Reduction of pathogen indicator organisms in dairy wastewater using an ecological treatment system

Ecological treatment systems can provide a sustainable, plant-based alternative to traditional wastewater treatment. One factor essential to the success of these systems is ensuring their ability to reduce coliform concentrations in wastewater. Wastewater is the primary source of fecal contamination in aquatic ecosystems, containing total and fecal coliforms on the order of 10(8)-10(10) and 10(7)-10(9) CFU L(-1), respectively. This study assessed the ability of an ecological treatment system to reduce concentrations of total coliforms and Escherichia coli from dairy wastewater. Low strength wastewater was pumped into the system during July of 2005 and high strength in September 2005. Wastewater passes through a series of anaerobic, aerobic, and clarifier reactors and wetland cells before exiting the system. Regardless of wastewater strength, average total coliform and E. coli concentrations were consistently reduced by at least 99% from influent to effluent, with the majority of the reduction (76%) occurring in the first two reactors. Relationships between internal concentrations of solids and coliforms indicated that increased reduction of solids may further reduce coliform concentrations. Although U.S. Environmental Protection Agency discharge requirements for E. coli were not always met, the substantial reductions achieved indicate that ecological treatment systems have the potential to successfully reduce coliforms in wastewater to meet discharge limits. The results from this study will be used to guide design and management of future ecological treatment systems, so that larger and more consistent coliform reductions can be achieved.     

Trace element concentrations in feathers of seven petrels (Pterodroma spp.)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Gadfly petrels (Pterodroma spp.) are one of the most threatened and poorly studied seabird groups, and as marine predators, are exposed to...     

Long‐term evaluation of an EHC injection permeable reactive barrier in a sulfate‐rich,high‐flow aquifer

Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) have traditionally been constructed via trenching backfilled with granular, long‐lasting materials. Over the last decade, direct push injection PRBs with fine‐grained injectable reagents have gained popularity as a more cost‐efficient and less‐invasive approach compared to trenching. A direct push injection PRB was installed in 2005 to intercept a 2,500 feet (760 meter) long carbon tetrachloride (CT) groundwater plume at a site in Kansas. The PRB was constructed by injecting EHC^® in situ chemical reduction reagent slurry into a line of direct push injection points. EHC is composed of slow‐release plant‐derived organic carbon plus microscale zero‐valent iron (ZVI) particles, specifically formulated for injection applications. This project was the first full‐scale application of EHC into a flow‐through reactive zone and provided valuable information about substrate longevity and PRB performance over time. Groundwater velocity at the site is high (1.8 feet per day) and sulfate‐rich (~120 milligrams per liter), potentially affecting the rate of substrate consumption and the PRB reactive life. CT removal rates peaked 16 months after PRB installation with >99% removal observed. Two years post‐installation removal rates decreased to approximately 95% and have since stabilized at that level for the 12 years of monitoring data available after injection. Geochemical data indicate that the organic carbon component of EHC was mostly consumed after 2 years; however, reducing conditions and a high degree of chloromethane treatment were maintained for several years after total organic carbon concentrations returned to background. Redox conditions are slowly reverting and have returned close to background conditions after 12 years, indicating that the PRB may be nearing the end of its reactive life. Direct measurements of iron have not been performed, but stoichiometric demand calculations suggest that the ZVI component of EHC may, in theory, last for up to 33 years. However, the ZVI component by itself would not be expected to support the level of treatment observed after the organic carbon substrate had been depleted. A longevity of up to 5 years was originally estimated for the EHC PRB based on the maximum expected longevity of the organic carbon substrate. While the organic carbon was consumed faster than expected, the PRB has continued to support a high degree of chloromethane treatment for a significantly longer time period of over 12 years. Recycling of biomass and the contribution from a reduced iron sulfide mineral zone are discussed as possible explanations for the sustained reducing conditions and continued chloromethane treatment.     

First-Person Effects of Emotional and Informational Messages in Strategic Environmental Communications Campaigns

This study examined the first- and third-person effects of emotional and informational messages, particularly relating to the critical issue areas of energy, the environment, and global warming. Due to intense political polarization on such issues, it also explored the role of political party identification. The results of an experiment indicated that informational messages about the environment produced third-person effects, while environmental advertisements meant to evoke emotion caused first-person effects. Moreover, emotional environmental advertisements appealed more to Republicans and those who did not support a political party. As such, indirect, emotional messages appear to represent an opportunity for strategic environmental communicators to design campaigns that resonate with potentially unreceptive audiences.     

Developing indicators to measure post‐disaster community recovery in the United States

Disaster recovery is a key capability of federal, state, and local government. To support this capability effectively practitioners need useful and validated metrics to document how well a community is recovering from a particular disaster. This study developed and categorised recovery indicators according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s Recovery Support Functions and Recovery Mission Area Core Capabilities through a literature review, an evaluation of the pre‐disaster recovery plans for 87 coastal jurisdictions, and a case study of two communities (New Hanover County, North Carolina, and the City of Hoboken, New Jersey). Metrics identified in the literature were validated through the recovery plan review and the case study. The research team also identified sources for both baseline and current status data. Based on these findings, a user‐friendly checklist for practitioners was established, which will be piloted with practice partners during a future disaster recovery initiative.     

Defining success over time for large landscape conservation organizations

Transboundary issues, like climate change, threaten the health of natural ecosystems. To address these problems, management is taking place at larger geographic scales and across political boundaries. Although landscapes are considered the suitable scale for conservation, limited research exists on how members of large landscape conservation organizations (LLCOs) define success. The Crown Managers Partnership (CMP) and the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Cooperative (SAMAB) are two LLCOs that support collaboration for the conservation of the Northern Rockies and the Southern Appalachian regions. We analyze the diverse interpretations of success among SAMAB and CMP participants during different stages of the organizations’ life cycle. Of particular importance is how members emphasize intangible successes such as relationships and the cascading effects LLCOs can have on other projects and organizations. This research provides insight into the distinct niche LLCOs fill in transboundary ecosystem management.     

Synthesis of Common Management Concerns Associated with Dam Removal

Managers make decisions regarding if and how to remove dams in spite of uncertainty surrounding physical and ecological responses, and stakeholders often raise concerns about certain negative effects, regardless of whether these concerns are warranted at a particular site. We used a dam‐removal science database supplemented with other information sources to explore seven frequently raised concerns, herein Common Management Concerns (CMCs). We investigate the occurrence of these concerns and the contributing biophysical controls. The CMCs addressed are the following: degree and rate of reservoir sediment erosion, excessive channel incision upstream of reservoirs, downstream sediment aggradation, elevated downstream turbidity, drawdown impacts on local water infrastructure, colonization of reservoir sediments by nonnative plants, and expansion of invasive fish. Biophysical controls emerged for some of the concerns, providing managers with information to assess whether a given concern is likely to occur at a site. To fully assess CMC risk, managers should concurrently evaluate site conditions and identify the ecosystem or human uses that will be negatively affected if the biophysical phenomenon producing the CMC occurs. We show how many CMCs have one or more controls in common, facilitating the identification of multiple risks at a site, and demonstrate why CMC risks should be considered in the context of other factors such as natural watershed variability and disturbance history.     

Home beyond the house: Experiences of place in an evolving retirement community

This research presents the results of a qualitative study of a small sample of older adults (n = 25), age 55+ who have recently moved to an area that is rapidly changing from a tourist community into a retirement community. The study has two main research objectives: (a) to use Oswald and Wahl's heuristic meaning of home framework to explore the relationships between older adults and their homes and communities, integrating theories from environmental psychology, environmental gerontology and human geography, and (b) to discuss the empirical findings focussing on the core concepts of meaning of home and sense of belonging for new retirees to an area. Findings: For new retirees, there exists a zone between the home and community, that can be viewed as a geographic space comprised of overlapping and interwoven personal, social and physical domains. This zone between the physical house and the surrounding community can be construed as having certain elastic qualities and permeable boundaries that blur the distinctions between home and community. A focus on the micro-environment of the home dwelling and the macro-environment of the neighbourhood and community then appears relevant for understanding place attachment for these persons. This idea of the ‘home beyond the house’ – is one of the most important contributions of this research. Our results view the heuristic framework of Oswald and Wahl as a valuable tool for building understanding about the meaning of home for older adults by drawing attention to the domains themselves, and more importantly, to the interrelationships between them. Consequently, for younger in-migrants, the boundary between home and community blurs into one larger, symbolic entity experienced as ‘home’.     

Household wood heater usage and indoor leakage of BTEX in Launceston,Australia: A null result

A study has been conducted in Launceston, Australia, to determine within households with wood heaters the effect of leakage from the heater and flue on the indoor air concentrations of the pollutants: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). The study involved three classes: 28 households without wood heaters, 19 households with wood heaters compliant with the relevant Australian Standard and 30 households with non-compliant wood heaters. Outdoor and indoor BTEX concentrations were measured in each household for 7 days during summer when there was little or no wood heater usage, and for 7 days during winter when there was widespread wood heater usage. Each participant kept a household activity diary throughout their sampling periods. For wintertime, there were no significant differences of the indoor BTEX concentrations between the three classes of households. Also there were no significant relationships between BTEX indoor concentrations within houses and several measures of the amount of wood heater use within these houses. For the households sampled in this study, the use of a wood heater within a house did not lead to BTEX release within that house and had no direct detectable influence on the concentrations of BTEX within the house. We propose that the pressure differences associated with the both the leakiness or permeability of the building envelope and the draught of the wood heater have key roles in determining whether there will be backflow of smoke from the wood heater into the house. For a leaky house with a well maintained wood heater there should be no backflow of smoke from the wood heater into the house. However backflow of smoke may occur in well sealed houses.The study also found that wood heater emissions raise the outdoor concentrations of BTEX in winter in Launceston and through the mixing of outdoor air through the building envelopes into the houses, these emissions contribute to increases in the indoor concentrations of BTEX in winter in all houses in Launceston.     

Science and Decision Making: Water Management and Tree‐Ring Data in the Western United States1

Abstract: Growing populations, limited resources, and sustained drought are placing increased pressure on already over‐allocated water supplies in the western United States, prompting some water managers to seek out and utilize new forms of climate data in their planning efforts. One source of information that is now being considered by water resource management is extended hydrologic records from tree‐ring data. Scientists with the Western Water Assessment (WWA) have been providing reconstructions of streamflow (i.e., paleoclimate data) to water managers in Colorado and other western states (Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming), and presenting technical workshops explaining the applications of tree‐ring data for water management for the past eight years. Little is known, however, about what has resulted from these engagements between scientists and water managers. Using in‐depth interviews and a survey questionnaire, we attempt to address this lack of information by examining the outcomes of the interactions between WWA scientists and western water managers to better understand how paleoclimate data has been translated to water resource management. This assessment includes an analysis of what prompts water managers to seek out tree‐ring data, how paleoclimate data are utilized by water managers in both quantitative and qualitative ways, and how tree‐ring data are interpreted in the context of organization mandates and histories. We situate this study within a framework that examines the coproduction of science and policy, where scientists and resource managers collectively define and examine research and planning needs, the activities of which are embedded within wider social and political contexts. These findings have broader applications for understanding science‐policy interactions related to climate and climate change in resource management, and point to the potential benefits of reflexive interactions of scientists and decision makers.