A PROCESS FOR FEDERAL WATER PLANNING AT THE FIELD LEVEL1

ABSTRACT: A process for planning at the field offices of Federal water resources agencies is described. The process involve s both planners and publics in the following four planning activities: problem definition, formulation of alternatives, impact analysis and evaluation (or plan ranking). Evaluative factors are defied as the goals, concerns, constraints, etc. that affected publics and other decision makers consider in ranking alternative actions. These factors serve to drive the entire process and glue the four planning activities together. In contrast to other “models” of the planning process, the four activities are considered to be carried out simultaneously and continually from the beginning of the process. As the planning process proceeds, each activity is repeated a number of times at increasing levels of detail. Various aspects of the process are illustrated by means of an example involving water resources development in Carmel Valley, California.     

Mechanical Evaluation of Solvent Casted Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Films Derived from the Storage Polyesters Produced by Halomonas elongata DSM 2581T

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a natural and biodegradable polyester which represents an alternative to replace conventional plastics in the packaging...     

Anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in raptors from Ontario,Canada

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are used globally to control rodent pest infestations in both urban and agricultural settings. It is well documented...     

Prediction of effluent concentration in a wastewater treatment plant using machine learning models

Of growing amount of food waste, the integrated food waste and waste water treatment was regarded as one of the efficient modeling method. However, the load of food waste to the conventional waste treatment process might lead to the high concentration of total nitrogen(T-N) impact on the effluent water quality. The objective of this study is to establish two machine learning models—artificial neural networks(ANNs) and support vector machines(SVMs), in order to predict 1-day interval T-N concentration of effluent from a wastewater treatment plant in Ulsan, Korea. Daily water quality data and meteorological data were used and the performance of both models was evaluated in terms of the coefficient of determination(R~2), Nash–Sutcliff efficiency(NSE), relative efficiency criteria(d rel). Additionally, Latin-Hypercube one-factor-at-a-time(LH-OAT) and a pattern search algorithm were applied to sensitivity analysis and model parameter optimization, respectively. Results showed that both models could be effectively applied to the 1-day interval prediction of T-N concentration of effluent. SVM model showed a higher prediction accuracy in the training stage and similar result in the validation stage.However, the sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the ANN model was a superior model for 1-day interval T-N concentration prediction in terms of the cause-and-effect relationship between T-N concentration and modeling input values to integrated food waste and waste water treatment. This study suggested the efficient and robust nonlinear time-series modeling method for an early prediction of the water quality of integrated food waste and waste water treatment process.     

Ecological Status of Beaucarnea gracilis, an Endemic Species of the Semiarid Tehuacán Valley, México

We present a demographic analysis and suggestions for the conservation of Beaucarnea gracilis, a species endemic to the Tehuacán Valley, Puebla, México. The species is dioecious, it flowers every year, and the breeding system and floral display are typical of a generalist mode of pollination. The density of B. gracilis in the study plot was 16.7 individuals/ha. Distribution of trunk diameter size classes fits a normal distribution (n = 404), but the smaller sizes were not found (<0.7 m). The inflorescences were visited by 46 insect species. Over 2600 seeds are produced per inflorescence; 27–30% are damaged by parasites, and the rest germinate readily (90–100%). Survival of seeds and seedlings is very low. We found 313 seedlings in a 12-ha area, all (94.24%) of which were at the base of nurse plants; particularly Mimosa luisiana and Castela tortuosa. The ecological status of the population of Beaucarnea gracilis is relatively good for adult individuals. In addition to low recruitment, (whether natural or human influenced), past extraction of seedlings for commerce, grazing by goats, and land clearing for corn cultivation, highway construction, and urbanization, are a real threat to the survival and establishment of seeds and seedlings. Conservation of this slow-growing, long-lived species should be promoted because (1) ecologically, it is a feeding center for many insect species, an important host for many Bromeliaceae, and part of the highly rich and endemic flora of Tehuacán and (2) economically, it helps low income people in the area (seedlings raised for commerce). Protection of nurse plants, regulation of grazing by goats, a halt to illegal extraction, and conservation of areas of the Tehuacán valley will help the survival of this species in nature.     

Further 237Pu experiments with the plaice Pleuronectes platessa: Subcellular distribution of plutonium in the liver

The subcellular distribution of ²³⁷Pu in the livers of the plaice Pleuronectes platessa has been studied by differential and isopycnic gradient centrifugation. It has been shown that the ²³⁷Pu is particularly accumulated in pellets sedimenting out at 3000 and 6000 g which, by deduction from marker enzyme tests, contain a mixture of mitochondria and lysosomes. Separation of lysosomes from mitochondria was achieved by using a non-lytic detergent injected into the fish 3 d prior to removal of the livers; it was found that ²³⁷Pu was associated with the lysosomal fraction. In this respect, the metabolism of plutonium of the plaice resembles that of the rat.     

Trisomy 5 mosaicism detected prenatally with an affected liveborn

This paper reports a case of chromosomal mosaicism for trisomy 5 recovered from amniotic fluid cells and from skin fibroblasts of a liveborn dysmorphic male. Routine amniocentesis was performed at 16 weeks' gestation because of parental concern. Trisomy 5 cells were measured from 25 per cent of amniocytes from two culture vessels. No further invasive testing was performed until 32 weeks' gestation, at which time ultrasound examination showed fetus with intrauterine growth retardation. Fetal blood sampling was then performed, with only karyotypically normal cells recovered. At birth, the child was found to have multiple dysmorphic features and congenital anomalies, including an eventration of the diaphragm and ventricular septal defect, both of which required surgical correction. Chromosomal analysis of cord blood lymphocytes indicated 46,XY; however, 20 per cent of the cultured fibroblasts obtained from the chest skin at the incision site for diaphragmatic repair had a 47,XY,+5 karyotype. Trisomy 5 mosaicism may be another example of tissue-limited mosaicism. Fetal blood sampling can then be falsely reassuring. Furthermore, because some cell lines rarely appear in lymphocyte populations, cytogenetic analysis of multiple tissues warranted as part of the evaluation of individuals with developmental delay and dysmorphic features.     

Estimating air quality impacts

LEONARD ORTOLANO has written a textbook, Environmental Planning and Decision Making, that is ideal for introducing undergraduates to the field of environmental planning. His three chapters on environmental impact assessment (from 16 chapters overall) present a range of impact assessment methods in a helpful decision-making context. Specific techniques for considering biological factors in planning, evaluating the visual qualities of the environment, assessing noise impacts, assessing air quality impacts, and assessing impacts on water resources are also covered in five additional chapters. Professional planners and engineers should find this introduction to the approaches employed by specialists of various kinds helpful. With the permission of the publisher, John Wiley and Sons, we here reprint Chapter 15, “Estimating Air Quality Impacts,” from Ortolano's excellent book. This straightforward presentation of a six-step process for establishing the air quality impacts of proposed development projects is a model of clarity.     

Risk assessment approach for untreated wastewater using the QUAL2E water quality model

This paper presents a novel approach for assessing the risk of consumer product ingredients in surface waters that receive untreated wastewater. The approach utilizes the water quality simulation model QUAL2E for predicting the impact caused by conventional pollutants, as well as the exposure concentration of consumer product ingredients. This approach invokes an impact zone concept whereby the receiving water can be thought of as a natural wastewater treatment system. After the river has recovered via self-purification, the ecosystem is then assessed by traditional risk assessment methods. This approach was validated using data collected from the Balatuin River, which is located in the Philippines. Results from this study support the use of QUAL2E for assessing the risk of consumer product ingredients in riverine systems receiving untreated wastewater.