EFFECTS OF LAKE MICHIGAN DIVERSION ON THE WATER CHEMISTRY OF THE ILLINOIS WATERWAY1

: Chemical quality characteristics of the Illinois waterway covering a stretch of 270 river miles were monitored at approximately 10 mile intervals, during the period June to September of 1978 and 1979. A statistical method was used to define the interstation relationships for the chemical parameters. These mathematical models were used to predict the effects of Lake Michigan diversion. The mineral content of the mixed flow resulting from increased diversions are not likely to be altered drastically.     

Cancer cluster among police detachment personnel

An apparent cancer cluster at a police detachment in a coastal British Columbia community was investigated. Police personnel suspected that the detachment building may have been a factor. Police personnel (20 current and 154 previous employees) associated with the detachment since 1963, the date of occupancy, were traced. After all 174 cases were contacted directly, or next of kin in case of death, a total of 16 cases of cancer or suspected cancers were reported. Of these 16, eight cases of cancer were confirmed through a cancer registry. Cancers included testicular, cervical, colon, skin (including melanoma), leukemias and lymphomas with an age range of diagnosis between 22 and 44 years. There was no evidence for an underlying event, factor or condition in the police building that could be attributed to the observed cancer cases. A possible association between these cancers and the use of police traffic radar is discussed.     

A risk assessment of chlorinated aliphatics in bioremediated soils

Natural microbes living in contaminated subsurface media can be enhanced to degrade large concentrations of contaminating compounds at a faster rate than the microbes could degrade under natural conditions. A feasibility study demonstrating this principle was performed on-site in southern Louisiana to evaluate the effectiveness of two microbial degradation remediation methods used to decrease the human carcinogenic risks associated with exposure to ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride concentrations in contaminated clay and sludge soils at the site. The results of the study are compared to an acceptable Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality closure level to evaluate in-situ microbial enhancement in chlorinated aliphatic-contaminated sludge and clay soils as a remediation/cleanup alternative in similar industrial situations.     

The town scheme approach to urban conservation in England and Scotland

The Town Scheme approach to urban conservation is being used increasingly as a major method of repairing historic buildings in conservation areas. A Town Scheme involves a long‐term financial and administrative partnership between the various levels of government. An annual budget made up of equal contributions from central government and the participating local authority is used to finance a multi‐year programme of repairs. Owners can apply for grants which are usually for 40 per cent of approved costs, and repair work must relate to the original structure and architectural details of an approved list of historic buildings. Town Schemes by themselves cannot totally transform the environmental quality of conservation areas, and the most successful schemes are part of wide‐ranging renewal and enhancement projects.     

CAGED FISH AS MONITORS OF POLLUTION: EFFECTS OF CHLORINATED EFFLUENT FROM A WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT1

ABSTRACT: Fish confined to cages were used to determine the effects of effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Control fish were kept in cages in an aquaculture pond. Acute effects of the effluent entering the final oxidation pond of the WWTP were determined by confining channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) at the pond inlet; the mean total residual chlorine (TRC) concentration was 0.9 mg/l during this exposure. After 8 h, 42 percent of the fish had died and survivors had severe lesions of the skin and gills. During the first two weeks of exposure, channel catfish at the outlet of the final oxidation pond (mean TRC=0.1 mg/l) were predisposed to bacterial infection but lost the parasitic trematodes that were on the gills when the fish were placed in cages. After several weeks, exposed fish had histologic lesions, enlarged livers, and reduced growth. The presence of unidentified carcinogen(s) in the effluent of this WWTP was indicated by papillomas developing on caged black bullheads (Ictalurus melas) and hepatic-enzyme induction in channel catfish. In situ exposure of caged fish was advantageous because storage and pretreatment of water samples were not required, and exposure levels corresponded to those present in the environment. The use of cages for containment of fish during field exposure allowed confinement to the location of interest and convenient sampling of the fish. Unlike wild fish, the caged fish could be compared to control fish with the same pre-exposure history.     

Assessing and evaluating environmental impacts at proposed nuclear power plant sites

The applicability of decision analysis for assessing, evaluating, and reporting possible environmental impacts of proposed large-scale projects is illustrated. A study concerning the ecological impacts of constructing and operating nuclear power facilities in the Pacific Northwest is used as an example. Possible impacts are quantified for two objectives: minimizing adverse impacts on salmonids and minimizing biological disturbance. The results provide information about both the direct and indirect consequences of the impact. This approach explicitly addresses the multiple objective and uncertainty issues inherent in environmental problems. It also provides a mechanism for illuminating the value structure which is utilized in the evaluation process.     

A clash of cultures (and lawyers): Anglo Platinum and mine-affected communities in Limpopo Province,South Africa

The human rights related controversies surrounding Anglo Platinum's Mogalakwena mine in South Africa's Limpopo Province hit the world stage in 2008, attracting public scrutiny and instigating much debate in the realm of international business and human rights discussions. We provide an in-depth analysis of the controversies at Mogalakwena, and Anglo Platinum's responses. This case study contributes to ongoing debates on mining company-community relations in the context of the emerging business and human rights agenda, specifically with respect to the notion of human rights ‘due diligence’. We argue that the Mogalakwena case study illustrates the risks of companies adhering to and emphasizing the technical and logistical facets of due diligence, without sufficient attention to the relational, communicative and emergent aspects, which are closely tied to corporate culture. We highlight the complexities of company-community relationships, with particular reference to the issues of legitimate community representation and participatory decision-making, and discuss the role that organizational culture plays in exacerbating or mitigating corporate-community conflict. The case study demonstrates how legal challenges often exacerbate rather than resolve the conflicts that arise due to a clash between corporate and community cultures. We suggest the need for corporate leaders to become more conscious of this cultural dimension of effective social management, particularly when interacting with communities whose cultures are markedly different from those of business corporations.     

Putting the “Ecology” into Environmental Flows: Ecological Dynamics and Demographic Modelling

There have been significant diversions of water from rivers and streams around the world; natural flow regimes have been perturbed by dams, barriers and excessive extractions. Many aspects of the ecological 'health' of riverine systems have declined due to changes in water flows, which has stimulated the development of thinking about the maintenance and restoration of these systems, which we refer to as environmental flow methodologies (EFMs). Most existing EFMs cannot deliver information on the population viability of species because they: (1) use habitat suitability as a proxy for population status; (2) use historical time series (usually of short duration) to forecast future conditions and flow sequences; (3) cannot, or do not, handle extreme flow events associated with climate variability; and (4) assume process stationarity for flow sequences, which means the past sequences are treated as good indicators of the future. These assumptions undermine the capacity of EFMs to properly represent risks associated with different flow management options; assumption (4) is untenable given most climate-change predictions. We discuss these concerns and advocate the use of demographic modelling as a more appropriate tool for linking population dynamics to flow regime change. A 'meta-species' approach to demographic modelling is discussed as a useful step from habitat based models towards modelling strategies grounded in ecological theory when limited data are available on flow-demographic relationships. Data requirements of demographic models will undoubtedly expose gaps in existing knowledge, but, in so doing, will strengthen future efforts to link changes in river flows with their ecological consequences.     

Laboratory appraisal of organic carbon changes in mixtures made with different inorganic wastes

Mixtures of organic and inorganic wastes were incubated to examine the changes in organic C (OC) contents. An anaerobic sludge and a CaO-treated aerobic sludge, with OC concentrations of 235 and 129 g kg^?1, were used. The inorganic wastes used – referred to as “conditioners” – were shot blasting scrap, fettling, Linz-Donawitz slag, foundry sand (FS), and fly ash from wood bark combustion (FA). The total OC (TOC) and ${\text{KMnO}}_4^{?}$ oxidized OC were determined. DTA-TGA profiles and FTIR spectra were also obtained. Mixtures made with the FS contained significantly lower (P < 0.05) amounts of TOC (45 g kg^?1) than the rest of mixtures, which was attributed to the non-existence of reactive surfaces in the conditioner and the increased aeration induced by this material. Those made with FA contained significantly higher (P < 0.05) amounts of TOC (170 g kg^?1), which was attributed to: (i) the addition of an extra source of C – black carbon (BC) – in the FA, and (ii) the inhibition of mineralization from the compounds present in this conditioner (e.g., amorphous aluminosilicates, BC). The results highlight the importance of the characteristics of the conditioners on the fate of the OM originating from the sludges.     

Application of System Dynamics technique to simulate the fate of persistent organic pollutants in soils

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are within the most dangerous pollutants released into the environment by human activities. Due to their resistance to degradation (chemical, biological or photolytic), it is critical to assess the fate and environmental hazards of the exchange of POPs between different environmental media.System Dynamics enables to represent complex systems and analyze their dynamic behavior. It provides a highly visual representation of the structure of the system and the existing relationships between the several parameters and variables, facilitating the understanding of the behavior of the system. In the present study the fate of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) in a contaminated soil was modeled using the Vensim® simulation software.Results show a gradual decrease in the lindane content in the soil during a simulation period of 10 years. The most important route affecting the concentrations of the contaminant was the biochemical degradation, followed by infiltration and hydrodynamic dispersion. The model appeared to be highly sensitive to the half-life of the pollutant, which value depends on environmental conditions and directly affects the biochemical degradation.