WASTE WATER DISPOSAL THROUGH A COASTAL AQUIFER1

ABSTRACT: Feasibility of disposing treated sewage in wells sunk into a partially confined coastal limestone aquifer at Waimanalo in the island of Oahu was investigated using an electric analog model. Electric analog modeling was preferred over digital modeling because of ease with which tides could be generated at the ocean boundary in the form of sinusoidal waves. The results of model operation showed that high permeability, low storativity, and the presence of ocean render the Waimanalo aquifer highly suitable for the disposal of waste water in deep wells. Since the quality of water in the aquifer is already unsuitable for municipal, industrial, or agricultural use, waste water injection will not result in any loss of fresh water supply source to the island. It is also believed that the cost of waste water disposal through the aquifer will be considerably less than that through an ocean outfall. During model development it was discovered that electric analog models can help prepare certain graphs which can be useful for aquifer analysis without any further use of the model.     

Impact of Sea Level Rise on Groundwater Salinity in a Coastal Community of South Florida1

Guha, Hillol and Sorab Panday, 2012. Impact of Sea Level Rise on Groundwater Salinity in a Coastal Community of South Florida. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(3): 510-529. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00630.x Abstract: Freshwater resources of coastal communities in the United States and world over are threatened by the rate of sea level rise. According to recent estimates by various governmental agencies and climate researchers, the global sea level rise is likely to be between 0.6 and 2.1 m by the year 2100. South Florida is a coastal community and much of its coastline is subject to sea level rise and potential impacts to wetlands and the water resources of the area. To understand what the impact of sea level rise would cause to the groundwater level and salinity intrusion, an integrated groundwater and surface water model was developed for North Miami-Dade and Broward Counties of South Florida. The model was calibrated against daily groundwater heads, base flows in canals, and chloride concentrations for a period of one year and six months. Three separate sensitivity analyses were conducted by increasing the sea level by 0.6, 0.9, and 1.22 m. Results of the simulations shows increase of groundwater heads in some areas from 4 to 15%; whereas the average relative chloride concentrations increased significantly by 100-600% in some wells. The increase in groundwater elevations and chloride concentrations varies from location of the wells and its proximity to the coast. The model results indicate that even a 0.6 m increase in sea level (which is the conservative estimate) is likely to impair the vital freshwater resources in many parts of South Florida.     

沿海高速公路风险评价体系构建

沿海高速公路建设面临地质条件复杂,气象灾害多样、工程类型多等困难,针对其风险评估工作多而繁杂的实际情况,以浙江沿海疏港高速公路为工程背景,选择道路工程、桥梁工程和隧道工程为研究对象,在其中筛选提炼出软土路基区、人工海岸区、跨海湾特大桥、水底隧道等作为评价对象,分析了在沿线地质条件及气象条件下,不同评价对象在施工期和运营期可能面临的各种风险因素,选择其中的主要风险因素,构成多级评估对象,搭建了沿海高速公路风险评价的体系,并且说明了所采用的评估方法和评估流程,并介绍了所采用的风险概率和风险后果等级标准。构建沿海高速公路风险评价体系能为我国的类似工程提供了借鉴。     

Evaluation of marine outfall with three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality modeling

Numerical models are often used to evaluate the potential impact of human alternation of natural water bodies and to help the design of the alternation to mitigate its impacts. In the past decade, three-dimensional hydrodynamic and reactive transport modeling has matured from a research subject to a practical analysis technology. This paper presents a practical study in which a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model [hydrodynamic eutrophication model (HEM-3D)] was applied to determine the optimal location for treated wastewater discharged from marine outfall system in the Keelung harbor and the adjacent coastal sea. First, model validation was conducted with respect to surface elevation, current, and water quality variables measured in the Keelung harbor station and its coastal sea. The overall performance of the model was in qualitative agreement with the available field data. The model was then used to evaluate several scenarios of the locations from marine outfall system. Based on model simulation results, a location at the northeast of Ho-Ping Island was recommended for adoption because the environmental impact is smaller than any other alternative.

生物柴油促进原油污染砂粒释放油

对4种生物柴油促进原油污染砂粒释放油的效果进行了研究,并探讨了菜籽生物柴油投加量和砂粒粒径对促进效果的影响。结果表明,菜籽生物柴油的促进效果最好,8 h释放量达到73%,废油脂生物柴油的效果最差,仅为52%;生物柴油的促进效果随着投加量的增大而升高,当投加量超过海水体积的5%时促进效果不再明显增加;在生物柴油作用下,小粒径砂粒上原油的释放效果优于大粒径砂粒。     

The occurrence of antihistamines in sewage waters and in recipient rivers

Background, aim and scope  Each year, large quantities of pharmaceuticals are consumed worldwide for the treatment and prevention of human and animal diseases. Although the drugs and the metabolites observed in the wastewaters and in the environment are present at concentrations several orders of magnitude lower than the concentrations required to exert their effects in humans or animals, their long-term impact on the environment is commonly not known. In this study, the occurrence of six antihistamines, which are used for the relief of allergic reactions such as hay fever, was determined in sewage treatment plants wastewaters and in recipient river waters. Materials and methods  The occurrence of the antihistamines cetirizine, acrivastine, fexofenadine, loratadine, desloratadine and ebastine in sewage treatment plants wastewaters and in recipient river waters was studied. The analytical procedure consisted of solid-phase extraction of the water samples followed by liquid chromatography separation and detection by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in the multiple reaction mode. Results  Cetirizine, acrivastine and fexofenadine were detected in both influent and effluent wastewater samples at concentration levels ranging from about 80 to 220 ng/L, while loratadine, desloratadine and ebastine could not be detected in any samples. During sewage treatment, the concentration of the antihistamines dropped by an average of 16–36%. Furthermore, elevated concentrations of antihistamines were observed in samples collected during the season of most intensive plant pollen production, i.e. in May. In the river water samples, the relative pattern of occurrence of cetirizine, acrivastine and fexofenadine was similar to that in the wastewater samples; although the concentration of the compounds was substantially lower (4–11 ng/L). The highest concentrations of the studied drugs were observed near the discharging point of the sewage treatment plant. Discussion  The highest concentrations of antihistamines in STP wastewaters correlate with the outbreak of allergic reaction caused by high amounts of plant pollens in the air. The analysis results of the river water samples show that the antihistamines are carried far away from the effluent discharge points. They may account for a part of the mix of pharmaceuticals and of pharmaceutical metabolites that occur downstream of STPs. Conclusions  Antihistamines are poorly degraded/eliminated under the biological treatment processes applied in the wastewater treatment plants and, consequently, they are continuously being discharged along with other drugs to the aquatic environment. Recommendations and perspectives  As a huge quantity and variety of drugs and their metabolites are continuously discharged to rivers and the sea, the compounds should be considered as contaminants that may possess risks to the aquatic ecosystem. Further studies are urgently needed on the environmental fate of the antihistamines and other pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. These studies should be concerned with the stability of the compounds, their transformation reactions and the identity of the transformation products, the distribution of drugs and their uptake and effects in organisms. On the basis of these studies, the possible environmental hazards of pharmaceuticals may be assessed.     

长江入海口北支沿海滩涂养殖区底泥重金属污染特征及趋势评价

对长江入海口北支沿海滩涂养殖区底泥重金属污染的总体水平进行调查,结果表明,滩涂养殖区底泥重金属含量满足海洋沉积物质量一类标准要求,污染程度属于安全Ⅰ级水平,重金属潜在生态危害属轻微级别,6种重金属潜在生态危害由大到小排序依次为Cd﹥Hg﹥Cu﹥Cr﹥Pb﹥As,2005年～2011年,底泥重金属污染程度均处于安全的Ⅰ级水平。     

Factors Affecting Sediment Oxygen Demand Dynamics in Blackwater Streams of Georgia’s Coastal Plain1

Abstract: Sediment oxygen demand (SOD) is believed to be an important process affecting dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in blackwater streams of the southeastern coastal plain. Because very few data on SOD are available, it is common for modelers to take SOD values from the literature for use with DO models. In this study, SOD was measured in seven blackwater streams of the Suwannee River Basin within the Georgia coastal plain for between August 2004 and April 2005. SOD was measured using four in situ chambers and was found to vary on average between 0.1 and 2.3 g O₂/m/day across the seven study sites throughout the study period. SOD was found to vary significantly between the watersheds within the Suwannee River Basin. However, land use was not found to be the driving force behind SOD values. Statistical analyses did find significant interaction between land use and watersheds suggesting that an intrinsically different factor in each of the watersheds may be affecting SOD and the low DO concentrations. Further research is needed to identify the factors driving SOD dynamics in the blackwater streams of Georgia’s coastal plain. Results from this study will be used by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Environmental Protection Division as model input data for the development and evaluation of DO total maximum daily loads in the Georgia coastal plain.     

黄河三角洲海岸带生态承载力综合评价

为全面、深入认识黄河三角洲海岸带的海洋资源和生态环境特征、海洋产业结构及海洋经济发展的优势、劣势条件,选取工业废水排放量、固体废渣排放量、万元GDP能耗、岸线利用率、人均可开发海域面积、人均海岸线长度、海洋初级生产力、污染海域占海域总面积的比例、生物多样性指数、人口密度、人均海洋经济产值、GDP年均增速、科研与开发投入和环境保护支出等压力、状态、响应3类14个指标,采用压力-状态-响应模型对黄河三角洲海岸带生态承载力进行了综合量化评价.结果表明,2006-2010年黄河三角洲海岸带的承载指数和压力指数呈下降趋势,承压比则总体上呈上升趋势.根据评价结果,提出了构建高效生态产业体系、优化黄河三角洲产业空间布局、对传统产业进行生态化改造、发展新兴生态产业、保护黄河三角洲海岸带生态环境、对黄河三角洲海岸带海洋资源进行高效集约利用等提高黄河三角洲海岸带生态承载力的对策.     

Developing an eco-industrial park in Puducherry region,India ‒ a SWOT analysis

Over the past few years, the eco-industrial park (EIP) concept has been emerging as a significant driving force for sustainable industrialisation. Accumulating evidence indicates that the transition of existing industries into eco-industrial networking through industrial ecology (IE) principles would provide an excellent opportunity for facilitating such innovative industrialisation. A SWOT analysis was carried out to identify the potential and constraints for the successful implementation of an eco-industrial park in the ecologically fragile coastal zone of Puducherry. The results indicated significant potential for EIP development with few challenges. The lessons learnt can be used to provide broad guidelines for facilitating EIP development in the Puducherry region and similar scenarios found elsewhere across the world, especially in developing countries.