生态保护红线在实践过程中的问题剖析——以湖北宜昌为例

宜昌市生态保护红线于2015年1月正式颁布实施,文章结合宜昌市生态保护红线的应用情况,剖析了生态功能红线、水环境质量红线及大气环境质量红线在实践过程中存在的主要问题,同时,对生态保护红线管理机制需要解决的重点问题进行了阐述。     

南水北调徐州市尾水导流工程信息化监管系统的设计应用研究

信息化监管系统由现地信息采集系统和应用系统组成.前者由闸控现地监控系统、视频监控系统、水量水质监测系统、水雨情监测系统和便携式水质仪组成;后者由一体化平台软件、数据接收处理软件、应用服务系统软件、移动服务软件等组成.尾水导流工程信息化监管系统的建设,能提升尾水导流项目运行维护能力,满足徐州市水务局系统维护便捷、测量精度一致、信息共享的需求,满足江苏省南水北调尾水导流水质监管系统网络的需求,适应后期尾水导流工程的监督管理工作.     

南水北调中线工程总干渠河南段原水中消毒副产物前体物变化规律

以取自南水北调中线总干渠河南段沿线10个分水口门的原水为研究对象,探究了原水中有机物的相对分子质量分布和亲疏水性分布规律;并且研究了原水在氯化和氯胺化条件下消毒副产物生成潜能的变化规律.分离实验结果表明,南水北调沿程原水中的有机物以小分子和强疏水性为主,1×103区间的溶解性有机碳(DOC)所占的比例最大,质量分数约为57%,强疏水性组分的DOC含量最高,占到总量的50%左右;氯化及氯胺化消毒副产物生成潜能分析实验结果表明,氯化及氯胺化后主要生成了两种含碳消毒副产物(三氯甲烷和一溴二氯甲烷)和两种含氮消毒副产物(二氯乙腈和三氯硝基甲烷).氯化三氯甲烷生成潜能约为120μg·L-1,与氯化生成潜能相比,氯胺化三氯甲烷生成潜能减少了90%左右,一溴二氯甲烷减少了84.9%左右,生成的两种含氮消毒副产物增加了,其中二氯乙腈的生成量增加了约2.3倍,但总含氮消毒副产物生成潜能仍旧较低,均小于6μg·L-1.本研究成果可为南水北调中线工程河南段沿线城市的水厂工艺选择和优化提供有效的理论和技术支持.     

Influence of parameters on the heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of pesticides and phenolic contaminants in wastewater: a short review

In recent years, the application of heterogeneous photocatalytic water purification processes has gained wide attention due to its effectiveness in degrading and mineralizing the recalcitrant organic compounds as well as the possibility of utilizing the solar UV and visible-light spectrum. This paper aims to review and summarize the recent works on the titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) photocatalytic oxidation of pesticides and phenolic compounds, predominant in storm and wastewater effluents. The effects of various operating parameters on the photocatalytic degradation of pesticides and phenols are discussed. Results reported here suggest that the photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds depends on the type and composition of the photocatalyst and, light intensity, initial substrate concentration, amount of catalyst, pH of the reaction medium, ionic components in water, solvent types, oxidizing agents/electron acceptors, catalyst application mode, and calcination temperature in the water environment. A substantial amount of research has focused on the enhancement of TiO(2) photocatalysis by modification with metal, non-metal and ion doping. Recent developments in TiO(2) photocatalysis for the degradation of various pesticides and phenols are also highlighted in this review. It is evident from the literature survey that photocatalysis has good potential to remove a variety of organic pollutants. However, there is still a need to determine the practical utility of this technique on a commercial scale.     

Quantifying water savings from willow removal in Australian streams

Willows (Salix Spp.), while not endemic to Australia, form dense stands in many stream locations. Australia has been experiencing a long-term drought and potential water extraction by willows is considered a significant problem, although little global scientific evidence exists to support such concerns. The extent of willow occupation in Australian streams has been deemed large enough to warrant investigation of their evapotranspiration rates and quantification of potential water savings from willow removal. Willows situated in-stream (permanent water) and on stream banks (semi-permanent water) were monitored over three summers from August 2005 to May 2008 employing heat pulse velocity sap flux sensors and field measurement of water balance components. A comparative study of native riparian River Red Gum trees was also undertaken. Differences in transpiration flux rates between willows with permanent and semi-permanent access to water were substantial, with peak transpiration of 15.2 mm day(-1) and 2.3 mm day(-1) respectively. Water balance calculations over the three year period indicate that an average potential net water saving of 5.5 ML year(-1)ha(-1) of crown projected area is achievable by removal of in-stream willows with permanent access to water. On stream banks, replacement of willows with native riparian vegetation will have no net impact on site water balances. Results also indicate that under the influence of natural environmental events such as drought, heat stress and willow sawfly infestation, evapotranspiration rates from in-stream willows remain greater than that from open water. These results will have important implications in environmental management of willows and in future water resource allocation and planning in Australia.     

Risk factors for elevated Enterococcus concentrations in a rural tropical island watershed

Associations were examined between riparian canopy cover, presence of cattle near streams, and month of year with the concentration of Enterococcus (Most Probable Number (MPN)/100 ml) in surface water at Waipā watershed on the North Side of the Hawaiian island Kaua'i. Each one percent decrease in riparian canopy cover was associated with a 3.6 MPN/100 ml increase of waterborne Enterococcus. Presence of cattle near monitoring sites was associated with an increase of 99.3 MPN/100 ml of Enterococcus in individual grab samples. Lastly, summer samples (July) were substantially higher in concentration of Enterococcus than winter collected samples (February) in Enterococcus in sampled streams. These results suggest that reducing canopy cover and introduction of cattle into riparian zones may contribute to increases of Enterococcus concentrations in stream water.     

Allocation of supplementary aeration stations in the Chicago waterway system for dissolved oxygen improvement

The Chicago Waterway System (CWS), used mainly for commercial and recreational navigation and for urban drainage, is a 122.8 km branching network of navigable waterways controlled by hydraulic structures. The CWS receives pollutant loads from 3 of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the world, nearly 240 gravity Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO), 3 CSO pumping stations, direct diversions from Lake Michigan, and eleven tributary streams or drainage areas. Even though treatment plant effluent concentrations meet the applicable standards and most reaches of the CWS meet the applicable water quality standards, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) standards are not met in the CWS during some periods. A Use Attainability Analysis was initiated to evaluate what water quality standards can be achieved in the CWS. The UAA team identified several DO improvement alternatives including new supplementary aeration stations. Because of the dynamic nature of the CWS, the DUFLOW model that is capable of simulating hydraulics and water quality processes under unsteady-flow conditions was used to evaluate the effectiveness of new supplementary aeration stations. This paper details the use of the DUFLOW model to size and locate supplementary aeration stations. In order to determine the size and location of supplemental aeration stations, 90% compliance with a 5 mg/l DO standard was used as a planning target. The simulations showed that a total of four new supplementary aeration stations with oxygen supply capacities ranging from 30 to 80 g/s would be sufficient to meet the proposed target DO concentration for the North Branch and South Branch of the Chicago River. There are several aeration technologies, two of which are already being used in the CWS, available and the UAA team determined that the total capital costs of the alternatives range from $35.5 to $89.9 million with annual operations and maintenance costs ranging from $554,000 to $2.14 million. Supplemental aeration stations have been shown to be a potentially effective means to improve DO concentrations in the CWS and will be included in developing an integrated strategy for improving water quality in the CWS.     

Water conservation due to greywater treatment and reuse in urban setting with specific context to developing countries

In India, the per capita water availability is reducing day by day due to rapid growth in population and increasing water demand. Greywater treatment and reuse is one of the feasible options in developing countries like India to overcome this problem. A greywater collection, treatment and reuse system was designed and implemented in an urban household having a water requirement of 165 liter per capita per day (lpcd) and a greywater generation rate of 80 lpcd. An upflow-downflow greywater treatment plant having a screening, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection as major treatment processes was constructed and treated greywater is used for toilet flushing and to irrigate the vegetables in the backyard of the household. Greywater characterisation indicates that COD and BOD are sufficiently reduced during the treatment and there is also substantially reduction in Escherichia coli count. The payback period of this greywater treatment and reuse system is estimated to be 1.6 year.     

The Sensitivity of Northern Groundwater Recharge to Climate Change: A Case Study in Northwest Alaska1

Clilverd, Hannah M., Daniel M. White, Amy C. Tidwell, and Michael A. Rawlins, 2011. The Sensitivity of Northern Groundwater Recharge to Climate Change: A Case Study in Northwest Alaska. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(6):1228–1240. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00569.x Abstract: The potential impacts of climate change on northern groundwater supplies were examined at a fractured‐marble mountain aquifer near Nome, Alaska. Well water surface elevations (WSE) were monitored from 2004‐2009 and analyzed with local meteorological data. Future aquifer response was simulated with the Pan‐Arctic Water Balance Model (PWBM) using forcings (air temperature and precipitation) derived from fifth‐generation European Centre Hamburg Model (ECHAM5) global circulation model climate scenarios for extreme and modest increases in greenhouse gases. We observed changes in WSE due to the onset of spring snowmelt, low intensity and high intensity rainfall events, and aquifer head recession during the winter freeze period. Observed WSE and snow depth compared well with PWBM‐simulated groundwater recharge and snow storage. Using ECHAM5‐simulated increases in mean annual temperature of 4‐8°C by 2099, the PWBM predicted that by 2099 later freeze‐up and earlier snowmelt will decrease seasonal snow cover by one to two months. Annual evapotranspiration and precipitation are predicted to increase 27‐40% (55‐81 mm) and 33‐42% (81‐102 mm), respectively, with the proportion of snowfall in annual precipitation decreasing on average 9‐25% (p < 0.05). The amount of snowmelt is not predicted to change significantly by 2099; however, a decreasing trend is evident from 2060 in the extreme ECHAM5 greenhouse gas scenario. Increases in effective precipitation were predicted to be great enough to sustain sufficient groundwater recharge.     

Does marginal price matter? A regression discontinuity approach to estimating water demand

Although complex pricing schedules are increasingly common among water and electricity providers, it is difficult to determine whether consumers respond to changes in the pricing schedule because price changes are often confounded with simultaneous demand shocks or non-price policies. To overcome this challenge, we exploit a natural experiment - the introduction of a third price block in an increasing block pricing schedule for water - in Santa Cruz, California. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that consumers do respond to changes in marginal price. Doubling marginal price leads to a 12% decrease in water use (500 cubic feet per bill) among high-use households.