Water in the town : a strategic study of longterm developments in municipal sewage systems

This paper presents RIZA's vision on long-term reseach into municipal waste water collection and treatment. A major principle of the policy is that in many areas the quality objectives of surface waters and aquatic sediments are not being archieved and that minicipal discharges are one of the factors responsible. From the point of view of sustainable development of the environment, an integrated approach to municipal sewage systems is required. This means that long-term research, apart from improving the quality of surface waters and aquatic sediments, must pay greater attention to the effects on other environmental compartments (air and soil).