PROCEDURE FOR SELECTING A MINIMAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ROUTING FOR A WATER CONVEYANCE CANAL1

ABSTRACT: Several techniques for selecting a least environmental impact corridor have been proposed. Two approaches have been found workable; the computer graphics and the map overlay. This report combines features of both to determine an appropriate routing for a water conveyance canal. The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary planning team. Environmental factors were mapped and weighted on overlay maps. Alternative routes were identified and carefully studied. Several critical environmental implications were noted. Aesthetic factors, out door recreation interpretation, visitor safety and disruption of human and animal travel routes were considered and dealt with.     

COOPERATIVE COMMUNITY-UNIVERSITY WATER RESOURCE PLANNING: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH1

ABSTRACT. This paper outlines an approach to planning the management of a lake heavily used for recreation and of substantial importance to the tourist economy of Northeastern Wisconsin. A framework, utilizing a three dimensional matrix, is developed to analyze levels of public concern, management alternatives and action agencies. Structural and non-structural alternatives are examined and evaluated on the basis of social and economic criteria, long- and short-term environmental impact and legal-political feasibility. Data requirements which created the necessity for an interdisciplinary approach involving social, physical, and biological sciences are enumerated. The authors examine the role of universities in assisting communities with resource management planning and detail the attributes of academic institutions which desire to successfully attack resource planning problems.     

PRICING IRRIGATION WATER IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES1

ABSTRACT Alternative combinations of water pricing and regulations are possible in allocating irrigation water. The best combination will depend on the value of water, ability to control deliveries, desire to subsidize agriculture, ownership traditions, crops grown, return flows, drainage problems, staff training, ability to collect fees, the number of farmers involved, etc. Marginal cost pricing is just one possible alternative and it is more a way of thinking about prices rather than a set system. The possibilities for achieving an equitable and efficient distribution of water are improved if some form of marginal cost pricing is included in the system of water charges.     

Combining theory and wisdom in pragmatic,scenario-based decision support for sustainable development

Researchers have increasingly acknowledged the relative strength of ‘hybrid’ approaches to scenario analysis for exploring the futures of coupled human-nature systems. In this paper, we explain, demonstrate, and provisionally evaluate the usefulness of a simple analytical framework, based on five categories of capital assets, as part of a protocol for overcoming the conversion problem in hybrid scenario analysis. Based on a preliminary application of the framework to a case study in South Africa, we suggest that the five capitals framework has the potential to improve expedience and counter the bias against ‘soft’ drivers in hybrid approaches to scenario analysis. However, in light of the methodological trade-off between rigour and expedience, we suggest that future research needs to compare the available protocols for hybrid scenario analysis by weighing up the relative gain in scenario quality versus the relative cost of scenario construction.     

Sediment Availability and Erosion Rates on Off‐Highway Vehicle Trails in the Ouachita Mountains,USA

Factors influencing sediment availability are assessed and erosion rates are quantified for an off‐highway vehicle (OHV) trail system in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. As of May 2012, the Wolf Pen Gap trail system included 77.0 km of "trails" which consist of county roads; open and closed Forest Service roads; and open and closed OHV trails. For a given trail length, the sediment volume available to be eroded is determined by bare trail width and sediment depth. Four condition types are defined that group trail sections based on statistically different trail widths or depths. Trail construction method appears to influence sediment availability differences more than erosion potential (as indexed by trail slope gradient and length). The range for annual trail erosion rates is estimated as 75 and 210 tonne/ha/yr. The high and low rates are obtained using two independent methods. The 210 tonne/ha/yr rate is computed from mean sediment capture at 30 sediment traps installed for 0.5–1.0 year. The 75 tonne/ha/yr rate is computed assuming all available trail sediment measured in a one‐time sampling is eroded over the next year. We argue in support of this assumption and suggest both rate values may be conservative. Trail erosion rates and sediment trap observations indicate frequent trap cleanout will be needed to continue sediment capture from All Terrain Vehicle trails.     

Exogenous factors in collective policy learning: the case of municipal flood risk governance in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT

Conceptualizing and analyzing collective policy learning processes is a major ongoing theoretical and empirical challenge. A key gap concerns the role of exogenous factors, which remains under-theorized in the policy learning literature. In this paper, we aim to advance the understanding of the role that exogenous factors play in collective learning processes. We propose a typology of exogenous factors (i.e. material, socioeconomic, institutional, discursive), and subsequently apply this in a comparative study of flood risk policymaking in two municipalities in the Netherlands. We find that exogenous factors are indeed essential for understanding collective learning in these cases, as the combined influence with endogenous factors can steer similar learning processes towards different learning products. We conclude our contribution by identifying two opportunities for further developing the collective learning framework, namely regarding the distinction of varying learning products, and the dynamics of exogenous factors over time.     

Effect of advanced oxidants generated via ultraviolet light on a sequentially loaded and regenerated granular activated carbon biofilter

The objective of this research was to investigate a sequentially loaded and regenerated granular activated carbon (GAC) biofilter system and to determine whether regenerative ozonation/advanced oxidation could improve the removal and biodegradation of a volatile organic compound from a contaminated airstream. Bench-scale reactors were constructed to operate in a manner analogous to a commercially available system manufactured by Terr-Aqua Environmental Systems (only with longer contact time). The GAC system consisted of two GAC biofilter beds that operated in a cyclical manner. On a given day, the first GAC bed adsorbed methyl isobutyl ketone from a simulated waste airstream, while the second bed underwent regeneration; then on the next day, the second bed was in the adsorption mode while the first was regenerated. Three bench-scale systems were used to compare the performance under three operating conditions: (1) ozone/ associated oxidant regeneration of a GAC biofilter system that was seeded with microorganisms from a field site, (2) a humid air regeneration of a seeded GAC biofilter, and (3) a humid air regeneration of an unseeded GAC biofilter. For the advanced oxidant regenerated GAC biofilter, a maximum removal efficiency of >95% was achieved with an empty bed contact time of 148 sec and an influent concentration of 125 ppm methyl isobutyl ketone, and 90-95% was achieved at 148-sec empty bed contact time and a 1150-ppm influent.     

Effects of Houseboats on Organisms of the La Parguera reserve, Puerto Rico

As coastal development increases so too does the number of artificial floating and permanent structures. It has been postulated that because of their size, many houseboats are similar to permanent structures in that they shade a significant portion of the benthos and thereby limit production by benthic flora. On the other hand, these structures can benefit biotic communities by providing sites for attachment of organisms in a substrate-limited environment and both habitat and food sources for fish. In this study, we examined whether houseboats benefit or harm the ecological integrity of a typical seagrass dominated system, at La Parguera, Puerto Rico. We performed a benthic survey to compare the diversity and health of seagrasses under houseboats to that at control locations. Species diversity (0-0.79) varied significantly among sites, but this variability was not attributed to the houseboats. Rather, the variability appeared related to the proximity of the study locations to new development along the shoreline. Average seagrass blade density and length were 52.7 blades/m(-2) and 23.6 cm, respectively. Neither parameter differed between houseboat and control areas; however, both varied significantly among sites. In addition, boat hulls were heavily encrusted with invertebrates. The overall averages of species diversity and richness of sessile organisms on hulls of the houseboats were 1.13 and 4.83, respectively. Fish also utilized these structures. Our results indicate that houseboats did not directly harm the seagrass communities at La Parguera primarily because of sound environmental management of wastes and mooring techniques.     

Computer software tool REALM for sustainable water allocation and management

REALM (REsource ALlocation Model) is a generalised computer simulation package that models harvesting and bulk distribution of water resources within a water supply system. It is a modeling tool, which can be applied to develop specific water allocation models. Like other water resource simulation software tools, REALM uses mass-balance accounting at nodes, while the movement of water within carriers is subject to capacity constraints. It uses a fast network linear programming algorithm to optimise the water allocation within the network during each simulation time step, in accordance with user-defined operating rules. This paper describes the main features of REALM and provides potential users with an appreciation of its capabilities. In particular, it describes two case studies covering major urban and rural water supply systems. These case studies illustrate REALM's capabilities in the use of stochastically generated data in water supply planning and management, modelling of environmental flows, and assessing security of supply issues.     

Loblolly pine response to wet-weather harvesting on wet flats after 5 years

The timing of forestry operations relative to weather conditions is a consideration in applying Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs). Harvesting during different seasons can result in degrees of soil disturbance, the distribution of logging debris, and potentially future stand productivity. The purpose of this study is to examine the response of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands after wet- and dry-weather harvesting combined with three site preparation treatments. A 20 × 20 meter grid was established in fifteen 20-year-old, 3.3-ha loblolly pine plantations in South Carolina. A census of soil physical disturbance and slash distribution was made after harvesting. Growth was measured on 1/125th-ha plots at ages two and five. Dry-weather harvested (DWH) sites were 91% undisturbed, and 9% compressed. Wet-weather harvested (WWH) sites were 41% undisturbed, and 59% disturbed. WWH sites averaged 9% bare soil, while DWH sites averaged 16% with 1 kg m^-2 less logging residue; primarily in the form of heavy and light slash. At age five, the green-weight biomass of flat-planted DWH and WWH sites were 13.3 and 12.6 kg tree^-1 respectively, and on the bedded DWH and WWH sites were 18.6 and 22.8 kg tree^-1. Wet weather harvesting did not seem to adversely affect stand growth, and may have improved it. Due to a prolonged drought, bedding had a larger effect on WWH sites than DWH harvested sites. The effects of droughty conditions may be influencing treatment response on these highly productive sites; however, the long-term effects of harvesting on stand growth remain to be seen.