RESOLUTION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT ISSUES IN PERMITTING TILE PLATEAU CREEK PIPELINE1

ABSTRACT: This paper describes how a hydrologic model proved to be a valuable tool to help interested parties understand impacts to four threatened and endangered fish species in the Upper Colorado River. In 1994, the Ute Water Conservancy District initiated permitting and design of the Plateau Creek pipeline replacement. The project was considered a major Federal action and therefore subject to the National Environmental Policy Act. Under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) entered the process to develop a Biological Opinion (BO) and determined that the project could potentially impact the endangered fish in the 15‐mile reach of the Colorado River. The Section 7 consultation was directed by a Core Committee comprised of stakeholders in the Upper Colorado River watershed. Hydrologic modeling became the evaluation tool for comparing flow reductions to USFWS target recovery flows and defining make‐up flow requirements to meet those targets. The Colorado River Recovery Implementation Program was designated to provide the make‐up flows. The USFWS released a final BO in December 1997, approving diversions through 2015. An Environmental Impact Statement for the project was completed and the Record of Decision was issued by the Bureau of Land Management in early 1998.     

Inspection of mob-calls as sources of predator information: response of migrant and resident birds in the Neotropics

Migrating animals face numerous mortality risks, such as novel predators with which they may not be accustomed. Most animals can recognize predators innately; however, additional predator information can be collected to enhance familiarity. Because migrating birds rarely participate in mobs, they may seek alternative information sources such as cues provided by other birds that can provide information on predator location, identity, and degree of threat. We predicted that Nearctic–Neotropical migrants (hereafter, “migrants”) would react to vocal antipredator cues (e.g., mob-calls) of species residing in areas through which they migrate. To test this, we conducted experiments in Belize during spring migration, using playbacks of mob-calls of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and blue-gray tanagers (Thraupis episcopus); tanagers are familiar to all birds in Belize; chickadees are novel to residents but familiar to migrants. This also allowed us to assess response to novel and out-of-context antipredator signals. Resident birds did not respond to novel chickadee mob-calls, but did respond to familiar tanager calls. Birds overwintering south of our study area, which were migrating during our study, responded most strongly to chickadee playbacks. Conversely, individuals of species that include our study area in their winter range did not respond to either playback. This is the first evidence that birds react to vocal antipredator cues during migration, which may be a strategy used by migrants to learn about predators. Although residents failed to recognize a foreign cue, migrating birds responded most strongly to the out-of-context chickadee cue, associated with breeding grounds >2,000 km northward. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Effect of some heavy metals and soil humic substances on the phytochelatin production in wild plants from silver mine areas of Guanajuato, Mexico

Phytochelatins (PCs) were determined in the wild plants, focusing on their relationship with the levels of heavy metals and humic substances (HS) in soil. Ricinus communis and Tithonia diversifolia were collected from several sites in Guanajuato city (Mexico), which had long been the silver and gold mining center. The analysis of PCs in root extracts was carried out by liquid chromatography (derivatization with monobromobimane). Total Ag, Cd, Cu and Pb in plant roots and in soil samples, as well as soil HS were determined. The association of metals with HS in soils was evaluated by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with UV and ICP-MS detection. The results obtained revealed the induction of PCs in R. communis but not in T. diversifolia. The levels of Cd and Pb in plant roots presented strong positive correlation with PC-2 (r = 0.9395, p = 0.005; r = 0.9573, p = 0.003, respectively), indicating that these two metals promote PCs induction in R. communis. On the other hand, the inverse correlation was found between soil HS and metal levels in roots of R. communis (Cu > Pb > Cd > Ag), in agreement with the decreasing affinity of these metals to HS. Importantly, the inverse correlation between soil HS and plant PC-2 was observed (r = −0.7825, p = 0.066). These results suggest that metals strongly bound to HS could be less bioavailable to plants, which in turn would limit their role in the induction of PCs. Indeed, the SEC elution profiles showed Pb but not Cd association with HS and the correlation between metal in soil and PC-2 in plant was statistically significant only for Cd (r = 0.7857, p = 0.064). Based on these results it is proposed that the role of heavy metals in PCs induction would depend on their uptake by R. communis, which apparently is controlled by the association of metals with soil HS. This work provides further evidence on the role of environmental conditions in the accumulation of heavy metals and phytochelatin production in plants.     

Application of ultrasonic assisted extraction of chemically diverse organic compounds from soils and sediments

The objective of this research was the development, optimization, and demonstration of an ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE) based method for organic anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs) with a range of physicochemical properties from soil and sediment samples. The optimized method was designed to be cost effective compared to existing extraction methods, which may require large quantities of consumables, produce substantial volumes of organic waste, or require costly instrumentation or equipment. Reagent grade sand, soil collected from the native grassland in proximity to Eastern Washington University (EWU), and sediment samples collected from the Spokane river were used as sample matrices during method development. These matrices were fortified with eight AWIs of varying chemical properties that are representative of a variety of household, industrial, and agricultural sources. The recoveries of the AWIs spiked onto these matrices were determined in the extracts using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). These values reflect the efficiency of the method for extraction of these analytes from representative environmental matrices. Recoveries ranged from 46.1% to 110% in the fortified soil and from 49.2% to 118.6% in the fortified sediment samples, which is comparable with existing methods for the study analytes. The optimized method was then used to quantify AWIs in a biosolid-amended soil. Indole and p-cresol were detected in the biosolid-amended soil.     

Concentrations and specific loads of brominated flame retardants in sewage sludge

Many substances related to human activities end up in wastewater and accumulate in sewage sludge. The present study focuses on two classes of brominated flame retardants: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE28, BDE47, BDE49, BDE66, BDE85, BDE99, BDE100, BDE119, BDE138, BDE153, BDE154, BDE183, BDE209) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) detected in sewage sludge collected from a monitoring network in Switzerland. Mean concentrations (n=16 wastewater treatment plants) were 310, 149, 95 and 17microg per kg dry matter for decaBDE, HBCD, penta- and octaBDE, respectively. These numbers correspond well with other studies from European countries. DecaBDE, HBCD, penta- and octaBDE showed average specific loads (load per connected inhabitant per year) in sludge of 6.1, 3.3, 2.0 and 0.3mgcap(-1)yr(-1), respectively. This is in line with consumption and storage of the compounds in the environment and the anthroposphere. Discrepancies observed for octaBDE and HBCD can be explained by the release from materials where these compounds are incorporated in and/or their degradation during anaerobic sludge treatment. Loads from different types of monitoring sites showed that brominated flame retardants ending up in sewage sludge originate mainly from surface runoff, industrial and domestic wastewater.     

Comparison of surface emissions and subsurface distribution of cis- and trans-1,3-dichloropropene and chloropicrin in sandy field beds covered with four different plastic films

The purpose of this study was to conduct a field study at a Florida field site on surface emissions and subsurface distribution of cis-and trans-1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) and chloropicrin (CP) in raised beds injected with Telone C35 with four replications. A total of 16 beds were applied with Telone C35 by chisel injection and covered with four different plastic films, 4 beds for each film. Each bed was installed with five 20-cm long soil pore air probes and a surface air collection pan at arbitrarily locations along the length of each bed for sampling soil pore air and surface air, respectively, for analysis of the three biologically active compounds, cis- and trans-1,3-D and CP. We found that average concentrations of the three compounds at 20-cm depth among the beds covered with four different plastic films generally were not statistically different. Among the four beds covered with the same plastic film, average concentrations of the three compounds were statistically different only in the four metallic PE covered beds at 5 and 24 hours after injection. Volatilization rates of the three compounds among the beds covered with four different plastic films, with the exception of CP at 48 hours after injection, were not statistically different. It appeared that initial upward diffusion and volatilization flux were influenced by solar radiation. Initial subsurface concentrations of the three compounds and volatilization flux, especially cis-1,3-D, were greater in the beds on the east side of the field than that in the beds on the west side of the field. Whether or not difference in initial subsurface concentrations of the compounds between east side beds and west side beds may influence fumigant efficacy remains to be determined.     

Farmer Premiums for the Voluntary Adoption of Conservation Plans

Programs that reimburse farmers for the cost of implementing more environmentally benign management practices are becoming increasingly popular in both the US and the EU. Utilizing the random utility and random profit difference approaches, the paper develops a theoretical model that explains why farmers may require a premium in excess of the decrease in profits to adopt a conservation plan, and may even require a premium in the case where adoption of the plan is associated with a mean increase in profits. This premium is estimated using a survey of farmers in conjunction with predictions of changes in production costs.     

Organic pollutants in compost and digestate. Part 1. Polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and molecular markers

In Europe, 9.3 x 10(6) t(dry weight (dw)) of compost and digestate are produced per year. Most of this is applied to agricultural land, which can lead to considerable inputs of organic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to soil. This paper presents an inventory of the pollutant situation in source-separated composts, digestates and presswater in Switzerland by a detailed analysis of over 70 samples. PCB concentrations ( summation PCB 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180) were significantly higher in urban (median: 30 microg kg(-1)dw, n = 52) than in rural samples (median: 14 microg kg(-1)dw, n = 16). Together with low concentrations in general, this points to aerial deposition on compost input material as the major contamination pathway. Enantiomeric fractions of atropisometric PCB were close to racemic. Median PAH concentration was 3010 microg kg(-1)dw( summation 15PAH, n = 69), and one quarter of the samples exhibited concentrations above the relevant Swiss guide value for compost (4000 microg kg(-1)dw). The levels were influenced by the treatment process (digestate > compost), the season of input material collection (spring-summer > winter > autumn), the particle size (coarse-grained > fine-grained), and maturity (mature > less mature). The main source of PAH in compost was pyrogenic, probably influenced mainly by liquid fossil fuel combustion and some asphalt abrasion, as suggested by multiple linear regression. This study, together with a companion paper reporting on other organic contaminates including emerging compound classes, provides a starting point for a better risk-benefit estimation of the application of compost and digestate to agricultural soil in Switzerland.     

Response of balanced network models to large-scale perturbation: Implications for evaluating the role of small pelagics in the Gulf of Maine

Exploring the response of an ecosystem, and subsequent tradeoffs among its biological community, to human perturbations remains a key challenge for the implementation of an ecosystem approaches to fisheries (EAF). To address this and related issues, we developed two network (or energy budget) models, Ecopath and Econetwrk, for the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. These models included 31 network “nodes” or biomass state variables across a broad range of trophic levels, with the present emphasis to particularly elucidate the role of small pelagics. After initial network balancing, various perturbation scenarios were evaluated to explore how potential changes to different fish, fisheries and lower trophic levels can affect model outputs. Categorically across all scenarios and interpretations thereof, there was minimal change at the second trophic levels and most of the “rebalancing” after a perturbation occurred via alteration of the diet matrix. Yet the model results from perturbations to a balanced energy budget fall into one of three categories. First, some model results were intuitive and in obvious agreement with established ecological and fishing theory. Second, some model results were counter-intuitive upon initial observation, seemingly contradictory to known ecological and fishing theory; but upon further examination the results were explainable given the constraints of an equilibrium energy budget. Finally, some results were counter-intuitive and difficult to reconcile with theory or further examination of equilibrium constraints. A detailed accounting of biomass flows for example scenarios explores some of the non-intuitive results more rigorously. Collectively these results imply a need to carefully track biomass flows and results of any given perturbation and to critically evaluate the conditions under which a new equilibrium is obtained for these types of models, which has implications for dynamic simulations based off of them. Given these caveats, the role of small pelagics as a prominent component of this ecosystem remains a robust conclusion. We discuss how one might use this approach in the context of further developing an EAF, recognizing that a more holistic, integrated perspective will be required as we continue to evaluate tradeoffs among marine biological communities.     

Plume analysis from field evaluations of a portable air quality monitoring system

ABSTRACT

Near-road measurements in Rochester, NY with a Portable Air Quality Monitoring System indicate a significant plume control of PM_2.5 black carbon (BC) concentrations. This study evaluates the performance of two portable air quality enclosures deployed at collocated research sites to determine their accuracy and usefulness in field deployments, and specifically in pollution plume analysis. One system deployed collocated sensors for measurement of particulate matter mass concentration (Thermo pDR 1500 against Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM) measurement) and the second system deployed sensors for measurement of black carbon (Magee AE33 aethalometer and Brechtel Tricolor Absorption Photometer) in ambient and near-road locations in Rochester, New York, respectively. While the optical PM_2.5 sensors tended to be biased in their determination of concentration by ~15%, they followed changes and trends in concentration very well. The black carbon sensors in the portable systems agreed very well with each other and with the collocated sensor. As a case study to determine the contribution from statistically significant short-lived excursions of pollutant concentration, Morlet wavelet analysis was performed on data from the portable system sensors. Black carbon was found to be strongly influenced by plume behavior with significant plume excursions representing just over 12% of all data points and contributing on average 1 µg/m³ of black carbon above ambient concentrations.

Implications: This paper first evaluates two air pollutant monitoring enclosures with wide applicability including near-road detection of pollutants. Then, we present a novel method to designate isolate statistically significant excursions in air pollution concentration which can be used to determine the impact of pollutant plumes as observed in PM and black carbon behavior near road.