THE DYNAMICS OF WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT1

The traditional approach to water resources management for urban areas has been based on the examination of needs and the design of separate facilities for water supply, drainage, and waste water collection and treatment. The complexity and interaction among the separate systems required by a metropolitan area has complicated their management and promoted research interest in developing a methodology for better coordination. However, a more thorough evaluation of the problem reveals the real research need to be both more complicated and different in character than the problem in systems analysis suggested by the first superficial glance. Water management relates to the much broader problem of community design; when, where, and in what manner should new urban development take place. Furthermore, the character and needs of areas within the metropolis are constantly changing. The key distinctiveness of urban water management is the imperative for design and operation flexibility. The key research need is to develop new designs, operation procedures, and institutional arrangements to make the flexibility demanded by a dynamic urban community possible.     

FINANCING PRIVATE WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT: ANALYSIS OF A STATE LOAN PROGRAM1

ABSTRACT. A State loan program was analyzed for its effects on groundwater development in Wyoming. The analysis focused on the effects of low-interest State financing on the economic feasibility of investments in center-pivot sprinkler irrigation systems. The feasibility analysis indicated that investments in sprinkler systems for production of cash crops are highly profitable, and would frequently be carried out whether or not the State loan program were available. Investments in sprinklers for production of forage crops are perhaps frequently made attractive by the loan program. Thus, while the program appears to have accelerated the pace of private water resource development in Wyoming, it has also subsidized some investments that would have been carried out regardless of the program's existence. Further analysis indicated that sprinkler investments carried out with State financing contribute substantially to firm growth when cast crops are grown, but have less marked, and sometimes negative, effects on growth when forage crops are produced. Some positive effects of the loan program on southeast Wyoming's regional economy were noted, though a complete empirical analysis of regional impacts was beyond the scope of the study.     

EFFECTS OF TIME STEP SIZE IN IMPLICIT DYNAMIC ROUTING1

ABSTRACT The effects of the size of the Δt time step used in the integration of the implicit difference equations of unsteady open-channel flow are determined for numerous typical hydrographs with durations in the order of days or even weeks. Truncation errors related to the size of the Δt time step cause a numerical distortion (dispersion and attenuation) of the computed transient. The magnitude of the distortion is related directly to the size of the time step, the length of channel reach, and the channel resistance and inversely to the time of rise of the hydrograph. The type of finite difference expression which replaces spatial derivatives and non-derivative terms in the partial differential equations of unsteady flow has an important influence on the magnitude of the numerical distortion, as well as the numerical stability of the implicit difference equations. Time step sizes in the range of 3 to 6 hrs generally tend to minimize the combination of required computation time and numerical distortion of transients having a time of rise of the order of several days.     

DIGITAL SIMULATION OF THE EFFECT OF THERMAL DISCHARGE ON STREAM WATER QUALITY1

A modified transient version of the Streeter-Phelps model along with the energy balance equation is employed to analyze the effects of waste heat discharge from power plants on stream water quality. Analysis is also made to examine the effects of the upstream water quality and stream velocity on the downstream DO concentration level. The resulting coupled nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equations representing the energy, BOD and DO concentrations are solved by the method of characteristics and simulated on a digital computer. Final numerical results indicate that the allowable quantity of thermal discharge does heavily depend on the upstream quality.     

WATER QUALITY CONTROL BY ARTIFICIAL AERATION OF STREAM RECEIVING THERMAL AND ORGANIC WASTE DISCHARGES1

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this work is to study the installation of artificial aerators for water quality control of a stream which receives thermal and organic waste discharges. The location and numer of diffuser type aerators to be installed along the stream are determined so as to maintain the stream DO content above a certain minimum requirement (4 mg/l or 5 mg/l) for normal aquatic life. Effects of the stream velocity, upstream BOD concentration and rates of thermal and organic waste discharges to the stream are examined.     

Dynamic workplans and field analytics: Metals assessment by inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectroscopy

Hazardous waste site investigations were carried out at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Yuma, Arizona and at Hanscom Air Force Base (HAFB) in Bedford, Massachusetts. The purpose of the first was to determine the location and extent of metals contamination throughout the base. The objective of the second was to evaluate the risk of metals contamination to groundwater from soil at three locations within the airfield. Dynamic workplans were developed and an adaptive sampling and analysis plan carried out with the data produced in the field used to support the goals of each project. An inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectrometer (ICP/OES) was modified for field operation. A more efficient microwave digestion method and pressurized Teflon filtration system were developed for the HAFB project. Results were comparable to standard Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods, which must rely on two digestion procedures to recover EPA-targeted metals within the prescribed recovery range. The MCAS investigation, conducted over a five-month period, advanced the Navy's efforts from 30 months behind schedule to 18 months ahead of schedule, while the data generated at HAFB showed no risk to groundwater from metals.     

Degradation of Polylactic Acid (PLA) Plastic in Costa Rican Soil and Iowa State University Compost Rows

In this study the degradation of polylactic acid (PLA) plastic films in Costa Rican soil and in a leaf composting environment was investigated. Three types of PLA films were used: Ch-I, (PLA monolayer plastic films from Chronopol, Golden, CO), GII (PLA trilayer plastic films from Cargill Dow Polymers LLC, Minnetonka, MN), and Ca-I (PLA monolayer plastic films from Cargill Dow Polymers LLC). The average soil temperature and moisture content in Costa Rica were 27°C and 80%, respectively. The average degradation rate of PLA plastic films in the soil of the banana field was 7675 M _w/week. Two compost rows were set up at the Iowa State University (ISU) (Ames) compost site. Temperature and relative humidity of the compost rows were kept at 55 ± 5°C and 50 ± 10% RH, respectively. The degradation rates of GII and Ca-I in the compost rows were 113,290 and 71,283 M _w/week, respectively. Therefore, it was estimated that in Costa Rican soil and in compost rows, PLA would be visibly degraded in 6 months and in 3 weeks, respectively.     

Environmental behavior of explosives in groundwater from the Milan Army Ammunition Plant in aquatic and wetland plant treatments. Uptake and fate of TNT and RDX in plants

Uptake and fate of TNT and RDX by three aquatic and four wetland plants were studied using hydroponic, batch, incubations in explosives-contaminated groundwater amended with [U-14C]-TNT or [U-14C]-RDX in the laboratory. Substrates in which the plants were rooted were also tested. Plants and substrates were collected from a small-scale wetland constructed for explosives removal, and groundwater originated from a local aquifer at the Milan Army Ammunition Plant. This study demonstrated rapid uptake of [U-14C]-TNT derived 14C, concentration at the uptake sites and limited transport in all plants. Per unit of mass, uptake was higher in submersed than in emergent species. Biotransformation of TNT had occurred in all plant treatments after 7-day incubation in 1.6 to 3.4 mg TNT L-i, with labeled amino-dinitrotoluenes (ADNTs), three unidentified compounds unique for plants, and mostly polar products as results. Biotransformation occurred also in the substrates, yielding labeled ADNT, one unidentified compound unique for substrates, and polar products. TNT was not recovered by HPLC in plants and substrates after incubation. Uptake of [U-14C]-RDX derived 14C in plants was slower than that of TNT, transport was substantial, and concentration occurred at sites where new plant material was synthesized. As for TNT, uptake per unit of mass was higher in submersed than in emergent species. Biotransformation of RDX had occurred in all plant treatments after 13-day incubation in 1.5 mg RDX L-1, with one unidentified compound unique for plants, and mostly polar products as results. Biotransformation had occurred also in the substrates, but to a far lower extent than in plants. Substrates and plants had one unidentified 14C-RDX metabolite in common. HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of RDX in most plants and in three out of four substrates at the end of the incubation period.     

Interpretation of heavy metal data from mussel by use of multivariate classification techniques

Different strategies of multivariate analysis of metals concentrations (Mn, Fe, Ni, V, Co, Cu, Cd, Hg, Pb, Na, K) in mussel samples from different spanish markets are used to interpret a data base and identify differences between species and origin of the samples. Principal Component Analysis and Potential curves are applied to properly classify unknown samples from representative mussels samples (Mytilus edulis and Perna canaliculus). Also, Principal Components Analysis is used as display method to visualize the relation between the variables and objects of interest.     

Variation of toxaphene indicator compounds in fish from single fishing grounds: conclusions for sampling

The levels of three toxaphene indicator compounds were determined in individual lots of herring, redfish, Greenland halibut and farmed salmon. Concentration levels of the three marine fish species were characterised by a right-skewed frequency distribution whereas residue concentrations in farmed salmon were normally distributed. The toxaphene concentrations in the edible part of redfish, herring and Greenland halibut were found to be positively correlated to the sizes and thus to age. As results show, for representative sampling of a landed catch, not more than 10 individual fishes from typical size classes of a lot are necessary for a pooled sample.