Evaluating Nonpoint Pollution Policy Using a Tightly Coupled Spatial Decision Support System

Policy makers often must rely on the cumulative impact of independent actions taken by local landowners to achieve environmental goals. The connection between policy, regulation, and local action, however, is often not well understood and, thus, the impact of proposed policies may be difficult to predict. In this study we evaluate the effectiveness of alternative policy scenarios for agricultural set aside programs (e.g., the conservation reserve program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture) in reducing nonpoint pollution. Two alternative policy scenarios are developed and analyzed; one based on the erodibility index (detachment), the other sediment yield (transport). An estimate of the cumulative impact of associated land use change on nonpoint pollution is made using the AGNPS distributed parameter watershed model. This work is completed within the Cypress Creek watershed in southern Illinois. An analysis of the resulting data suggests that the most efficacious regulatory strategy for achieving nonpoint water pollution goals depends, in part, on place-specific land use patterns. This conclusion provides a solid argument for place-based regulatory strategies.     

Evaluation of groundwater and soil pollution in a landfill area using electrical resistivity imaging survey

Landfills are sources of groundwater and soil pollution due to the production of leachate and its migration through refuse. This study was conducted in order to determine the extent of groundwater and soil pollution within and around the landfill of Seri Petaling located in the State of Selangor, Malaysia. The condition of nearby surface water was also determined. An electrical resistivity imaging survey was used to investigate the leachate production within the landfill. Groundwater geochemistry was carried out and chemical analysis of water samples was conducted upstream and downstream of the landfill. Surface water was also analyzed in order to determine its quality. Soil chemical analysis was performed on soil samples taken from different locations within and around the landfill in the vadose zone (unsaturated zone) and below the water table (in the soil saturated zone). The resistivity image along line L–L₁ indicated the presence of large zones of decomposed waste bodies saturated with highly conducting leachate. Analysis of trace elements indicated their presence in very low concentrations and did not reflect any sign of heavy metal pollution of ground and surface water or of soil. Major ions represented by Na, K, and Cl were found in anomalous concentrations in the groundwater of the downstream bore hole, where they are 99.1%, 99.2%, and 99.4%, respectively, higher compared to the upstream bore hole. Electrical conductivity (EC) was also found in anomalous concentration downstream. Ca and Mg ions represent the water hardness (which is comparatively high downstream). There is a general trend of pollution towards the downstream area. Sulfates (SO₄) and nitrates (NO₃) are found in the area in low concentrations, even below the WHO standards for drinking water, but are significantly higher in the surface water compared to the groundwater. Phosphate (PO₄) and nitrite (NO₂), although present in low levels, are significantly higher at the downstream. There is no significant difference in the amount of fluoride (F) in the different locations. In the soil vadose zone, heavy metals were found to be in their typical normal ranges and within the background concentrations. Soil exchangeable bases were significantly higher in the soil saturated zone compared to the vadose zone, and no significant difference was obtained in the levels of inorganic pollutants. With the exception of Cd, the concentration ranges of all trace elements (Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, and Ni) of Seri Petaling landfill soils were below the upper limits of baseline concentrations published from different sources.     

Information Management System for Site Remediation Efforts

/ Environmental regulatory agencies are responsible for protecting human health and the environment in their constituencies. Their responsibilities include the identification, evaluation, and cleanup of contaminated sites. Leaking underground storage tanks (USTs) constitute a major source of subsurface and groundwater contamination. A significant portion of a regulatory body's efforts may be directed toward the management of UST-contaminated sites. In order to manage remedial sites effectively, vast quantities of information must be maintained, including analytical dataon chemical contaminants, remedial design features, and performance details. Currently, most regulatory agencies maintain such information manually. This makes it difficult to manage the data effectively. Some agencies have introduced automated record-keeping systems. However, the ad hoc approach in these endeavors makes it difficult to efficiently analyze, disseminate, and utilize the data. This paper identifies the information requirements for UST-contaminated site management at the Waste Cleanup Section of the Department of Environmental Resources Management in Dade County, Florida. It presents a viable design for an information management system to meet these requirements. The proposed solution is based on a back-end relational database management system with relevant tools for sophisticated data analysis and data mining. The database is designed with all tables in the third normal form to ensure data integrity, flexible access, and efficient query processing. In addition to all standard reports required by the agency, the system provides answers to ad hoc queries that are typically difficult to answer under the existing system. The database also serves as a repository of information for a decision support system to aid engineering design and risk analysis. The system may be integrated with a geographic information system for effective presentation and dissemination of spatial data.     

农村污染防治工作已迫在眉睫

针对目前农村经济发展过程中出现的主要环境问题,结合农村的实际情况,提出了解决农村环境污染问题的几项措施。并着重分析了规模化畜禽养殖业中的环境污染问题,提出了综合防治对策。     

50所长江沿岸高校实验废液排放情况调查与分析

目的：了解长江沿岸高校实验室废液排放情况及现状。方法：以问卷调查方式，对长江沿岸高校实验室操作程序、管理制度、废液排放情况进行调查。结果：38％的高校管理制度不完善，68％的高校实验操作不规范，44％的学校环保意识宣传不到位，62％的高校实验废液未处理就直接排放。结论：高校实验室正成为长江生态环境恶化的污染源．我国应制定和完善相关法律，加强实验废液处理，杜绝高校成为长江水质污染新的根源。     

钻井环境污染源头控制技术综述

通过对国内外石油行业的钻井环境污染源头控制技术的简单综述,分析了钻井工艺可采用小孔径钻井、连续软管工艺、新型固控设施等的技术特点,对选择合适的钻井液以及应用环保型钻井液来减轻污染方面进行了探讨。并展望了我国石油行业钻井环境污染源头控制技术的发展。     

丽江古城水环境现状与调控对策研究

水环境是丽江世界文化遗产地生态地质环境的重要组成部分。由于丽江城市化进程加快，对水环境保护不力，导致古城水污染加剧、水资源量衰减、景观生态用水不足和景观水质下降。通过强化水环境研究，加强水环境立法，进行水生态环境综合治理；实施以调剂古城周边地下泉水为主，拉市海调水为辅的丽江古城景观调水方案，可保护丽江古城水环境，为丽江古城世界文化遗产地的可持续发展提供保证。     

巢湖流域农村畜牧业发展与非点源污染研究

目前，巢湖流域非点源污染问题突出。着眼于畜牧业和环境的协调发展，通过对研究区畜牧业生产的实地考查、分析和计算得出结论：畜牧业生产的快速发展、不合理和未加利用的畜牧粪便及畜牧业产品生产加工过程中产生的有机污物是巢湖流域非点源污染的重要原因，来源于畜牧业生产的非点源污染的氮就足以使巢湖水质劣于Ⅲ类标准。最后探讨了解决巢湖富营养化的控制措施。     

江苏省人口产业结构与环境污染的关系研究

对江苏省1990年至2003年人口产业结构及环境污染的指标进行量化分析研究，建立了江苏省人口产业结构与环境污染之间的关系模型，并对影响污染物排放量的人口产业指标进行了分析。     

污染治理中的微波诱导催化技术

归纳了微波诱导催化技术在大气羡染控制、水污染控制、固体废弃物处理与处置等污染治理中的应用状况及应用实例，阐述了微波诱导催化技术的基本原理，提出了微波诱导催化技术在实践应用环节中存在的问题及解决措施，展望了微波诱导催化技术在污染治理领域中的应用前景。