Water quality assessment programs in Australia deciding what to measure,and how and where to use bioindicators

Effective water quality assessment programs require the formulation of common objectives between managers who are making decisions and scientists who are obtaining the information on which those decisions are to be made. The data collected must be apropriate for use in the decision making process. After the objectives have been formulated a number of testable hypotheses can be proposed and evaluated in terms of what information is required for decision making.From a management perspective it is important to know if an impact occurs and what management strategy to adopt to reduce or eliminate the impact. When bioaccumulators are used to indicate environmental quality the organisms proposed need to be fully evaluated before being used. Communities, which are often used to assess levels of impact, have the capacity to assimilate pollutants and they will function under pollutant stress. Thus managers need to make value judgements about when a community structure or function has shifted from acceptable to adverse. Bioassays in which the effects of pollutants on growth, biochemistry and behaviour are measured, give an indication of the sub-lethal effects of a pollutant, but it is difficult to set meaningful levels that are not to be exceeded for use by managers.Difficulties in using chemical and biological data mainly arise from a lack of appreciation of environmental heterogeneity. The data obtained must meet the needs for statistically testing hypotheses. Before programs can be designed to meet statistical needs the potential sources of variability must be considered. Once the minimum differences that are seen as important have been determined, the number of replicates needed can be calculated. Data verification is also needed, as if the validity of data is questioned, so will any decisions that have been made based on those data. Finally programs should be designed to minimize the sampling effort/cost to meet the objectives.     

A study of exposure standards in Russia and the role of occupational hygiene

This paper is the result of an investigation carried out in February 1997, which set out to learn about the development and application of occupational health standards, and in turn approaches to occupational environmental monitoring, in Russia, and to see how these were similar to, or different from, what takes place in other countries. The enquiry involved face-to-face meetings with senior Russian occupational health scientists and officials. It was confirmed that Russian occupational exposure standards are very stringent and provide a very high level of protection of workers. However, they are difficult to enforce, and it is suggested that the development of a strong and distinctive occupational hygiene discipline and profession in Russia would provide a "bridge" to enable more effective implementation and interpretation of those standards.     

Scientific barriers

Whatever the appeal of extreme integrism or holism, science is necessarily more utilist and partial. We can only address our environmental problems scientifically if we identify the most pressing and attack them first. To do so, we must break with the monistic ideals and traditions of both theoretical and mechanistic ecology to pursue particular solutions instead of global models. Statistical analysis of empirically identified patterns has proven effective in providing such solutions, perhaps because empirical patterns are less valueladen than theoretical or mechanistic alternatives or because such patterns are closer to experience and easier to understand. Unfortunately, such simple analyses are often less valued by leading ecologists who seek intellectual content rather than predictive power and practicality. To overcome this barrier to actionable information, the body of scientists must reaffirm their commitment to environmental action through their work as journal referees, grant reviewers, scientific critics and teachers.     

美国环境监测五大标准分析方法系列特点

着重介绍了美国环保局(EPA)开发的五套环境监测标准分析方法系列:EPA600,EPA500,CLP,EPASW-846,EPA200的要点,并简要评述了其特点,这些代表美国环境科学技术最新成就的方法系列应当为我们参考和借鉴.     

A survey on the utility of the USEPA CADDIS stressor identification procedure

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made available on the worldwide web a systematic stream stressor identification procedure, the “Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System” or CADDIS. We report here the results of a survey of regulators and scientists in 11 states who use CADDIS or another stressor identification procedure in their work. The 13 survey questions address guidelines as to what impairment scenarios to approach with stressor identification, what information is needed to perform stressor identification, and what the stakeholder role is in performing stressor identification. At the time of this survey (the summer of 2009), the EPA CADDIS website was less commonly used among the state regulators surveyed than the published EPA stressor identification document on which it is based. The respondents generally find the EPA stressor identification procedure useful and capable of being adapted to their individual needs. Survey respondents all use stressor identification in their Total Maximum Daily Load work, but also in a wide variety of other applications. All the “types of evidence” included in the CADDIS stressor identification procedure are used by the practitioners surveyed with the exception of the results of ecological simulation models. While the CADDIS documentation encourages the involvement of stakeholders in stressor identification, most respondents do not assemble stakeholder teams of local officials and citizens to participate in stressor analyses.     

Auditing the quality of effluent discharges

The public and their elected representatives want to see whether they get Value-for-Money from investment in preventing pollution. For many rivers, the achievement of good water quality is a matter of regulating the discharges from wastewater treatment plants. The effective audit of the quality of such discharges is a good basis for measuring progress in controlling pollution. To prove that control is effective, the techniques which underpin the following tasks must be sound and consistent:

- the standards for rivers must be devised so that the environmental objectives are met with the required reliability; the form of the standards will be constrained by the procedures available to monitor compliance;

- the standards worked out for effluents must have the correct mathematical relation with the river targets, and they too must be consistent with the options available for auditing performance;

- the assessment of compliance must be objective; and,

- statistics used to summarise the performance of a region (or a Nation) must be simple, stable, clear, and consistent with the results for individual sites.

     

太湖饮用水源地水环境健康风险评价

介绍了水环境健康风险评价方法,并根据太湖饮用水源地水环境质量监测数据,对4个饮用水源地通过饮水途径引起的水环境健康风险进行了评价。结果表明,2005～2009年,4个饮用水源地水环境健康个人年风险多数超过国际辐射防护委员会(ICRP)推荐的标准,主要风险因子为化学致癌物六价铬和砷;化学致癌物对人体健康危害个人年风险度远高于非化学致癌物;化学致癌物所致健康危害的个人年风险呈波动降低变化,非化学致癌物所致健康危害的个人年风险基本保持稳定。     

Comparing the quality of draft environmental impact statements by agencies in the United States since 1998 to 2004

Since the creation of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1970, the United States has required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rate draft environmental statements (DEISs) for both information adequacy and the impact of the preferred alternative on the environment. In a previous study by Tzoumis and Finegold (2000), these ratings were found to be declining from 1970 to 1997. This current study investigates if that trend continued from 1998 to 2004. In addition, the top producing agencies (the Forest Service, the Federal Highway Administration, Army Corp of Engineers, and the Bureau of Land Management) are compared for the achievement of DEIS ratings. The results show that when the ratings are disaggregated for these agencies, the results indicate that there continues to be weak performance. The DEISs continue to have insufficient and sometimes inadequate information. Agencies continue to propose projects that have environmental concerns and sometimes objections. The agencies have some similarities in not being able to achieve the highest ratings on a consistent basis over time. However, more disturbing is the profile of agencies that have episodic peaks of achieving the lowest ratings. Conclusions and recommendations are focused on the agencies who submit that DEISs and EPA. One major conclusion is to better track the ratings and make them collectively available for the public. Agencies are encouraged to develop a best management practice in preparing DEISs to promote agency learning.     

A Procedure for NEPA Assessment of Selenium Hazards Associated With Mining

This paper gives step-by-step instructions for assessing aquatic selenium hazards associated with mining. The procedure was developed to provide the U.S. Forest Service with a proactive capability for determining the risk of selenium pollution when it reviews mine permit applications in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The procedural framework is constructed in a decision-tree format in order to guide users through the various steps, provide a logical sequence for completing individual tasks, and identify key decision points. There are five major components designed to gather information on operational parameters of the proposed mine as well as key aspects of the physical, chemical, and biological environment surrounding it — geological assessment, mine operation assessment, hydrological assessment, biological assessment, and hazard assessment. Validation tests conducted at three mines where selenium pollution has occurred confirmed that the procedure will accurately predict ecological risks. In each case, it correctly identified and quantified selenium hazard, and indicated the steps needed to reduce this hazard to an acceptable level. By utilizing the procedure, NEPA workers can be confident in their ability to understand the risk of aquatic selenium pollution and take appropriate action. Although the procedure was developed for the Forest Service it should also be useful to other federal land management agencies that conduct NEPA assessments, as well as regulatory agencies responsible for issuing coal mining permits under the authority of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) and associated Section 401 water quality certification under the Clean Water Act. Mining companies will also benefit from the application of this procedure because priority selenium sources can be identified in relation to specific mine operating parameters. The procedure will reveal the point(s) at which there is a need to modify operating conditions to meet environmental quality goals. By recognizing concerns early in the NEPA process, it may be possible for a mining company to match operational parameters with environmental requirements, thereby increasing the likelihood that the permit application will be approved.     

Linking Monitoring and Effects Research: EMAP's Intensive Site Network Program

The EMAP program has been organized into three primary elements: Multi-Tier Design, Indicators, and Index Sites. The Index Sites program (DISPro - Demonstration Intensive Site Project) is the primary activity within the Index Sites element of EMAP. This project represents an inter-agency effort between EPA/ORD and DOI/NPS to develop a demonstration of an intensive site network of monitoring and research locations throughout the United States, utilizing the Nation's parklands as "outdoor laboratories." Twelve parks were selected to establish this demonstration. These 12 parks were selected because they are readily accessible, have a history of monitoring environmental information, and represent a broad spectrum of ecological communities. EMAP, through DISPro, is examining whether a "network" of sites existing within the parks can be used to address monitoring issues for global-scale environmental stressors (e.g., air pollution) as well as locale-specific stressors (e.g., air deposition, water-borne) and coordinated with cause-effect, issue-based research related to these environmental stressors. As a first activity, EPA will provide each of the sites with the instrumentation to monitor UV-B. The intent of the program is to initiate a consistent air monitoring program at each site to be followed by consistent monitoring within other media. The project will initiate research projects at all the sites (eventually) to examine the effects of environmental stressors of importance at each of the sites.     

关于中国固体废物环境监测分析方法标准的思考与建议

研究了中国固体废物环境监测分析方法标准的发展历程及现状。通过分析现行固体废物环境监测分析方法标准现状与需求,发现中国固体废物环境监测分析方法标准存在不能完全满足现行固体废物污染控制标准和危险废物鉴别标准的测定需求,部分标准规范性有待提高,标准基础研究较为薄弱,同一污染物项目不同方法标准之间的可比性研究有待加强等诸多问题。针对存在的问题,建议从加快标准制修订,加强基础科研和顶层设计,加大可比性研究等方面完善中国固体废物环境监测分析方法标准,以期推动中国固体废物环境监测分析方法标准体系的建设与发展。     

An Overview of EPA's Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) Program

Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) is an approach to place-based ecological risk assessment that is currently under development by EPA's Office of Research and Development. The pilot assessment will be done for the mid-Atlantic region and builds on data collected for the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program. ReVA is being developed to identify those ecosystems most vulnerable to being lost or degraded in the next 5 to 50 years and to elucidate which stressors cause the greatest risk to ecosystem goods and services. The goal here is not exact predictions, but an early warning system to identify and prioritize the undesirable environmental changes we should expect over the next few decades. As such, ReVA represents a new risk paradigm for EPA that will require innovative approaches to combine existing knowledge, focus new research, and synthesize many types of information into a meaningful assessment designed to inform environmental decision-makers about future environmental risk.     

Role of and challenges to environmental impact assessment proponents in Pakistan

This study identified the role of and challenges faced by Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) proponents in Punjab, Pakistan. Expected roles of proponents in EIA were taken from regulations, legislation and guidelines. The comments of consultants, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) regarding the role played by proponents were extracted from literature and used for evaluation. To identify the challenges of proponents in each step of the EIA, 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with private and government proponents in Punjab. Oftentimes, projects start prior to obtaining an environmental approval. Proper scoping is seldom conducted. Stakeholder involvement in EIA is limited. Proponents sometimes do not share complete project information with consultants, which compromises the report quality and timely decision making. Moreover, some proponents attempt to influence the review and decision making and do not ensure compliance to approval conditions except for few multinationals. The key challenge highlighted by proponents was the discrimination on part of the EPA between private and government projects. Other challenges included lack of professionalism of some consultants and delayed and non-transparent decision making. Although regional in scope, the results of the study hold importance for EIA systems worldwide particularly in countries with similar economic systems who are facing a trade-off between economic growth and environmental sustainability.     

Outline of an environmental information system

The development of an environmental information system necessitates a phased implementation approach. Phase 1 includes the elements that are traditionally viewed as comprising monitoring and assessment activities. Analysis tools for interpretive work are identified including statistics, modelling, and GIS. Phase 2 follows the information flow beyond project reporting to examine the process of decision making. The inclusion of other forms of knowledge beyond the strictly scientific is necessary where the development of multi-sectoral decisions must be made. Phase 3 extends the decision-making process to the policy development and implementation field. This is accomplished by the inclusion of expert systems as advanced decision support systems which enable the manager to test various hypotheses and policy options prior to commitment. In addressing water resource issues, the importance of setting achievable and enforceable sectoral criteria and standards for industrial, agricultural, and drinking water supplies is discussed with reference to both usage and effluent criteria. Quality assurance and control is an area which must be critically addressed in any water resource project. The implementation of quality control programs must extend from the field sampling procedures and laboratory standard methods to both inter- and intra-laboratory tests and the development and maintenance of databases.     

An assessment of the quality of various bottled mineral water marketed in Turkey

Fifteen bottled mineral waters purchased at random all over Turkey were analyzed for their chemical composition by OPTIMA-2000 ICP-AES Perkin Elmer techniques. Results show a wide spread in the chemical specification of these mineral waters, with differences in chemical composition observed in the regions being due to the geological environment and the majority of bottled mineral waters exceeding the pH limit of Turkish drinking water standards. When the concentrations of elements are evaluated, it can readily be seen that generally there are three types of mineral water in Turkey. The concentrations of Al, B, Ba, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn Pb and Zn in mineral water were compared with the limits established by the Turkish Standard for Natural Mineral Waters (Turkish Official Gazette 2004); water standards prepared by World Health Organization (2006) and the United States of America Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) drinking water standards (1993). Such a comparison shows that, except for Ba and Mn, the concentrations of the other heavy metals are lower than the limit of the US.EPA in Turkey. Some parameters examined were found to comprise strong correlations pair-wise.     

Avoiding pitfalls in the determination of halocarboxylic acids: the photochemistry of methylation

Haloethanoic (haloacetic) acids are formed during chlorination of drinking water and are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These compounds are normally quantified by gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) as the methyl esters. EPA Method 552 uses diazomethane (CH2N2) for this purpose, but has only been validated by EPA for HAA6: chloro-, dichloro-, bromo-, dibromo-, bromochloro- and trichloroacetic acids. EPA Method 552.2 was developed and validated for all nine analytes (HAA9 = HAA6 + dibromochloro-, bromodichloro- and tribromoethanoic acids). Since the promulgation of Method 552.2, which uses acidic methanol, a debate has ensued over discrepancies observed by various laboratories when using diazomethane instead. In an effort to identify and eliminate potential sources for these discrepancies, a comparative study was undertaken for HAA9. Better accuracy and precision were observed for all HAA9 species by Method 552.2; recoveries were satisfactory in de-ionized and tap water. Method 552 remains satisfactory for HAA6. Systematic differences in instrumental response are observed for the two methods, but these are precise and may be accounted for using similarly treated standards and analyte-fortified (spiked) samples. That notwithstanding, Method 552 (CH2N2) was shown to be unsuitable for dibromochloro-, bromodichloro- and tribromoethanoic acids (HAA9-6). The primary problem appears to be a photoactivated reaction between diazomethane and the HAA9-6 analytes; however, side reactions were found to occur even in the dark. Analyte loss is most pronounced under typical laboratory lighting (white F40 fluorescent lamps + sunlight), but it is also observed under Philips gold F40 lamps (lambda > or = 520 nm), and in the dark.     

Terrestrial vertebrate fauna surveys for the preparation of environmental impact assessments; how can we do it better? A Western Australian example

The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in 2002 released Position Statement, No. 3, Terrestrial Biological Surveys as an Element of Biodiversity Protection outlining how terrestrial fauna survey data are to be used and interpreted in the preparation of environmental impact assessments (EIA). In 2004, the EPA released its Guidance for the Assessment of Environmental Factors, Terrestrial Fauna Surveys for Environmental Impact Assessment in Western Australia, No. 56. This paper briefly assesses the adequacy of recent terrestrial fauna surveys undertaken to support publicly released EIAs and indicates that the EPA is not always adhering to its own position and guidance statements. This paper argues that the current fauna survey guidelines are in need of improvement. The approach and requirements of some other Australian states are briefly assessed to identify similarities and where improvements can be made to the Western Australian (WA) guidelines. This paper concludes with suggestions on how the process and the guidelines in WA can be revised to more adequately assess the impact of developments on terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity and ecosystem function. These suggestions may have relevance for other areas where fauna surveys are undertaken to support EIAs.     

Environmental Data in Decision Making in EPA Regional Offices

The mid-Atlantic region of the United States has a wide diversity of natural resources. Human pressures on these natural resources are intense. These factors have resulted in the collection of substantial amounts of environmental information about the region by EPA (both Regional and Research Offices), other governmental agencies, industry, and environmental groups. EPA Regional Offices comprehend first hand the importance of environmental data and are extremely supportive of investments in these data. Environmental data are used prominently in a variety of strategic planning and resource management initiatives. In EPA Region 3, the use of scientifically-sound environmental data is, in fact, one of our strategic programmatic goals. Environmental information is captured and assessed continuously by Regional staff, sometimes working in partnership with other Federal and State agencies, to derive relevant resource management conclusions. The restoration goals for the Chesapeake Bay are based on environmental indicators and resulting data. Attainment of the water quality objectives for streams and coastal estuaries are predicted on monitoring data. Our initiative in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands area uses environmental indicators to measure the condition of forests and streams. Landscape-level indicators will provide unique opportunities for the use of data in planning and management activities in support of the principles of community-based activism and sustainable development. Significant value is added to these data during their use by Regional managers. Regional programs, such as the Chesapeake Bay Program and several National Estuary Programs, are founded in environmental data. Environmental information is used by the Regional program managers to ascertain whether programs are accomplishing their intended objectives. Finally, Regional programs provide a crucial means for disseminating this information to broad segments of the public, so that a better informed and educated client base for effective environmental protection will develop.     

Development and implementation of coral reef biocriteria in U.S. jurisdictions

Coral reefs worldwide are declining at an alarming rate and are under continuous threat from both natural and anthropogenic environmental stressors. Warmer sea temperatures attributed to global climate change and numerous human activities at local scales place these valuable ecosystems at risk. Reefs provide numerous services, including shoreline protection, fishing, tourism and biological diversity, which are lost through physical damage, overfishing, and pollution. Pollution can be controlled under provisions of the Clean Water Act, but these options have not been fully employed to protect coral reefs. No U.S. jurisdiction has implemented coral reef biocriteria, which are narrative or quantitative water quality standards based on the condition of a biological resource or assemblage. The President’s Ocean Action Plan directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop biological assessment methods and biological criteria for evaluating and maintaining the health of coral reef ecosystems. EPA has formed the Coral Reef Biocriteria Working Group (CRBWG) to foster development of coral reef biocriteria through focused research, evaluation and communication among Agency partners and U.S. jurisdictions. Ongoing CRBWG activities include development and evaluation of a rapid bioassessment protocol for application in biocriteria programs; development of a survey design and monitoring strategy for the U.S. Virgin Islands; comprehensive reviews of biocriteria approaches proposed by states and territories; and assembly of data from a variety of monitoring programs for additional metrics. Guidance documents are being prepared to assist U.S. jurisdictions in reaching protective and defensible biocriteria.     

Comparative on Causes and Accumulation of Selenium in the Tree-rings Ambient High-selenium Coal Combustion Area from Yutangba, Hubei, China

Toxic trace elements emitted during coal combustion are the main sources of air pollution. They are released into the atmosphere mainly in the forms of fine ash, smoke and flue, and thus adversely affect plant, animal and human health. Selenium is one of toxic and the most volatile in coal. Large amount of atmospheric emission of selenium, as well as selenium present and scrubber stockpiles in ash may create serious environmental problems. In the paper, on the basis of investigating the abundance and distribution of selenium in plant-rings during recent 20 years, the bioaccumulation of selenium is explained that selenium in plant, which were collected from the village of selenium-rich coal combustion, is much higher than that in plants collected away from the village of selenium-rich coal combustion. The main origins of selenium are selenium-rich coal combustion and high-selenium rock weathered. The selenium recycle by food chain and selenium will accumulate and redistribute in environments.