Danish Environmental Protection Agency (DEPA)
Representative: Thomas Rützou
E-mail: thomr@mst.dk
Co-organiser
Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Beijing
Representative: Helena Wisbech Frid
E-mail: helfri@um.dk
Alignment with Congress
4. 4. Supporting Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Functions
Session description
This session aims to both illustrate how to monitor the quality of water and how to improve it. The first part of the session will illustrate how biological quality elements can function as indicators of the water quality in surface waters.
The methodology stems from the EU Water Framework Directive, and as been applied in Denmark for an extensive amount of years, where iological indicators are used to determine environmental ecological goals in surface water and to monitor the ecological state of surface water. Currently, Denmark and China are collaborating on some demonstration projects in Beijing, from which this methodology will be applied in a chinese context. The second part of the session will focus on both ecological wastewater treatment methods / NbS to improve the quality of surface waters. Ecological wastewater treatment plants are used in rural areas in Denmark to reduce discharge of the most important pressure factors - organic matter (BI5), ammonium/ammonia and phosphorus - in streams and lakes.
Ecological wastewater treatment plants are root zone plants, planted filters, sand filters and seepage plant. Furthermore, this session will also illustrate why it is important to look beyond organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater discharge. Some environmental hazardous substances (EHS) in even small quantities can be detrimental to aquatic ecosystems. The last part of the session will focus on the experience from Denmark on removing EHS directly from the outlet of the pollution source before the wastewater reaches the public sewer or surface water.
The format is presentation and questions: - Three presentations of 25 (x3) minutes plus 5 (x3) minutes for questions. 1) Biological quality elements in surface water, 2) Ecological wastewater treatment, 3) handling of environmentally hazardous pollutants in wastewater. DEPA is responsible for inviting the speakers and organizing the session. DEPA will cover the transportation, accommodation and registration cost of the presenters. Furthermore, the DEPA will cover simultaneous translation during the session.