Environment drives financial performance: The Jury is in

In a single day, June 13, 1994, the total stock market capitalization of Exxon dropped by a full 5 percent, with news of the company's exposure to additional legal damages from the Exxon Valdez disaster. Despite what should have been a jarring wake-up call, however, Wall Street investors and company CEOs continue for the most part to conduct business as usual, unpersuaded that environmental considerations are anything more than a superficial and temporary blip on their Bloomberg screens. There is mounting evidence that they're dead wrong. In this article, the authors contend what they're currently sleeping through is nothing less than the beginnings of a profound, worldwide industrial restructuring.     

Evaluating Nonpoint Pollution Policy Using a Tightly Coupled Spatial Decision Support System

Policy makers often must rely on the cumulative impact of independent actions taken by local landowners to achieve environmental goals. The connection between policy, regulation, and local action, however, is often not well understood and, thus, the impact of proposed policies may be difficult to predict. In this study we evaluate the effectiveness of alternative policy scenarios for agricultural set aside programs (e.g., the conservation reserve program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture) in reducing nonpoint pollution. Two alternative policy scenarios are developed and analyzed; one based on the erodibility index (detachment), the other sediment yield (transport). An estimate of the cumulative impact of associated land use change on nonpoint pollution is made using the AGNPS distributed parameter watershed model. This work is completed within the Cypress Creek watershed in southern Illinois. An analysis of the resulting data suggests that the most efficacious regulatory strategy for achieving nonpoint water pollution goals depends, in part, on place-specific land use patterns. This conclusion provides a solid argument for place-based regulatory strategies.     

Assessment of metal availability in smelter soil using earthworms and chemical extractions

Chemical immobilization is a relatively inexpensive in situ remediation method that reduces soil contaminant solubility, but the ability of this remediation treatment to reduce heavy metal bioavailability and ecotoxicity to soil invertebrates has not been evaluated. Our objectives were to (i) assess the ability of chemical immobilization amendments (municipal sewage sludge biosolids and rock phosphate) to reduce metal bioavailability and toxicity in a toxic metal-contaminated smelter soil and (ii) evaluate soil extraction methods using Ca(NO3)2 solution or ion-exchange membranes coated with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) as surrogate measures of metal bioavailability and ecotoxicity. We treated a soil contaminated by Zn and Pb milling and smelting operations and an uncontaminated control soil with lime-stabilized municipal biosolids (LSB), rock phosphate (RP), or anaerobically digested municipal biosolids (SS) and evaluated lethality of the remediated soils to earthworm (Eisenia fetida Savigny). Lime-stabilized municipal biosolids was the only remediation amendment to successfully immobilize lethal levels of Zn in the smelter soil (14-d cumulative mortality < or = 15%). Calcium nitrate-extractable Zn in the lethal Zn smelter soil-amendment combinations was 11.5 to 18.2 mmol/kg, compared with the nonlethal LSB amended soil (0.62 mmol/kg). The Ca(NO3)2-extractable Zn-based median lethal concentration (LC50) of 6.33 mmol/kg previously developed in Zn-spiked artificial soils was applicable in the remediated smelter soils despite a 14-fold difference in total Zn concentration. Chelating ion-exchange membrane uptake among the soils was highly variable (mean CV = 39%) compared with the Ca(NO3)2-extraction (mean CV = 1.9%) and not well related to earthworm toxicity.     

Changes in the rhizosphere of metal-accumulating plants evidenced by chemical extractants

The plants Salix viminalis L. (common osier) and Thlaspi caerulescens J. Presl & C. Presl have been studied often because of their high potential to extract heavy metals from soils. The soil properties favoring this phytoextraction are not yet fully known. In this study we compared three frequently used single-extracting agents (NaNO3, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid [DTPA], and ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid [EDTA]) with a sequential extraction procedure to describe changes in the different Cd, Cu, and Zn pools in the rhizosphere of S. viminalis and T. caerulescens grown on calcareous and acidic Swiss soils in a pot experiment. The sequential extraction was used to assess the chemical affinities of these heavy metals (HM) in the soil whereas the single extractants were used for estimating the bioavailable HM pools in the soils. Cadmium depletion in several pools was most apparent in the acidic soil, with a significant decrease observed in the NaNO3-, DTPA-, and EDTA-extractable fractions following T. caerulescens growth compared with control pots. The sequential extraction showed that most Cd extracted by the plant from the acidic soil originated from the organic pool, which implies that heavy metals bound to organic matter may constitute a significant part of the bioavailable Cd pool in soils. In the calcareous soil only a small amount of Cd was taken up by T. caerulescens, and this came mainly from the carbonate-bound fraction. This study shows that T. caerulescens, and to a lesser extent S. viminalis, can alter the heavy metal distribution in different soil pools within 90 d.     

Advanced solid-state carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies of sewage sludge organic matter: detection of organic "domains"

Two novel solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques, PSRE (proton spin relaxation editing) and RESTORE [Restoration of Spectra via T(CH) and T(1rho)H (T One Rho H) Editing], were used to provide detailed chemical characterization of the organic matter from six Australian sewage sludges. These methods were used to probe the submicrometer heterogeneity of sludge organic matter, and identify and quantify spatially distinct components. Analysis of the T1H relaxation behavior of the sludges indicated that each sludge contained two types of organic domains. Carbon-13 PSRE NMR subspectra were generated to determine the chemical nature of these domains. The rapidly relaxing component of each sludge was rich in protein and alkyl carbon, and was identified as dead bacterial material. The slowly relaxing component of each sludge was rich in carbohydrate and lignin structures, and was identified as partly degraded plant material. The bacterial domains were shown, using the RESTORE technique, to also have characteristically rapid T(1rho)H relaxation rates. This rapid T(1rho)H relaxation was identified as the main cause of underrepresentation of these domains in standard 13C cross polarization (CP) NMR spectra of sludges. The heterogeneous nature of sewage sludge organic matter has implications for land application of sewage sludge, since the two components are likely to have different capacities for sorbing organic and inorganic toxicants present in sewage sludge, and will decompose at different rates.     

Using Sediment Budgets to Investigate the Pathogen Flux Through Catchments

We demonstrate a materials budget approach to identify the main source areas and fluxes of pathogens through a landscape by using the flux of fine sediments as a proxy for pathogens. Sediment budgets were created for three subcatchment tributaries of the Googong Reservoir in southeastern New South Wales, Australia. Major inputs, sources, stores, and transport zones were estimated using sediment sampling, dam trap efficiency measures, and radionuclide tracing. Particle size analyses were used to quantify the fine-sediment component of the total sediment flux, from which the pathogen flux was inferred by considering the differences between the mobility and transportation of fine sediments and pathogens. Gullies were identified as important sources of fine sediment, and therefore of pathogens, with the pathogen risk compounded when cattle shelter in them during wet periods. The results also indicate that the degree of landscape modification influences both sediment and pathogen mobilization. Farm dams, swampy meadows and glades along drainage paths lower the flux of fine sediment, and therefore pathogens, in this landscape during low-flow periods. However, high-rainfall and high-flow events are likely to transport most of the fine sediment, and therefore pathogen, flux from the Googong landscape to the reservoir. Materials budgets are a repeatable and comparatively low-cost method for investigating the pathogen flux through a landscape.     

Biodegradation of nitrogen-enriched lignite

Biodegradation of nitrogen-enriched lignite by soil bacteria previously acclimated in hydrogen peroxide-acetic acid lignitic substrate was carried out to assess the effects of nitrogen functional groups on the biodegradation of lignite. Chlorination, oxidation plus nitration, and ammoniation were applied in an attempt to modify the chemical structure of lignite so as to obtain a lignitic substrate that is more compatible to the enzymatical system of ordinary soil bacteria than that of unmodified lignite. Incorporation of nitrogen containing functional groups into lignite structure achieved 4.71 wt%, a value five times higher than that usually found in unmodified (raw) lignite. Data collected through a 16 day incubation time, monitoring production as well as depletion of both nitrate and organic acids, concluded that biodegradation was expedited by the incorporation of nitrogen into the structure of lignite. Twenty-eight compounds were identified based on the results from GC/MS analysis of the products.     

Prioritizing Wetland Restoration for Sediment Yield Reduction: A Conceptual Model

In a climate of limited resources, it is often necessary to prioritize restoration efforts geographically. The synoptic approach is an ecologically based tool for geographic prioritization of wetland protection and restoration efforts. The approach was specifically designed to incorporate best professional judgment in cases where information and resources are otherwise limited. Synoptic assessments calculate indices for functional criteria in subunits (watersheds, counties, etc.) of a region and then rank the subunits. Ranks can be visualized in region-scale maps which enable managers to identify areas where efforts optimize functional performance on a regional scale. In this paper, we develop a conceptual model for prioritizing watersheds whose wetlands can be restored to reduce total sediment yield at the watershed outlet. The conceptual model is designed to rank watersheds but not individual wetlands within a watershed. The synoptic approach is valid for applying the sediment yield reduction model because there is high demand for prioritizing disturbed wetlands for restoration, but there is limited, quantitative, accurate information available with which to make decisions. Furthermore, the cost of creating a comprehensive database is prohibitively high. Finally, because the model will be used for planning purposes, and, specifically, for prioritizing based on multiple decisions rather than optimizing a single decision, the consequence of prioritization errors is low. Model results cannot be treated as scientific findings. The conclusions of an assessment are based on judgement, but this judgement is guided by scientific principles and a general understanding of relevant ecological processes. The conceptual model was developed as the first step towards prioritizing of wetland restoration for sediment yield reduction in US EPA Region 4.     

Enrichment and isolation of endosulfan-degrading microorganisms

Endosulfan (6,7,8,9,10,10-hexachloro-1,5,5a,6,9,9a-hexahydro-6,9-methano-2,3,4-benzo-dioxathiepin-3-oxide) is a cyclodiene organochlorine currently used as an insecticide all over the world and its residues are posing a serious environmental threat. This study reports the isolation and identification of enriched microorganisms, capable of degrading endosulfan. Enrichment was achieved by using the insecticide as either the sole source of carbon or sulfur in parallel studies. Two strains each of fungi (F1 and F4) and bacteria (BF2 and B4) were selected using endosulfan as a sole carbon source. A Pandoraea species (Lin-3) previously isolated in our laboratory using lindane (gamma-HCH) as a carbon source was also screened for endosulfan degradation. F1 and F4 (Fusarium ventricosum) degraded alpha-endosulfan by as much as 82.2 and 91.1% and beta-endosulfan by 78.5 and 89.9%, respectively, within 15 d of incubation. Bacterial strains B4 and Lin-3 degraded alpha-endosulfan up to 79.6 and 81.8% and beta-endosulfan up to 83.9 and 86.8%, respectively, in 15 d. Among the bacterial strains isolated by providing endosulfan as a sulfur source, B4s and F4t degraded alpha-endosulfan by as much as 70.4 and 68.5% and beta-endosulfan by 70.4 and 70.8%, respectively, after 15 d. Degradation of the insecticide occurred concomitant with bacterial growth reaching an optical density (OD600) of 0.366 and 0.322 for B4 and Lin-3, respectively. High OD600 was also noted with the other bacterial strains utilizing endosulfan as a sulfur source. Fungal and bacterial strains significantly decreased the pH of the nutrient culture media while growing on endosulfan. The results of this study suggest that these novel strains are a valuable source of potent endosulfan-degrading enzymes for use in enzymatic bioremediation.     

DYNAMICS OF SIMULATED EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION OVER DRYLAND FARMING IN SASKATCHEWAN1

ABSTRACT: Irrigation development in Saskatchewan was initiated as an instrument to bring forth regional stability through drought proofing and diversification in the agricultural sector. This development has been surrounded by controversies. Particularly, some critics questioning its economic value to the farmer. In this study, irrigation on a farm is compared as a growth alternative to the expansion of dryland farming. Under relatively conservative machine replacement policies, modest family withdrawals, government subsidized irrigation loans, and relatively favorable gross operating margins, irrigation can be a profitable undertaking in the South Saskatchewan River Basin.