Waste Load Model WLM

To estimate actual and future waste load emissions onto surface water systems and the effects of management strategies, Delft Hydraulics has developed the Waste Load Model WLM. This model can be used stand-alone, but most often is integrated within the Decision Support System for water quality analysis. This includes the coupling of WLM to a model for hydrodynamics (e.g.. SOBEK) or water distribution (e.g. RIBASIM). At the same time WLM provides input data for the water quality model DELWAQ.






The user-interface of WLM was integrated with NETTER and comparable to the user-interface of SOBEK. The functionality of the user-interface has been extended substantially, amongst others by enabling various sources of pollution loads within one node in the schematisation. It is now possible to integrate the schematisations of water quantity and/or water quality with the schematisation for emissions.

Work is under way to implement the WLM further within SOBEK, and to create a coupling with RIBASIM. The first objective will be to use the input data of RIBASIM (with respect to cropping areas). Secondly we will start to use the calculated flows of SOBEK and RIBASIM as input-data for the calculations with WLM. A test application of WLM within SOBEK demonstrated the power of this model in the analysis of emissions within a Catchment. At the same time the test-application will result in a list containing necessary updates before WLM can be released within SOBEK. This step-by-step approach will finally result in the complete integration of WLM within SOBEK, and make it available for all SOBEK-users.

more information

For more information please contact Erik Ruijgh.