Water quality and hydrological models are increasingly being applied to determine allowable pollution loads and predict impacts on water uses and ecosystems. Integrated Hydrological and Water Quality Modeling for River Management using BASINS Watershed Tool and Qual2kw software was applied to Minho, Ave and Lis River Basins. The mathematical modelling of dispersion phenomena can play an important role as regards the behavior of accidental spills of pollutants in rivers. Pollutants dispersion models based on tracer dye experiments were applied to Douro, Tagus and Mondego Rivers for river water uses protection. The significance to human health and the impact in environment have explained the recent increasing interest for arsenic and antimony abundance, behavior and remediation. Removal of this metalloids from natural and mine contaminated waters using low cost technologies is a topic under study by the research group. Encouraging results have been obtained, in comparison with those published in literature, using simple processes such as virgin seaweed (green and brown) biosorption.

Tracer injection for pollutants dispersion modeling in Mondego River

Surface Water Quality Modeling diagram: mass and heat balance

Watershed delineation model

QUAL2kW model: prediction of microbiological contamination along Minho River