Influence of Sewage Effluent on Temperature of Urban River Water

This study was carried out to clarify the influence of sewage effluent on the temperature of urban river water. This investigation focused on the river basin of the Yodo River. The annual mean water temperature of the river depended on the annual mean atmospheric temperatures at all monitoring points except the Katsura River (Miyamaebashi) located on the lower reaches of a large-scale sewage treatment plant. The annual mean water temperature of Katsura River (Miyamaebashi) was significantly higher than the annual mean atmospheric temperature and increased by approximately 1.2°C within the period from 1972 to 2001. The increase in the water temperature of the Katsura River (Miyamaebashi) was attributable almost entirely to effluent from the sewage treatment plant. Because the temperature of the effluent from the sewage treatment plant was higher than the river water temperature before the inflow of the effluent, Katsura River water warmed significantly following the inflow of the sewage effluent. Katsura River water temperature after the inflow of sewage effluent increased considerably within the period from 1970 to 2003. The influence of sewage effluent was remarkable in winter in comparison with summer. These results suggest that effluent from sewage treatment plants is one of the factors causing the increase in river water temperature.