INSTANTANEOUS PEAK FLOW ESTIMATION PROCEDURES FOR NEWFOUNDLAND STREAMS1

ABSTRACT: A procedure of estimating instantaneous flood flows for various return periods on the Island of Newfoundland is presented. The procedure is based on annual maximum instantaneous flows rather than annual maximum daily-mean flows, as the latter requires the conversion of estimated daily-mean flows into instantaneous flows. Regression equations were developed for each of three homogeneous regions for the desired return periods. The flood flow estimation capability of the presented procedure is demonstrated to be better than any other currently available procedure on the Island.     

采场通风方式与瓦斯运移规律研究

采场是煤矿生产的核心地带,而采场通风系统是确保采场作业安全,创造良好生产环境的重要环节。本文以采场风流流动及瓦斯运移理论为基础,通过现场试验、模型模拟试验及计算机模拟研究等方法,着重研究了中国常用的和有发展前途的走向长壁后退式U型通风方式、U+L型通曲方式、后退式Y型通风方式条件下采场风流流动及瓦斯运移规律。     

EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT OF POPULATIONS USING ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING,DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS,AND GIS1

ABSTRACT: Simulation of ground-water flow and fate of contaminants in the subsurface environment constitutes a major phase of most environmental assessment and site remediation studies. These simulation studies yield information on spatial and temporal distributions of contaminants in the subsurface media. An important use of this information is to conduct exposure assessment studies. Spatial and temporal distributions of both chemical concentrations and exposed populations render this integrated exposure analysis task rather difficult. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), on the other hand, provide a platform in which layered, spatially distributed databases can be manipulated with ease, thereby simplifying exposure analysis tasks significantly. In this paper, we describe procedures that combine the simulation models and demographic databases under a GIS platform to automate the exposure assessment phase of a typical health assessment study. Procedures developed herein significantly simplify the post-processing phase of the analysis, and render the overall task more ‘user friendly.’ A site-specific application is included as a demonstration of the proposed process.     

SIMULATION AND DECISIONMAKING: THE PLATTE RIVER BASIN IN NEBRASKA1

Substantial conflict exists over water management and allocation in the Platte River Basin of Nebraska. An interdisciplinary computer simulation model, representing the water quantity, water quality, environmental, and economic dimensions of the conflict, was developed in order to analyze the tradeoffs among allocation scenarios. Most importantly, decisionmakers and interest groups were involved in model development. Simulation results for a base case and two scenarios are presented. One scenario favors protection of instream flow for wildlife; the other favors water diversions for agriculture. Impacts of the instream flow scenario, as measured by the amount of land irrigated, groundwater levels, the amount of wildlife habitat for cranes and catfish, and net agricultural benefits did not differ greatly from those of the base case. However, impacts of the diversion scenario were substantial. On the negative side, instream flows and wildlife habitat declined an average of 39 percent; while, on the positive side, groundwater levels and net agricultural benefits each increased 6 percent. The modeling process was successful insofar as it promoted an understanding among the highly diverse interest groups of the systems nature of the Basin. One agreement on a water diversion schedule among three of the parties has been reached, partly as a result of this process. More comprehensive compromises have not yet been forged. Our experience, however, indicates that modeling success at the policymaking level depends more on the extent to which the policymakers understand the model than it does on model sophistication.     

GEOLOGIC INFERENCE FROM “FLOW NET” TRANSMISSIVITY DETERMINATION: THREE CASE STUDIES1

A graphical inverse method for determining the regional transmissivity distribution was applied to three field problems. The study areas were the Hanford Site, Washington; the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado; and the Nevada Test Site, Nevada. This method can aid in flow system conceptualization by revealing the location of bedrock controls for groundwater flow. It is a valuable tool for aiding the hydrogeologist in asking questions about the nature of trends in the pattern of transmissivity values. Quantitative estimates of regional transmissivities can be used as starting points for further parameter refinement. Sensitivity analysis using Monte Carlo simulation shows that quantitative estimates of transmissivity can be obtained when measurement error in the hydraulic head does not cause a large error in the hydraulic gradient.     

LOW DISCHARGE PERIODS OF RIVERS IN THE UPPER VISTULA RIVER BASIN,POLAND1

ABSTRACT: A method is presented for determining low discharge periods of rivers based on threshold values defined in terms of MEAN OF MINIMUM SUMMER (WINTER) DISCHARGES. The method is used to determine summer low flow periods in the Vistula River basin in Poland. Analysis is based on daily discharge data for 84 basins of the Upper Vistula River which was collected by the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Economy.     

COMPUTATION OF UNSTEADY FLOWS IN THE ALABAMA RIVER1

ABSTRACT: An application is described of the branch-network flow model, BRANCH, to the upper Alabama River system in central Alabama. The model is used to simulate one-dimensional unsteady flows and water surface elevations in approximately 60 river miles of the Alabama River system. Preliminary calibration was made using 72 hours of observed data. Simulated discharges are about 10 percent lower than observed discharges at higher discharge rates and computed flows lag observed flows by about 30 minutes.     

ASSESSING FLUSHING-FLOW REQUIREMENTS FOR BROWN TROUT SPAWNING GRAVELS IN STEEP STREAMS1

Flushing flows are re1eses from dams designed to remove fine sediment from downstream spawning habitat. We evaluated flushing flows on reaches proposed for hydroelectric diversions on seven streams in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, with wild populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta). The stream reaches are steep (average map slopes range from 7 to 17 percent), are dominated by boulder cascades, and afford few opportunities for gravel deposition. Methods for estimating flushing flows from flow records, developed from studies in other localities, produced widely differing results when applied to the study streams, probably reflecting differences in the hydrologic and geomorphic characteristics of the streams on which the methods were developed. Tracer gravel experiments demonstrated that all sampled gravels were washed out by the flows of 1986, a wet year. Size analyses of gravel samples and hydraulic data from field surveys were used in tractive-force calculations in an attempt to specify the flow required to flush the gravels. However, these calculations produced some unrealistic results because the flows were nonuniform in the study reaches. This suggests that the tractive-force approach may not be generally applicable to small, steep streams where nonuniform flow conditions prevail.     

MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF POLICY-RELEVANT SCIENCE: LESSONS FROM A WATER RESOURCE PROJECT1

ABSTRACT: Water resource scientists face complex tasks in evaluating aspects of water projects, but relatively few assessment procedures have been applied and accepted as standard applications. Decision-makers often rely on environmental assessments to evaluate the value and operation of projects. There is often confusion about scientists' role in policy decisions. The scientist can affect policy-making as an expert withess, an advocate or a surrogate. By understanding the policy process, scientists can make their work more “policy relevant.” Using the Terror Lake hydro project in Alaska as a guide, three lessons are discussed: (1) not all problems are able to be solved with technology; (2) policy-relevant technology is rarely imposed on a problem; and (3) the scientist need not just react to the policy process, but can have an impact on how that process unfolds.     

Riparian buffers and potentially unstable ground

The spatial coincidence between riparian buffers of various widths and extents and potentially unstable ground was quantified using a physically based model for shallow landslide initiation and GIS for two watersheds on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA. The proportion of the potentially unstable ground in each watershed within riparian buffers is a function of both buffer width and the extent of the stream channel network being buffered. While current buffers required by Washington State cover less than 5% of the potentially unstable ground, buffering all stream channels in these watersheds with 100-m buffers covered 75%–90% of the potentially unstable areas. Our analyses further show that: (1) riparian buffers are not efficient mechanisms for protecting potentially unstable ground, and (2) identifying potentially unstable ground using a physically based model should prove more effective for designing methods to reduce shallow landsliding hazards than relying on extensive buffer zones along stream channels.