Geographical Issues
The issues, management strategies and proposals listed below are supported by over 500 pages of detailed notes (in English), data charts, explanatory models etc. from Estudi Ramon Folch - Gestió i Comunicació Ambiental S.L., submitted on 15th June 1997 to Barcelona Regional S.A..
Population Distribution
1.1 High population densities
Urban Sprawl and pressures on the rural-urban fringe
The sustainable city and diffuse city models
Problems associated with high urban densities
1.2 The interaction between transport and location
The currents of movement: Centralisation and commuting
Decentralisation of industry
Growth of second homes
Problems associated with poor accessibility
Issues associated with new transport projects
The atmospheric and climatic framework
2.1 The climate and atmospheric circulation
The role of anticyclones
Factors of the regional climate
2.2 Meteorological risks: cloudbursts and flash flooding
Causes of floods
Floods in the Metropolitan drainage areas
The effects of road works on river courses
The effects of building on flood plains
2.3 Emissions and air quality: dispersion of air pollutants
Pollution sources
The main air pollutants
Air quality
Geology and Soils
3.1 Substrate and relief: geotechnical problems
Relief units
Geotechnical issues
3.2 Major geological risks: earthquakes and landslides
Seismic activity
Landslides and rock falls
3.3 Mining activities: mines and restoration work
Observance of regulations
Environmental impact of quarrying
The restoration of exhausted quarries
3.4 Soils: their use and pollution
Soil types
Soil vulnerability and degradation
Assessment of soil pollution
Surface and ground water
4.1 The water supply network: characteristics and socio-environmental problems
Available resources and their use
Water quality
Flow volumes of surface waters
4.2 Aquifers: use and degradation
Besòs and Llobregat aquifers
The Tordera, Maresme & Garraf aquifers
Other aquifers: Vallès and the Barcelona Plain
4.3 Fresh water catchment and treatment
Potabilising plants
Treatment processes
Present & future water supply
4.4 Sewage: types, treatment, and use
The Catalan Water and Sewage Treatment Plan
Generation and types of wastewater
Wastewater treatment
Use of treated waters
Discharge of treated waters
The sewer network
4.5 The water budget
Water consumption and needs
Increasing efficiency: Is it really necessary to pipe water from more rivers?
The coastal interface
5.1 The coastal strip
Land use in the coastal strip
Beaches: social and recreational use
Changes in coastal dynamics: ports, and beach regeneration
5.2 Coastal waters: discharges and diffuse pollution
Polluting agents
Sources of pollution
Water quality
5.3 Coastal biology: distribution and problems
Coastal zones
The effects of dumping and sand dredging on fishing
Protection measures
Landscape ecological structures and continental biology
6.1 The environmental landscape
The creation of the landscape
Types of landscape
6.2 The biological heritage: fauna, vegetation and urban green areas
Vegetation
Fauna
Green areas
6.3 Nature management
The environmental matrix
Management of open spaces
Forest fires
Hunting and fishing
Environmental impact studies (EIS)
6.4 Environmental parameters
The problems of quantifying environmental phenomena
Eco-landscape fragility index (EFI)
Energy
7.1 Energy requirements: strategy and consumption
Energy management
Energy consumption
7.2 Energy infrastructures: generation, transformation, and distribution
Energy generation
Energy transformation
Distribution networks
7.3 The potential for renewable energy
The potential for the use of solid wastes and biomass
Solar energy potential
Wind and geothermal power
7.4 The impact of energy use on the environment
The impact of hydroelectric and thermal power stations The impact of the electricity grid
The misuse and inefficient use of energy
Solid wastes and sewage sludge
8.1 Urban solid wastes (USW), Generation, treatment and recovery
USW generation in the Barcelona Region
Current USW management
The Metropolitan Plan for Municipal Waste Management (MWP)
8.2 Sewage sludge: generation, treatment, and uses
Sludge generation and management Possible uses for sewage sludge
Health and air quality
9.1 The effects of air pollution on health
Epidemiology and health measures
Sources of pollution and other noxious elements
9.2 Health effects of noise
Traffic and street noise
The daily noise pattern and emission sources
Noise inside buildings
Noise regulations
Control and correction measures
Proposals and Recommendations
Regional and environmental measures
10.1 On air pollution
10.2 On river basins and river flow patterns
10.3 On surface water courses, aquifers, and water resources
10.4 On the seaside and coast
10.5 On coastal waters
10.6 On plants, fauna and environmental landscape
10.7 On urban green spaces and roadside verges
10.8 On energy consumption and the potential of local energy sources
10.9 On urban and semi-urban land use
10.10 On geological substrates and soils
Measures to regulate activities which have an environmental element
11.1 On agriculture
11.2 On buildings and infrastructures
11.3 On large public public works and road schemes
11.4 On mobility
11.5 On noise
11.6 On generation and treatment of waste
11.7 On treatment and regeneration of waste water
11.8 On generation and treatment of sewage sludge
11.9 On open air activities