wPOLIS

wPOLIS is an interactive web map tool for calculating the temporal and spatial variation of Emission Limit Values for specified pollutants in a River Basin and also for defining exclusion zones where installation of new facilities is restricted due to water quality or other environmental criteria.

wPOLIS characteristics

wPOLIS is based on a 1-dimensional steady state water quality model for the fate of selected heavy metals in inland waters. Pollution loads are retrieved from open data sources such as the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register as well as from the inventory of Greek UWWTPs available from Special Secretariat for Water. Hydrological data are obtained from E-HYPE, an open hydrological model that enables the calculation of river discharges in catchment level.

wPOLIS applications

• Calculate the maximum Emission Limit Value (ELV) for selected pollutants that could be applied to all industrial units in a given area without causing EQS exceedance.
• Explore the temporal variation of ELVs arising from the variation of river flows.
• Generate maps with areas where installation of a new facility of specific industrial activity and capacity is restricted, due planning limitations, environmental restrictions or other legal regulations.
• Identify suitable and unsuitable areas for allocating a new industrial unit with known pollution loads based on water quality criteria.

wPOLIS is being developed under the SWITCH-ON project (2013-2017). SWITCH-ON has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No. 603587