DISTRIBUTIONAL ISSUES IN WESTERN MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER SUPPLY1

ABSTRACT Financing and repayment provisions of western water projects effect transfers of income among federal taxpayers, electric power users, local water users, and property owners. We use the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project as a case study in the distribution of municipal and industrial water costs. We examine the distribution of costs among taxpayers and water users in different political/geographical jurisdictions, and how this distribution is affected by water law, cost allocation procedures, and the choice of revenue source for local repayment of reimbursable costs. In light of the magnitude of distributional effects of present water policy, we conclude that lack of open debate on water issues is unfortunate. We conclude with speculation on the relationship of western water policy to the motivation of western water leaders who are instrumental in its formulation     

Status inconsistency in organizations: From social hierarchy to stress

This paper adopts the concept of status inconsistency from the wider sociological literature in order to explain one of the social psychological processes possibly underlying the linkage between organizational demography and occupational stress. In doing so, we review the methodological and theoretical difficulties that arise in applying status inconsistency to an organizational setting. After explicitly discussing our assumptions, we develop out of the literature a series of propositions explicating the nature of the relationships between demography, status, status inconsistency and occupational stress. In offering these propositions we not only attempt to show how status inconsistency may be used to explain many of the empirical relations found to exist between demography and occupational stress, but also try to show the potential value of the status inconsistency concept as both an independent and dependent variable in general organizational research.     

Detection limits of optical gas imagers as a function of temperature differential and distance

Optical gas imaging (OGI) is an effective tool for detecting gas leaks from process equipment. Despite the fact that OGI has been used for leak detection for over a decade, its detection limit is an elusive performance metric and has not been systematically characterized and quantified like other detection instruments. A substantial body of research has been performed that has shed some light on the OGI detection limits and the factors that dictate the detection limits. The OGI detection limit expressed as ppm-m and ppm now can be quantified as a function of ΔT (differential temperature between the gas plume and the background), the OGI camera type, and the specific gas in question. Furthermore, the OGI detection limit expressed as grams per hour can be calculated based on the ΔT and the distance from the OGI camera to the leak location under common leak survey conditions. For the same OGI camera, the detection limit can vary by several orders of magnitude due to ΔT and distance. The present work has demonstrated how different OGI detection limits can be. More importantly, this work has, for the first time, formulated equations that can be used to determine OGI detection limits with a given set of leak detection conditions. Being able to quantify OGI detection limit and understand the variables that dictate the detection limit is a significant advancement. It will help OGI to become accepted as a mature field instrument. The variables characterized in this work should have an impact on the development of OGI leak survey protocols, such as Appendix K to Code of Federal Regulations 40 CFR Part 60 in the United States. Established detection limits will also help emission inventory for fugitive emissions when OGI is used as the sole leak detection method.

Implications: Optical gas imaging (OGI) has been used for leak detection and control of fugitive volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and methane emissions due to equipment leaks. However, detection limits of OGI have not been characterized and quantified like other detection instruments. The lack of well-understood detection limits has hindered broader applications of OGI. The work presented in this paper represents important steps that will enable OGI users and policymakers to establish (1) OGI detection limits under various conditions, (2) OGI leak survey criteria for a desired minimum detectable leak size, and (3) maximum potential emissions from the nondetect sources in emission inventory studies.     

Humic acid complexation of basic and neutral polycyclic aromatic compounds

Complexation by humic acid (HA) of basic (quinoline) and neutral (naphthalene) polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) was compared using fluorescence spectroscopy and equilibrium dialysis (ED). These compounds sorb to HA via cation exchange and hydrophobic interactions, respectively. Ionization of quinoline strongly affects its sorption to HA; maximum sorption is observed at pH close to logKb (4.92), and competition with H+ and electrolyte cation (Li+) is evident. Spectroscopic experiments indicate that quinolinium (QH+) cation fluorescence is quenched via a static mechanism (i.e., a dark complex is formed) when the protonated form is adsorbed via ion exchange to HA. The extent of sorption, calculated from fluorescence data using the Stern-Volmer equation, was compared to independent ED measurements. Although both methods indicated the same trends with solution chemistry, fluorescence quenching data suggested more extensive complexation than that measured using ED. In contrast to ionizable PACs, studied here and previously, interaction of naphthalene with HA is unaffected by changes in solution conditions (pH, ionic strength).     

Modeling tracer diffusion in fractured and unfractured, unsaturated, porous media

A proposed tracer diffusion test for the Exploratory Shaft Facility at Yucca Mountain, NV, is modeled. For the proposed test, a solution containing conservative tracers will be introduced into a borehole in the geologic medium of interest. The tracers will diffuse and advect from the saturated source region into the unsaturated matrix in the surrounding tuff. After some time, the borehole is to be overcored, and tracer concentrations in the fluid will be measured in the core as a function of distance from emplacement. The data will be used to evaluate diffusive behavior and to derive effective diffusion coefficients for the tracers in the specific tuff. Numerical simulations are used to study the effects of effective diffusion coefficient, porosity, saturation, and fracturing on tracer transport. Results are reported for numerical simulations of tests in the Topopah Spring Member and the Tuff of Calico Hills, which have significantly different porosities and saturations. The simulations make the following predictions: The spread of tracer during the test will be sensitive to the effective diffusion coefficient of the tracer. Tracer will diffuse farther in the Topopah Spring Member than in the Tuff of Calico Hills because of the former's lower porosity and saturation. Tracer transport by advection into the Topopah Spring Member will be greater than that into the Tuff of Calico Hills because of capillary effects. While advection will be a significant mechanism for tracer penetration into the Topopah Spring tuff, it will be less significant for tracer penetration into the Calico Hills tuff. The proximity of a single vertical fracture to the source region determines its effects on tracer transport, especially if the fracture diverts fluid flowing from the source region into the matrix.     

Analysis of anaerobic BTX biodegradation in a subarctic aquifer using isotopes and benzylsuccinates

In situ biodegradation of benzene, toluene, and xylenes in a petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated aquifer near Fairbanks, Alaska was assessed using carbon and hydrogen compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of benzene and toluene and analysis of signature metabolites for toluene (benzylsuccinate) and xylenes (methylbenzylsuccinates). Carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios of benzene were between -25.9 per thousand and -26.8 per thousand for delta13C and -119 per thousand and -136 per thousand for delta2H, suggesting that biodegradation of benzene is unlikely at this site. However, biodegradation of both xylenes and toluene were documented in this subarctic aquifer. Biodegradation of xylenes was indicated by the presence of methylbenzylsuccinates with concentrations of 17-50 microg/L in three wells. Anaerobic toluene biodegradation was also indicated by benzylsuccinate concentrations of 10-49 microg/L in the three wells with the highest toluene concentrations (1500-5000 microg/L toluene). Since benzylsuccinate typically accounts for a very small fraction of the toluene present in groundwater (generally <1 mol%), the signature metabolite approach works best at higher toluene concentrations when it is not constrained by detection limits. In wells with lower toluene concentrations (410-640 microg/L), carbon and hydrogen isotopic values were enriched by up to approximately 2 per thousand for delta13C and approximately 70 per thousand for delta2H. This evidence of isotopic fractionation verifies the effects of biodegradation in these low concentration wells where metabolites may already be below detection limits. The combined use of signature metabolite and CSIA data is particularly valuable given the challenge of verifying biodegradation in subarctic environments where degradation rates are typically much slower than in temperate environments.     

Protandry in western cicada killer wasps, (Sphecius grandis,Hymenoptera: Sphecidae): an empirical study of emergence time and mating opportunity

Summary Sphecius grandis is a univoltine, colonial wasp. Females mate once and are sexually receptive when they emerge in July and early August. Males generally emerge earlier in the summer than females. The opportunity for each male to acquire mates is a function of the number of females emerging during his lifetime and the number of competitiors that are active when the females emerge. I determined a mating opportunity index (MOI) for each male in an aggregation of wasps for three separate summers, and correlated the MOI of individual males with their emergence date. The MOI of a male estimates the potential contribution that timing of emergence makes to his reproductive success. In 1984 males emerging near the mean of the male emergence distribution had the highest MOI. These males emerged between one and two weeks prior to the mean female emergence date. However, in 1981 late emerging males had the highest MOI. In 1983 there was no significant difference in MOI among males. As a result of between-year variation in female emergence schedules and in the duration of male lifetime, the selection pressures influencing male emergence time vary between years.     

Flexibility,learning, and irreversibility in environmental decisions: A bayesian approach

The Bayes decision is characterized and studied for a two-period decision problem involving a proposed resource development project. It is assumed that development is irreversible and that expectations about benefits and costs during the second period vary with experiences resulting from the first-period action. The amount and types of learning achieved depend upon the particular action taken during the first period. Flexible sequential decision procedures are compared with fixed once-and-for-all decisions. It is shown that under this specification, optimal development decisions are not necessarily more conservative when a sequential procedure is used. The possibility of reneging on a fixed decision is formally specified and studied.     

Flexible seed selection by individual harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Summary Individual seed harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex) have been shown to specialize on specific seed types. We examined possible mechanisms for seed specialization and tested whether fidelity to food type limits the foraging decisions of individual western harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. The seed selection regimes of individually marked ants foraging at piles of two seed types were described and related to differences in seed quality and colonial dietary history. Individual foraging choices were affected by multiple factors, including seed caloric rewards, the previous seed selected, and the dietary history of the colony. Individual seed choices generally converged on the most energetically profitable species, suggesting that foragers exhibit labile preference. However, for a portion of the foragers, seed specialization was also partially due to constancy, defined as a tendency to select seed species that were previously collected. When colonies were presented with one seed type for 1 h and then were offered a mix of that seed and a novel seed type, individuals showed a strong preference for the novel seeds. Such rapid changes in seed preference argue strongly that individual P. occidentalis ants are highly flexible in seed choice and that resource assessment by these ants is more complex than simple maximization of net energetic return.Offprint requests to: J.H. Fewell at the current address