THE W-INDEX FOR RESIDENTIAL WATER CONSERVATION1

ABSTRACT: An index of residential water efficiency - a “W-Index” - can serve as a measure of effectiveness of water conservation features in the home. The index provides a calculated numerical value for each dwelling unit, derived from the number and kind of water-saving features present, including indoor and outdoor water savers and water harvesting or recycling systems. A W-Index worksheet, devised for on-site evaluation of single-family residences in the Tucson, Arizona, region shows that a nonconserving residence with all the water-using features would use 151,000 gallons per year or 148 gallons per capita per day (gpcpd), while the fully conserving model would use 35,300 gallons per year or 35 gpcpd and with water harvesting and graywater recycling systems would have a maximum W-Index of W-160. A Tucson water conservation demonstration home, Casa del Agua, received a rating of W-139, and field tests of about 30 homes in new Tucson subdivisions show values ranging from W-75 to W-100, indicating the incorporation of some water conservation in current new models. By adjustment of some climatic or water-use parameters, the W-Index format can be applied to various types of dwelling units or to other urban areas. The W-Index can be used by individual homeowners or builders to evaluate water efficiency of residential units, or by water providers or water management agencies as a device for promoting and achieving water conservation goals.     

Some environmental radioactivity measurements from Harris,Outer Hebrides,UK

Summary Radioactivity related to the Chernobyl fallout cloud of May 1986 is reflected in twenty cored soil samples from Harris, in the Outer Hebrides of north-west Scotland.Dr A. David Horrill is a member of the Radioecology Group at the Natural Environment Research Council's Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station. The second and third authors listed may be contacted at Mark House, Lindale, Cumbria LA11 6LF, UK.     

Reclamation of wastes contaminated by copper,lead, and zinc

Waste materials containing toxic levels of copper, lead, and zinc, such as mine and smelter wastes, present difficult conditions for the establishment of vegetation. This article reviews the many attempts which have been made to reclaim these wastes. Inert wastes from mining and quarrying operations, such as slate quarry waste and certain colliery shales, seem to be good materials for reclaiming wastes contaminated by copper, lead, and zinc. Organic wastes, such as sewage sludge and domestic refuse, may provide only a temporary visual improvement and stabilization of the toxic materials.Nontolerant plant materials may often be planted directly on modern waste materials, which are less toxic than they were in the past. However, tolerant plant materials are needed for revegetating waste materials produced by early and more primitive extraction methods.     

Fuelwood Prices in India: Policy Implications

The price of fuelwood has been increasing at a rate higher than that of the consumer price index in most of the major urban centres of India. Today, in terms of cost per unit of energy delivered, fuelwood is more than twice as expensive as kerosene for cooking. This has immense public policy implications. A number of complementary policy interventions are needed so that forests can be saved and the stability of energy supplies can be achieved in developing countries.     

Cellulose degrading capabilities of cellulolytic bacteria isolated from the intestinal fluids of the silver cricket

Cellulose degrading bacteria were isolated from the intestinal fluid of the silver cricket Lepisma Sp. and a culture was developed anoxigenically in the cellulose degrading medium following standard laboratory techniques. The cellulolytic activity of the microbe was examined in a broth culture using Whatman 42 filter paper as the source of insoluble cellulose. Activity was measured spectrophotometrically (620nm) following Anthrone reaction of the culture filtrate and the sugar produced was quantified as a factor of time. The pH optimum was found to be between 7 and 8. Temperature profile optimum was between 30–37°C.The microbes appeared as white colonies on a solid medium. Morphologically the bacterium is a gram-positive nonspore forming rod which was tentatively identified as a new strain of Cellulomonas sp.     

NUTRIENT LOAD CHARACTERIZATION FROM INTEGRATED SOURCE DATA FOR THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RWER1

ABSTRACT: Nutrient data from all available sources for the lower Mississippi River were examined for potential differences among sampling agencies and geographic locations for the period between 1960 and 1998. Monthly means grouped by parameter, sampling location and agency, were calculated and compared as paired sets, excluding those months where data were not available for both sets. Some significant differences were found between various agencies collecting nutrient data on the river, as well as between various stretches of river, especially in the case of phosphorus nutrient data. Results were used to synthesize data sets from which a history of nutrient loading in the Mississippi River was determined. General trends in nitrate+nitrite, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphorus and silica loads, as well as changes in nutrient proportions and the specific limiting nutrient (by month) are reported. This study provides a useful summary of contemporary and historical nutrient data that may assist in the evaluation of Mississippi River water quality and its potential effect on the Gulf of Mexico.     

Peroxidase-catalyzed stabilization of 2,4-dichlorophenol in alkali-extracted soils

Horseradish peroxidase- (HRP) mediated stabilization of phenolic contaminants is a topic of interest due to its potential for remediation of contaminated soils. This study evaluated the sorption of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) and its HRP-mediated stabilization in two alkali-extracted soils. Alkali extraction reduced the soil organic matter (SOM) contents of the geomaterials and enriched the residual SOM with humin C. Sorption of DCP on these sorbents was complete within 1 d. However, most of the sorbed DCP was removed from the geomaterials by water and methanol, suggesting weak solute-sorbent interactions. The addition of HRP resulted in the generation of DCP polymerization products (DPP), which partitioned between the aqueous and solid phases. The DPP phase distribution was rapid and complete within 24 h. Between 70 and 90% of the added DCP was converted to DPP and up to 43% of the initial aqueous phase contaminant was transformed into a residue that was resistant to extraction with methanol. Bound residues of DPP increased with initial aqueous phase solute concentration and remained fairly constant after 7 d of contact. Contaminant stabilization was noted to be high in the humin-mineral geomaterial. Results illustrate that HRP may be effective in stabilizing phenolic contaminants in subsoils that are likely to contain SOM enriched in humin C.     

Informal Institutional Responses to Government Interventions: Lessons from Madhupur National Park,Bangladesh

Madhupur National Park is renowned for severe resource ownership conflicts between ethnic communities and government authorities in Bangladesh. In this study, we applied the Institutional Analysis and Development framework to identify: (i) past and present informal institutional structures within the ethnic Garo community for land resource management; (ii) the origin of the land ownership dispute; (iii) interaction mechanisms between formal and informal institutions; and (iv) change in land management authority and informal governance structures. We identify that the informal institutions of the traditional community have undergone radical change due to government interventions with implications for the regulation of land use, informal institutional functions, and joint-decision-making. Importantly, the government’s persistent denial of the role of existing informal institutions is widening the gap between government and community actors, and driving land ownership conflicts in a cyclic way with associated natural resource degradation.     

Removal of herbicides from liquid media by fungi isolated from a contaminated soil

Fungi were isolated from soil samples corresponding to pesticide-contaminated soil (CS) and noncontaminated soil (NCS) in the Annaba vicinity (Algeria) and identified. The number of isolates obtained from CS and NCS were 263 and 288, respectively. The most frequent species (Aspergillus fumigatus, A. niger, A. terreus, Absidia corymbifera, and Rhizopus microsporus var microsporus) were not sensitive to the pesticides. The growth of the genus Trichoderma was inhibited by the pesticides, while genera Absidia and Fusarium were stimulated. The 53 species isolated were assayed for their ability to remove metribuzin from liquid medium. Only Botrytis cinerea from NCS and Sordaria superba and Absidia fusca from CS removed more than 50% of the compound after 5 d. Metamitron was very resistant. Among the 21 species tested, only Alternaria solani (from NCS), Drechslera australiensis (from CS and NCS), and Absidia fusca (from CS) reduced the concentration in the medium more than 10% (10-16%). Twelve species were grown with linuron, seven of them were inefficient in removing this compound. The two strains of Sordaria macrospora yielded 22 to 25% depletion, while Botrytis cinerea depleted linuron almost completely. Among the 31 species assayed for their ability to eliminate metobromuron, Botrytis cinerea (from CS and NCS) depleted almost completely the chemical from the medium. Rhizopus oryzae and Absidia fusca from CS removed 40 and 47% of the compound, respectively. No systematic relationships were observed between the soil contamination and herbicide elimination capacities of soil fungi. Absidia fusca and Botrytis cinerea were particularly interesting for bioremediation purposes because they were able to transform efficiently three of the four compounds assayed.     

Road Traffic and Nearby Grassland Bird Patterns in a Suburbanizing Landscape

An extensive road system with rapidly increasing traffic produces diverse ecological effects that cover a large land area. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of roads with different traffic volumes on surrounding avian distributions, and its importance relative to other variables. Grassland bird data (5 years) for 84 open patches in an outer suburban/rural landscape near Boston were analyzed relative to: distance from roads with 3000–8000 to >30,000 vehicles/day; open-habitat patch size; area of quality microhabitat within a patch; adjacent land use; and distance to other open patches. Grassland bird presence and regular breeding correlated significantly with both distance from road and habitat patch size. Distance to nearest other open patch, irrespective of size, was not significant. Similarly, except for one species, adjacent land use, in this case built area, was not significant. A light traffic volume of 3000–8000 vehicles/day (local collector street here) had no significant effect on grassland bird distribution. For moderate traffic of 8000–15,000 (through street), there was no effect on bird presence although regular breeding was reduced for 400 m from a road. For heavier traffic of 15,000–30,000 (two-lane highway), both bird presence and breeding were decreased for 700 m. For a heavy traffic volume of ≥30,000 vehicles/day (multilane highway), bird presence and breeding were reduced for 1200 m from a road. The results suggest that avian studies and long-term surveys near busy roads may be strongly affected by traffic volume or changes in volume. We conclude that road ecology, especially the effects extending outward >100 m from roads with traffic, is a sine qua non for effective land-use and transportation policy.