Integrated treatment and recycling of stormwater: a review of Australian practice

With the use of water approaching, and in some cases exceeding, the limits of sustainability in many locations, there is an increasing recognition of the need to utilise stormwater for non-potable requirements, thus reducing the demand on potable sources. This paper presents a review of Australian stormwater treatment and recycling practices as well as a discussion of key lessons and identified knowledge gaps. Where possible, recommendations for overcoming these knowledge gaps are given. The review of existing stormwater recycling systems focussed primarily on the recycling of general urban runoff (runoff generated from all urban surfaces) for non-potable purposes. Regulations and guidelines specific to stormwater recycling need to be developed to facilitate effective design of such systems, and to minimise risks of failure. There is a clear need for the development of innovative techniques for the collection, treatment and storage of stormwater. Existing stormwater recycling practice is far ahead of research, in that there are no technologies designed specifically for stormwater recycling. Instead, technologies designed for general stormwater pollution control are frequently utilised, which do not guarantee the necessary reliability of treatment. Performance modelling for evaluation purposes also needs further research, so that industry can objectively assess alternative approaches. Just as many aspects of these issues may have impeded adoption of stormwater, another impediment to adoption has been the lack of a practical and widely accepted method for assessing the many financial, social and ecological costs and benefits of stormwater recycling projects against traditional alternatives. Such triple-bottom-line assessment methodologies need to be trialled on stormwater recycling projects. If the costs and benefits of recycling systems can be shown to compare favourably with the costs and benefits of conventional practices this will provide an incentive to overcome other obstacles to widespread adoption of stormwater recycling.     

Regional and annual variation in plasma steroids and metabolic indicators in female green turtles, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chelonia mydas</Emphasis>

Variation in environmental conditions at a foraging area or at a nesting rookery has the potential to impact reproductive output of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) by affecting food resources or the nesting substrate. In this paper we test whether turtles‘ physiological characteristics reflect variation in relevant environmental conditions. We did this by profiling metabolic and hormonal markers among (1) non-vitellogenic females from three different foraging areas and (2) nesting females from different rookeries and breeding seasons. Among the non-vitellogenic females, the highest plasma triglyceride concentrations (4.29 mmol/l) and the lowest plasma cholesterol concentrations (1.27 mmol/l) were found in non-vitellogenic females residing in Moreton Bay during the El Niño year of 1997. Furthermore, during 1997, these Moreton Bay females had higher plasma triglyceride and lower cholesterol concentrations than those recorded in non-vitellogenic females foraging at Heron Reef (triglyceride 1.22 mmol/l and cholesterol 4.53 mmol/l) and Shoalwater Bay (triglyceride 1.69 mmol/l and cholesterol 3.50 mmol/l) in the same year. Among nesting turtles, those nesting at Raine Island had low mean plasma triglyceride concentrations during the high density 1996 nesting season. For those nesting at Heron Island, the mean triglyceride concentrations were the lowest during the 1997 nesting season. This is the first time that hormone and metabolic markers have been used in concert to compare the physiological condition of nesting and foraging sea turtles and its relationship with the environment. Collectively, our data indicate that variation in the environmental conditions at both foraging and nesting areas are reflected at a physiological level. Moreover, our study indicates that turtles feeding during El Niño years are able to attain higher levels of body condition, and that physiological data combined with morphometric data is a useful proxy for assessing the condition of turtles in foraging areas.     

Effects of the 1998 coral morality event on Kenyan coral reefs and fisheries

Data were collected in southern Kenya on coral reef ecosystems and fisheries to assess the influence of the 1998 coral bleaching and mortality event. We compared benthic cover, sea urchin and fish abundance in unfished marine parks and fished reefs and the reef-associated fisheries 3 years before and after 1998. Hard and soft coral decreased while coralline algae increased in both management areas. Turf increased in marine parks and sponge and fleshy algae increased in the fished reefs. Sea urchin grazer biomass was unchanged over this period and the fish community changed less than benthic cover. In general, butterflyfish, damselfish and wrasses were negatively influenced while surgeonfish and a few uncommon families were positively influenced by the substratum change. There was a 17% increase in fishing effort as measured by fishermen per day at each landing site and the total demersal catch declined by 8% and the catch per man declined by 21% after 1998. The decline in the total catch and CPUE combined with the increase in effort suggest an overexploited fishery and this makes it difficult to distinguish changes caused by coral mortality or fishing effort. The price of fish increased over this period and this caused an 18% increase in the total value of the fishery but no difference in the net income of individual fishermen.     

A strategy for controlling deposition of struvite in municipal wastewater treatment plants.

This paper presents strategies to reduce the risk of struvite deposition by controlling its location of formation. Two technical routes were investigated: (1) to fix the phosphate into the dewatered sludge cake, and (2) to remove phosphate from centrate or filtrate. Chemicals used include magnesium hydroxide [Mg(OH)2], both of reagent grade and reclaimed from a flue gas desulfurization system, magnesium chloride (MgCl2), calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2], ferric chloride (FeCl3) and aluminum sulfate [Al2(SO4)3]. Research results indicate that (1) for anaerobically well-digested sludge, Mg(OH)2 is effective in fixing phosphate into sludge cake and improving sludge dewaterability, and (2) adding Mg(OH)2 into a reactor, located between the sludge dewatering facilities and the centrate or filtrate discharge line, and using air for mixing and carbon dioxide stripping, proves feasible in reducing struvite deposition in centrate or filtrate discharge lines and can generate a potentially valuable plant fertilizer--struvite.     

Environmental management in the UK: The way ahead for business

Summary Increasingly stringent environmental lesislation and a growing consciousness of environmental issues within the community are spurring companies into adopting environmental improvement programmes. Enhanced environmental management not only ensures compliance with legislation but has other benefits, including reduced energy and waste disposal costs, improved public image, acess to green markets and lower insurance premiums. BS7750 and the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme now offer businesses the opportunity to establish a systematic and accredited environmental management system which will serve as a yardstick of environmental quality.     

A spatially explicit estimate of the prewhaling abundance of the endangered North Atlantic right whale

The North Atlantic right whale (NARW) (Eubalaena glacialis) is one of the world's most threatened whales. It came close to extinction after nearly a millennium of exploitation and currently persists as a population of only approximately 500 individuals. Setting appropriate conservation targets for this species requires an understanding of its historical population size, as a baseline for measuring levels of depletion and progress toward recovery. This is made difficult by the scarcity of records over this species’ long whaling history. We sought to estimate the preexploitation population size of the North Atlantic right whale and understand how this species was distributed across its range. We used a spatially explicit data set on historical catches of North Pacific right whales (NPRWs) (Eubalaena japonica) to model the relationship between right whale relative density and the environment during the summer feeding season. Assuming the 2 right whale species select similar environments, we projected this model to the North Atlantic to predict how the relative abundance of NARWs varied across their range. We calibrated these relative abundances with estimates of the NPRW total prewhaling population size to obtain high and low estimates for the overall NARW population size prior to exploitation. The model predicted 9,075–21,328 right whales in the North Atlantic. The current NARW population is thus <6% of the historical North Atlantic carrying capacity and has enormous potential for recovery. According to the model, in June–September NARWs concentrated in 2 main feeding areas: east of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and in the Norwegian Sea. These 2 areas may become important in the future as feeding grounds and may already be used more regularly by this endangered species than is thought.     

Methods for prenatal assessment of fetal cardiac function

Fetal cardiac function is increasingly recognized as a marker of disease severity and prognosis in selected fetal conditions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used in experimental (animal) fetal cardiology but the lack of a noninvasive fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) to trigger image acquisition remains a major limiting factor precluding its application in humans. Fetal medicine specialists are therefore limited to ultrasound to evaluate human fetal cardiac function. In this review, we aim to provide a complete overview of the different ultrasound techniques that can be used for fetal cardiac function assessment and we discuss their (theoretical) strengths and shortcomings. Conventional methods include M-mode assessment of ventricular contractility and Doppler assessment of the precordial veins and cardiac output (CO). More recent techniques such as the measurement of the myocardial performance index (MPI), myocardial motion analysis with tissue Doppler, speckle tracking and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound techniques are also discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.