ASSESSMENT ANALYSIS FOR WATER SUPPLY ALTERNATIVES1

ABSTRACT Providing adequate water supplies of good quality is becoming a serious problem in many areas of the United States. Some of the alternatives proposed for meeting the growing shortage of clean-water or cheap-water are reallocation, reuse, and importation. This paper outlines a methodology to assess all of these water supply alternatives by examining the amount and time-staging for development of water sources. In conceptualizing the problem, sources of supply are classified in three categories: primary or base supplies, secondary or effluent supplies, and supplementary or imported supplies. A model of the water system is formulated as a “transportation problem” in linear programming depicting the possible sources of supply which can be used to satisfy the requirements of various water users. The optimizing objective in the model is to minimize the cost of water under various assumptions for operating the system. A case study of the Salt Lake Qty, Utah, area is used to illustrate the application of the model in obtaining optimal water supply allocations for projected future demands. Assessment of alternatives in the study include redistribution of supplies, time-staging of supplies and related treatment facilities, and sensitivity of allocations to changes in costs.     

Editorial: Effect of root anatomy and apoplastic barrier development on cadmium uptake in rice

<正>Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal with high mobility from soil and known translocation into plants (Song et al., 2015).Because the main source of human exposure to Cd is from food consumption, there has been increased research examining Cd uptake in agricultural plants (Li et al., 2014; Rizwan et al., 2016; Song et al., 2015). Rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been identified as a major crop that contains relatively high     

Decomposition of hazardous organic materials in the solidification/stabilization process using catalytic-activated carbon

The application of a catalytic-activated carbon to the solidification/stabilization (S/S) process for immobilization of phenol and 2-chlorophenol and catalytic decomposition was investigated. The effect of the catalytic-activated carbon, in amounts of 0.25-1% (by dry sand wt.), on the leaching of phenol and 2-chlorophenol was studied. H2O2 was added as a source of oxygen in the amounts of 1 or 5%, with respect to liquid solution weight. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) leaching tests showed that adding the catalytic-activated carbon to the S/S matrix significantly reduced the leachability of both phenol and 2-chlorophenol. Only trace amounts of phenol were found in the leaching solution, while the concentration of 2-chlorophenol was below the detection limit of the gas chromatography (GC). Without addition of the catalytic-activated carbon, 87% of the phenol and 92% of the 2-chlorophenol leached. Additional tests on TCLP leachate solutions using GC-mass spectrometry indicated the existence of simple, less hazardous, hydrocarbons, including alcohol. Catalytic-activated carbons treated with phenol in the presence of H2O2 were also analyzed using time of flight-secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS). Results indicate that the phenol aromatic ring was broken by the catalytic reaction.     

The theory of neighbourhood decline due to pariah land uses: Regaining control of the downward cycle

Abstract

Some neighbourhood environments have become dumping grounds for locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) that middle-class Americans do not want near their homes. LULUs may combine with other pariah land uses to collectively undermine the quality of the local environment, reduce investment, government services, the proportion of middle-income people and associated businesses. As important neighbourhood attributes are lost, illegal activities, derelict structures, trash-strewn lots and the concentration of poor and unhealthy people may increase. This paper describes the theory behind the impact of pariah land uses through examples of the downward spiral experienced by Camden, New Jersey and the south Bronx, New York. It then documents the experience of one community, Elizabethport, New Jersey, in reversing that downward spiral. Success in Elizabethport came from the synergistic activities of local, state and federal governments, community groups, and not-for-profit organizations as they struggled to regain control through local environmental management, rebuilding, and reducing crime. Social capital was also strengthened by using a local community health concern—that of childhood asthma. Efforts to reverse the downward spiral of urban decay from pariah land uses should be multi-faceted, spurred by local efforts that address local concerns.     

Organization–environment adaptation: A macro‐level shift in modeling work distress and morale

We theorized that organization–environment adaptation, the interaction between external demands and personnel resources, predicts distress and morale. We tested this hypothesis in 29 stations within one state police department, and combined three data sources. We measured environmental demands for policing via census data pertaining to the station precinct (e.g., per cent unemployed; per cent in public housing). We assessed resources via personnel numbers within stations. Outcomes were employee's perceptions of staff distress and morale at the station (N = 247), assessed twice, 14 months apart. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we found that environmental demands predicted perceptions of workgroup distress and morale and that the relationships were moderated by personnel resources. For distress, when resources were low, demands were positively associated with distress; when resources were high, demands were negatively associated with distress. For morale, when resources were high, demands were positively associated with morale; there was no relationship when resources were low. Results show that aversive and pleasurable reactions at work may be traced to how resources are employed to manage external demands. Results support a macro‐level shift in modeling distress and morale, incorporating external demands, and strategic management decisions regarding personnel resourcing. Our research suggests that rather than being a result of individual failure to adapt, compromised work ability may result from an organizational failure to adapt to the environmental context. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling phosphorus concentrations in Irish rivers using land use, soil type, and soil phosphorus data

Modeling diffuse phosphorus (P) loss may indicate management strategies to minimize P loss from agricultural sources. An empirical model predicting flow-weighted phosphorus concentrations (MRP) was derived using data collected from 35 Irish river catchments. Monitoring records of riverine P and stream flow data were used to calculate MRP values averaged for the years 1991-1994. These data were modeled using land use, soil type, and soil P data. Soil type in catchments was described using soil survey classifications weighted according to their P desorption properties from laboratory results. Soil test P concentrations for the studied watersheds were obtained from a national database. Soil P levels were weighted based on the results of field experiments measuring P losses in overland flow from fields at different soil test P levels. The 35 catchments were statistically clustered into two populations (A and B) based on differences in soil type, specifically, soil hydrology. Catchments in Cluster A had predominantly poorly drained soils and comparatively higher MRP concentrations (0.03-0.17 mg L(-1)) than Cluster B areas (0.01-0.7 mg L(-1)) with mostly well-drained soils. Regression equations derived for A and B type catchments predicted MRP values with 68 and 62% of the variation explained in the models, respectively. Data extracted for the rest of the country were applied to the models to delineate areas at risk on a national scale. While the models were only moderately accurate they highlighted the influence of land management, specifically, high production grassland receiving high P inputs, in conjunction with the effect of soil type and soil hydrology on the transport of P to surface waters.     

EDUCATING RURAL COMMUNITY LEADERS IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES1

ABSTRACT: Providing adequate wastewater treatment facilities for the citizens in small rural communities in the United States can cost millions of dollars. An educational program has been developed and conducted in Ohio to teach local officials about wastewater treatment alternatives. The five-session workshop covers wastewater treatment principles, needs assessment, system management, and resource gathering. The knowledge and skills gained by the 96 community leaders who participated in six workshops were measured using a pretest/pest test and surveys conducted during the workshops. From 25 percent to 100 percent of the participants increased their knowledge of treatment systems, alternatives, and relative costs. From 23 percent to 84 percent applied new skills, such as conducting a sanitary survey or examining treatment systems. The pretest also revealed previous knowledge of the participants in the areas of system maintenance and consultant qualifications.     

Education and Changes in Residential Nonpoint Source Pollution

Urban areas contribute pollutants such as excess nitrogen and bacteria to receiving water bodies. The objective of this project was to determine if stormwater quality could be improved by educating homeowners and implementing best management practices (BMPs) in a suburban neighborhood. The paired watershed design was used, where a control and treatment watershed are monitored during a calibration and treatment period. Treatment consisted of the education of homeowners and structural changes designed to minimize nonpoint pollution. Some changes in measured behavior were reported. According to the treatment period survey, 11% of respondents in the treatment watershed began fertilizing their lawn based on the results of a soil test, whereas none had done so previously. In addition, 82% of respondents in the treatment watershed stated that they left clippings on the lawn compared to 62% from the initial survey. Twelve of 34 lots (35%) adopted some BMPs following education efforts, indicating a significant (P = 0.001) increase in BMP use overall. However, a χ² analysis of survey data indicated no significant changes in measured behavior with regard to specific questions. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) results indicated that a 75% reduction in nitrite + nitrate - N (change in intercept, P = 0.001) and a 127% reduction in fecal coliform bacteria (change in slope, P = 0.05) concentrations occurred. However, the treatment period regression was nonsignificant for bacteria. Total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and ammonia-N concentrations did not change significantly. Intensive education efforts produced BMP implementation and measurable water quality improvements.     

Rodents as receptor species at a tritium disposal site

New methods are being employed on the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site to deal with the disposal of tritium, including the irrigation of a hardwood/pine forest with tritiated water from an intercepted contaminant plume to reduce concentrations of tritium outcropping into Fourmile Branch, a tributary of the Savannah River. The use of this system has proven to be an effective means of tritium disposal. To evaluate the impact of this activity on terrestrial biota, rodent species were captured on the tritium disposal site and a control site during two trapping seasons in order to assess tritium exposure resulting from the forest irrigation. Control site mice had background levels of tritium, 0.02 Bq/mL, with disposal site mice having significantly higher tritium concentrations, mean=34.86 Bq/mL. Whole body tritium concentrations of the mice captured at the disposal site were positively correlated with tritium application and negatively correlated with precipitation at the site.