Water quality is vital for most human and ecological activities.
Preserving or attaining certain water quality objectives is thus an important task for water resources managers, and to do so one needs to consider technical, economic and risk issues. Since water quality in groundwater and surface water bodies depends on activities in the surrounding soils and ecosystems, there is an intrinsic linkage between soil and water quality. The course uses case studies and existing models to assist in the development of soil and water quality objectives, risk management and technology selection. In the course, the significance of water resources and water quality is put into perspective. We then deal with the detection of pollutants and the characterization of contamination.