title: Since 2015 the SinoGerman research project SIGN supports water quality improvement in the Taihu region, China.
abstract: The Taihu (Tai lake) region is one of the most economically prospering areas of China. Due to its location within this district of high anthropogenic activities, Taihu represents a drastic example of water pollution with nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate), organic contaminants and heavy metals. High nutrient levels combined with very shallow water create large eutrophication problems, threatening the drinking water supply of the surrounding cities. Within the international research project SIGN (SinoGerman Water Supply Network, www.water-sign.de), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), a powerful consortium of fifteen German partners is working on the overall aim of assuring good water quality from the source to the tap by taking the whole water cycle into account: The diverse research topics range from future proof strategies for urban catchment, innovative monitoring and early warning approaches for lake and drinking water, control and use of biological degradation processes, efficient water treatment technologies, adapted water distribution up to promoting sector policy by good governance. The implementation in China is warranted, since the leading Chinese research institutes as well as the most important local stakeholders, e.g. water suppliers, are involved.
authors.affiliation: TZW Water Technology Center, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Kathrin Rachel
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: IWW Water Centre, Mulheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Tim Aus
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: der Beek
authors.affiliation: Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Bingzhi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: IWW Water Centre, Mulheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dopp
authors.affiliation: Hydroisotop GmbH, Schweitenkirchen, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eichinger
authors.affiliation: GAIAC Research Institute for Ecosystem Analysis and Assessment at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hammers-Wirtz
authors.affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haußmann
authors.affiliation: KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holbach
authors.affiliation: GAIAC Research Institute for Ecosystem Analysis and Assessment at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany ; RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Henner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hollert
authors.affiliation: DAHLEM Consultant Engineers, Darmstadt, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Illgen
authors.affiliation: CRAES: Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: IGB Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koehler
authors.affiliation: Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koester
authors.affiliation: TZW Water Technology Center, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Korth
authors.affiliation: FZJ Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kueppers
authors.affiliation: IWW Water Centre, Mulheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Aili
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: TZW Water Technology Center, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lohmann
authors.affiliation: bbe moldaenke GmbH, Schwentinental, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moldaenke
authors.affiliation: KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Norra
authors.affiliation: NIGLAS: Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Boqiang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: CRAES: Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yanwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: UFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reese
authors.affiliation: F.A.S.T. GmbH, Langenbrettach, Germany.
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riehle
authors.affiliation: FZJ Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: Beatrix
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Santiago-Schuebel
authors.affiliation: TZW Water Technology Center, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.affiliation: IWW Water Centre, Mulheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: CRAES: Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yonghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: inge GmbH, Greifenberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Staaks
authors.affiliation: Steinhardt GmbH, Taunusstein, Germany.
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steinhardt
authors.affiliation: TZW Water Technology Center, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Guenter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Subklew
authors.affiliation: Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: NIGLAS: Nanjing Institute of Geography & Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Tingfeng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Daqiang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Fangfang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: CRAES: Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Binghui
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Meiyue
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jiane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.affiliation: TZW Water Technology Center, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tiehm
keywords: Biodegradation; Blue-green algae; Governance; Isotope fractionation; Leakage detection; Membrane filtration; Monitoring; Network flushing; Urban catchment; Water management