Water quality control in the river Arno

In this work, we analyzed pollution in the river Arno using a non-steady advection–dispersion–reaction equation (ADRE) calibrated on experimental data. We examined the influence different pollution control strategies have on dissolved oxygen (DO). We considered (i) flow rate variation; (ii) local oxygenation at critical points; (iii) dynamic modification of wastewater load. Results indicate first, that reservoir management is effective in reducing pollution; second, that local oxygenation is necessary to ensure that DO does not fall below safety levels; and finally, that tuning wastewater loads appears to be impractical to manage the river quality given the stringent limitations it would impose on the industrial effluents.