Watershed factors affecting stream acidification in the White Mountains of New Hampshire,USA

The streams tributary to acidic Cone Pond, pH 4.5–4.8, and circumneutral Black Pond, pH 5.3–6.4, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA, were monitored for a year. The watersheds of these two ponds were characterized in terms of geology and stream hydrology. Chemical gradients and patterns in rock weathering and groundwater discharge explain many of the differences in mineral content and acidity of the streams. The rocks of Black watershed produced an average of ten times the equivalent of basic cations as rocks from Cone watershed. This is on the same order as the difference in acidity of the two streams. Down-stream changes in stream chemistry follow differing patterns, but reflect the same principle of residence time and water path length controlling chemical evolution of streamwater. Watershed and aquatic managers may use these parameters in an inexpensive and simple assessment of the susceptibility of individual streams and ponds to acidification. A method is recommended to determine quickly the potential influence of bedrock type to aquatic chemistry.     

MODELS FOR WATER AND POWER SCHEDULING FOR THE CALIFORNIA STATE WATER PROJECT1

ABSTRACT: A large-scale simulation/optimization model provides schedules for operation of water and power for the California State Water Project (SWP). The SWP consists of a series of reservoirs linked by rivers, pumping plants, canals, tunnels, and generating plants and is operated by the California Department of Water Resources. The Department provides water to municipal and agricultural users, and manages its electrical loads and resources. The model, therefore, performs hydraulic and electrical computations leading to optimal operation of the entire system. It consists of hydraulic network programming components to meet the storage objectives at all the reservoirs, a linear programming component to determine the schedules at pumping and generating plants, an electrical network programming component to balance electrical loads and resources, and a number of other simulation components. It operates on yearly, weekly, and daily bases. It is primarily used for real-time operation of the SWP and can provide hourly detail schedules which are implemented by the SWP staff via a computerized system.     

Will science parks generate the fifth wave?

The paper examines characteristics of science parks in the face of employment decline, raising doubts about the scale of their success. The paper re‐examines previous research on the existence and causes of long waves of economic growth and decline and concludes that if these are not generated by innovations in production, then it should not be surprising that science parks have not lived up to expectations.     

Behavioral risk and education: A united states case study

Summary Does educational achievement affect people's health-related behaviors? Differences in behavioral risk were found among 9,000 18 to 34 year old Americans surveyed for smoking, alcohol abuse, seat-belt-use, obesity, high blood pressure and physical activity. After controlling for sex, race/ethnicity and age, educational achievement was strongly associated with smoking and seat-belt use, and also with hypertension and obesity. New environmental health education programs in the USA are expected to reach the more educated, leading to enhanced health for most Americans, but not the less educated, resulting in a widening gap in American society.Dr Michael R. Greenberg is an Advisory Board member ofThe Environmentalist, he is Co-director of the Graduate Program in Public Health at Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.     

BIOECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR WASTEWATER REUSE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION1

ABSTRACT: Urban wastewater can be a valuable source of water and plant nutrients for agricultural producers, particularly in arid regions. The scientific literature reveals cautious optimism concerning the biological, institutional, and economic viability of irrigating crops with secondary-treated effluent. A derived effluent demand function for agricultural producers near Tucson, Arizona, reveals a potential annual demand of 11,000 acre-feet under present price and proposed delivery system conditions. In this case, wastewater could be exchanged for ground water and both the urban and rural areas would gain.     

Mercury cleanup: The commercial application of a new mercury removal/recovery technology

Efficient, economical treatment of mercury-contaminated soils and industrial wastes requires a treatment process that reduces mercury content to near background levels (<1 ppm) and recovers the removed mercury in pure recyclable form without producing liquid, solid, or gaseous secondary wastes. This article reviews the results achieved using a medium-temperature thermal desorption process developed and commercialized by Mercury Recovery Services, Inc. (MRS) that has successfully achieved these goals.     

Large-scale constructed wetlands for nutrient removal from stormwater runoff: An everglades restoration project

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) constructed a wetland south of Lake Okeechobee to begin the process of removing nutrients (especially phosphorus) from agricultural stormwater runoff entering the Everglades. The project, called the Everglades Nutrient Removal (ENR) project, is a prototype for larger, similarly constructed wetlands that the SFWMD will build as part of the Everglades restoration program. This innovative project is believed to be one of the largest agricultural stormwater cleanup projects in the United States, if not in the world. This publication describes the ENR project's design, construction, and proposed operation, as well as the proposed research program to be implemented over the next few years.     

Developing new environmental excellence programs: Lessons from epa's environmental leadership program

Interest in the concept—and implementation—of environmental excellence is at an all-time high. A wealth of examples from individual companies, trade associations, states, industry coalitions, and the federal government illustrate the growing acceptance by a wide range of stakeholders of a management systems approach to environmental issues. Perhaps nowhere is this more clear than in the collection of public comments submitted to EPA in response to its January 15, 1993, Federal Register notice, which proposed the creation of an Environmental Leadership Program (ELP). The authors, both of whom worked on the ELP, review these public comments and offer a set of “do's and don'ts” for organizations interested in establishing an environmental excellence program. In addition, the authors outline the Green Track proposal, a plan to structure an alternate regulatory pathway based on environmental excellence.