The Role of Quality Assurance in Collaborative Testing

Collaborative testing is the traditional means used to establish the precision of test methods. The role that quality assurance plays in the collaborative testing of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stationary source test methods is presented. The applicability of the quality assurance procedures presented for routine use in compliance testing is also described.     

Integrated Sampling and Analysis Methods for Determining NO x Emissions at Electric Utility Plants

Two integrated sampling and analysis methods for determining NO_x emissions in electric utility plants were developed and field tested. The collection systems consist of: a 4.0% potassium permanganate-2.0% sodium hydroxide solution in restricted-orifice impingers, and a 5A° molecular sieve in midget impingers. Sample analysis is accomplished by a colorimetric or ion-chromatographic procedure with the alkaline-permanganate method and by a colorimetric procedure with the molecular sieve method. The alkalinepermanganate method gives excellent agreement with the EPA reference method, Method 7, for NO _x measurements. The molecular sieve method shows a significant negative bias relative to Method 7. It is anticipated that the permanganate methods will be proposed as alternates to Method 7, for NO _x determinations, under the EPA New Source Performance Standards.     

1992 Update of U.S. EPA’s Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Emerging Technology Program

The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Emerging Technology Program (ETP) has encouraged and financially supported further development of bench- and pilot-scale testing and evaluation of innovative technologies suitable for use at hazardous waste sites for five years. The ETP was established under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986. The ETP complies with the goal of the SITE Program to promote, accelerate and make commercially available the development ofalternative /innovative treatment technologies for use at Superfund sites.

Technologies are submitted to the ETP through yearly solicitations for Preproposals. Following a technical review, chosen applicants are asked to submit a detailed project proposal and a cooperative agreement application that requires Developer I EPA cost sharing. EPA co-funds selected Developers for one to two years. Second-year funding requires documentation of significant progress during the first year. Facilities, equipment, data collection, performance and development are monitored throughout the project. The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U. S. Air Force (USAF) are participants in the ETP. DOE has co-funded ETP projects since 1990 and the USAF since 1991.

A primary goal of the ETP is to move developed technologies to the field-demonstration stage. Therefore, a developer may be considered for participation in the SITE Demonstration Program provided performance in the ETP indicates the technology is field-ready for demonstration and evaluation.

Six technology categories: biological, chemical, materials handling, physical, solidification/ stabilization and thermal, are presently in the ETP.

Technologies of primary interest to EPA are those that can treat complex mixtures of hazardous organic and inorganic contaminants and provide improved solids handling and/orpretreatment.

An account of the background and progress of the ETP’s first five years is presented in this paper. Technologies currently in the ETP, including those selected from the fifth (EOS) solicitation, are noted, and developers, along with EPA Project Managers, are listed.     

The Relationship between Historic Industrial Site Use and Environmental Contamination

ABSTRACT

A methodology is presented for estimating the probability that particular classes of environmental contaminants will be of concern at brownfield redevelopment sites. These probabilities are predicted by a logistics model that is based on qualitative information about site history and status. This qualitative information comprises data that would be collected through a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), including historic site use, current use and ownership status, and the nature of adjacent properties. The model is fit and demonstrated using a set of 59 former industrial sites in southwestern Pennsylvania that were collected from the files of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). Predictive models are developed for exceedances of contaminants as grouped into the following classes: metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, fuel hydrocarbons, and PCBs. A procedure for estimating the parametric uncertainty of the model predictions is also illustrated. This method can serve as a starting point for more effective usage of existing Phase I ESA information and for evaluation of the benefit of obtaining additional site information. By increasing the decision-making value of existing (or inexpensive) data, this method can help to reduce the information asymmetry that may be an obstacle to redevelopment.     

The Contribution of Sulfate and Nitrate to Atmospheric Fine Particles During Winter Inversion Fogs in Cache Valley,Utah

Abstract

Air pollutants were collected in Logan, Cache County, UT, in February 1993 during two periods of atmospheric inversion accompanied by fog. The following atmospheric species were determined: (1) gaseous SO₂, NO₂ (semi-quantitatively),HNO3, NH3, and HF; (2) fine particulate SO₄ ⁼, NO₃ ^-, NH₄ ⁺, F–, H⁺, C, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Se, Br, and Sr, and; (3) fine particulate mass, which was calculated. The major components of fine particulate matter were carbonaceous material, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate, while the soil component was small. Calculated, fine particulate mass averaged 80 μg/m³ and reached concentrations as high as 120 μg/m³. SO₂/So_x and NO₂/NO_y mole ratios generally varied between 0.2 and 0.1 during inversions. These ratios also showed moderate but consistent diurnal patterns. The emission inventory for Cache County indicates sources of SO₂ and NO_x but not significant amounts of primary sulfate and nitrate. The observations reported here indicate there is significant conversion of SO₂ and NO_x in the presence of excess oxidants to sulfuric and nitric acid that are neutralized by excess ammonia.     

The progress and challenges in sustainable forestry development in China

Forestry development in China has undergone a series of reforms over the past six decades. This article examines temporal changes in forest resources and policies, the current status of forestry, and future challenges toward sustainable forest management in China. Excessive logging in the 1950s to 1980s badly damaged the nation’s forests, but the adoption of enlightened forest policies in the late 1990s has led to increases in China’s total forest area and growing stock. Forest degradation was ecologically and economically costly, and rehabilitation processes have become increasingly more expensive. The low quality and young age of forest resources, loss of natural forests, and more difficulties in afforestation and reforestation pose severe challenges for China’s sustainable forestry. It is critically important for China to enhance forest productivity through intensive management, strengthen enforcement, and educational programs for protecting and restoring natural forests, narrow the gap between domestic timber supply and rapidly expanding consumption, improve coordinating networks for management, finance, and technology transfer, and accelerate efforts to clarify and stabilize tenure arrangements for non-state forests. China’s experience and lessons in forestry may be helpful for other developing countries that are seeking to achieve the goal of sustainable forest management.     

Changes in surface water quality from small-scale gold mining operations in the Surinamean rainforest

Abstract

Small-scale miners often engage in environmentally damaging activities, are subject to poor safety conditions, and utilize inefficient mineral extraction technologies. Here, we explore environmental impacts to surface waters from regional artisanal small-scale gold placer mining operations conducted in iron and aluminum-rich saprolites found within the lateritic, interior Amazon rainforest of Suriname. Heavy equipment was utilized to release gold from its host material followed by amalgamation and gravity separation. In contrast with background tributary recordings, streams adjacent to these gold mining operations consistently contained turbidity measurements that exceeded United States’ EPA guidelines for aquatic species of 50 nephelometric turbidity units and were typically in the hundreds to thousands of units. Turbidity was further heightened in association with precipitation events. Mercury played a prominent role in whole ore amalgam concentration practices. Freshwater fish from the region were found to harbor mercury that encroached upon public health criteria. Dissolved phase metals present further ecotoxicological challenges to the region, but their association with mining activities was less clear. These findings collectively reveal that small-scale placer gold mining practices in the Surinamese rainforest result in an increase of suspended sediments and release of mercury into waterways that could impact communities that depend upon local fisheries.     

Assessment of chlorophyll-a as a criterion for establishing nutrient standards in the streams and rivers of Illinois

Nutrient enrichment is a frequently cited cause for biotic impairment of streams and rivers in the USA. Efforts are underway to develop nutrient standards in many states, but defensible nutrient standards require an empirical relationship between nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) concentrations and some criterion that relates nutrient levels to the attainment of designated uses. Algal biomass, measured as chlorophyll-a (chl-a), is a commonly proposed criterion, yet nutrient-chl-a relationships have not been well documented in Illinois at a state-wide scale. We used state-wide surveys of >100 stream and river sites to assess the applicability of chl-a as a criterion for establishing nutrient standards for Illinois. Among all sites, the median total P and total N concentrations were 0.185 and 5.6 mg L(-1), respectively, during high-discharge conditions. During low-discharge conditions, median total P concentration was 0.168 mg L(-1), with 25% of sites having a total P of > or =0.326 mg L(-1). Across the state, 90% of the sites had sestonic chl-a values of < or =35 microg L(-1), and watershed area was the best predictor of sestonic chl-a. During low discharge there was a significant correlation between sestonic chl-a and total P for those sites that had canopy cover < or =25% and total P of < or =0.2 mg L(-1). Results suggest sestonic chl-a may be an appropriate criterion for the larger rivers in Illinois but is inappropriate for small rivers and streams. Coarse substrate to support benthic chl-a occurred in <50% of the sites we examined; a study using artificial substrates did not reveal a relationship between chl-a accrual and N or P concentrations. For many streams and rivers in Illinois, nutrients may not be the limiting factor for algal biomass due to the generally high nutrient concentrations and the effects of other factors, such as substrate conditions and turbidity.     

Environmental Impact Assessment Under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act: Deliberative Democracy in Canada’s North?

We consider the extent to which the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA) provides an opportunity for deliberative democracy to emerge within the context of resource management in Canada's North. The focus is on the extent to which the tenets of deliberative democracy are exercised in the environmental assessment (EA) of the Snap Lake diamonds project. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with assessment participants, and a review of documentation surrounding the EA process, and the case study. Results combined four principles of deliberative democracy: generality, autonomy, power neutrality, and ideal role taking. The EA conducted under the MVRMA can serve as a deliberative process, as illustrated by opportunities for dialogue, access to different perspectives, and learning outcomes. However, many of these positive results occurred through nonmandated technical sessions. The absence of participant funding also limits the deliberative potential of the MVRMA.     

Small island developing states and sustainable development of ocean resources

Because of their economic and environmental vulnerability, small island developing states (SIDS) have peculiar developmental problems that severely affect their ability to implement the measures necessary for attaining sustainable development as recommended in UNCED's Agenda 21. Although this has been recognised by the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), and although there has been international acceptance of a SIDS Programme of Action (POA), SIDS have not been the focus of adequate attention by international and donor agencies. As a result, progress toward implementing the POA has been disappointing. This study examines the question of how sustainable management and development of ocean resources can contribute significantly to the achievement of the objectives of the SIDS POA.