The Monitoring of UK Sewage Sludge Disposal Sites

In recent years there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of environmental monitoring surveys at UK sewage sludge disposal sites. These have been carried out by the regulatory authorities and by the licensees. in order to ensure maximum efficiency, a coordinated and harmonised programme of monitoring has been developed. the programme concentrates on sediment chemical and biological quality but also includes assessments of water and fish quality

In England and Wales the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is the regulatory authority and the Water Authorities are the licensees. the Ministry's first priority is the collection of samples for temporal trend analysis but in addition, infrequent surveys are made to check the status of the disposal site and surrounding areas. in the periods between status surveys, regular spatial surveys designed to define the area of impact are carried out by the Water Authorities.     

Damos: Twenty Years of Dredged Material Disposal Site Monitoring. Isn'st That Enough?

Since 1977, the US Army Corps of Engineers Disposal Area Monitoring System (DAMOS) has monitored New England's offshore dredged material disposal sites. DAMOS has shown that by using monitoring information to make management decisions, open water disposal of dredged sediments is possible with minimal environmental impact. Over the past two decades, DAMOS has answered many of the key questions about dredged material impacts. Yet the need for such a programme remains strong from both the technical and public interest perspectives. the programme continues to monitor projects that are extending our knowledge in the areas of deeper water capping, geotechnical behaviour of capping and capped materials, and biological response to contaminants. These investigations, along with the need for specific disposal site surveys, will continue to provide valuable technical information needed by the public, policy makers, and regulators to make critical decisions on dredged sediment management.     

The Metal Content of Fish and Shellfish in Liverpool Bay

Liverpool Bay supports a productive commercial fishery yet at the same time is also used as a site for the disposal of waste by dumping, as well as receiving discharge of effluent from pipelines, rivers and estuaries. This paper summarizes the results of the monitoring programme of fish and shellfish quality in Liverpool Bay carried out in recent years including two special surveys conducted in and around the sewage sludge dumping site in 1980 and 1981. The concentrations of trace metals are discussed in relation to inputs into the bay. Mercury concentrations in fish appear to vary with the two major imputs (sewage sludge dumping and industrial discharges). There is no evidence of widespread elevated concentrations of cadmium, lead, zinc and copper in fish and shellfish from the bay but there is some evidence of local contamination by these metals. None of the elevated concentrations of metals found appear to be significant from a public health viewpoint.     

The Metal Content of Fish and Shellfish in Liverpool Bay

Liverpool Bay supports a productive commercial fishery yet at the same time is also used as a site for the disposal of waste by dumping, as well as receiving discharge of effluent from pipelines, rivers and estuaries. This paper summarizes the results of the monitoring programme of fish and shellfish quality in Liverpool Bay carried out in recent years including two special surveys conducted in and around the sewage sludge dumping site in 1980 and 1981. The concentrations of trace metals are discussed in relation to inputs into the bay. Mercury concentrations in fish appear to vary with the two major imputs (sewage sludge dumping and industrial discharges). There is no evidence of widespread elevated concentrations of cadmium, lead, zinc and copper in fish and shellfish from the bay but there is some evidence of local contamination by these metals. None of the elevated concentrations of metals found appear to be significant from a public health viewpoint.     

Mitigating the Effect of Development on Bats in England with Derogation Licensing

The Convention on Biological Diversity has catalyzed worldwide awareness of threats to biological diversity and stimulated global conservation strategies. These have led to national and international legislation and have generated debate about the most effective conservation actions. Under the EU Habitats Directive, all member states are obliged to establish a system for strict protection of species listed in Annex IV(a), which includes all bats. In England, this obligation has resulted in legislation that allows for derogation from strict protection under license, provided activities are undertaken to mitigate any potential negative effects on bat numbers. We used an evidence‐based approach to assess the cost‐effectiveness of mitigation strategies and the English bat‐derogation licensing process as a whole. We analyzed data from 389 bat derogation licenses issued in England from 2003 to 2005 relating to 1776 roosts and 15 species to determine the nature and extent of development and mitigation activities and their effects on bats. Overall the effects of licensed activities on roosts were negative. Despite the level of protection afforded to bats, the majority (68%) of roosts for which derogation licenses were issued were destroyed. There were species‐specific differences in the probability of roosts being destroyed, and impacts on roosts did not reflect a species’ conservation status. Information provided by licensees was inadequate and inconsistent. Most licensees (67%) failed to submit postdevelopment reports, and postdevelopment monitoring was conducted at only 19% of sites. Despite a minimum of £4.13 million spent on mitigation structures for bats from 2003 to 2005, it was unclear whether the licensing process meets EU obligations. On the basis of our results, we believe there is a need to overhaul the licensing process, to establish a comprehensive, standardized postdevelopment monitoring system, and to demonstrate that mitigation is commensurate with Britain's legal obligations. Mitigando el Efecto del Desarrollo sobre los Murciélagos en Inglaterra con Licencias de Derogación     

磷酸三丁酯(TBP)对苯酚的络合萃取

基于可逆络合反应的萃取分离方法对极性有机物稀溶液具有高效性和高选择性.本文系统进行了磷酸三丁酯(TBP)对苯酚稀溶液的络合萃取的实验研.负载有机相的红外谱图分析表明,TBP与苯酚通过氢键缔合形成萃合物.以TBP-煤油为萃取剂对工业含酚废水进行了萃取平衡和错流萃取实验.讨论了其应用的可能性及开发新的有效的络合萃取剂的途径.     

Optimal environmental policy for waste disposal and recycling when firms are not compliant

We investigate a model that considers disposal and recycling activities after the consumption of products. In the field, the deposit–refund (D–R) policy has been considered as an ideal policy for internalizing disposal costs, which can result in the realization of the first-best policy. However, the possibility of firms' illegal disposal has been neglected. We introduce a monitoring cost to prevent firms from disposing of collected residuals illegally and induce the second-best D–R policy. We find that the relation between the monitoring problem for firms and the price of the recycling market brings about a variation in the optimal level of the refunds (which is typically smaller than the first-best level). Further, we investigate an alternative policy that requires producers to take-back residuals and show how this policy works equivalently to the second-best D–R policy by applying the theory of the tradable rights market.     

Zwei Jahre RIMAX—Rückblick und Ausblick

To develop and implement improved instruments for flood risk management in Germany, the national research programme ‘Risk management of extreme flood events’ (RIMAX), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), was initiated. More than 30 joint projects are in progress under this framework since January 2005. An extended brochure which provides information regarding all projects currently funded by the RIMAX research programme is available from the RIMAX-website (www.rimax-hoch wasser.de). Intensive research has been carried out during the first two years of the funding initiative and several workshops were held to enhance the scientific discussion and the communication between the numerous projects. To develop communication pathways between research and practice RIMAX was presented at the ‘acqua alta 2006’, a trade fair for flood prevention and disaster management. Furthermore, a working group from the German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste (DWA) is in the process of forming which aims at supporting the transfer of research results into practice. In 2006, five additional projects commenced. However, most of the projects funded in 2005 concentrate on the completion of their research and publishing their findings. A RIMAX-wide concept for the documentation and presentation of the results is currently developed by the coordinating team. More information and current news are available from the RIMAX-website (www.rimax-hochwasser.de).     

危险废物安全填埋场的环境经济分析

遵循国家颁布的《中华人民共和国固体废物污染环境防治》、对工业固体废物中危险废物处理处置技术和方法进行系统研究,推荐采用安全填埋法处置工业危险废物。从环境经济角度论证安全填埋法方案可行性,采用效益费用分析法对实例进行分析,最终得出安全填埋法方案的实用性,可行性结论。     

Recycling behaviour and attitude: the case of the Hong Kong people and commercial and household wastes

The increasing environmental awareness caused by the green movement has led to changes in attitude towards our traditionally wasteful society. Recent surveys in Hong Kong have shown that waste recycling has gained increasing verbal support among its citizens. This paper reports on recent findings which reveals that some discrepancies exist between people's attitude and behaviour towards waste recycling. The implication of this phenomenon on how and when a waste recycling policy should be carried out is considerable. Two major types of barriers to waste recycling and reduction were evident. Technical barriers to recycling included lack of appropriate information, lack of conveniently located bins and of temporary storage space, whilst the most critical barrier to paper waste recycling was the presence of non-recyclable materials in some paper items. Psychological barriers included the attitude of being troubled, and that too little waste was involved to be worth the effort. Technical barriers were found to dominate in commercial paper waste recycling, and can usually be overcome while psychological barriers were more significant in household waste recycling and are more difficult to solve. Thus, it might be concluded that, if a large scale household waste recycling programme were in place in Hong Kong, more effort should be devoted towards educating the public, to eliminate as many psychological barriers as possible. Findings from attitude surveys on recycling can provide valuable information for policy makers. However, a review of the literature indicates that findings from attitudinal and self-reported behavioural surveys may exaggerate the proportion of those who have a favourable attitude towards the surveyed subject matter. Thus, it is prudent for policy makers to consider the response rate of the surveys also.     

The responses and prospects of sustainable development for Guangzhou and Hong Kong

The ability to achieve urban sustainability has become an indication of the competence of a municipal government aiming to gain world class status for the city. While both Guangzhou and Hong Kong are Chinese cities having their own formulation of urban sustainability, the implementation details and the actual sustainability blueprints are very different. As a result, the outcomes and prospects for urban sustainability are also different.

Hong Kong has adopted a less integrative and more institutionally-oriented approach for urban sustainability. Guangzhou has used the conventional approach to formulate an integrated sustainability programme for its local Agenda 21. Hong Kong's action plan emphasizes improving coordination, making objective assessments and achieving consistency in policy-making. Guangzhou, on the other hand, emphasizes the meeting of concrete environmental targets. Unfortunately, the new institutional arrangement and monitoring tools adopted by Hong Kong have not been able to achieve the original intent and neither is there the intention to go too far beyond the weak sustainability approach. On the contrary, Guangzhou has planned and attempted to incorporate industrial ecology in its development regime while heavily investing into pollution control programmes and pushing forward a green community programme at the grass-roots level.     

Possible solutions for sludge dewatering in China

In China, over 1.43×10⁷ tons of dewatered sewage sludge, with 80% water content, were generated from wastewater treatment plants in 2007. About 60% of the COD removed during the wastewater treatment process becomes concentrated as sludge. Traditional disposal methods used by municipal solid waste treatment facilities, such as landfills, composting, or incineration, are unsuitable for sludge disposal because of its high water content. Disposal of sludge has therefore become a major focus of current environmental protection policies. The present status of sludge treatment and disposal methodology is introduced in this paper. Decreasing the energy consumption of sludge dewatering from 80% to 50% has been a key issue for safe and economic sludge disposal. In an analysis of sludge water distribution, thermal drying and hydrothermal conditioning processes are compared. Although thermal drying could result in an almost dry sludge, the energy consumption needed for this process is extremely high. In comparison, hydrothermal technology could achieve dewatered sewage sludge with a 50%–60% water content, which is suitable for composting, incineration, or landfill. The energy consumption of hydrothermal technology is lower than that required for thermal drying.     

Should managed populations be monitored every year?

We often need to estimate the size of wild populations to determine the appropriate management action, for example, to set a harvest quota. Monitoring is usually planned under the assumption that it must be carried out at fixed intervals in time, typically annually, before the harvest quota is set. However, monitoring can be very expensive, and we should weigh the cost of monitoring against the improvement that it makes in decision making. A less costly alternative to monitoring annually is to predict the population size using a population model and information from previous surveys. In this paper, the problem of monitoring frequency is posed within a decision-theory framework. We discover that a monitoring regime that varies according to the state of the system can outperform fixed-interval monitoring. This idea is illustrated using data for a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) population in South Australia. Whether or not one should monitor in a given year is dependent on the estimated population density in the previous year, the uncertainty in that population estimate, and past rainfall. We discover that monitoring is important when a model-based prediction of population density is very uncertain. This may occur if monitoring has not taken place for several years, or if rainfall has been above average. Monitoring is also important when prior information suggests that the population is near a critical threshold in population abundance. However, monitoring is less important when the optimal management action would not be altered by new information.     

Classification of coastal waters according to the new Italian water legislation and comparison with the European Water Directive

New legislation for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and ground waters has recently been established in Italy. This law presents a new integrated approach, where all water bodies are considered as complex ecosystems to be studied in each of their components. The new concept of environmental quality of the water body, based on the ecological and chemical status, is also introduced. At the same time (i.e. the end of 2000), the European Community approved the European Water Framework Directive based on the same basic environmental concepts and criteria of the new Italian law. This paper analyses the important points and innovations required by the new Italian legislation for monitoring and classification of marine coastal waters. Details of definitions, parameters, analysis and monitoring programs are discussed. A comparison with the European Water Framework Directive is eventually given, underlining the specific characteristics of the Mediterranean sea, which have to be taken into consideration when applying the European Directive to this particular ecoregion.     

Beneficial use of dredged sand for beach nourishment and coastal landform enhancement—the case study of Tróia, Portugal

In the winter of 2006/2007 approximately 200,000 m³ of high quality sand from the dredging of the local marina were placed at the ocean-side beaches in the vicinity of a tourism development in Tróia, Portugal. The beach-quality sediment provided a source of “sand of opportunity” which was used to increase the dry-beach width of the highly used coastal stretch. The sediment was placed along approximately 600 m of shoreline and a monitoring program has since being carried out twice a year. High-resolution topographic surveys and sediment analysis are being conducted to evaluate the performance and response of the fill to the local forcing factors and ultimately to evaluate the effectiveness of the fill project. Two years after the nourishment, the sediment has been distributed both cross-shore and alongshore. The pre-nourishment beach slope was attained and the new shoreline has acquired a natural shape. Berm width increased by a maximum of 100 m, and a set of new dune ridges has developed, due to sand accumulation promoted by the settlement of vegetation. In conclusion, 2 years after its completion, the beach nourishment in Tróia can be viewed as a successful project in which the beneficial use of dredged material resulted in: 1) area for increased dune field growth and development, 2) enhancement of potential shorebird nesting areas and habitat, and 3) increased area for recreation purposes.     

Spatial factors affecting statistical power in testing marine fauna displacement

Impacts of offshore wind farms on marine fauna are largely unknown. Therefore, one commonly adheres to the precautionary principle, which states that one shall take action to avoid potentially damaging impacts on marine ecosystems, even when full scientific certainty is lacking. We implement this principle by means of a statistical power analysis including spatial factors. Implementation is based on geostatistical simulations, accommodating for zero-inflation in species data. We investigate scenarios in which an impact assessment still has to be carried out. Our results show that the environmental conditions at the time of the survey is the most influential factor on power. This is followed by survey effort and species abundance in the reference situation. Spatial dependence in species numbers at local scales affects power, but its effect is smaller for the scenarios investigated. Our findings can be used to improve effectiveness of the economical investment for monitoring surveys. In addition, unnecessary extra survey effort, and related costs, can be avoided when spatial dependence in species abundance is present and no improvement on power is achieved.     

Multi–gene-pool Surveys in Areas with Rapid Genetic Erosion: An Example from the Aïr Mountains, Northern Niger

Abstract: A survey to sample and document wild and cultivated plants with crop and forage genetic resources was carried out in the Aïr Mountains of northern Niger in 1984, 1985, and 1986. This ecogeographical survey was begun in the 1984 drought after considerable desertification had already occurred. Over the last century in this area, there has been progressive alteration and loss of habitat and populations, with probable genetic erosion. The focus was on wild and weedy species in the following gene pools: Pennisetum, Sorghum, Olea, Andropogon, Cenchrus, Brachiaria, Eragrostis, Panicum, Setaria, Acacia, Ziziphus , and Grewia ; and on crops from irrigated gardens, including pearl millet, sorghum, and barley. Due to the high degree of environmental heterogeneity and the loss of habitat, relativity small numbers of individuals and clumps were identified a significant portion were probably part of previously contiguous occurrences. In this type of setting, surveys of rapidly diminishing crop and forage genetic resources are especially needed A basis for identifying strategies for sampling and monitoring as species ecology and successional and cultural factors is outlined.     

A comparison of periodic survey designs employing multi-stage sampling

Sampling designs considered for a national scale environmental monitoring programme are compared. Specifically, design strategies designed to monitor one aspect of this environmental programme, agro-ecosystem health, are assessed. Two types of panel survey designs are evaluated within the framework of two-stage sampling. Comparisons of these designs are discussed with regard to precision, cost, and other issues that need to be considered in planning long-term surveys. To compare precision, the underlying variance of a simple estimator of mean difference is derived for each of the two designs. A variance and cost model accounting for the different rotational sampling schemes across designs are developed. Optimum stage allocation for each design are assessed with the variance-cost models. The best choice of design varied with the conditions underlying the variance model and the degree of other sources of survey error expected in the programme.     

可循环利用污泥专用处置场建设的探讨

着重论述了国内外城市污水处理厂污泥的各种处置方法及处置现状，提出污泥土地利用是目前国内外污泥处理中的主体和重点发展的方式。根据上海市具体市情和污泥处置状况，提出在上海市建没污泥专用处置场，以解决污泥大量处置和最终用于土地利用的思路。比较详细地探讨了国外污泥专用处置场运行的现状，指出污泥专用处置场比污泥有效利用场能更大量地处置污泥且可循环反复处置，它占地面积小，在土地紧缺的上海更具利用优势。在此基础上，提出了适合上海市情的污泥专用处置场工艺流程设计、综合运行框架和具体的技术要求，以保证污泥能安全有效地处置利用，经过分析，指出在上海兴建污泥专用处置场处置污泥能获得较好的经济效益和环境效益。     

Port Pirie lead abatement Program, 1992

The Port Pirie Lead Decontamination Program commenced in 1984 with a ten year mandate. The abatement programme involves identification of children with elevated blood lead levels, house decontamination, soil treatment, general City greening, family education and support and community education. Since 1984 the smelter has also implemented substantial new environmental controls.Blood lead and air monitoring programmes as well as some investigations of recontamination are in place. The blood lead monitoring programme has shown a significant decrease in the mean blood lead levels of the children, with the magnitude of the reduction being greatest in areas remote from the smelter.The results of the air monitoring programme suggest that there has been little change in the general air lead levels in the City over the period of the abatement programme. Analysis of the data suggests that re-entrainment of lead from the contaminated areas within the City is only a small contributor to air-borne lead levels compared with that from the smelter and its environs.Sources and pathways of lead for absorption by the children in Port Pirie are discussed.