Study of the autodepuration potential of a tidal ecosystem affected by urban sewage

摘要

This paper shows the results obtained in various studies undertaken in the years 1999 to 2001 in the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences of University of Cadiz, in Spain. This work was carried out in the sensible ecosystem of the estuary of Iro River. This estuary is directly affected by an important urban sewage. Although the waste is treated in a treatment plant before the discharge, a high level of contamination by nutrients and pathogens are measured in the aquatic ecosystem. The aim of this work was to determine the natural dilution and depuration process of the aquatic system.