Lessons from the 2006 Louisiana health and population survey

The 2005 hurricane season caused extensive damage and induced a mass migration of approximately 1.1 million people from southern Louisiana in the United States. Current and accurate estimates of population size and demographics and an assessment of the critical needs for public services were required to guide recovery efforts. Since forecasts using pre-hurricane data may produce inaccurate estimates of the post-hurricane population, a household survey in 18 hurricane-affected parishes was conducted to provide timely and credible information on the size of these populations, their demographics and their condition. This paper describes the methods used, the challenges encountered, and the key factors for successful implementation. This post-disaster survey was unique because it identified the needs of the people in the affected parishes and quantified the number of people with these needs. Consequently, this survey established new population and health indicator baselines that otherwise would have not been available to guide the relief and recovery efforts in southern Louisiana.     

Human-ecological dimensions of disaster resiliency in Thailand: social capital and aid delivery

This study focuses on the human-ecological dimension of disaster resilience after the 2004 tsunami. The paper examines how concepts of social capital and external aid delivery influence community performance in conservation of mangrove ecosystems. Experiences are reported through the words of local informants in six villages in Thailand. Findings indicate that social capital represents a potential for collective action, but design of aid programmes may prevent such action. Programmes that emphasised bottom-up aid delivery mobilised local social capital and directed it toward obtaining resources that fit local needs and capabilities. Alternatively, top-down aid programmes provided significant resources, but oppressed mobilisation of social capital. Implications are that disaster stricken communities should be treated as active participants, rather than the more common perspective that views them as vulnerable and in a state of helplessness.     

Characteristic Properties of Novel Organosolv Lignin/Polylactide/Delta-Valerolactone Terpolymers

Compostable terpolymers of l-lactide (LLA), delta-valerolactone (DVL), and switchgrass organosolv lignin (OSL) were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization to improve on polylactide homopolymer properties for commercial applications. OSL has properties that improve some of the deficiencies of polylactide, including polylactide’s limitations for use in food, beverage and medical applications due to its high water permeability and low ultraviolet light (UV) blocking capabilities. DVL was incorporated into these polymers to add flexibility. The addition of DVL to the polymer had a positive effect on the tensile strain properties of the resultant terpolymer, resulting in a more flexible polymer with a reduced Young’s modulus. Water vapor transmission rate calculations confirmed that water vapor was transported more slowly through terpolymer films than through the PLLA homopolymer under varying hygrostatic conditions. While the addition of DVL increased UV permeability, the addition of even a small amount of lignin can effectively counteract this effect.     

Microscale air quality impacts of distributed power generation facilities

The electric system is experiencing rapid growth in the adoption of a mix of distributed renewable and fossil fuel sources, along with increasing amounts of off-grid generation. New operational regimes may have unforeseen consequences for air quality. A three-dimensional microscale chemical transport model (CTM) driven by an urban wind model was used to assess gaseous air pollutant and particulate matter (PM) impacts within ~10 km of fossil-fueled distributed power generation (DG) facilities during the early afternoon of a typical summer day in Houston, TX. Three types of DG scenarios were considered in the presence of motor vehicle emissions and a realistic urban canopy: (1) a 25-MW natural gas turbine operating at steady state in either simple cycle or combined heating and power (CHP) mode; (2) a 25-MW simple cycle gas turbine undergoing a cold startup with either moderate or enhanced formaldehyde emissions; and (3) a data center generating 10 MW of emergency power with either diesel or natural gas-fired backup generators (BUGs) without pollution controls. Simulations of criteria pollutants (NO₂, CO, O₃, PM) and the toxic pollutant, formaldehyde (HCHO), were conducted assuming a 2-hr operational time period. In all cases, NO_x titration dominated ozone production near the source. The turbine scenarios did not result in ambient concentration enhancements significantly exceeding 1 ppbv for gaseous pollutants or over 1 µg/m³ for PM after 2 hr of emission, assuming realistic plume rise. In the case of the datacenter with diesel BUGs, ambient NO₂ concentrations were enhanced by 10–50 ppbv within 2 km downwind of the source, while maximum PM impacts in the immediate vicinity of the datacenter were less than 5 µg/m³.

Implications: Plausible scenarios of distributed fossil generation consistent with the electricity grid’s transformation to a more flexible and modernized system suggest that a substantial amount of deployment would be required to significantly affect air quality on a localized scale. In particular, natural gas turbines typically used in distributed generation may have minor effects. Large banks of diesel backup generators such as those used by data centers, on the other hand, may require pollution controls or conversion to natural gas-fired reciprocal internal combustion engines to decrease nitrogen dioxide pollution.     

Effectiveness of the California State Ban on the Sale of Caulerpa Species in Aquarium Retail Stores in Southern California

The invasion of the aquarium strain of the green alga Caulerpa taxifolia and subsequent alteration of community structure in the Mediterranean Sea raised awareness of the potential for non-native seaweeds to impact coastal communities. An introduction of C. taxifolia in southern California in 2000, presumably from the release of aquarium specimens, cost ~$7 million for eradication efforts. Besides C. taxifolia, other Caulerpa species being sold for aquarium use also may have the potential to invade southern Californian and U.S. waters. Surveys of the availability of Caulerpa species in southern California aquarium retail stores in 2000-2001 revealed that 26 of 50 stores sold at least one Caulerpa species (52 %) with seven stores selling C. taxifolia. In late 2001, California imposed a ban on the importation, sale, or possession of nine Caulerpa species; the City of San Diego expanded these regulations to include the entire genus. To determine the effectiveness of the California ban, we resurveyed Caulerpa availability at 43 of the 50 previously sampled retail stores in southern California in ~2006, ~4 years following the ban. Of the 43 stores, 23 sold Caulerpa (53 %) with four stores selling C. taxifolia. A χ(2) test of frequency of availability before and after the California ban suggests that the ban has not been effective and that the aquarium trade continues to represent a potential vector for distributing Caulerpa specimens, including C. taxifolia. This study underscores the need for increased enforcement and outreach programs to increase awareness among the aquarium industry and aquarium hobbyists.     

Nitrate Concentrations in Springs Flowing into the Lower Flint River Basin,Georgia U.S.A.1

Allums, Stephanie E., Stephen P. Opsahl, Stephen W. Golladay, David W. Hicks, and L. Mike Conner, 2012. Nitrate Concentrations in Springs Flowing Into the Lower Flint River Basin, Georgia U.S.A. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(3): 423-438. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00624.x Abstract: Analysis of long-term data from (2001-2009) in four springs that discharge from the Upper Floridan aquifer into the Flint River (southwestern Georgia, United States) indicate aquifer and surface-water susceptibility to nutrient loading. Nitrate-N concentrations ranged from 1.74 to 3.30 mg/l, and exceeded historical levels reported for the Upper Floridan aquifer (0.26-1.52 mg/l). Statistical analyses suggest increasing nitrate-N concentration in groundwater discharging at the springs (n = 146 over eight years) and that nitrate-N concentration is influenced by a dynamic interaction between depth to groundwater (an indicator of regional hydrologic conditions) and land use. A one-time synoptic survey of 10 springs (6 springs in addition to the 4 previously mentioned) using stable isotopes generated δ¹⁵N-NO₃⁻ values (4.8-8.4‰ for rural springs and 7.7-13.4‰ for developed/urban springs) suggesting mixed sources (i.e., fertilizer, animal waste, and soil organic nitrogen) of nitrate-N to rural springs and predominantly animal/human waste to urban springs. These analyses indicate a direct relation between nitrate-N loading since the 1940s and intensification of agricultural and urban land use. This study demonstrates the importance of evaluating long-term impacts of land use on water quality in groundwater springs and in determining how rapidly these changes occur.     

Bottom sediment as a source of organic contaminants in Lake Mead, Nevada, USA

Treated wastewater effluent from Las Vegas, Nevada and surrounding communities’ flow through Las Vegas Wash (LVW) into the Lake Mead National Recreational Area at Las Vegas Bay (LVB). Lake sediment is a likely sink for many hydrophobic synthetic organic compounds (SOCs); however, partitioning between the sediment and the overlying water could result in the sediment acting as a secondary contaminant source. Locating the chemical plumes may be important to understanding possible chemical stressors to aquatic organisms. Passive sampling devices (SPMDs and POCIS) were suspended in LVB at depths of 3.0, 4.7, and 6.7 (lake bottom) meters in June of 2008 to determine the vertical distribution of SOCs in the water column. A custom sediment probe was used to also bury the samplers in the sediment at depths of 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm. The greatest number of detections in samplers buried in the sediment was at the 0-10 cm depth. Concentrations of many hydrophobic SOCs were twice as high at the sediment-water interface than in the mid and upper water column. Many SOCs related to wastewater effluents, including fragrances, insect repellants, sun block agents, and phosphate flame retardants, were found at highest concentrations in the middle and upper water column. There was evidence to suggest that the water infiltrated into the sediment had a different chemical composition than the rest of the water column and could be a potential risk exposure to bottom-dwelling aquatic organisms.     

Microbially mediated aerobic and anaerobic degradation of acrylamide in a western United States irrigation canal

Acrylamide (AMD), a neurotoxin and suspected carcinogen, is present at concentrations of up to 0.05% in linear anionic polyacrylamide, which is under evaluation as a temporary sealant in unlined irrigation canal systems across the United States. We examined the microbially mediated degradation of AMD and diversity of AMD-degrading microbial physiotypes in the Rocky Ford Highline Canal, Colorado to better constrain the potential fate ofAMD in a canal environment. Microorganisms able to use AMD (500 mg L(-1)) as a sole nitrogen source were relatively abundant (2.3 x 10(3) to 9.4 x 10(3) cells mL(-1) in water and 4.2 x 10(3) to 2.3 x 10(5) cells g(-1) in sediment). Only sediment samples contained microorganisms able to use AMD as a sole carbon source. Acrylamide (up to 100 mg L(-1)) was efficiently removed from amended canal water and sediment slurries under aerobic conditions, but no AMD degradation was observed in abiotic controls. Anaerobic degradation of AMD by nitrate-, sulfate-, and iron-reducing microorganisms was also tested, with nitrate reducers affecting the highest amounts of AMD removal (70.3-85%) after 60 d. All representatives (n=15) from a collection of 256 AMD-degrading microbial isolates from Rocky Ford Highline Canal were closely related to well characterized environmental bacteria capable of facultative nitrate respiration. Our results demonstrate that natural microbial populations within this canal are capable of AMD degradation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and that this degradation is performed by naturally abundant bacteria likely to be present in other freshwater irrigation canals or similar lotic habitats.     

Full Water‐Cycle Monitoring in an Urban Catchment Reveals Unexpected Water Transfers (Detroit MI,USA)

A goal in urban water management is to reduce the volume of stormwater runoff in urban systems and the effect of combined sewer overflows into receiving waters. Effective management of stormwater runoff in urban systems requires an accounting of various components of the urban water balance. To that end, precipitation, evapotranspiration (ET), sewer flow, and groundwater in a 3.40‐hectare sewershed in Detroit, Michigan were monitored to capture the response of the sewershed to stormwater flow prior to implementation of stormwater control measures. Monitoring results indicate that stormflow in sewers was not initiated unless rain depth was 3.6 mm or greater. ET removed more than 40% of the precipitation in the sewershed, whereas pipe flow accounted for 19%–85% of the losses. Flows within the sewer that could not be associated with direct precipitation indicate an unexpected exchange of water between the leaky sewer and the groundwater system, pathways through abandoned or failing residential infrastructure, or a combination of both. Groundwater data indicate that groundwater flows into the leaky combined sewer rather than out. This research demonstrates that urban hydrologic fluxes can modulate the local water cycle in complex ways which affect the efficiency of the wastewater system, effectiveness of stormwater management, and, ultimately, public health.