WATER QUALITY AND POLLUTION — SOUTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND,NEW YORK1

ABSTRACT: The South Fork of Long Island, New York is an area which relies entirely on ground water for water supply. Most of the water which is pumped is artifically recharged, without treatment, via cesspools. The natural quality of the ground water is very high. Some areas show increasing nitrate in the ground water. This comes from both cesspools and agricultural fertilizer. Saline water intrusion is a potential problem in coastal areas. High ammonia in surface ponds may result in eutrophication.     

STRATEGIES TO CONTROL NONPOINT SOURCE WATER POLLUTION1

ABSTRACT: Strategies for controlling nonpoint sources of water pollution are discussed in terms of three representative states and eighteen regional agencies. The programs in Virginia, New York, and Wisconsin are seen to exhibit control options which range from voluntary action to strict regulation. Four conclusions are drawn from the analysis. First, nonpoint sources of pollution are a major component of the overall water pollution problem in the three states. Second, technical controls are generally available to solve the problems. Third, existing controls programs are not necessarily technologically sound or cost effective. Finally, existing control programs are capable of instituting solutions to the problems if and only if specified actions take place within the respective states and regions in the future. Critical research needs are identified which will assist states and regions in developing cost effective programs to control nonpoint source pollution.     

IRRIGATOR INVOLVEMENT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION CONTROL PROGRAMS1

ABSTRACT: Recently, Congress designated irrigated agriculture under the “nonpoint source” category, covered by Section 208 of P.L. 92-500 and involves the use of “best management practices.” Generally, the most appropriate solutions for pollution abatement from irrigated agriculture involve the delivery and use of water rather than the treatment of irrigation return flows. 1. Technological alternatives should be utilized that are sensitive to local conditions and acceptable to the farmers. 2. Informational and educational programs to assist farm operators individually and collectively must be instituted prior to the start of the project; imaginatively conceived, and continuously modified and upgraded if motivation for change is to be encouraged. 3. Technical assistance personnel should be given short courses in skills needed for working effectively with irrigators. 4. Communication techniques used for working with farmers as individuals and groups should be designed into the implementation program and evaluated. 5. Credibility and trustworthiness of Federal and state agencies in the eyes of the irrigators provide the important final ingredient in effectively implementing change and reducing nonpoint source pollution from irrigated agriculture.     

MODELING AND CONTROL OF THE POLLUTION OF WATER RESOURCES SYSTEMS VIA MULTILEVEL APPROACH1

ABSTRACT. The problem of modeling and control of water pollution is considered. A general mathematical model, where the pollution effluent is discharged directly into the river, into the lake, or into a bypass pipe leading to an advanced Waste Water Treatment (AWT) plant, is developed. The Water Resource System (WRS) under consideration is decomposed into N subsystems. The pollution effluent input vector to each subsystem includes the water quantity and different water characteristics such as BOD, DO, pH, conductivity, temperature, algae, phosphates, nitrates, etc. Treatment cost functions and quality transition functions as well as system model constraints are introduced, where all functions can be nonlinear. A system Lagrangian is formed to incorporate the system constraints and coupling. The Lagrangian is decomposed into N independent subsystems, and a two level optimization methodology is introduced. Each subsystem is independently and separately minimized at the first level assuming known Lagrange multipliers. At the second level, the total Lagrangian is maximized with respect to the Lagrange multipliers using optimal values for effluent inputs from all subsystems obtained from the first level. Economic interpretation on the Lagrange multipliers reveals that they are merely prices imposed by the central authority (second level) for the pollution caused by the subsystems. Advantages of the multilevel approach are discussed.     

PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS IN WATER QUALITY EVALUATION1

ABSTRACT: A Visual Perception Test, consisting of photographic slides of water sites, was designed to examine laymen's water quality perceptions. The slides were taken at five water sites where the level of visual pollution was artifically altered by the investigator. Analysis of variance indicated that the water sites were evaluated differently for each of five pollution levels. Increases in water discoloration and the quality of litter were viewed as increases in level of pollution. Laymen not only evaluated visually polluted sites lower for uses such as picnicking, but they also evaluated the quality of the actual water lower. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that a combination of water color, scenic beauty appreciation, quality of the surrounding environment and industry as a pollution source explained 73 percent of the variance in predicting Overall Pollution. Application of factor analysis simplified the variables to an Overall Pollution Factor and a Boating Use Factor.     

THE EFFECT OF SOME BASIC STATISTICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES ON WATER POLLUTION CONTROL1

ABSTRACT: The hypothesis of this paper is that the frequently used regulatory practice which employs point estimates in water pollution control objectives, in combination with monitoring at infrequent intervals, is an inadequate scientific procedure for the measurement and control of pollution. The first part of this paper outlines the relevant sampling theory which applies to the measurement of effluent from industrial plants and describes the possible errors in sampling practice which currently affect the interpretation and enforcement of environmental standards. In the second part of the paper, the authors describe briefly the environmental significance of biological damage functions. In the final part of the paper, the authors recommend that existing pollution control regulations be restructured to be more efficient and effective in the protection of both corporate and social interests. By adopting two different approaches to regulation depending upon the nature of the appropriate damage functions and critical fish species, it is possible to reduce significantly the waste of resources.     

AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION CONTROL: IMPLICATIONS FROM THE RURAL CLEAN WATER PROGRAM1

ABSTRACT: The Rural Clean Water Program has provided a unique opportunity to study the economics of agricultural nonpoint source pollution control. Several implications for improving the economic efficiency of future agricultural nonpoint source pollution control programs can be drawn from the results. First, individual projects should be targeted towards water bodies that have water quality problems causing economic damages. Considerable variation can exist among areas in the magnitude of economic damages, which may not be proportional to physical impacts. Second, the relative costs and effectiveness of the practices selected to reduce the delivery of pollutants can vary dramatically from one location to another. Early identification and emphasis on cost-effective BMPs can substantially reduce project costs and may make a project economically justifiable that would not otherwise be so. Finally, some projects that do not hive potential economic benefits from water quality improvements exceeding government cost may have on-farm benefits from reduced costs and increased long-term yields that are sufficient to make total benefits (water quality and on-farm) exceed costs.     

A CASE STUDY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT AMENDMENTS1

ABSTRACT: A general model of the policy implementation process is utilized to facilitate a discussion of the way Section 208 of PL 92-500 is being carried out on an areawide basis. A study of four “208 areas” in the “New York-Philadelphia corridor” highlights the operation of several variables used in the model. The varying political and socioeconomic conditions in geographic areas which have similar water quality problems are leading to the evolution of vastly different implementing structures, or institutional arrangements. The analysis suggests that these differences may have important implications for the success of the program in each of these areas. A major underlying theme is that such problems are characteristic of the 208 process nationwide and reflect general difficulties associated with managing water quality in a federal system.     

NUTRIENT BALANCES FOR THE EVALUATION OF NUTRIENT SOURCES IN WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT1

ABSTRACT. This paper describes the methodology for a nutrient balance to evaluate the sources and distribution of nutrients in a small river basin. Loadings for total nitrogen and phosphorus are calculated from measured nutrient concentration and river discharge data. Using a special retrieval program and a data storage and processing system, loadings are accumulated over a given time period to allow for time of passage through the basin and seasonal changes in nutrient distribution. Nutrient balances are made with the accumulated loadings to obtain the relative contribution of each nutrient source and the retention of nutrients within the basin through sedimentation and aquatic growth. The methodology has been used to study nutrients in the Qu'Appelle River Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada.     

INDUSTRY COMPLIANCE WITH STORM WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION REGULATIONS: THE CASE OF TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY FACILITIES IN CALIFORNIA AND THE LOS ANGELES REGION1

ABSTRACT: Pollutants in urban storm water runoff, a significant and increasing fraction of pollutants in some waters of the U.S., originate from multiple activities. The industrial sector, one source category, is subject to federal and state-level storm water pollution prevention regulations, primarily General NPDES Permits that rely heavily on facility operators to identify themselves and develop appropriate site-specific pollutant controls. Degree of compliance is not readily determined and enforcement is inhibited because no publicly-available inventories contain data necessary to comprehensively identify facilities required to comply. This research evaluates the first stage of compliance, facility self-identification, concentrating on the motor-vehicle, transportation industry category using data at three scales: statewide, regional, and local or watershed. Data for California statewide and for the Los Angeles region show about 8 percent to 15 percent of motor-vehicle transportation facilities have complied with first-stage requirements. However, facility-specific evaluation in one Los Angeles County watershed suggests less than 50 percent of facilities in the industry conduct industrial activities of the kind covered by regulations; others need not comply. Results show strong variation by industry category. Second-stage compliance, follow-up reporting, is also evaluated for the Los Angeles region. About 17 percent to 34 percent of facilities completing first-stage requirements have also completed second-stage requirements.     

FOREST PRACTICES AS NONPOINT SOURCES OF POLLUTION IN NORTH AMERICA1

ABSTRACT: Forest management activities may substantially alter the quality of water draining forests, and are regulated as nonpoint sources of pollution. Important impacts have been documented, in some cases, for undesirable changes in stream temperature and concentrations of dissolved oxygen, nitrate-N, and suspended sediments. We present a comprehensive summary of North American studies that have examined the impacts of forest practices on each of these parameters of water quality. In most cases, retention of forested buffer strips along streams prevents unacceptable increases in stream temperatures. Current practices do not typically involve addition of large quantities of fine organic material to streams, and depletion of streamwater oxygen is not a problem; however, sedimentation of gravel streambeds may reduce oxygen diffusion into spawning beds in some cases. Concentrations of nitrate-N typically increase substantially after forest harvesting and fertilization, but only a few cases have resulted in concentrations approaching the drinking-water standard of 10 mg of nitrate-NIL. Road construction and harvesting increase suspended sediment concentrations in streamwater, with highly variable results among regions in North America. The use of best management practices usually prevents unacceptable increases in sediment concentrations, but exceptionally large responses (especially in relation to intense storms) are not unusual.     

PROMOTING GROUND WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION IN SMALL BUSINESSES1

ABSTRACT: Although they have not been the focus of major regulations, small businesses can contribute pollutants to ground water through routine practices. Because strict regulation of millions of micro firms is not likely, water resource professionals face a challenge of how to reach small business operators with effective pollution prevention messages. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence a small business operator to adopt measures that reduce potential ground water pollution. We looked at how information delivery, internal business characteristics, and external relationships are associated with voluntary preventive measures. Mail surveys from small businesses in New Jersey municipalities and interviews with business owners provided data about business characteristics and current pollution prevention activities. Findings suggested that businesses doing the most to prevent ground water pollution were generally more connected to external organizations and had more financial and technical resources. The study also discovered that small business owners fear government involvement in their affairs. The study concludes with recommendations to encourage more voluntary adoption of prevention measures by businesses. These center on separating assistance programs from enforcement and involving industry peer groups in an effort to make information available in a non-threatening manner.     

THE STATUS OF NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION: ITS NATURE,EXTENT AND CONTROL1

Nonpoint source pollution remains as the primary reason for the designation of many of the Nation's streams as “water quality limited.” This means that even with the application of technology-based effluent limitations on point sources, ambient water quality standards will not be met. This paper explores several of the reasons why nonpoint sources are so difficult to come to grips with. These reasons include: (1) the inability to expand the definition of nonpoint sources to encompass nonengineering attributes, (2) the relatively primitive state of characterizing nonpoint sources, (3) the lack of prior success in conducting programs to study and alleviate nonpoint problems, and (4) an uncertain approach to providing incentives for control practices.     

EFFECT OF THE PAPER INDUSTRY ON WATER QUALITY OF THE LOWER FOX RIVER1

ABSTRACT: The Lower Fox River, Wisconsin, hosts the densest concentration of paper mills in the US., with 18 located along a 4Gde stretch between Lake Winnebago and Green Bay, Lake Michigan. Some of these companies use only primary, others also secondary, waste treatment techniques. Comparison of the quantities of wastes discharged with the legal limits indicates that all plants discharge only 40-50 percent or less of the allowable suspended solids; most discharge < 50 percent of the allowable BOD. This is equal or better than the performance of paper companies elsewhere in the state. Reductions in pollutant discharges have corresponded to improved water quality, though too much BOD is still discharged to be adequately assimilated by the Fox River. The relatively low current level of discharges means permit levels would have to be drastically cut to make any significant impact on water quality. Only a few companies might be seriously affected by such changes. Flow and temperature related permits would likely be more effective, but more difficult to comply with for the industry. Toxic substances are also a potential problem, particularly chlororganic compounds that can form in situ from the chlorine frequently used for pulp bleaching.     

CONJUNCTIVE MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE CONTEXT OF TEXAS WATER LAW1

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the critical interaction between existing Texas water law and the state's water resources. Conjunctive use and management of interrelated water resources, though seldom practiced, is generally considered desirable. However, a significant barrier to the coordinated, efficient use and management of water resources is the legal division of water in the various phases of the hydrologic cycle into different classes and recognition of well-defined water rights in the separate phases. Several examples of the problems which relate to, or result from, present Texas water law and which prevent correlated water resource management are discussed. Any substantive revision of Texas law, particularly ground water law, will apparently be difficult to achieve in the immediate future, primarily because of the large number of recognized private water rights and the political power inherent in them. Data necessary for operation of conjunctive management systems are gradually being acquired, and perhaps someday other hydrologic phases can be integrated with surface and ground water. Nevertheless, Texas courts and the legislature have sufficient information on the interrelated hydrologic cycle so that prospective water conflicts should be anticipated and avoided. Great care must be exercised in the recognition of new types of private water rights or extension of existing rights, because this institutional structure, once established, presents a formidable obstacle to desirable revisions of the law.     

EVALUATION OF WATER QUALITY AND MONITORING IN THE ST. LUCIE ESTUARY,FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: The St. Lucie River and its tributaries form a major estuarine system on the southeast coast of Florida. This system is strongly affected by anthropogenic influences, including controlled releases of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee through the St. Lucie Canal and an extensive artificial drainage and irrigation system in the watershed. In the present study, three years of biweekly water quality monitoring data from the estuary were examined. The major stresses to the system stem from high variability of the salinity, frequent low dissolved oxygen (DO) events, and light limitation due to high levels of humic substances brought into the system with the fresh water. Nutrient levels also are high. Management goals for the system, including improvement of DO and water clarity, will require reduction in quantity and variability of freshwater releases.     

A NOTE ON THE USE OF ECONOMIC INCENTIVES IN WATER POLLUTION ABATEMENT1

ABSTRACT The firms decision to invest in wastewater treatment facilities is influenced by the economic incentives provided. It is shown that the timing of investments in pollution control may be described by an extended version of the first year benefit criterion. The criterion developed may help to provide a better insight into the complex interaction of the various economic incentives used in pollution abatement.     

EVALUATION OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR CONTROLLING NONPOINT POLLUTION FROM SILVICULTURAL OPERATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Fifteen years of streamflow and water quality data were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMP's) in controlling nonpoint source pollution from an 110. acre commercial clearcut located in the Ridge and Valley Province of central Pennsylvania. The analyses addressed both short- and long-term changes in the physical and chemical properties and the hydro-logic regime of the stream draining this 257-acre watershed. Overall, the BMP's employed on this commercial clearcut were very effective in preventing serious deterioration of stream quality as a result of forest harvesting. Although statistically significant increases in nitrate and potassium concentrations and temperature and turbidity levels were measured the first two years following harvesting, the increases were relatively small and, with the exception of turbidity, within drinking water standards. Nevertheless, such increases may violate EPA's anti-degradation policy. Nitrate and potassium concentrations and turbidity levels remained above pre-harvesting levels for as long as nine years following harvesting. Clearcutting also significantly increased water yield, which in turn initially lowered the concentrations of most solutes because of dilution. Increased water yields returned to pro-harvesting levels within four years as a result of rapid regrowth. The export of some ions increased; however, the increased export appeared to be insufficient to affect site fertility. Implementation of periodic post-harvest inspections of harvested areas, increasing the width of the buffer zone, and utilizing buffer zones on all perennial and intermittent channels would reduce further impacts of silvi-cultural activities on water quality.     

THE MILWAUKEE POLLUTION CASE - IMPLICATIONS FOR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: The Illinois v. Milwaukee Federal District Court decision is the most far reaching application yet of the federal common law of nuisance to interstate water pollution conflicts. Although a Federal Appelate Court recently rescinded part of the district court decision, Milwaukee must still upgrade its metropolitan sewage system to a level beyond that required by federal and state regulations. The improvements must be completed with or without federal aid. The case points out the apparent inability of the Clean Water Act, the most comprehensive federal legislation affecting the nation's water quality, to deal with certain interstate water quality conflicts. The Milwaukee decision could set a precedent for similar settlements elsewhere which may in turn affect the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's water quality clean up program. A more integrated, ecosystem conscious approach to management of shared water resources (e.g., the Great Lakes) would help reduce the need for court decisions like Illinois v. Milwaukee.