An inventory of the lateral input for the Sea Scheldt

By order of the Waterways and Maritime Affairs Administration, division Sea Scheldt, the Flanders Marine Institute develops a database containing information regarding the lateral input into the Sea Scheldt. Water quality and quantity data of tributaries, industrial discharges and input through locks are gathered and compiled into a cohesive database containing over 1 million measurement values. The main parameters included are flow, biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended matter, Kjehldahl N, nitrate and nitrite, ammonium, oxygen concentration and atmospheric nitrogen deposition. By determination of the XY-coordinates for the different discharge locations, the data are linked to a number of GIS maps in Arcview. The underlying GIS maps are the digitised datasets of the Flemish Hydrographic Atlas. This connection allows for spatial selection of the measuring stations and the emission points of interest. The aim is to provide a well-structured inventory of discharge data that is needed for ecological modelling purposes. The database is made structurally compatible with the OMES-database in which it will be incorporated