title: Sewage treatment level and flow rates affect polychaete assemblages.
abstract: The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) aim to improve water quality and reduce the environmental impact of wastewater, by requiring member states to introduce better treatment levels. This study was carried out in order to detect the most suitable treatment type or flow level for reducing benthic environmental impact. Therefore, soft-bottom polychaete assemblages affected by discharges of six treatment plants, with different treatment technologies and flow rates, were analysed over three consecutive years. Polychaete assemblages changed as a result of sewage discharge. These changes were related to treatment level and flow rates. Both disposal quality and quantity are important since changes in soft-bottom assemblages in stations affected by pre-treated sewage with medium and high flow rates are observed. However, the location with a low-flow pre-treated effluent has similar polychaete assemblages with regard to locations with biological treatment or controls.
authors.affiliation: Dpto. de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada, Universidad de Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig, Ap. 99. E-03080, Alicante, Spain. yoana.delpilar@ua.es
authors.forename: Yoana
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Del-Pilar-Ruso
authors.forename: Jose Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de-la-Ossa-Carretero
authors.forename: Francisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giménez-Casalduero
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Lizaso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D011077:Polychaeta; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011786:Quality Control; D012722:Sewage; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014872:Water Movements; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage