The building industry is one of the most polluting industry in the world as buildings are responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emission in the world (IAE, 2010) and have very low replacement rates. Measuring the environmental impacts of construction is now a major concern.The main objective of this thesis was to give an overview of the current status of building certifications, discuss the expected roles and limitations of building certifications, and analyze the impact of building certification tools during the conception of a building or an urban project.For the following thesis, qualitative research was used the most since the purpose is to have a better understanding of the role of building certifications among building and real estate professionals. An empirical study was made consisting of 9 semi-structured interviews and a survey designed for building professionals such as architects, constructors, environmental building consultants, and property developers.This paper shows that certification tools are becoming very common among building professionals especially in metropolitan areas such as Paris. The main drivers for developing certified buildings are client demand, marketing advantage and an overall high quality building. The main obstacle remains the initial cost. Building professionals from the interview and the survey almost all agree that certifications are a good guide and assessment tool to build high quality buildings. However, building professionals are quite insure on the impact of certification tools on sustainability on the conception of a building or urban project as many factors are to take into account.

The global climate is changing rapidly, which pronounces the need for transforming the energy system. The Swedish municipalities have been identified as key actors in Sweden’s decarbonisation due to their far-reaching responsibilities, which encompass energy planning. The municipalities are required to have a Municipal Energy Plan (MEP) regarding the provision of energy, but have increasingly shown climate awareness. Further, the municipalities are responsible also for the spatial planning, and increased climate efforts will largely be dependent on how this planning is conducted. However, the energy system also affects various other environmental impacts. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) can aid to take these impacts and associated National Environmental Quality Objectives (NEQOs) into account, which is necessary in order to avoid that other negative environmental impacts occur due to a decarbonisation and that synergies between NEQOs instead could be utilised. Thus, this thesis aims to examine current municipal energy planning practice and the integration of energy and climate targets into comprehensive planning (Paper I), as well as to explore the performance of SEA and the consideration of NEQOs in municipal energy planning (Paper II). Further, suggestions for strengthening the practice is developed (Paper I and II).To achieve the aims, a document analysis, statistical analyses, thematic analyses and an interview study has been employed. This thesis shows that the Act on Municipal Energy Planning is not followed and that the municipalities proactively focuses on climate change mitigation instead. Moreover, a link between MEPs and Comprehensive Plans is seen regarding energy and climate-related targets, and a continuous energy planning can thus be one way of achieving a spatial planning in line with the climate objectives. SEA is seldom performed despite legal requirements, due to a deficient screening practice. However, when performed, SEA can increase the consideration of NEQOs, particularly those in which negative environmental impacts of climate efforts can occur. The consideration of NEQOs could thus help enhance synergies between a decarbonisation and other NEQOs, which could mobilise support for the MEP and aid its implementation. / <p>QC 20181120</p>

Based on the design decision making process from an architect’s point of view, a related literature review, theoretical analyses, and inductive inferences, this thesis proposes a new interpretation of high-performance building (HPB), translates/maps criteria issues related to building environmental assessment (BEA) tools for key design decision making elements, and identifies sources of inspiration for HPB designs. This thesis intends to propose an integrated conceptual model for the design of HPBs to provide direct knowledge-based decision making support to architects in the early design phase. Studies on key design decision making elements, sources of inspiration, and building information modeling are integrated into this genesis of conceptual design. The concept of the HPB proposed in this thesis emphasizes comprehensive sustainable building performance in environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects. The concept takes the view that HPBs should be aesthetically attractive, socio-culturally adapted, safe, healthy, and comfortable, and should operate at a high level of environmental, resource, and economic efficiency throughout their life cycle. This thesis discusses the topics of the necessity, benefits, and design principles of HPBs. An analysis of the characteristics of BEA tools and HPB design decision making revealed their relationship: the consequence of goals and the mismatch of practices. BEA tools provide the basic information (such as framework, content, evaluation methods, and processes) related to decision making to promote a holistic HPB design at a practical level. However, given the mismatch of practices between BEA tools and HPB design decision making, most such tools are still used for testing and verifying the design results and do not consider the design decision making process. Existing BEA tools primarily guide or indirectly affect the design work but, in practice, play a limited role in directly helping architects make early decisions regarding HPB design. First, for a detailed comparison, this thesis identified the common criteria issues for the three existing BEA tools: SBTool 2012 (maximum version), LEED NC-v3, and the Chinese Evaluation Standard for Green Building (ESGB). A total of 51 common/similar criteria issues were identified and such issues were found to be primarily allocated in the energy and resources, indoor environmental quality, environmental loads, and site areas. SBTool 2012 contains the widest range and most comprehensive criteria issues of building performance, whereas the LEED NC-v3 and ESGB frameworks poorly cover social- and economic-related issues. Second, this thesis separated the criteria into whether they relate to decision making factors or building performance factors. Third, this thesis mapped HPB criteria issues into HPB design decision making elements. This thesis establishes a framework for key design decision elements for Chinese residential buildings by selecting a residential building type in China as a case study for the mapping approach application. The optimum criteria issues for Chinese residential buildings contain 10 primary criteria issues and 35 sub-criteria issues that cover aspects within the entire sustainable performance range and that correspond to key design decision making elements in this framework. This thesis also proposes two fundamental support approaches to creative design for HPBs: rational technical support and irrational divergent inspirational support. Based on practical design examples, three major types of irrational sources of inspiration in an architect’s design for HPBs have been identified: previous empirics, nature objects and phenomena, and advanced science and technologies. Finally, a new integrated conceptual model to support an architect’s early design decisions is established based on the BIM platform. The model contains two main aspects of the work: an initial building information model and an optimal building information model for HPBs during the early design stage. This conceptual model is presented as a generic approach that can be customized for different designers and project conditions. The model can also be used as a framework for providing knowledge-based creative support for decision making related to HPB design. In summary, this thesis intends to provide both a theoretical base and feasible measures for better HPB design and references for developing design decision making support tools for architects to use during the early HPB design process. / <p>QC 20131115</p>

Нефтегазовые компании осуществляют инвестиционную деятельность, которая направлена на удовлетворение имеющегося спроса на углеводородное сырье и вместе с тем, заинтересованы в повышении степени эффективности их извлечения и разработке новых технологий по их переработке, Инвестиционные проекты, которые осуществляются в нефтегазовом секторе, чаще всего характеризуются большими объемами вложений денежных средств, длительными сроками реализации и окупаемости. Эффективность реализации инвестиционных проектов зависит от большого количества внешних и внутренних факторов, изучение которых поможет избежать серьезных денежных потерь и поспособствует более быстрому достижению плановых экономических показателей, определенных инвесторами. Существует необходимость в совершенствовании методов оценки инвестиционных проектов в нефтегазовой промышленности, которые будут включать в себя анализ и оценку прочих факторов влияющих на экономическую эффективность проекта в целом, в рамках исследования упор сделан на экологические факторы. Целью магистерской диссертации является совершенствование методики оценки эффективности инвестиционных проектов нефтегазовых предприятий с учетом экологического фактора. Анализ основывался на изучении научно-периодической литературы изучении существующих показателей оценки эффективности инвестиционных проектов, а также на основе данных об экологической и финансовой деятельности компании ПАО «ЛУКОЙЛ». В качестве источников информации использовались нормативно-правовые акты, база публикаций Российского индекса научного цитирования, представленная на ресурсе Flibrary, данные корпоративной статистики по тематике исследования, данные финансовой отчетности и внутренние документы исследуемого предприятия. В ходе написания магистерской диссертации была разработана и апробирована схема оценки эффективности инвестиционных проектов в нефтегазовой отрасли, позволяющая учитывать экологическую составляющую, дополненная этапами соответствия инвестиционных предложений направлениям развития нефтегазовой отрасли, проведением экологического мониторинга и постинвестиционного анализа. / Oil and gas companies carry out investment activities that are aimed at meeting the existing demand for hydrocarbon raw materials and at the same time, are interested in improving the efficiency of their extraction and development of new technologies for their processing, Investment projects that are carried out in the oil and gas sector are most often characterized by large amounts of investments, long The effectiveness of the implementation of investment projects depends on a large number of external and internal factors, the study of which will help to avoid serious monetary losses and contribute to a more rapid achievement of the planned economic indicators determined by investors. There is a need to improve the methods of evaluation of investment projects in the oil and gas industry, which will include the analysis and evaluation of other factors affecting the economic efficiency of the project as a whole, the study focuses on environmental factors. The purpose of the master's thesis is to improve the methodology for assessing the effectiveness of investment projects of oil and gas enterprises, taking into account the environmental factor. The analysis was based on the study of scientific and periodical literature on the study of existing indicators for assessing the effectiveness of investment projects, as well as on data on the environmental and financial activities of PJSC LUKOIL. As sources of information we used legal acts, the database of publications of the Russian science citation index, presented on the resource Flibrary, data of corporate statistics on the subject of research, financial statements and internal documents of the enterprise. During the writing of the master's thesis was developed and tested a scheme for assessing the effectiveness of investment projects in the oil and gas industry, allowing to take into account the environmental component, supplemented by stages of compliance of investment proposals areas of development of the oil and gas industry, environmental monitoring and post-investment analysis.

Synen på negativ miljöpåverkan har stärkt miljölagstiftning under de senaste decennierna i Sverige och internationellt. Människor vill leva bättre och längre liv med högre livskvalité än någonsin och miljöpåverkan kan vara ett stort hinder. I Sverige är miljöbalken försvaret för att förhindra negativ miljöpåverkan och samtidigt stärka en ekonomiskt tillväxt i förhållande till miljön. Där det lagstiftning inom Sverige som beskriver kumulativa effekter och europeisk lagstiftning kräver beskrivning av dessa effekter. Denna studie analyserar hur olika miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar beskriver och hanterar kumulativa effekter.  Den valda metoden är tematisk innehållsanalys för att analysera tre olika miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar med ett teoretiskt ramverk som består av path dependecy och politisk ekologi. Resultatet visar att samtliga dokument enbart indirekt beskriver kumulativa effekter. Kumulativa effekter beskrivs vanligtvis inte i miljökonsekvensbeskrivningarna emellertid finns det flera bilagor som kan hantera kumulativa effekter även det inte är sannolikt. Resultatet visar på att det saknas stora beskrivning och hantering av de kumulativa effekter och andra prioriteringar ligger först till hands på grund av olika orsaker som framför i resultatet, resultatdiskussion och slutligen i slutsatsen.   Nyckelord: Miljökonsekvensbeskrivning, Miljöbedömning, Kumulativa effekter, Path dependency / The view of negative environmental impact has strengthened environmental legislation in recent decades in Sweden and internationally. People want to live better and longer lives with a better quality of life than ever before, but negative environmental impacts can be a major obstacle. In Sweden, the Environmental Code is the defense to reduce negative environmental impacts and at the same time strengthen economic growth in relation to the environment. The Swedish legislation describes cumulative effects and European legislation requires a description of these effects. This study analyzes how different environmental impact statements describe and manage cumulative effects. The chosen method is thematic content analysis to analyze three different environmental impact statements with a theoretical framework consisting of path dependency and political ecology. The result shows that all documents only indirectly describe cumulative effects. While cumulative effects are often not described in the environmental impact statements, however, they could be addressed in the several appendices. However, this is not very likely. The result shows that there is a lack of description and management of the cumulative effects. Other things are prioritized over cumulative effects because of various reasons as presented in the result, result discussion and finally in the conclusion.

Anaerobic digestion technologies have been utilized in Vietnam for more than 30 years with thousands of domestic small scale plants, mostly for agricultural and livestock wastes. For municipal solid waste (MSW) the development of biogas plants is far below the current high waste generation rates. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a feasibility assessment of implementing AD to treat the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) in Vietnam. For this purpose, an environmental analysis was performed comparing three treatment scenarios: two hypothetical AD technologies (a wet and a dry fermentation system) and the existing industrial composting facility at Nam Binh Duong Waste Treatment Complex in South Vietnam. This study sought for the technology to recover the most possible resources and energy from the OFMSW, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results were then combined with a policy review to support a holistic approach on the feasibility of these technologies in Vietnam. The outcome indicates that by implementing the dry AD system, up to 16.7 GWh of power and 14.4 GWh of heat energy can be generated annually and it can potentially save up to 5,400 Mg of CO2 equivalent per year, presenting the highest resource/energy benefits. The performance of the wet system and composting facility present some advantages particularly if there is a previous segregation of the organic material from the rest of the household wastes. Moreover, current reforms in Vietnam demonstrate the government’s interest in AD technologies, translated into the development of fiscal and financial revenues which incentivize participation from the public and private sector. Finally, these technologies are constantly under development and have the potential to be further improved, which gives hopes that waste treatment systems can be optimized to meet the waste and energy challenges of the future generations. / Phương pháp lên men kị khí đã được áp dụng tại Việt Nam từ hơn 30 năm nay với hàng nghìn các công trình nhỏ chủ yếu xử lý chất thải nông nghiệp và chăn nuôi. Sự phát triển hiện nay của các nhà máy sinh khí biogas còn quá ít cho xử lý lượng phát thải cao rác thải đô thị. Bài báo này trình bày các kết quả việc đánh giá tính khả thi khi áp dụng công nghệ lên men kị khí xử lý phần hữu cơ của chất thải rắn đô thị tại Việt Nam. Với mục đích này, phân tích môi trường được thực hiện để so sánh ba kịch bản xử lý: hai công nghệ lên men kị khí giả định (một cho công nghệ lên men ướt và một cho công nghệ lên men khô) và nhà máy hiện hữu lên men hiếu khí làm phân bón compost tại khu liên hợp xử lý chất thải Nam Bình Dương ở miền Nam Việt Nam. Nghiên cứu này tìm kiếm giải pháp công nghệ để thu hồi nhiều nhất có thể các tài nguyên và năng lượng từ rác thải đô thị và và giảm phát thải khí nhà kính. Các kết quả sau đó được kết hợp với đánh giá chính sách để hỗ trợ cách tiếp cận toàn diện về tính khả thi của các công nghệ này vào Việt Nam. Kết quả cho thấy áp dụng công nghệ lên men kị khí khô có thể tạo ra đến 16,7 GWh điện năng và 14,4 GWh nhiệt năng hàng năm và có khả năng làm giảm đến 8,000 Mg CO2 tương đương mỗi năm, thể hiện lợi ích cao nhất giữa tài nguyên và năng lượng. Hiệu suất của hệ thống lên men kị khí ướt và lên men hiếu khí thể hiện một số lợi thế đặc biệt khi nguyên liệu hữu cơ cho quá trình lên men được tiền phân loại ra khỏi hỗn hợp rác sinh hoạt. Hơn nữa, các đổi mới hiện nay ở Việt Nam thể hiện sự quan tâm của Chính phủ đến các công nghệ lên men kị khí, thể hiện qua sự tăng trưởng tài chính và doanh thu để khuyến khích sự tham gia của khu vực công và tư nhân. Chắc chắn rằng các công nghệ sẽ liên tục được phát triển và có khả năng được cải tiến tốt hơn, mang đến cho chúng ta những hy vọng rằng các hệ thống xử lý chất thải được tối ưu hóa để đáp ứng được các thách thức về chất thải và năng lượng của các thế hệ tương lai.

The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries globally and needs to change to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Cotton fabric constitutes approximately 50% of all textiles. Its production is complex, and it is crucial to map all its processes to assess the environmental impact. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a common tool to execute this, and there are software tools to simplify the conduction. However, the complexity of textile production, especially the pretreatment process, makes the assessments time-consuming. Therefore, this thesis examined how the environmental assessment of the cotton fabric could be more efficiently organised. The study was an exploratory single case study at a large furniture company. To pursue, the literature processed the topics of designing and producing cotton fabric, environmental assessment of cotton fabric, and organising environmental assessment. The results and analysis were formulated into the three themes: organising environmental assessment, environmental data management, and circularity. Also, the environmental data from the pretreatment process was presented. The discussion of the findings resulted in some conditions to organise for a more efficient environmental assessment of cotton fabric and applicable to other products. Based on the literature and empirics, the conditions were concluded in requirement, development, and potential. In general, the need for an extended LCA tool which enables comparison of processes and includes all sustainability aspects was discovered. Further, to organise the execution of environmental assessment more efficiently, the study clarified the importance of increasing communication and transparency. Meanwhile, extending the data management authority to experts in the textile department to relieve the environmental department. / Textilindustrin är en av de mest förorenande industrierna globalt och behöver förändras för att uppfylla FN:s hållbara utvecklingsmål. 50% av alla textilier består av bumull. Dess produktion är komplex och det är avgörande att kartlägga alla dess processer för att bedöma miljöpåverkan. Livscykelanalys (LCA) är ett vanligt verktyg för att utföra detta, och det finns mjukvaruverktyg för att förenkla utförandet. Komplexitet i textilproduktion, särskilt förbehandlingsprocessen, gör dock bedömningarna tidskrävande. Därför undersökte denna rapport hur miljöbedömningen av bomullstyget kan organiseras mer effektivt. Studien var en explorativ enskild fallstudie på ett stort möbelföretag. Litteraturen behandlade ämnena design och tillverkning av bomullstyg, miljöbedömning av bomullstyg och organisering av miljöbedömning. Resultaten och analysen formulerades i de tre teman: organisering av miljöbedömning, miljödatahantering och cirkularitet. Även miljödata från förbehandlingsprocessen presenterades. Diskussionen av empirin resulterade i förutsättningar för att organisera en mer effektiv miljöbedömning av bomullstyg, som även är tillämpbar på andra produkter. Baserat på litteraturen och empirin gavs förutsättningarna i form av krav, utveckling och potential. Sammanfattningsvis upptäcktes behovet av ett utökat LCA-verktyg som möjliggör jämförelse av processer och inkluderar alla hållbarhetsaspekter. Vidare, för att organisera genomförandet av miljöbedömningar mer effektivt, klargjorde studien vikten av att öka kommunikationen och transparensen. Dessutom utöka datahanteringsbehörigheten till experter på textilavdelningen för att avlasta miljöavdelningen.

Idag står samhället inför stora utmaningar vad gäller hållbar omställning. Inom byggbranschenär arkitekten en av yrkesrollerna som är med i det tidiga skedet och har chans att påverka vadsom projekteras. Idag begränsas arkitektens resurser och möjligheter att påverka, myckethandlar om avsaknad auktoritet hos arkitektyrket. Att arkitekten begränsas skapar svårighetervad gäller att göra hållbara materialval samt påverka beställarens prioriteringar och beslut.Syftet med följande arbete är att hitta en strategi för att underlätta arkitektens hållbarhetsarbete.Arbetet har undersökt vilka svårigheter som upplevs, vad som efterfrågas och hur arkitekteninom branschen använder sig utav miljöbedömningsverktyg. Arbetet har även undersökt omnågot land eller yrkesroll skulle kunna verka som föregångare till Sverige. Där har Tysklandsbranschkultur för arkitekter undersökts samt yrkesrollen miljösamordnare. Arbetet avgränsarsig till mindre arkitektkontor med begränsade resurser, privata beställare och analys av ettbegränsat antal digitala miljöbedömningsverktyg. Undersökningar har gjorts genom en mindrelitteraturstudie, en enkät och ett tiotal semistrukturerade intervjuer.Resultatet visar på att det finns en rad åtgärder som kan göras på kontors- och individnivå.Åtgärderna kan appliceras med små medel om utrymme ges tidsmässigt. Flera av åtgärdernakan lösas tillsammans inom ett kontor men det kräver också att det finns ett eget intresse hosarkitekten på individnivå. Ett exempel på åtgärd på kontorsnivå skulle kunna vara internaworkshops där kontoret utbildar sig själva inom hållbara material. På individnivå är en åtgärdatt hålla sig uppdaterad inom ämnet exempelvis genom att skaffa sig ett inspirerande nätverkpå LinkedIn. Den mest övergripande slutsatsen för arbetet är att krav på hållbarhet måste ställasfrån branschorganisationer och riksdag för att förändring ska ske. / The society today faces several challenges when it comes to sustainability. The architect’s roletoday has limited influence on the client. While they are involved early on in the process, theyhave the opportunity to influence although this opportunity is not always available becauserecourses is not provided. The architects today experience difficulties when making sustainablematerial choices and influencing client priorities.The purpose of the following work is to assist the architect in their sustainability work. Thework has investigated the difficulties experienced, what is demanded, and how architects in theindustry utilize environmental assessment tools. The work has also investigated whether anycountry or professional role could serve as a precursor to Sweden. Germany's industry culturefor architects and the professional role of environmental coordinator have been examined. Thework is limited to smaller architectural firms with limited resources, private clients, and analysisof a limited number of digital environmental assessment tools. Surveys have been conductedby a small literature review, a questionnaire and a dozen semi-structed interviews.The results show that there are several measures that can be taken at both office and individuallevels. The measures can be implemented with small means if time is provided. Several of themeasures can be solved together within an office, but it also requires a personal interest fromthe architect on an individual level. An example of an action at the office level could be internalworkshops where the office educates themselves on sustainable materials. At the individuallevel, an action is to stay updated on the subject, for example by acquiring an inspiring networkon LinkedIn. The primary conclusion of the work is that demands for sustainability must be setby industry organizations and parliament for change to occur.

Det här examensarbetet inom lantmäteriteknik och geografisk IT syftar till att identifiera potentiellt förorenade områden i Torsby kommun med hjälp av GIS (geografiska informationssystem). GIS kan lagra, hantera, analysera och visualisera geografisk data. Miljöföroreningar är ett växande globalt problem och kommer framförallt från mänskliga aktiviteter. Föroreningar i form av PFAS (Per- och polyfluorerade alkylsubstanser), metaller och övriga organiska föroreningar utgör betydande risker för både miljön och människors hälsa. Flera av dessa föroreningar är kända som cancerogena och bioackumulerande. Vidare kan de dessutom vara persistenta, d.v.s. icke nedbrytbara, vilket medför att de kan orsaka skada under mycket lång tid. Data laddades ned från Lantmäteriet, Sveriges geologiska undersökning (SGU), Länsstyrelsen, Sveriges statistiska centralbyrå (SCB) samt Sveriges metereologiska och hydrologiska institut (SMHI). Dessa data inkluderade, markanvändning, jordarter, potentiella föroreningskällor, grundvattendata, utloppspunkter, enskilda vattentäkter, demografiska statistikområden och delavrinningsområden. Vidare bearbetades all data i ArcGIS Pro 3.2 för att anpassas till studiens syfte, därefter implementerades de i ArcGIS Online för att presenteras genom en interaktiv dashboard. För analys av potentiellt förorenade områden skapades buffertzoner runt de potentiella föroreningskällorna. Överlagringsanalyser utfördes därefter för att identifiera överlappande områden, som sedan riskanalyserades utifrån Crichtons risktriangel. Risktriangeln innefattar komponenterna: hot, exponering och sårbarhet, där hot är något som riskerar orsaka skada, exponering beskriver hur sårbara resurser kommer i kontakt med hotet och sårbarhet avser de resurser som påverkas mest av hotets eventuella skador. Resultatet från risktriangeln visade att: 1368,6 hektar (28,1%) av åkermarken i Torsby kommun ligger i potentiellt förorenade områden. 711,21 hektar (0,5%) våtmark, med särskilt rikt djur- och växtliv, ligger i potentiellt förorenade områden. C1030 är det DeSO-område (demografiskt statistikområde) som utgör den största risken för barn och ungdomars hälsa. C1030 är även det DeSO-område som utgör störst total risk i Torsby kommun. Området bör prioriteras för vidare utredning och eventuella åtgärder. GIS-teknik har effektivt identifierat och visualiserat potentiellt förorenade områden i Torsby kommun. Resultatet underlättar för beslutsfattare att prioritera områden för miljöövervakning och vattenkvalitetskontroll. Fortsatt arbete med omfattande analyser är dock avgörande för att skydda miljön och människors hälsa. / This thesis in land surveying technology and geographic information technology aims to identify potentially contaminated areas in Torsby Municipality using GIS (Geographic Information Systems). GIS technology enables the storage, management, analysis, and visualization of geographical data. Environmental pollution, predominantly originating from human activities, presents growing global challenges. Significant pollutants, including PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), metals, and other organic contaminants, are of particular concern due to their non-degradable nature, posing long-term risks to both the environment and human health. Data were sourced from the Swedish Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authority, the Geological Survey of Sweden, the County Administrative Boards, Statistics Sweden, and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. These datasets, encompassing land cover, soil types, potential pollution sources, groundwater, discharge points, private wells, demographic statistical areas, and sub-catchment areas, were processed in ArcGIS Pro 3.2 to align with the study’s objectives. Subsequently, they were implemented in ArcGIS Online to be presented through an interactive dashboard. The analysis involved creating buffer zones around potential sources of contamination. Overlay analyses were subsequently conducted to identify intersecting areas, which were then risk assessed using Crichton's risk triangle. This model considers threat, exposure, and vulnerability, with threats defined as potential sources of harm, exposure detailing how vulnerable resources interact with the threat, and vulnerability relating to the resources most affected by potential damage. Results from the risk triangle analysis indicated: 1368.6 hectares (28.1%) of agricultural land in Torsby Municipality are within potentially contaminated areas. 711.21 hectares (0.5%) of wetlands, rich in biodiversity, are affected. The DeSO-area C1030 presents the highest risk to children and youth health. C1030 also represents the highest overall risk within Torsby Municipality and should be prioritized for further investigation and possible intervention. GIS technology has effectively identified and visualized potentially contaminated zones, facilitating decision-making for environmental monitoring and water quality management. Continued comprehensive analyses are crucial for safeguarding the environment and public health.

<p dir="ltr">In the Midwest, tile drainage is used to lower water tables and remove excess water from the soil to improve crop production. This network of underground pipes (i.e., tiles) and expansive agriculture also increases nutrient export, contributing to ecological harm in local lakes and rivers and further downstream in the Gulf of Mexico. Conservation practices that avoid, control, or trap nutrients can mitigate these losses, but studies quantifying their impact at the watershed scale are challenging. This work uses water quality monitoring data collected throughout the Midwest to identify potential nutrient sources and pathways, the hydroclimatic variables influencing them, and the effects of conservation practices. In a study in northeast Indiana, nutrient travel times for total phosphorus, soluble reactive phosphorus, nitrate, and dissolved organic carbon were observed to be faster during winter storm events, likely due to a lack of vegetative processes. Tile drains were the primary contributor to in-stream nitrogen and phosphorus during spring storms but were not a primary contributor for phosphorus in the winter. Data from nitrate sensors across the Midwest were used to quantify the effect of sampling frequency on hysteresis and flushing indices, showing that sampling intervals greater than 8 hours estimates could lead to inaccurate values, and that caution should be used when interpreting outcomes when using longer sampling intervals. Wet antecedent conditions were associated with a dilution pattern of nitrate during storm events, and tile drainage exacerbates this by causing greater leaching during wet periods. A systematic review of water quality monitoring studies at the watershed scale showed the limits using current data, and suggested how providing better statistics could be used to facilitate a more robust meta-analysis to determine effect sizes and sources of heterogeneity among studies. In a monitoring study located in the central Indiana, agricultural conservation practices reduced nitrate concentrations by 27% in an artificially drained watershed. While tile drainage is a critical pathway for nutrients in the Midwest, the combined effect of various conservation practices can improve water quality at the watershed scale.</p>