Methodology for the integration of process studies and development of a decision support tool (FRAC-WECO Project Deliverable D1.2)

This deliverable allows one to clarify the objectives of the different partners involved in the FRAC-WECO project and how they are going to interact, to exchange data, research results and knowledge in order to meet the ambitious objectives of the project.
Particularly, the complex interactions between researches dealing with physical processes and with socio-economic aspects have been described in details. The modelling applications will constitute the key interacting tools as they are going to integrate all the information on water and contaminant mass fluxes and on biogeochemical processes affecting the fate of contaminant in the field and they are also going to be used to produce all data required for risk assessment and for the socio-economic analysis which are two of the most important expected outcomes of the project.
The deliverable also clarifies the use of flux-based concepts through the definition of risk assessment indicators in the form of contaminant mass fluxes and discharge at the various considered receptors.
Finally, this document has also allowed one to clarify the scope and the limits of the researches foreseen in the FRAC-WECO project that will focus on the risk of contaminant leaching to groundwater, of contaminant dispersion through groundwater and on the impact of contaminant on groundwater and surface water as affected by groundwater discharge and on the impact on aquatic ecosystems.