REGIONAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF TOTAL SOLUTES IN THE SASKATCHEWAN RWER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: In the Saskatchewan River Basin (365,000 km²), which drains the Canadian prairie from the Rocky Mountains east to Manitoba, concentrations of total solutes are usually within the range of 100 to 1000 mg/L. Total solutes levels in tributaries increase markedly from west to east across the basin, as mountain snowmelt and dilute surface runoff are replaced by ion-rich ground water and concentrated prairie runoff as the major influences on solute concentrations. In contrast, total solutes concentrations in main-stem rivers are nearly constant, ranging 200–300 mg/L, with only a small increase across the basin. Dilute mountain runoff dominates solute concentrations in main-stem rivers, despite the influx of increasingly ion-rich water from tributaries. The principal long-term trends in total solute concentrations across the basin, as revealed by linear and sine-curve regressions, were due to the construction of reservoirs, which depress the natural winter maximum in solute concentrations and disrupt the sinusoidal annual pattern, while sharply reducing seasonal variation. These regression methods did not show anticipated anthropogenic increases in salt load in the Red Deer or South Saskatchewan Rivers, but a trend of slowly increasing solutes concentrations (2 mg/L/yr) was detected for autumn flows in the lower Bow River. Municipal wastes from the City of Calgary or irrigation return flows are probably responsible for this increase.     

Fate of disinfection by-products in groundwater during aquifer storage and recovery with reclaimed water

Knowledge on the behaviour of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is limited even though this can be an important consideration where recovered waters are used for potable purposes. A reclaimed water ASR trial in an anoxic aquifer in South Australia has provided some of the first quantitative information at field-scale on the fate and transport of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). The results revealed that THM half-lives varied from <1 to 65 days, with persistence of chloroform being highest and bromoform lowest. HAA attenuation was rapid (<1 day). Rates of THM attenuation were shown to be highly dependent on the geochemical environment as evidenced by the 2-5 fold reduction in half-lives at the ASR well which became methanogenic during the storage phase of the trial, as compared to an observation well situated 4 m away, which remained nitrate-reducing. These findings agree with previous laboratory-based studies which also show persistence declining with increased bromination of THMs and reducing redox conditions. Modelling suggests that the chlorinated injectant has sufficient residual chlorine and natural organic matter for substantial increases in THMs to occur within the aquifer, however this is masked in some of the field observations due to concurrent attenuation, particularly for the more rapidly attenuated brominated compounds. The model is based on data taken from water distribution systems and may not be representative for ASR since bromide and ammonia concentrations in the injected water and the possible role of organic carbon in the aquifer were not taken into consideration. During the storage phase DBP formation potentials were reduced as a result of the removal of precursor material despite an increase in the THM formation potential per unit weight of total organic carbon. This suggests that water quality improvements with respect to THMs and HAAs can be achieved through ASR in anoxic aquifers.     

Controlling impaired driving through vehicle programs: an overview

The growing recognition of the problem presented by illicit vehicle operation by those whose license has been suspended for driving while intoxicated (DWI) has led to the increasing use of vehicle sanctions. These sanctions include vehicle impoundment and forfeiture, vehicle registration cancellation, and vehicle interlocks as penalties for DWI and driving while suspended (DWS). This article reviews the current information available on the use and effectiveness of vehicle sanctions for reducing offender recidivism. In the United States, 14 states have impoundment laws that are widely used as sanctions for both DWI and DWS, with the length of the impoundment increasing with the number of previous offenses. These laws have been shown to reduce recidivism while the vehicle is in custody and, to a lesser extent, even after the vehicle has been released. Vehicle impoundment is also widely used in Canada and New Zealand. Although a larger number of U.S. states have laws providing for vehicle forfeiture for DWI or DWS, this sanction tends to be limited to multiple offenders and therefore impacts fewer drivers. Cancellation of the vehicle registration and the confiscation of the vehicle plates are increasing in popularity because the vehicle tags are the property of the state, rather than the vehicle owner. Vehicle alcohol interlocks have proven to be an effective method for reducing DWI offender recidivism while they are on the car, but appear to produce only limited post-treatment behavior change. Interlocks are widely used in the United States and Canada and are beginning to be implemented in Europe and Australia. The issues that arise in implementing vehicle sanction programs are discussed and the actions taken by states to deal with them are described.     

Roadside Measurements of Deforestation in the Amazon Area of Bolivia

This study describes the deforestation impact from three settlements, 5 de Junio, El Tigre, and 30 de Agosto, near the Madidi National Park in Bolivia. First deforestation rates along the road that connects the settlements and then deforestation within each settlement are examined. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery from 1987, 1997, and 2000 were used to measure the deforestation. Face-to-face interviews were also used to collect detailed social and land-use information. Road-building and farming have been the major causes of deforestation in this region. The TM measurements indicate a high increase in the deforestation rate along the road in the area of study. The results also show a rapidly escalating deforestation rate in 5 de Junio, a potential high future deforestation rate in El Tigre, and a gradual deforestation increase in 30 de Agosto. The information provided by the settlers about clearing was compared with the imagery analysis. Generally, the settlers estimates were lower than the deforestation as derived from the imagery.     

Formation of chlorinated hydrocarbons from the reaction of chlorine atoms and activated carbon

The reactions of chlorine atoms and activated carbon have been studied over the temperature range of 200-400 degrees C using an isothermal flow reactor in conjunction with 337 nm laser photolysis of Cl2. These studies have shown that carbon tetrachloride is the major product, with chloroform, methylene chloride, and methyl chloride being formed in progressively decreasing yields. Trace quantities of methane, ethane, and dichloroethylenes were also observed. Mechanisms of carbon fragmentation by successive addition of chlorine atoms are proposed. The formation of small chlorinated hydrocarbons by the direct reaction of chlorine with carbon may be a key link in both the de novo and precursor pathways of formation of PCDD/F.     

Mercury and organochlorine content of Dipper Cinclus cinclus eggs in south-west Ireland: trends during 1990-1999

A sample of 124 deserted/infertile dipper (Cinclus cinclus) eggs was collected in south-west Ireland during six seasons (1990-1994 and 1999) and analysed for mercury and organochlorines. Mercury was detected in three of the 6 years but no trend was observed. DDT occurred above the limit of detection in only two eggs, one each in 1993 and 1994. In contrast, two derivatives of DDT (DDE and TDE) were found much more commonly. DDE occurred in over 87% of eggs, while TDE contamination was less widespread and reached a maximum of 60% in 1993, with none detected in 1991 or 1999. There was no trend in occurrence of DDE or TDE across years. PCB contamination was present consistently over the 10-year period, with little change in the proportion of contaminated eggs collected over time. In all years, the lowest recorded occurrence of total PCBs was 69% expressed on a formulation basis as Arochlor 1254. PCB congeners 138, 153 and 180 dominated. The congener pattern was similar across years with the exception of 1990 when congener 118 dominated. A distinct trend of high values of contaminants was observed in 1990 and 1993. In 1990, PCB 118 was the dominant contaminant, while in 1993, HEOD, DDE, PCB 138 and PCB 153 were primary contributors to the observed result. Other contaminants (HCB, PCB 101, gamma-HCH, PCB 170 and PCB 180) showed little obvious patterns between years and occurred at relatively low levels. No pattern was observed in contaminants when eggs were grouped according to river or altitude. These data provide a baseline for organochlorine contamination levels in Irish freshwater ecosystems against which future trends can be assessed.     

Vanadium uptake by higher plants: Some recent developments

The occurrence of vanadium in the biosphere, and the possible roles this element may play in the metabolism of living organisms, especially higher plants, are discussed. The aqueous chemistry of the element is reviewed, and the chemical properties of the element are related to those of soils and plants. Evidence is present for a biotransformation of vanadium from vanadate (VO ₃ ^– ) to vanadyl (VO²⁺) during uptake by plants, based on tissue analysis and ESR spectra. The significance of this process on the potential impact of vanadium in the biosphere is discussed.     

UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS OF RUNOFF ESTIMATES FROM A RUNOFF CONTOUR MAP1

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted an analysis to quantify the uncertainty associated with interpolating runoff to specific sites using a runoff contour map. We interpolated runoff to 93 gaged watersheds from a runoff contour map using (1) hand interpolation to the watershed outlet, (2) a computer interpolation to the watershed outlet, and (3) hand interpolation to the watershed centroid. We compared the interpolated values to the actual gaged values and found that there was a bias in the average interpolated value for runoff estimated at basin outlets, with interpolated values being less than the actual. We found no significant difference between the hand interpolation method and the computer interpolation method except that the computer method tended to have higher variability due to factors inherent to the software used. There were no strong spatial correlations or regional patterns in the runoff interpolations, which indicates that there are no regional biases introduced in the development of the contour map. We determined that we could estimate runoff, on the average, within approximately 8.9 cm (3.5 in; 15 percent) of the measured value using the three methods. The results of this work indicate that runoff contour maps can he used in regional studies to estimate runoff to ungaged systems with quantifiable uncertainty.     

A METHOD FOR OBTAINING SLOPE INFORMATION FOR HYDROLOGIC MODELS1

: A method is described for obtaining surface slope information for analysis with other land resource and water quality data in hydrologic models of nonpoint sources of water pollution. The method described requires a point sampling scheme, topographic maps, and a coordinate digitizer. Sample point elevation, slope direction, and slope magnitude are calculated from locations of the sample point and the nearest upper and lower contour lines. Details of the data collection methodology and associated problems are discussed.