HYDRAULIC MODELING SUPPORT FOR CONFLICT ANALYSIS: THE MANAYUNK CANAL REVISITED1

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a study which used a standard, hydraulic computer model to generate detailed design information to support conflict analysis of a water resource use issue. As an extension of previous studies, the conflict analysis in this case included several scenarios for stability analysis - all of which reached the conclusion that compromising, shared access to the water resources available would result in the most benefits to society. This expected equilibrium outcome was found to maximize benefit-cost estimates.     

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF AESTHETIC AMENITIES: A CASE STUDY OF RIVER VIEW1

ABSTRACT: Presence of a river in an urban setting may contribute positively to an aesthetically pleasing environment. Such aesthetic effects are not typically linked to specific economic activities and occur, for example, when residents are exposed to a river-view. Qualities enhancing the aesthetic value of the river include the presence of parks, trails, and vegetation along the riverbanks. The value of aesthetic amenities provided by the South Saskatchewan to the City of Saskatoon residents was estimated in this study using non-market methods. The implicit price of the river view was estimated using the Hedonic Price Model, whereas value through willingness to pay for property taxes or higher rents were also estimated using actual market data. The total annual value of the river to the City of Saskatoon through addition of aesthetic amenities was estimated at $1.2 million in 1989 dollars.     

A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF SALMONID SPAWNING HABITAT1

ABSTRACT: A simulation model [Salmonid Spawning Analysis Model (SSAM)] was developed as a management tool to evaluate the relative impacts of stream sediment load and water temperature on salmonid egg survival. The model is useful for estimating acceptable sediment loads to spawning habitat that may result from upland development, such as logging and agriculture. Software in common use in the USA were adapted for use in gravel bedded rivers and linked to simulate water temperature (the USFWS Instream Water Temperature, SNTEMP model) and water and sediment routing (the USAE Scour and Deposition in Rivers and Reservoirs, HEC-6 model, version 3.2). These models drive the redd (spawning nest) model (the USDA-ABS Sediment Intrusion Dissolved Oxygen SIDO model) which simulates sediment intrusion and dissolved oxygen concentration in the redd environment. The SSAM model predictions of dissolved oxygen and water temperature compared favorably with field data from artificial redds containing hatchery chinook salmon eggs.     

DISTRIBUTED DISCHARGE OF COOLING WATER ALONG DIRECTION OF STREAM FLOW1

ABSTRACT. A multiple-outfall system for cooling water disposal which is distributed along the direction of stream flow is analyzed. The results provide a simple method of preliminary design of a cooling water discharge outfall system and for a quick extimate of water quality of a polluted stream. It is shown that a properly designed distributed discharge system is capable of preventing serious pollution due to localized discharge of wastes and waste heat; however, the final design of the discharge system should take into account alternative schemes of waste heat disposal and their economic consequences.     

TEODORO ARDEMANS PIONEER WATER-SUPPLY ENGINEER OF SPAIN1

ABSTRACT: Teodoro Ardemans, first post-Renaissance water expert of Spain, recognized problems of ground-water contamination, influence of minerals on water quality, and mutual interference between closely spaced wells. He is also noted for his achievements in architecture and the writing of the first comprehensive building code for Madrid.     

Methane emission from lakes

A physico-chemical model to describe methane and carbon dioxide emission from lakes was developed. The model describes the emission by diffusion, bubbles and plants. The intensity of the fluxes can be calculated either for total or particular emission in dependence on gas bubbles composition. It was found, that diffusional (Q) and bubble (J) fluxes depend on the methane molar ratio (X) in bubbles as follows: [formula: see text]. The model allows to estimate the role of the methane oxidation by atmospheric oxygen in the total methane flux. It was shown, that the methane oxidation does not influence much methane fluxes to the atmosphere for most of the experimentally observed situations.     

Landslides, risk and decision-making in Kinnaur District: bridging the gap between science and public opinion

In November 1989 a major landslide destroyed the link road to the village of Sapni in Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalaya. Although aware of the risk of further landslide activity, the community has campaigned successfully for reconstruction of the road. Decisions of this kind take place at the local level, through village institutions and open debate, with good feedback between villages and district government authorities. In this way a balance is established between meeting more immediate needs (such as domestic water supply, irrigation, road access) and taking acceptable risks. Using the Sapni landslide as a case study, this paper explores the issue of 'acceptable risk', and looks at the existing strategy for risk and disaster reduction in the district.     

Species Specificity of the Cytogenetic Stability of Fish in a Eutrophic Water Body

The micronucleus test of peripheral blood erythrocytes was used to study cytogenetic stability in bream (Abramis brama L.), perch (Perca fluviatilis L.), roach (Rutilus rutilus L.), and pike (Esox lucius L.) from a eutrophic water body not affected by anthropogenic factors. The dependence of the rate of spontaneous micronucleus formation on fish age was estimated. The effect of natural variation in abiotic environmental factors on the cytogenetic stability of species was analyzed.     

Applying tqm to environmental site assessments under the astm standard

Total Quality Management was initially developed to facilitate an ethos of continuous improvement of the production process. It entails both an internal and external focus. The former depends on a cooperative effort among employees at all levels of the organization to analyze work processes, minimize process variance, and thereby maximize productivity. The latter requires close collaboration with suppliers to ensure that raw or processed materials can be readily and efficiently integrated into the production process and constant communication with the end user—the customer—to ensure that the process generates the expected level of quality. Applying TQM to service industry processes is a bit more complex. In addition to having to tailor the TQM approach to the specific service industry, the processes are seldom identical and tend not to lend themselves to the same type of statistical variance analysis that is considered a hallmark of TQM. Nevertheless, numerous case studies have shown that TQM is applicable to the service industry and can help to generate a culture of continuous improvement and enhance customer satisfaction. Environmental site assessments provide a unique challenge to proponents of TQM. Construction, geological, and hydrological characteristics are unique at each site; regulatory requirements differ by jurisdiction; access to historical information is inconsistent; auditors have varying backgrounds; and client needs and expectations differ. Nevertheless, as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard practice gains acceptance as a benchmark for environmental site assessments, the application of TQM practices to this service process becomes more practicable.     

Holarctic Collared Lemmings: Traces of Their Spread as Related to the History of the Arctic Biota

Among recent lemmings (D. torquatus from the Yamal Peninsula and D. groenlandicus from Somerset, Bathurst, Melville, and Devon islands), there are populations with archaic sets of morphotypes characteristic of the end of the Late Pleistocene. In some parts of the species range, lemming morphotypes follow the pattern characteristic of the Holocene stage of their evolution. Lemmings with the best developed tooth system live in the Bering Sea sector of the Arctic (Wrangel Island, Chukotka and Alaska). The correspondence of the boundaries of the groups distinguished by odontological traits to the phylogeographic data on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and chromosomal groups is discussed.