EFFECTS OF RATE STRUCTURE KNOWLEDGE ON HOUSEHOLD WATER USE1

ABSTRACT: Socioeconomic determinants of individual household water use were estimated using regressions of these characteristics with actual household water use for winter and summer. Results were disaggregated between those consumers who were aware of an increasing block rate price structure and those who were not. Most of the informed group members believed that this price structure did result in significant reductions in water use. Nevertheless, overall water use was greater for the informed group. The determinants of water use were found to differ between informed and uninformed users as well as between winter and summer. The uninformed users were influenced by a larger set of variables in each season than the informed group. In winter, the informed group members with swimming pools and/or arid landscaping used less water than their uninformed counterparts. Summer water use increased with length of tenancy in home for the uninformed group but not for informed, while increasing with ownership for informed consumers.     

BACTERIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN STORMWATERS1

ABSTRACT: Data were developed within a three-year period for indicator bacteria and three species of bacterial pathogens following rural storm event hydrographs. The first flush concept was confirmed in all hydrographs. Bacterial density peaking occurred at or before the hydrograph peaks. FC and FS values were higher in more developed areas than the primary rural test site and their numerical ratios followed similar trends. Chlorine demand of storm waters varied between 8 and 16 mg/l and, the ozone requirement was greater than 32 mg/l in the same waters. Aftergrowth of total coliform bacteria occurred following chlorine and ozone doses of 16 mg/l and 32 mg/l respectively. Fecal coliform, fecal streptococci, Salmonella sp., and Pseudomonas sp. all were reduced to near detectable limits by the disinfectants up to 8 days. Staphylococcus sp. demonstrated a propensity to restablish their populations. Multiple regression analysis of the bacterial groups and species in storm waters suggested the fecal streptococci to have been the most useful group in evaluating bacterial storm water quality, with staphylocci have been closely related insofar as their statistical significance was concerned.     

WATERSHED FUNCTIONS1

ABSTRACT: Watershed functions that dominate the hydrologic environment are identified and discussed. Hydrological and ecological functions are considered in relation to the storm and annual hydrographs, and to water quality. Two integrative watershed responses to these functions are also articulated. Since most of the Earth's water is in storage, consideration of the hydrologic cycle as movement between water storage sites enhances this functional and response characterization of the watershed which, in turn, suggests guidance and direction for the restoration of watershed functions.     

Effect of feeding strategy and COD/sulfate ratio on the removal of sulfate in an AnSBBR with recirculation of the liquid phase

The objective of this work was to analyze the effect of the interaction between feeding strategy and COD/sulfate ratio on the removal efficiency of sulfate and organic matter from a synthetic wastewater. An anaerobic sequencing batch reactor with recirculation of the liquid phase and containing immobilized biomass on polyurethane foam (AnSBBR) was used. The AnSBBR with a total volume of 3.7 L, treated 2.0 L synthetic wastewater in 8-h cycles at 30 ± 1 °C and was inoculated with anaerobic biomass from a UASB. Two feeding strategies were assessed: (a) batch and (b) batch followed by fed-batch. In strategy (a) the reactor was fed in 10 min with 2 L wastewater containing sulfate and carbon sources. In strategy (b) 1.2 L wastewater (containing only the sulfate source) was fed during the first 10 min of the cycle and the remaining 0.8 L (containing only the carbon source) in 240 min. The COD/sulfate ratios assessed were 1 and 3. Based on these values and on the concentrations of organic matter (0.5–11.25 gCOD/L) and sulfate (0.5 and 2.5 gSO₄^2?/L), the sulfate and organic matter loading rates applied equaled 1.5 and 4.5 gSO₄^2?/L d for sulfate and 1.5, 4.5 and 13.5 gCOD/L d for organic matter. After stabilization of the system time profiles were run of monitored parameters (COD, sulfate, sulfide and sulfite). In general, the reactor showed to be robust for use in the anaerobic treatment of wastewaters containing sulfate. Gradual feeding (strategy b) of the carbon source favored sulfate reduction, resulting in sulfate removal efficiencies of 84–98% and organic matter removal efficiencies of 48–95%. The best results were observed under COD/sulfate ratio equal to 1 (loading rates of 1.5 and 4.5 gSO₄^2?/L d for sulfate, and 1.5 and 4.5 gCOD/L d for organic matter). When COD/sulfate ratio was 3 (loading rates of 1.5 and 4.5 gSO₄^2?/L d for sulfate, and 4.5 and 13.5 gCOD/L d for organic matter) the effect of feed mode became less significant. These results show that the strategy batch followed by fed-batch is more advantageous for COD/sulfate ratios near the stoichiometric value (0.67) and higher organic matter and sulfate concentrations.     

POLITICAL ECONOMICS OF OFFSHORE OIL

The exploration of offshore areas for hydrocarbons has involved new technical and economic considerations and has posed new problems, not the least of which has been the changing relationship between companies and governments. In this article, the authors present an analysis of the different perspectives and policies which emanate from national governments on the one hand and from transnational oil companies on the other. The issues examined include the considerations involved in establishing exploration legislation, post-discovery problems, the impact on revenues of increased production, the interests of companies in developing fields and the overall economic environment within which decisions have to be agreed.