2024 Volume 80 Issue 18 Article ID: 24-18174
During the event of an earthquake, there is a significant concern regarding the discharge of hazardous substances stored at industrial facilities into rivers. This concern is exacerbated by the possibility of these substances reaching the intake points of water purification plants due to the upstream movement of rivers caused by tsunamis, thereby affecting the process of water extraction. The current study specifically addresses this issue by hypothesizing the release of hazardous substances in the vicinity of the Yodogawa Dam area during a Nankai Trough earthquake, an event predicted to have a high probability of occurring in the near future. By employing various scenarios, the study aims to forecast the potential impacts on water intake at a purification plant.
The findings from this investigation reveal several key insights. Firstly, hazardous substances discharged more than approximately 1000 meters downstream from the dam are unlikely to reach the intake point, thereby posing no significant threat to water extraction processes. Secondly, an increase in the volume of hazardous substances released results in a higher maximum concentration in the water; however, the influence on the duration of water intake stoppage remains relatively minor. Additionally, the study highlights a distinctive behavior in cases where multiple hazardous substances are released simultaneously, as opposed to the release of a single type of substance. Others’ outcomes are mentioned in the main text.
These outcomes underscore the complexity of hazardous substance dispersion, which is influenced by a multitude of factors. Consequently, this complexity necessitates a comprehensive approach to analyzing the impact on water intake. The study concludes that in order to accurately assess the implications of hazardous substance discharge on water purification processes, it is imperative to conduct diverse analyses under realistic conditions.
