Effect of Biogeochemical, Hydrogeological, and Well Construction Factors on Riverbank Filtrate Quality

Abstract

In Europe, riverbank filtration (RBF) has been the primary mode of drinking water production for many cities located along major rivers such as the Danube in Central Europe (from Austria to Black Sea), Rhine and Elbe in Germany, Lot and Seine in France, and Rhine in the Netherlands, as well as along rivers in Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Spain. Many of these systems have been operating for well over a century. Lake bank filtration is also common in many European countries, including Finland, where wells are placed close to natural lakes or artificial reservoirs for drinking water production. In the United States, RBF systems are also used for drinking water production. They have been operating in many cities located along the Columbia, Missouri (including the sub-basins of Platte and North Platte), Mississippi (including the sub-basins of Des Moine, Minnesota, Cedar, and Illinois), Ohio (including the Wabash River basin), Colorado, Rio Grande, Russian, and Connecticut River basins for nearly half a century.