PORTONOVO

This project intends to develop great quality searching results to strengthen the present situation in accordance with the European legal framework about water quality. Definitively, it intends to standardize a methodology for the water quality management in port areas through the achievement of the following specific objectives:

i) review of the European, State and Regional water quality normative;

ii) development of a hierarchical procedure that integrates administrative, social, and physical aspects for the classification of the port water bodies in order to optimize their quality management;

iii) selection, development and validation of the physical, chemical, hydromorphological and social indicators required at the different stages of the project; iv) selection, development and validation of standardized methodological procedures for numerical modelling and spatial analyses;

v) establishment of a general framework for port water bodies Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) through the 

implementation of procedures of different complexity and specificity;

vi) development of the port water quality assessment methods,

vii) establishment of an iterative procedure for the best maintenance and/or improvement of ports water quality;

viii) development of a tool that allows the processing, storage and interchange of all information related with water quality under a decision making perspective;

ix) selection of some harbours in the Atlantic Area with different activities and environmental and socio-economic features in order to validate the developed
methodology through case studies application.

PORTONOVO generates a transnational and multidisciplinary cooperation framework between 12 partners from four of the five eligible regions of the Atlantic Area with the aim to tackle common problems and solutions in the field of the water quality of ports. This combined effort will create a much bigger impact than the one that could be created by each independent partner. This way, the investment is maximized and common quality standards can be established. Additionally, this project counts on the participation of another 12 associated partners.
To carry out this project representatives of several groups been invited; from public organisms such as national, regional and local authorities and port authorities, to universities and research centres that are now involved in the project as partners or associated partners. The contact between all the partners will be carried out, ostensibly, through email and phone, but also there will be established regular meetings in order to build and follow the project.
One of the objectives that PORTONOVO intends to achieve is the installation of a Decision Supporting System (DSS) for the balanced management of activities in harbour waters as well as a monitoring of the environmental quality in harbours along the Atlantic Area. The achievement of this final goal, could be reflected in some expected benefits or outcomes such as: i) future work lines for involved researchers, ii) establishment of a standardized methodology for the integrated management of ports’ water bodies quality along the Atlantic Area, iii) development of specific tools: a legislative and normative database; standard procedures for using water, sediment, and biota indicators in the management of port water bodies quality; specific modelling procedures and GIS based models; methodological procedures for ERA; Good Practice Manuals; and a DSS to manage harbour waters.
Finally, the communication of results will be placed on a website, open to the public and the professionals, as a sort of a “harbour water quality observatory”. It was agreed to set all the information of the DSS and the web site in English in order to be understandable for everybody,
nevertheless translations will be made in to French, Portuguese and Spanish as required.