America’s Rivers and the American Experiment1

Doyle, Martin W., 2012. America’s Rivers and the American Experiment. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(4): 820‐837. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00652.x Abstract:  America’s rivers are managed, over long periods of time, based on the most basic ideologies of the United States (U.S.) government. An essential notion of the U.S. government, and thus a necessity of river management, is governing as experiment. This leads to three necessary characteristics of river management: (1) adapting management practices based on experience and thus creating management and agency structures that are highly malleable and that can change directions, (2) overlapping of management roles and responsibilities between agencies which includes intentional redundancy and interagency competition, and (3) federalism — the devolution of responsibilities between national, state, and other unit governments (e.g., municipalities, counties). While these characteristics are often criticized as inefficient, in fact they have provided a surprisingly effective system for river management that has responded to the needs of society at different times and in different places. A key question for river and water resource managers is whether this particular system, so initially unappealing, is best able to meet the future needs of the U.S.     

Reasonable creatures: rights and rationalities in valuing the countryside

Debate on the economic valuation of the countryside is typically polarized between absolutist critics who would deny it any valid role and equally fervid proponents who see its techniques as the only way of integrating the environment into policy making. Such debate is structured by conflicting notions of rights, responsibilities and values, rather than by consideration of the role of technique in practical policy‐making. This paper attempts to take the debate forward and begins by examining the ways in which rights, responsibilities and values have been historically created. The techniques of economic valuation rest on particular conceptions of these, making them irreducibly political, and at the same time their results are often used to justify political decisions. Yet the proper role of technique ought to be to explore options. Provided that the sort of clarification that economic valuation offers is understood, it may, along with other types of technique, be used to open up the decision making process.     

Engaging Economic Development Agencies in Environmental Protection: the case for embedded autonomy

This article examines the role of economic development agencies in strengthening the environmental performance of industry within rapidly industrialising East Asian economies. Three case-study examples are considered, namely, the role of the Industrial Development Board in reducing industrial pollution in Taiwan, pollution control in the palm oil industry in Malaysia, and the role of the Economic Development Board in influencing environmental performance of industry in Singapore. The concept of embedded autonomy is developed to consider the ways in which agencies of economic development can work with firms and industries while simultaneously remaining autonomous from these firms with respect to setting and enforcing performance standards. The three cases suggest that a form of policy integration that more directly integrates economic and environmental goals within agencies of economic development may be feasible, but only where there exists a strong autonomous government bureaucracy and where there is strong societal commitment to improving the environmental performance of industry.     

我国跨区域水环境行政管理体制之检讨与完善

我国对水资源实施的是流域管理与行政区域管理相结合的管理体制。流域管理机构的地位不明确,在监督管理中没有完全独立的权限,基本上属于一种协调机构,因此完善我国的跨区域水环境行政管理体制具有重要的现实意义。从尽早完善水环境保护管理体制立法、明确各环境监督管理部门的具体职责、健全环境保护跨部门以及中央与地方的协调机制、成立跨区域环境保护管理协调机构、明确流域管理机构在流域水环境保护中的行政执法地位等方面作出了探讨,以利于更好地保护跨区域的水资源。     

Engaging Economic Development Agencies in Environmental Protection: The case for embedded autonomy

This article examines the role of economic development agencies in strengthening the environmental performance of industry within rapidly industrialising East Asian economies. Three case-study examples are considered, namely, the role of the Industrial Development Board in reducing industrial pollution in Taiwan, pollution control in the palm oil industry in Malaysia, and the role of the Economic Development Board in influencing environmental performance of industry in Singapore. The concept of embedded autonomy is developed to consider the ways in which agencies of economic development can work with firms and industries while simultaneously remaining autonomous from these firms with respect to setting and enforcing performance standards. The three cases suggest that a form of policy integration that more directly integrates economic and environmental goals within agencies of economic development may be feasible, but only where there exists a strong autonomous government bureaucracy and where there is strong societal commitment to improving the environmental performance of industry.     

社区自组织机制与农村公共生态文化服务体系建设研究

农村社区自组织发展的不足,特别是在农村公共生态文化服务体系建设中的缺位,是农村生态文化建设滞后的重要原因。通过创新农村公共生态文化服务体系建设的主体构成,明确各个主体的角色定位和职责,充分发挥社区自组织的优势,开展农村公共生态文化服务设施的建设和农村公共生态文化服务活动的创新,可以推动农村生态文化建设和生态经济发展。     

RECREATION AT THE MC CLELLAN-KERR ARKANSAS RIVER NAVIGATION SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: Recreation has produced substantial employment, incomes, economic development, and migration impacts since completion of the McCle-lan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. These impacts support the influence of navigation, hydropower, flood control, and channel stabilization outputs on regional development. The marked success is not without substantial costs in public resources, including manpower which are devoted to recreational management. Increasing the share of financial resources obtained from recreational users and transfer of management responsibilities to nonfederal agencies, including private concessionaires is recommended.     

The environmental regulator and industrial development

Environmental regulatory agencies' administrative procedures have a significant impact on plant location. The authors review the basic reasons why companies build new plants and the constraints they operate under during site searches. The relationship between these issues and the regulatory agencies' administrative procedures is then shown, as well as the manner in which these procedures influence the site search. On the basis of this discussion, recommendations are made about how state environmental protection agencies can assist site seekers in a manner consistent with their regulatory responsibilities.     

Decentralized Groundwater Recharge Systems Using Roofwater and Stormwater Runoff1

Stephens, Daniel B., Mark Miller, Stephanie J. Moore, Todd Umstot, and Deborah J. Salvato, 2011. Decentralized Groundwater Recharge Systems Using Roofwater and Stormwater Runoff. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(1): 134‐144. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00600.x Abstract: Stormwater capture for groundwater recharge in urban areas is usually conducted at the regional level by water agencies. Field and modeling studies in New Mexico indicate that stormwater diverted to retention basins may recharge about 50% of precipitation that falls on the developed area, even in dry climates. Comparable volumes of recharge may be expected at homes, subdivisions, or commercial properties with low‐impact development (LID) technologies for stormwater control that promote recharge over evapotranspiration. Groundwater quality has not been significantly impacted at sites that have been recharging stormwater to aquifers for decades. Distributed recharge systems may be a good alternative to centralized regional facilities where there is limited land for constructing spreading basins or little funding for new infrastructure. LID technologies borrowed from stormwater managers are important tools for groundwater managers to consider to enhance recharge.     

Access for all? Beach access and equity in the Detroit metropolitan area

Beaches are a unique type of recreation setting, offering a variety of water- and land-based opportunities that can meet residents’ diverse and complex recreation needs. Providing and improving equitable access to recreation amenities such as beaches have been recognized as essential responsibilities of public leisure agencies. This study assessed the degree of equity inherent in the distribution of public beaches in the Detroit metropolitan area; to account for spatial effects, phenomena rarely considered in prior equity analyses, geographically weighted regression was employed. Considerable local variations in the relationships between level of access to public beaches and population density, proportion of elderly population and educational attainment were identified. Such findings can help parks and recreation agencies better understand local patterns of equity, an important first step in facilitating the formulation of more efficient and effective planning and policy approaches.     

Helping the small business sector: an evaluation of the work of two agencies

The paper is concerned with the impact of small business advice agencies on their clients. The work of two agencies (an Enterprise Agency and a local authority Development Unit) operating in the same geographical area (Swale in Kent) is evaluated using a survey of clients as evidence. It is concluded that both agencies are meeting real and distinctive needs among start‐up and established small businesses in the area, and have established effective systems for the delivery of their services. Quality of staff is confirmed as a key factor influencing client satisfaction with the agencies. The impact of the agencies on busines efficiency is ambiguous; it is suggested that major beneficiaries of the work of the agencies are the banks.     

Gender in integrated water management: an analysis of variation

Gender is an important variable in water use, policy, and intervention. This article explores this variation and its policy implications. Concepts are applied in several case studies to draw generic conclusions. Variation is related to the purpose of water use (consumptive or productive) and to the local, culture-specific patterns of the intra-household organization of consumption for family welfare (which includes domestic water provision) and income-generation (for which water is an input, especially in rural areas). For domestic water use, the intra-household sharing of unpaid domestic responsibilities is a key gender issue. Water for productive use, on the other hand, is embedded in the gendered organization of household economic activity, as elaborated for smallholder-irrigated agriculture. In female-managed and dual farming systems, where a high proportion of farm decision-makers are women, irrigation agencies need to better target their support. In male-managed farming systems, however, the majority of women lack their own farm enterprise in which water is an input. Women's access to land, markets and credits besides access to water, is at stake. To conclude, given the strong variation in water use along gender lines, gender analysis is indispensable for any concrete water policy and intervention.     

The costs to farmers and estate owners of public access to the countryside

This paper considers the external costs of public access on privately‐owned farm and estate land in Scotland. The increased costs and reductions in income associated with public access are found to be highly variable and site‐specific, with the main effects on land in areas of high population density or high scenic quality, or with recreational attributes. Although costs were on average higher for estates, reflecting their larger area and recreational potential, on a per‐hectare basis the costs of access were greater for the farm sector. Whilst much of the public access exists through de facto rights on open‐access land, there was evidence for an increasing commercialization of open‐air recreation, particularly with respect to more specialized activities. The discussion considers the extent to which the costs of access for land managers are reflected in policies determining the public provision of countryside access.     

Evaluating soundscape intentions in landscape architecture: a study of competition entries for a new cemetery in Järva,Stockholm

While soundscape is increasingly acknowledged within landscape planning and design discourse, there is little research that clarifies how soundscapes are actually dealt with in landscape architecture practice – partly owing to methodological insufficiencies. This paper, therefore, describes a model for evaluating soundscape treatment in landscape design proposals, focusing on three key aspects. With the dual aim of testing the model, and learning more about how soundscape is approached in practice, the paper spotlights a major design competition for a new cemetery in Sweden. The model proved fruitful and easy to apply. It showed that only limited attention was paid to soundscape in the competition as a whole, and was a useful means of pinpointing proposals where soundscape was fully considered as a design feature; one competition entry that did so is described in the paper. Discussions cover design practice, trends in the competition and model application.     

促进农村居民消费需求扩张的对策分析

通过对影响我国农村居民消费需求不足的原因分析，认为我国农村居民收入水平偏低且增长缓慢是导致需求不足的关键因素。此外商品有效供给不足、农村的消费观念、消费环境和农村居民的文化素质也在一定程度上影响了农村居民的消费需求。     

The contribution of computer‐based information systems to partnership between public agencies and voluntary environmental groups

This paper considers the contribution of computing to the implementation of a policy of partnership between public environmental agencies and local voluntary groups. The present policy commitment to partnerships of this kind is reviewed. Particular information needs arise when public agencies seek to give co‐ordinated support to the environmental action undertaken by local groups. These stem from the disaggregated nature of the structure and functions of the voluntary sector. Computer‐based information systems are identified as a bridge between the regional organisation of public agencies and the local activities of voluntary groups. A computer system devised to aid the forward planning of public support for voluntary action is described. It is considered that this technique has value as part of a wider strategy of interaction between the public and voluntary sectors.     

The Peconic River: Concerns associated with different risk evaluations for fish consumption

Risk evaluation and assessment have been used as tools to regulate and manage the risks to consumers of eating self-caught fish that have high levels of contaminants. Armed with these risk assessments, health agencies issue consumption advisories, and in some cases, close some waters to fishing. Recently, regulatory agencies have used contaminant levels in fish as a benchmark for remedial action on contaminated sites, using human health risk assessment as the justification. The US Environmental Protection Agency's new surface water criterion for mercury is based on mercury levels in fish tissue. When multiple regulatory agencies have jurisdiction over the same waters or remediation site there is the potential for differing risk evaluations. Using the Peconic River on Long Island, New York as a case study, the paper examines how and why county, state, and federal health risk evaluations for fish contaminated with mercury differed. While the same risk methodology was applied by all agencies, the assessments were conducted for different purposes, applied different consumption and fish biomass assumptions, and arrived at different conclusions. The risk evaluations invoked to design fish consumption advisories use mercury levels currently in fish, and are designed to prevent current exposure. However, the risk assessments that provide a basis for remediation consider many different pathways of exposure (not just ingestion), and deal with long-term exposure. The risk evaluations, and recommendations promulgated by those agencies, differ because they have different goals, use different assumptions, and often fail to communicate among agencies. It is suggested that it is valuable to have these different levels of risk evaluations to adequately address health issues. However, there are policy implications, which include making the distinctions between the types of risk assessments, their methods and assumptions, and the rationale for these assumptions. Further, assessors and managers should involve all interested stakeholders (including regulators and state health officials) in discussions about the use of risk, the assumptions of risk assessment, and the goals of those evaluations. The difficulties in the case of the Peconic were not due to differences in the original data, but rather in the goals and type of risk assessments performed. If all deliberations had been transparent during all phases of the decision-making and management process, the conflicts within the minds of the public, regulators and other agencies might have been avoided. This case study suggests that more reliability, circumspection and transparency should be built into the process where multiple agencies and multiple objectives are involved.     

New Zealand environmental standards and energy policies

This paper describes the primary energy resources of New Zealand and their relative importance. It describes the principal legislation that provides environmental protection and public participation with which State and private agencies are bound to comply. The paper then discusses air pollution in further detail and cites three examples where there is cause for concern. By international standards, air pollution is not a serious problem in New Zealand and so the economic consequences have received little attention Two simple examples are cited. A map showing the main centers and the location of facilities referred to in the text is included     

Groundwater management by watershed agencies: an evaluation of the capacity of Ontario's conservation authorities

Watershed-based resource management organizations around the world are becoming more involved in groundwater management. This reflects, among other considerations, growing awareness of the critical role that these local agencies can and should play in the management of groundwater resources. Ontario's conservation authorities (CAs) are an important example. CAs are taking on new responsibilities for groundwater data collection, monitoring and planning. Unfortunately, not all local organizations are equally capable of participating effectively in groundwater management. This certainly is the case among Ontario's 38 CAs, which have highly variable levels of financial and staff resources. Local capacity for water management can be explored from the perspective of the institutional environment, the watershed community, and the financial, technical and staff resources of the organizations. This paper presents an evaluation of the groundwater management capacity of Ontario's conservation authorities, drawing on two detailed case studies (the Upper Thames River CA and the Ganaraska Region CA), and additional data gathered from all 38 CAs. Institutional issues, such as the clarity of management roles and senior government commitment to local management, as well as resourcing concerns, local working relationships, and public support, largely determine the capacity of CAs to expand their involvement in groundwater management. Strengthening the capacity of watershed-based agencies to participate in groundwater management is an important challenge in all jurisdictions, as these agencies are well placed to reinforce municipal groundwater management by identifying local needs and trends, facilitating communication and cooperation, and promoting best management practices.