PRIVATIZING GOVERNMENT IRRIGATION PROJECTS IN NEW ZEALAND1

ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the sale of the Government. owned irrigation projects in New Zealand, including the development of irrigation projects in New Zealand, the rationale behind the transfer of ownership to existing irrigators, the sale process, and the outcomes. The transfer of ownership to private entities was undertaken primarily to remove the Government from irrigation activities. However, the sales were also thought to have the poten. tial to improve the efficiency of the projects' operation. The sale process was a negotiated process so that maximizing revenues was not the primary objective of the government. In many cases the government paid irrigators to assume ownership of the schemes. Preliminary data suggest that schemes are being more efficiently operated under private ownership. However, additional data need to be collected on a systematic basis to determine the magnitude of any efficiency gains.     

ESTABLISHING PRIORITIES FOR WETLAND MANAGEMENT1

Wetlands provide a variety of ecological services, but are attractive sites for many development activities. Between the mid-1950's and mid-1970's about 550,000 acres, or about 0.5 percent, of the vegetated wetlands remaining in the conterminous states were converted to other uses each year. About 80 percent of these losses involved draining and clearing of inland wetlands for agricultural purposes. Recent reductions in national wetland conversion rates are due primarily to declining rates of agricultural drainage and secondarily to government programs that regulate wetlands use. Several governmental policies and programs exist that either encourage or discourage wetland conversions. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act is the major tool for Federal involvement in controlling the conversion of wetlands to other uses. The 404 program, in combination with State regulatory programs, is responsible for reducing annual conversions nationwide by about 50 percent of what is applied for, or 50,000 acres of wetlands per year, primarily through project modifications. Coastal wetlands are reasonably well protected. Inland, freshwater wetlands are generally poorly protected. Efforts to protect wetlands, given a set level of resources, could be improved by categorizing wetlands according to their relative importance and focusing existing wetland programs on high value wetlands.     

Wetlands mitigation: Partnership between an electric power company and a federal wildlife refuge

Nine hectares (23 acres) of a degraded section of Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland, USA, were converted to wetland habitat by the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company in 1994. The wetlands were created as mitigation for 5.7 ha (14 acres) of wetlands that were impacted as part of the construction of an 8.5-km (5.3-mile) 500-kV overhead transmission line on the refuge. The area consists of a created forested wetland of 5.5 ha (13.5 acres), a seasonally inundated green-tree reservoir of 7.6 ha (6.5 acres), and an impounded pond wetland of 1.2 ha (3 acres). Construction included the planting of 6131 trees, 4276 shrubs, and 15,102 emergent plants. Part of the site has been studied intensively since completion and survival of trees and shrubs after two years was 88%. Measurements of these transplants have shown growth greater than on other created sites in Maryland. Grasses and other herbaceous vegetation were dominant plants in the meter-square plots in the first two years of sampling of the created forested wetland. Wildlife surveys for birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles have revealed diverse communities. Although these communities represent species consistent with open habitat, more typical forest species should colonize the area as it undergoes succession into a more mature forested wetland. The creation, management, and research of this mitigation site represents an excellent example of a partnership between a private electric power company and a federal wildlife refuge. This partnership has increased local biodiversity and improved regional water quality of the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay.     

EXPERIMENTAL DREDGING TO CONVERT LAKE BOTTOM FROM ABIOTIC MUCK TO PRODUCTIVE SAND1

ABSTRACT: Conversion of muck to sand bottom was tested to increase benthic production in two eutrophic Florida lakes, and preliminary results indicate that benthos will be increased in areas converted to sand. Muck removal with a specially designed dredge, or “Mudcat,” was tested in Trout Lake. The Mudcat removed 41,650 cu. yds. of muck and exposed 17 acres of sand bottom, but 10 of those acres developed thin layers of muck, which proved too soft to be picked up by the Mudcat. Consequently, only 7 acres were satisfactorily converted. Bottom redistribution with a suction-type dredge was tested in Lake Carlton, and 14 acres were converted from muck to sand. Sand covered with muck was pumped from midlake areas to more peripheral areas of the lake where water depths were 11 to 13 feet and muck layer about 1.5 feet deep. The bottom was built up to an elevation above the previous muck elevation. Several methods for depositing the sand were tested. Level areas of sand fill developed accumulations of muck from fallout following dredging activity. Piles or dunes provided the best cost-return ratio. The bottom in filled areas changed very little during a 1½ year period following filling.     

Pinelands national reserve: An intergovernmental approach to nature preservation

The Pinelands National Reserve was created in 1978 when private interests and federal, state, and local governments allied to protect 378,000 ha (935,000 acres) of New Jersey's Pine Barrens from encroaching development. An intergovernmental authority, the Pinelands Commission, manages the reserve by implementing a regional plan to guide development away from environmentally sensitive areas and into designated growth centers. Through transferable development rights, financial gains from development in growth centers are used to compensate owners and localities in the reserve who might otherwise have developed their lands. The national reserve strategy contrasts with other federal strategies for preserving unique environments in which the federal government exercises exclusive control (e.g., national parks, monuments, and recreation areas). This article describes the strategy applied in the Pinelands and discusses the conditions in which it may be more or less effective than other strategies used to protect unique or valued landscapes. It then compares the Pinelands model with the strategies and conditions of california's Redwood National Park and Point Reyes National Seashore to develop propositions about the circumstances in which one or another strategy is more likely to be viable. Finally, it applies these propositions to the possibilities for future forest preservation in New England.     

A review of mineral development and investment policies of Botswana

Botswana's mineral policy objective is primarily to maximize the national economic benefit from the development of mineral resources. In 1999, the government replaced the old mining code of 1977, which was out of tune with prevailing economic philosophies with a new mining code. Although, the old act had its shortcomings it served the country reasonably well for 20 years, during which time the country was transformed from being one of the poorest of the world's poor to a middle income country. One of the cornerstones of the new and old mining codes is that government does not subscribe to privately owned minerals rights. The Botswana government attempts to provide a fair balance between the various stakeholders. There are, however, areas in the mineral policy and mining codes that need to be critically reviewed as outlined in this paper.     

Multiple Benefits of Carbon-Friendly Agricultural Practices: Empirical Assessment of Conservation Tillage

This study empirically estimates the multiple benefits of a subsidy policy that would offer payments to farmers in return for the adoption of conservation tillage, and compares the outcomes of alternative targeting designs for such a policy. The least-cost incentive payment policy schemes are simulated for the State of Iowa by using the data for roughly 12,000 National Resource Inventory (NRI) points. We use an economic conservation tillage adoption model to evaluate the costs of adoption and a physical process simulation model (EPIC) to estimate the environmental benefits due to adoption at each of the NRI points.Two targeting options are considered. We assess the costs and environmental consequences of a practice-based policy instrument (which maximizes the acres of land in conservation tillage, regardless of its level of environmental benefits) and contrast it to a performance-based instrument (which yields the highest amount of environmental benefits per dollar spent). Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils, reduction of soil erosion by wind and water, and the reduction in nitrogen runoff are considered as possible targets for the performance-based instruments. We find that the practice-based instrument provides high proportions of the four benefits relative to the policies that target the benefits directly, especially at the higher policy budget levels. Similarly, we estimate that targeting one of the four benefits individually provides high percentages of the other benefits as compared with the amounts of the benefits obtainable if they were targeted directly.     

AVERAGE DISCHARGE,PERENNIAL FLOW INITIATION,AND CHANNEL INITIATION ‐ SMALL SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BASINS1

ABSTRACT: Regional average evapotranspiration estimates developed by water balance techniques are frequently used to estimate average discharge in ungaged streams. However, the lower stream size range for the validity of these techniques has not been explored. Flow records were collected and evaluated for 16 small streams in the Southern Appalachians to test whether the relationship between average discharge and drainage area in streams draining less than 200 acres was consistent with that of larger basins in the size range (> 10 square miles) typically gaged by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This study was designed to evaluate predictors of average discharge in small ungaged streams for regulatory purposes, since many stream regulations, as well as recommendations for best management practices, are based on measures of stream size, including average discharge. The average discharge/drainage area relationship determined from gages on large streams held true down to the perennial flow initiation point. For the southern Appalachians, basin size corresponding to perennial flow is approximately 19 acres, ranging from 11 to 32 acres. There was a strong linear relationship (R²= 0.85) between average discharge and drainage area for all streams draining between 16 and 200 acres, and the average discharge for these streams was consistent with that predicted by the USGS Unit Area Runoff Map for Georgia. Drainage area was deemed an accurate predictor of average discharge, even in very small streams. Channel morphological features, such as active channel width, cross‐sectional area, and bankfull flow predicted from Manning's equation, were not accurate predictors of average discharge. Monthly baseflow statistics also were poor predictors of average discharge.     

Review and comparison of wetland impacts and mitigation requirements between New Jersey,USA, Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act

A review of wetland impacts authorized under the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act (FWPA) was conducted based on permitting data compiled for the period 1 July 1988 to 31 December 1993. Data regarding the acreage of wetlands impacted, location of impacts by drainage basin and watershed, and mitigation were analyzed. Wetland impacts authorized and mitigation under New Jersey's program were evaluated and compared with Section 404 information available for New Jersey and other regions of the United States.Under the FWPA, 3003 permits were issued authorizing impacts to 234.76 ha (602.27 acres) of wetlands and waters. Compensatory mitigation requirements for impacts associated with individual permits required the creation of 69.20 ha. (171.00 acres), and restoration of 16.49 ha (40.75 acres) of wetlands. Cumulative impacts by watershed were directly related to levels of development and population growth.The FWPA has resulted in an estimated 67% reduction [44.32 ha (109.47 acres) vs 136.26 ha (336.56 acres)] in annual wetland and water impacts when compared with Section 404 data for New Jersey. For mitigation, the slight increase in wetland acreage over acreage impacted is largely consistent with Section 404 data.Based on this evaluation, the FWPA has succeeded in reducing the level of wetland impacts in New Jersey. However, despite stringent regulation of activities in and around wetlands, New Jersey continues to experience approximately 32 ha (79 acres) of unmitigated wetland impacts annually. Our results suggest that additional efforts focusing on minimizing wetland impacts and increasing wetlands creation are needed to attain a goal of no net loss of freshwater wetlands.     

OUTPUT AND INVESTMENT FRONTIERS OF UNITED STATES IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE1

ABSTRACT: Economic models sometimes indicate that irrigation water is misallocated in agriculture, especially when it appears that the marginal value product is higher in other uses (such as for hydro-power). Historically, trends tend to contradict this reasoning, however, especially since irrigation has grown from 20 million acres in 1940 to over 50 million acres in 1980. Results of this study tend to indicate that as agriculture becomes more and more intensive (in terms of inputs), irrigation is part of that long term trend. Further, major economic variables, such as output and investments in agriculture, appear to be more highly correlated with irrigated land than with dryland agriculture. Recent data indicate an upper limit of about 320 million acres for dryland farming in the United States, while no such constraint is apparent for irrigated agriculture.     

The town scheme approach to urban conservation in England and Scotland

The Town Scheme approach to urban conservation is being used increasingly as a major method of repairing historic buildings in conservation areas. A Town Scheme involves a long‐term financial and administrative partnership between the various levels of government. An annual budget made up of equal contributions from central government and the participating local authority is used to finance a multi‐year programme of repairs. Owners can apply for grants which are usually for 40 per cent of approved costs, and repair work must relate to the original structure and architectural details of an approved list of historic buildings. Town Schemes by themselves cannot totally transform the environmental quality of conservation areas, and the most successful schemes are part of wide‐ranging renewal and enhancement projects.     

EFFECTIVE USE OF LANDSAT DATA IN HYDROLOGIC MODELS1

ABSTRACT: In a cooperative demonstration project, NASA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) compared conventional and Landsat-derived land-use data for use in hydrologic models, and the resulting discharge frequency curves were analyzed. When a grid-based data-management system was used on a cell-by-cell basis (size about 1.1 acres or 0.45 hectare), Landsat classification accuracy was only 64 percent, but, when the grid cells were aggregated into watersheds, the classification accuracy increased to about 95 percent. When both conventional and Landsat land-use data were input to the HEC-1 model for generating discharge frequency curves, the differences in calculated discharge were judged insignificant for subbasins as small as 1.0mi² (2.59 km²). For basins larger than 10mi² (25.9km²), use of the Landsat approach is more cost-effective than use of conventional methods. Digital Landsat data can also be used effectively by local and regional agencies for hydrologic analysis by incorporating the data into grid-based data-management systems. The transfer of this new technology is well under way through inclusion in some Corps training courses and through use by both county government personnel and private consultants.     

EFFECTS OF A RECREATIONAL IMPOUNDMENT ON NEARBY NATURAL LAKES: A CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: Completion of a 1270 acre recreational impoundment (Legend Lake) in the glacial sands of Menominee County, Wisconsin, produced geochemical and hydrologic alterations in some nearby natural lakes. The impoundment was produced by the construction of three dams, one of which proved to be temporary, connecting 9 natural lakes and ponds of 383 acres with 951 acres of flooded lands. Water levels were raised 3–15 feet within the impounded area. Much of the flooded area was peat rich wetland associated with the prior drainage. Water depths are less than 15 feet in 70% of the impoundment. Three seepage lakes, located less than 1/2 mile from the impoundment, experienced shoreline flooding, shoreline and soil erosion, some tree kills, and increased turbidity. These lakes also experienced concentration increases in several chemical constituents which indicate an influx of impoundment water through a regional alternation in the groundwater flow paths. The three lakes were connected by canals, and a 2.3 cfs gravity drain with an auxiliary pumping station was built to return excess water to the outflow of the impoundment. Future projects of this type would benefit from a more extensive hydrologic and geochemical analysis prior to initiation. Had environmental assessments been required at the time of this development, as they now are in Wisconsin for similar projects, some of the problems encountered might have been alleviated.     

Local government policies toward environmentally sensitive areas in British Columbia,Canada; Washington and Oregon,USA

While there has been sustained debate on the issue of provincial and state versus local government environmental planning, maintaining privately owned natural resources in the public interest is increasingly viewed as beyond the scope of local governments alone. This paper describes and compares province- and state-level mandates and options for local governments (i.e., city, county, or district) to regulate land uses of environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) in British Columbia in Canada and in Washington and Oregon in the United States. We define ESAs as landscape elements or places that are vital to the long-term maintenance of biological diversity, soil, water, and other natural resources, especially as they relate to human health, safety, and welfare, both on-site and in a regional context. Underlying similarities are that all three jurisdictions legally express the need for land-use planning by local governments in managing ESAs. Although all three jurisdictions exhibit similar problems in their attempt to accomplish this, ESA planning by local governments is an optional process in British Columbia and Washington but mandatory in Oregon. Furthermore, actual processes prescribed by each of the three jurisdictions are quite different. The information base upon which local regulation of privately held ESAs depends is variable, both within and between the province- and statelevel jurisdictions. Other than for some specific water-related resources, standard definitions and inventory methods for ESAs are lacking, as is coordination among local governments or among the province- and state-level governments. This study concludes that there is a need for a regional environmental information system in the Pacific Northwest based upon an integrated and scientific approach toward ESA structures and functions.     

SCALE PROBLEMS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY WATER RESOURCES INVESTIGATION1

ABSTRACT The problems encountered in estimating scale parameters in interdisciplinary watershed research are discussed. Meteorology, hydrology, geology and water quality are discussed with respect to their individual strengths and weaknesses when applied to different scale problems. Areas where incompatibilities exist are pointed out and suggestions are made for effecting compromise. A watershed scale of roughly a hundred acres may be the scale at which all disciplines can effect optimum interaction.     

A study on operation problems of hydropower plants integrated with irrigation schemes operated in Turkey

In this study, Hydroelectric Power Plants, which have been built and integrated with irrigation schemes by the State Hydraulic Works which is a government agency and private companies in Turkey, have been examined. Technical, environmental, structural and social problems encountered during their operation have been analyzed, and appropriate solution proposals have been presented in the study for a sustainable irrigation and Hydroelectric Power Plant operation. Consequently, Hydroelectric Power Plants which have been integrated with irrigation schemes should be operated efficiently and they should be operated in attenuation with the environment. However, when hydroelectric projects are developed without preparing their necessary integrated basin management plans, then this will cause environmental, operation and maintenance, administrative, monitoring and evaluation problems. In order to ensure sustainability of hydroelectricity production and also in order to use water resources more efficiently for irrigation; it is very important to find permanent solutions to these problems.     

FLOOD WARNINGS AND FLOOD RESPONSES FOR THE RED RIVER OF THE NORTH1

ABSTRACT The flooding conditions in the basin of the Red River of the North are reviewed in terms of the accuracy of the flood forecasts and the response of both the floodplain occupants and government agencies to these forecasts. The flood prediction methods in Canada and the United States are compared. The accuracy of these prediction measures for the major floods in recent history is reviewed. The differences between the way in which the American and Canadian authorities approach the flood emergencies are outlined. The accuracy of the forecasts are plotted against a number of parameters which reflect the efficiency of the flood fighting measures initiated by those flood forecasts. The significant features of these plots are discussed.     

Guild management: an evaluation of avian guilds as a predictive tool

The use and applicability of the guild concept to management is evaluated and questioned. Ecological problems are never as simple as implied in using one or two guild axes. A close examination of bird communities in a ponderosa pine forest reveals little relationship between guilds or guild blocks and the responses exhibited by individual bird species or bird species groups. Response guilds changed from year to year without any obvious changes in vegetation. A three-year composite analysis shows a clearer picture of the responses of ponderosa pine forest birds to the overall interactions between structure, weather, competition, and so on. The six response groups in the composite analysis are species that (1) were absent in 1973 on most or all study plots and showed no preference for any forested site; (2) had their highest densities on the medium cut and light cut plots; (3) were absent in 1973 on most or all study plots and had their highest densities on the medium cut and light cut plots; (4) had their highest densities on the untreated, light cut, and medium cut plots; (5) had their highest densities on the untreated and light cut plots and were either absent or had greatly reduced densities on all other plots; and (6) were present only on the clearcut, except for the Rock Wren which was also on the medium cut and heavy cut plots. The overall correlation between species density and guild density was significantly higher for response guilds ( <0.05) than for any of the structural or functional guilds. The whole concept of guild management needs much more research and development before it can be recommended as a management tool.     

Financing of wasteland afforestation in India

India has vast tracts of wastelands, which have been lying barren for ages. Most such lands are physically suitable for growing trees and thus could be put to socially productive uses. However, although usually economically viable, afforestation requires massive initial investment, generally beyond the means of the landowners. Also, government budgetary allocations do not cover current needs. In this situation, institutional credit is required. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) of India has recognized this need and has devised a number of different schemes to provide refinance facilities to individuals and organisations. Although the number of forestry schemes refinanced by NABARD has increased rapidly in the past, they currently constitute only about 1% of the total number of loans sanctioned, and only about 2% of NABARD's cumulative loan disbursement to date. In fact, since 1992, the share of afforestation schemes has declined. A number of factors have been identified as major constraints, including time-consuming and complicated procedures for accessing land; restrictions on harvesting and selling trees; delays in sanctioning and disbursement of bank credit; non-remunerative prices for tree products; and flawed public policies and programmes. This article argues that unless these constraints are overcome, NABARD will not be able to play an effective role in speeding up development programmes in the forestry sector. It further argues that most of the current constraints on institutional credit for wasteland afforestation can be removed or relaxed. Practical strategies are suggested to mobilize more funds and channel more institutional credit for wasteland afforestation in India.