A cost study for enhanced sludge washing of high-level radioactive waste at the U.S. Department of energy Hanford Site

Enhanced Sludge Washing (ESW) with caustic has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of sludge-based underground storage tank (UST) high-level radioactive waste at the Hanford Site. The alternative to ESW is a simple sludge wash, a process that does not take advantege of recent dissolution development efforts. During the past several years, studies have been conducted to determine the remediation cost savings derived from the development and deployment of ESW. The tank waste inventory and ESW process performance continues to be revised as waste characterization, and ESW development efforts advance. This study provides a new cost savings estimate based upon the most recent waste inventory and ESW process performance revisions, an estimate of the associated cost savings uncertainty, and an estimate of the rate of return (ROR) on the investment in technology development. The revised remediation cost savings estimate due to ESW of all UST waste at Hanford is $4.8 billion ± $0.7 billion within 95 percent confidence in 1998 dollars. The ROR on investment was estimated to range from 100 percent to 130 percent. A sensitivity analysis indicated that it would be difficult to imagine a remediation scenario for which ESW did not yield a significant remediation cost savings and ROR.     

APPLICATION OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK DESIGN1

ABSTRACT: Effective monitoring configurations for contaminant detection in groundwater can be designed by analyzing the spatial relationships between candidate sampling sites and aquifer zones susceptible to contamination. Examples of such zones are the domain underlying the contaminant source, zones of probable contaminant migration, and areas occupied by water supply wells. Geographic information systems (GIS) are well-suited to performing key groundwater monitoring network design tasks, such as calculating values for distance variables which quantify the proximity of candidate sites to zones of high pollution susceptibility, and utilizing these variables to quantify relative monitoring value throughout a model domain. Through a case study application, this paper outlines the utility of GIS for detection-based groundwater quality monitoring network design. The results suggest that GIS capabilities for analyzing spatially referenced data can enhance the field-applicability of established methodologies for groundwater monitoring network design.     

A MODELING APPROACH FOR STORM WATER QUANTITY AND QUALITY CONTROL VIA DETENTION BASINS1

ABSTRACT: Storm water detention basins have historically been employed for quantity (i.e., flooding) control only. However, recently it has been suggested that these basins may also provide a practical means of storm water quality control. This paper presents the formulation of a mathematical modeling approach which may be used by professionals to simultaneously design detention basins for the dual purpose of storm water quantity and quality control. Model simulations demonstrate that for a given basin, pollutant removal increases as storm frequency increases. The importance of particle size distribution and settling velocity for net pollutant removal is illustrated, The design procedure is demonstrated, and pollutant loading diagrams for estimating pollutant removal as a function of storm size are developed.     

FACTORS AFFECTING FLOODS FROM WATERSHEDS IN HUMID REGIONS OF NORTHEASTERN OHIO1

This paper describes the results of a study of hydrologic factors affecting floods from humid region in northeastern Ohio. Statistical multiple correlation analysis was used to relate floods to hydrologic and basin characteristics. Results of the study emphasize that the characteristics of floods from small and large watersheds are so significantly different that the two problems cannot be combined into one solution. The studies show that the most important hydrologic characteristics in large watersheds were: drainage area size and main channel slope. For small watersheds the most important hydrologic characteristics were: drainage area size, rainfall intensity and soil index. For watershed effect by reservoir storage it was found that: (1) small drainage areas are relatively more affected by storage than large drainage areas; (2) storage of less than 25 acre feet per square mile will not have significant effect on the mean annual flood (for drainage area above 70 square miles).     

PREDICTING EROSION AND DEPOSITION ON A STRIPMINED AND RECLAIMED AREA1

ABSTRACT A rill-interrill erosion model was applied to a mined and reclaimed area. Soil loss from the interrill areas was estimated by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). The model considers the fate and ultimate disposition of the sediment from interrill areas along with the fate and destination of soil materials detached by the rill flow. The net sediment loss was predicted by comparing, for a given flow, the amounts of eroded soil to rill transport capacity. When applied to a selected stripmined and reclaimed site the model displayed the location of contributing areas and the amount of erosion and deposition. The predicted areal distribution of erosion and deposition was compared to measured data. Agreement between the predicted and measured values was within 25 percent.     

Stretching “smart”: advancing health and well-being through the smart city agenda

ABSTRACT

Contemporary smart cities have largely mirrored the sustainable development agenda by embracing an ecological modernisation approach to urban development. There is a strong focus on stimulating economic activity and environmental protection with little emphasis on social equity and the human experience. The health and well-being agenda has potential to shift the focus of smart cities to centre on social aims. Through the systematic and widespread application of technologies such as wearable health monitors, the creation of open data platforms for health parameters, and the development of virtual communication between patients and health professionals, the smart city can serve as a means to improve the lives of urban residents. In this article, we present a case study of smart health in Kashiwanoha Smart City in Japan. We explore how the pursuit of greater health and well-being has stretched smart city activities beyond technological innovation to directly impact resident lifestyles and become more socially relevant. Smart health strategies examined include a combination of experiments in monitoring and visualisation, education through information provision, and enticement for behavioural change. Findings suggest that smart cities have great potential to be designed and executed to tackle social problems and realise more sustainable, equitable and liveable cities.     

Reducing risks of maintenance dredging on freshwater mussels (Unionidae) in the Big Sunflower River, Mississippi

In response to proposed dredging in a 122-km reach of the Big Sunflower River, Mississippi, we studied freshwater mussels (family: Unionidae) using qualitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative (0.25 m(2) total substratum removal) methods in 1987, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Our objectives were to identify important mussel resources, to devise methods for minimizing dredging risks, and to identify habitat improvement features. Approximately 60% of the fauna was located on two high-density shoals characterized by extreme dominance of the commercially valuable threeridge (Amblema plicata). Shallow nearshore and main channel areas comprised approximately 10 and 88% of the aquatic habitat in the project area; however, these areas were of less importance for mussels and supported densities of approximately 5 and 0.5 individuals/m(2), respectively. Throughout the project area the mussel fauna exhibited little or no evidence of recent recruitment, dominance of relatively few species (either A. plicata, or the bank climber Plectomerus dombeyanus), and low species diversity (H') and evenness. No federally listed endangered or threatened mussels were found, although the pyramid pigtoe (Pleurobema pyramidatum), a species listed as endangered in Mississippi, was collected in and upstream of the project area. Two other state-listed species, Plethobasus cyphyus (sheepnose) and Quadrula cylindrica (rabbitsfoot), were only found on gravelly shoals upriver of the project area. Maintenance plans were redesigned to minimize environmental damage; a hydraulic cutterhead dredge will be used in most of the mainstem to reduce risk to nearshore habitats. High-density assemblages on four shoals will not be dredged and 150 and 100 m buffer zones will be left immediately up and downriver. Enhancements for aquatic biota will be created with gravel substratum and wing dams.     

Comparison of wood-dust aerosol size-distributions collected by air samplers

A method has been described previously for determining particle size distributions in the inhalable size range collected by personal samplers for wood dust. In this method, the particles collected by a sampler are removed, suspended, and re-deposited on a mixed cellulose-ester filter, and examined by optical microscopy to determine particle aerodynamic diameters. This method is particularly appropriate to wood-dust particles which are generally large and close to rectangular prisms in shape. The method was used to investigate the differences in total mass found previously in studies of side-by-side sample collection with different sampler types. Over 200 wood-dust samples were collected in three different wood-products industries, using the traditional 37 mm closed-face polystyrene/acrylonitrile cassette (CFC), the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) inhalable sampler, and the Button sampler developed by the University of Cincinnati. Total mass concentration results from the samplers were found to be in approximately the same ratio as those from traditional long-term gravimetric samples, but about an order of magnitude higher. Investigation of the size distributions revealed several differences between the samplers. The wood dust particulate mass appears to be concentrated in the range 10-70 aerodynamic equivalent diameter (AED), but with a substantial mass contribution from particles larger than 100 microm AED in a significant number of samples. These ultra-large particles were found in 65% of the IOM samples, 42% of the CFC samples and 32% of the Button samples. Where present, particles of this size range dominated the total mass collected, contributing an average 53% (range 10-95%). However, significant differences were still found after removal of the ultra-large particles. In general, the IOM and CFC samplers appeared to operate in accordance with previous laboratory studies, such that they both collected similar quantities of particles at the smaller diameters, up to about 30-40 [micro sign]m AED, after which the CFC collection efficiency was reduced dramatically compared to the IOM. The Button sampler collected significantly less than the IOM at particle sizes between 10.1 and 50 microm AED. The collection efficiency of the Button sampler was significantly different from that of the CFC for particle sizes between 10.1 and 40 microm AED, and the total mass concentration given by the Button sampler was significantly less than that given by the CFC, even in the absence of ultra-large particles. The results are consistent with some relevant laboratory studies.     

Sustainability appraisal in local land‐use planning: patterns of current performance

The UK government has identified the land‐use planning system, and development plans in particular, as potentially powerful instruments for integrating national sustainability objectives into strategic decision making at local levels. One method for achieving this is through the use of so‐called ‘sustainability appraisals’, which are an extension of the established system of environmental appraisal used by planners since the early 1990s. A national framework is outlined in Planning Policy Guidance Note 12. Local authorities are now expected to conduct an environmental appraisal of their development plans which covers sustainable development issues. However, little research has been conducted on the effectiveness of current guidance in meeting this aim. By evaluating the implementation of sustainability appraisals nationally, this paper suggests that while government advice to appraise is generally being applied, the actual use of key sustainability principles in practice is rather variable. It then discusses these findings in relation to the changing context of appraisals in the UK and other national planning systems.     

Effects of knowledge,personal attribution and perception of ecosystem health on depreciative behaviors in the intertidal zone of Pacific Rim National Park and Reserve

Human activities levy a biological cost on ecosystems as resources are accessed and utilized at rates which are often incompatible with inherent ecosystem processes and structures. The recreational impact of humans upon intertidal zones and particularly fucoid algal assemblages is one major threat facing coastal ecosystems. The effect of human values, knowledge and perception in effecting biologically costly behaviors has rarely been examined. We hypothesize that with respect to intertidal zones: (1) Personal attribution and perception of ecosystem resiliency are more important than knowledge in determining the extent of depreciative behaviors individuals engage in, and; (2) Individuals who are uncertain about ecosystem resiliency will behave in a manner consistent with the 'precautionary principle'. We measured the depreciative behavior, and the attitudes and perceptions to ecosystem resilience, of visitors to Wick Headland in Pacific Rim National Park, British Columbia. Attitudes, knowledge, perceptions, and personal attribution were measured using questionnaire survey and structured interviews undertaken in situ. Depreciative behaviors of visitors were discreetly observed and correlated to the questionnaire survey and interview responses. We show that visitors who recorded greater knowledge of intertidal ecology engaged in more depreciative behaviors than visitors recording less knowledge. Visitors who perceived high ecosystem resilience in the intertidal zone engaged in significantly more behaviors eliciting biological cost than those who perceived low ecosystem resilience. Visitors who recorded uncertainty regarding ecosystem resilience engaged in significantly more depreciative behaviors than those who perceived low ecosystem resilience but slightly fewer depreciative behaviors than those who perceived high ecosystem resilience. Personal attribution was inversely correlated to the mean number of depreciative behaviors. We discuss the relevance of these results to the management of intertidal zones and marine protected areas, to multiple use management, the management of visitor impact, and natural resource use.