Water,Adaptation, and Property Rights on the Snake and Klamath Rivers1

Abstract: Water demand in a viable economy tends to be dynamic: it changes over time in response to growth, drought, and social policy. Institutional capacity to re‐allocate water between users and uses under stress from multiple sources is a key concern. Climate change threatens to add to those stresses in snowmelt systems by changing the timing of runoff and possibly increasing the severity and duration of drought. This article examines Snake and Klamath River institutions for their ability to resolve conflict induced by demand growth, drought, and environmental constraints on water use. The study finds that private ownership of water rights has been a major positive factor in successful adaptation, by providing the basis for water marketing and by promoting the use of negotiation and markets rather than politics to resolve water conflict.     

A test of fluctuating asymmetry in Bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque) as a measure of pH-related stress

Fluctuating asymmetry of bilateral anatomical characters, previously proposed as an indicator of stress induced by agents affecting the calcium metabolism of fishes, was measured in bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus) from eleven Wisconsin lakes. The fluctuating asymmetries of three meristic characters-numbers of pored lateral line scales, pectoral fin rays and gill rakers on the outer arch-were either unrelated or only marginally related to either lake pH or waterborne calcium concentration. The asymmetry variance of gill raker counts was negatively correlated with both lake pH and waterborne calcium concentration; however, the overall asymmetry mean of gill raker counts in bluegills from five low pH lakes only slightly exceeded that in bluegills from six lakes with circumneutral pH. Fluctuating asymmetry in adult fishes was judged to be insensitive as a potential measure of pH-related stress.     

From fatalism to resilience: reducing disaster impacts through systematic investments

This paper describes a method for reducing the economic risks associated with predictable natural hazards by enhancing the resilience of national infrastructure systems. The three-step generalised framework is described along with examples. Step one establishes economic baseline growth without the disaster impact. Step two characterises economic growth constrained by a disaster. Step three assesses the economy's resilience to the disaster event when it is buffered by alternative resiliency investments. The successful outcome of step three is a disaster-resistant core of infrastructure systems and social capacity more able to maintain the national economy and development post disaster. In addition, the paper considers ways to achieve this goal in data-limited environments. The method provides a methodology to address this challenge via the integration of physical and social data of different spatial scales into macroeconomic models. This supports the disaster risk reduction objectives of governments, donor agencies, and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.     

Trace Element Inputs from a Coal Burning Power Plant to Adjacent Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments

Inputs of trace elements derived from coal ash to terrestrial and aquatic environments were investigated near an 83 MW coal-burning power plant. Comparisons were made between terrestrial inputs of trace elements through aerial deposition during 23 years before installation of electrostatic precipitators and aquatic inputs from ash disposal basins after installation. A gaussian plume model was used to predict deposition patterns of 29 trace elements in coal ash about the power plant. Detectable increases of only Sr, As, Sb, and Be in surface soils within 3 km of the power plant were predicted. Concentrations measured in surface soils were largely consistent with these predictions. Measurements of aerial deposition of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Mn at a site 5.5 km distant were similar to those in other rural areas and indicated that little of the measured Cd, Cu, Mn, or Pb was derived from fly ash. Concentrations of 12 heavy metals in effluents from the basin receiving ash were comparable to those predicted in rainfall deposited nearest the plant. It is concluded that at other coal combustion facilities, basin disposal could be a more serious contamination threat to aquatic environments than aerial dispersal of ash.     

Test system for exposing fish to resuspended, contaminated sediment

We describe a new test system for exposing fish to resuspended sediments and associated contaminants. Test sediments were resuspended by revolving test chambers on rotating shafts driven by an electric motor. The timing, speed, and duration of test-chamber revolution were controlled by a rheostat and electronic timer. Each chamber held 45 litres of water and accommodated about 49 g of test fish. The system described had three water baths, each holding six test chambers. We illustrate the performance of this system with results from a 28-day test in which juvenile bluegills Lepomis macrochirus were exposed to resuspended, riverine sediments differing in texture and cadmium content. The test had one sediment-free control and five sediment treatments, with three replicates (chambers) per treatment and 25 fish per replicate. Two-thirds (30 litres) of the test water and sediment in each chamber was renewed weekly. The mean concentration of total suspended solids (TSS) did not vary among treatments; the grand-mean TSS in the five sediment treatments was 975 mg litre(-1), similar to the target TSS of 1000 mg litre(-1). At the end of the test, an average of 50% of the introduced cadmium was associated with the suspended sediment compartment, whereas the filtered (0.45 microm) water contained 0.4% and bluegills 1.8% of the cadmium.