The environmental problems caused by the increase of pollutant loads discharged into natural water bodies require a complex body of legislation for setting out frameworks of regulation and control. The scientific community has very rapidly responded to the need for studies capable of relating the pollutant discharge with changes in the water quality. The results of these studies are permitting industries to employ more efficient methods of controlling and treating waste loads, and water authorities to enforce more strict regulations regarding this matter.
Environmental problems are essentially interdisciplinary.
Engineers and scientists working in this field must be familiar with a wide range of issues including the physical processes of mixing and dilution, chemical and biological processes, mathematical modelling, data acquisition and measurement, to name but a few. In view of the scarcity of available data, it is important that experiences are shared on an international basis. Thus, a continuous exchange of information between scientists of different countries is essential. The conference follows the four successful previous meetings in this series, held in Southampton, UK in 1991, Milan, Italy in 1993, Porto Carras, Greece in 1995 and Bled, Slovenia in 1997. Its chief objective is to provide a forum of discussion for scientists and managers working in different aspects of water pollution.