VALUE OF WOODY RWER CORRIDORS IN LEVEE PROTECTION ALONG THE MISSOURI RWER IN 19931

ABSTRACT: Following the Midwest flood of 1993, a study was initiated along a 39-mile segment of the Missouri River to determine if there was an association between woody corridors and levee stability. A systematic sample of levee failures revealed that primary levees which did not fail had a significantly wider woody corridor than failed levees. Analysis of the total inventory of failed levees revealed that as the width of the woody corridor decreased, the length of the levee failure increased. Number of levee failures and their severity of damage could be reduced if woody corridors were at least 300 feet wide.     

Environmental considerations for levees and floodwalls

Levees and floodwalls are used extensively throughout the United States for flood control. Levee projects often lack ecological, recreational, and aesthetic values, except for incidental fish and wildlife benefits derived from borrow pits and recreational facilities found in some urban settings. In recent years increased environmental concern within construction agencies and greater responsiveness to public opinion have resulted in increasing numbers of levee projects designed, built, and maintained with environmental objectives in mind. This paper reviews environmental concepts successfully employed on levee projects constructed in recent years by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Some of the most innovative concepts are described and illustrated and design considerations are discussed.     

Application of the Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance scale for vegetation analysis in land development studies

To document environmental impact predictions for land development, as required by United States government regulatory agencies, vegetation studies are conducted using a variety of methods. Density measurement (stem counts) is one method that is frequently used. However, density measurement of shrub and herbaceous vegetation is time-consuming and costly. As an alternative, the Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance scale was used to analyze vegetation in several ecological studies. Results from one of these studies show that the Braun-Blanquet method requires only one third to one fifth the field time required for the density method. Furthermore, cover-abundance ratings are better suited than density values to elucidate graphically species-environment relationships. For extensive surveys this method provides sufficiently accurate baseline data to allow environmental impact assessment as required by regulatory agencies.     

Determining residential firewood consumption

Household firewood use has become increasingly popular in the United States over the past few years. Significant problems remain in estimating firewood consumption. Methods of determining the amount of wood consumed vary from state to state. Units used for measuring firewood vary, but the cord remains the researcher's favorite. Factors used for converting other units, such as pickup truck loads to cords also vary. People who do not use firewood are less likely to respond to mailed surveys, resulting in potential overestimates of statewide consumption. This paper identifies some problems associated with estimating household firewood consumption and recommends methods of dealing with them.     

Drainage Investment and Wetlands Loss: an Analysis of the National Resources Inventory Data

The United States Soil Conservation Service (SCS) conducts a survey for the purpose of establishing an agricultural land use database. This survey is called the National Resources Inventory (NRI) database. The complex NRI land classification system, in conjunction with the quantitative information gathered by the survey, has numerous applications. The current paper uses the wetland area data gathered by the NRI in 1982 and 1987 to examine empirically the factors that generate wetland loss in the United States. The cross-section regression models listed here use the quantity of wetlands, the stock of drainage capital, the realty value of farmland and drainage costs to explain most of the cross-state variation in wetland loss rates. Wetlands preservation efforts by federal agencies assume that pecuniary economic factors play a decisive role in wetland drainage. The empirical models tested in the present paper validate this assumption.     

WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS FOR CARBONATE AQUIFERS IN GRAZED LAND WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: Water quality indicators of two agriculturally impacted karst areas in southeastern West Virginia were studied to determine the water quality effects of grazing agriculture and water quality trends following initiation of water quality improvement programs. Both areas are tributaries of the Greenbrier River and received funding for best management practices under the President's Initiative for Water Quality and then under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). After 11 years of study there was little evidence to suggest that water quality improved in one area. Three and a half years of study in the other area showed little evidence of consistent water quality improvement under EQIP. Lack of consistent water quality improvement at the catchment scale does not imply that the voluntary programs were failures. Increased livestock numbers as a result of successful changes in forage management practices may have overridden water quality improvements achieved through best management practices. Practices that target well defined contributing areas significantly impacting aquifer water quality might be one way to improve water quality at catchment scales in karst basins. For example, a significant decrease in fecal coliform concentrations was observed in subterranean drainage from one targeted sinkhole after dairy cattle were permanently excluded from the sinkhole.     

For what it's worth: evaluating revealed preferences for green certification

In a case study that examines the outcomes of a flexible information-based policy, we observe how organizations obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. We use a regression discontinuity analysis to identify practices used to upgrade certification tiers. This analysis reveals preferences for green certification strategies and, we argue, intimates the perceived motivations for green certification. We distinguish practices that potentially confer private gains through returns to efficiency and productivity investments, from practices that only provide public benefits. Data show that organizations strategically certify to avoid high-cost resource use, appeal to key stakeholders, and communicate building and organization quality. Builders upgrading to the highest tiers are more likely to deploy practices with private gains. Results suggest a willingness to extend short time horizons associated with energy-efficiency investments in exchange for marketing benefits. Our discussion notes the capacity for certifications to mitigate market barriers associated with the energy-efficiency gap.     

三峡库区澎溪河与磨刀溪电导率等水质特征与水华的关系比较

三峡库区北岸最大一级支流自三峡大坝2003年蓄水以来,频繁暴发水华,而毗邻的一级支流磨刀溪却少有水华暴发.本文以澎溪河和磨刀溪作为研究对象,于2014年春季和夏季三峡库区水华高发期对两条河流同时采样,对比分析两条河流水体水质以及叶绿素a(Chl-a)含量的时空变化,探索澎溪河水华暴发机理.结果表明:澎溪河Chl-a含量较磨刀溪高,澎溪河春季Chl-a最大值为60.5μg·L~(-1),夏季Chl-a最大值仅7.8μg·L~(-1);磨刀溪Chl-a变化趋势与澎溪河相反,磨刀溪春季Chl-a含量为2.92μg·L~(-1),夏季Chl-a达到7.48μg·L~(-1).澎溪河与磨刀溪春季和夏季节水体温度分层,为温跃层+滞温层模式,而没有混合层;两条河流Chl-a含量均位于水深10 m温跃层.澎溪河春季总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)平均值为2.305 mg·L~(-1)和0.053 mg·L~(-1),夏季为1.673 mg·L~(-1)和0.097 mg·L~(-1);磨刀溪春季为1.875 mg·L~(-1)和0.075 mg·L~(-1),夏季为1.79 mg·L~(-1)和0.054 mg·L~(-1).TN、TP水平均超过了国际公认发生富营养化的阈值;水体氮磷含量与Chl-a浓度并无显著相关性,营养盐并不是藻类生物量的限制性因素.然而在水体电导率的规律方面,两条河却存在很大的差异;春季,磨刀溪上游上层水体(0~10 m)电导率只有下游和长江干流的75%,来自长江干流的回水可覆盖至磨刀溪中游(断面MD03),与Chl-a在此处密集保持一致;夏季电导率和回水区分布与春季相似.与磨刀溪不同,澎溪河春季上游电导率为下游和干流的150%,长江干流回水可到PX04与PX05之间,上游高电导率对应着高Chl-a含量;澎溪河电导率与藻类生长分布表现出显著正相关关系,水体中除N、P营养盐外的其它离子对澎溪河水华暴发起重要作用.