THE NATIONAL WATER COMMISSION REVISITED1

ABSTRACT: In 1973 the National Water Commission concluded its five-year study of national water policy by issuing a massive report containing over 200 recommendations for improvements in the way the Nation deals with its water resources. The Carter Administration is now engaged in another water policy review which incorporates many of the policies espoused by the National Water Commission. In this paper, presented at the 13th American Water Resources Conference in Tucson in November of 1977, the author describes the work of the National Water Commission and the actions taken on its recommendations.     

TRACE METALS IN SEDIMENT: SPATIAL TRENDS AND SORPTION PROCESSES1

ABSTRACT: Sediment bound trace metals are often examined for spatial trends such as downstream patterns or distance from a source. Spatial trends may indicate either differences in metal inputs, or, when considerable sediment variability exists, differences in sediment sorption processes. These two possibilities become important not only when sediment contamination is evaluated within an area, but also when regulatory agencies attempt to make equivalent among area decisions. Sediments from an urban watershed were examined for: (1) downstream trace metal trends and (2) sediment sorption relationships. Analyses determined that downstream trenda as related to metal inputs could not be recognized by analyzing the < 2mm (≤, sand) sediment size fraction. Conversely, the trace metal concentrations were found to be distinctly related to sediment characteristics. The watershed's metal concentrations are similar to those found in uncontaminated to slightly contaminated sediments in the United States.     

DROUGHT POLICY IN THE U.S. AND AUSTRALIA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS1

ABSTRACT: Federal and state governments in the United States and Australia have come to play a key role in attempts to mitigate the impact of drought. Government actions have usually taken the form of loans and grants to individual citizens, businesses and municipalities experiencing the hardship of drought. Most of these actions have occurred in an environment of crisis management, rather than as a result of clearly stated policy objectives. Based on a review and evaluation of recent drought policy in the United States and Australia, recommendations are offered on ways to improve the United States’approach. A national drought plan is suggested as an efficient mechanism through which these recommendations could be implemented. States should also become more actively involved in drought assessment and response, but these actions must be coordinated with federal actions.     

EFFECT OF WATER QUALITY STANDARDS ON FARM INCOME,RISK, AND NPS POLLUTION1

ABSTRACT: Enforceable standards play a crucial role in the design and implementation of most water quality policies. The impacts of these standards on farm income and nonpoint source (NPS) pollution can provide valuable information to develop economic policies that can improve water quality with minimal loss in income and minimal risk. This study uses an integration of nonlinear programming and a simulation model to assess the impacts of enforceable standards at technology and farm boundary levels. The results indicate that the type of pollutant regulated, enforcement type, and the level of standard had a significant impact on farm income and water quality. Choice of farm boundary standards over technology standards is dependent on the impact of the policy on other NPS pollutants, in addition to the reduction of nitrate and phosphorus pollutants. Enforcing farm boundary standards on nitrates had desirable effects on subsurface and percolate nitrogen and variance in income. Technology standards were uncertain in their effects because of the restriction on the choice of technologies available to farmers. A comparative policy analysis considering incentives, multiple impacts, transaction costs of implementation, and regional consideration is important to an effective policy design.     

控制温室效应的战略选择

尽管人类对温室效应和全球变化的认识还是很不充分的，但是继续拖延不采取措施是危险的，采取对抗温室效应和全球变化的措施是行不通的。只有在继续进行全球性科学研究的同时，积极寻求适应一定程度全球变化的措施，并立即着手减少温室气体的排放才是唯一明智的态度。化石能源是人类社会生存和发展的基础，既使用化石能源，又不排放二氧化碳是不可能是。首要的任务是减少化石能源的使用。     

CHANGING THE APPROPRIATION DOCTRINE UNDER THE MODEL STATE WATER CODE1

ABSTRACT: The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Model State Water Code provides suggested statutory language and commentary helpful in guiding western water law reform. Departing from the past preference for stream diversions and consumptive uses, the code is sensitive to the public's interest in maintaining environmental quality. The traditional doctrine protected inefficient uses and in some states hampered transfers. The model code addresses these issues as well as advocating integrated manage. meat and water resource planning. The debate on how to reform water law has already started, and the model code provides material useful in the reform process. Even with the current draft code, a few gaps exist for later resolution.     

Integrating climate change adaptation into Dutch local policies and the role of contextual factors

Moving towards a more sustainable adaptation process requires closer integration of policies related to the environment. An important actor in this is the local government. This paper examines to what extend adaptation is currently being integrated into Dutch local policies, and what the role is of a municipality's size, risk and experience in the encountered manifestations of adaptation. First, it was determined that adaptations taking place only anticipate currently perceivable weather extremes – mostly increasing precipitation. Second, it was determined that the realisation of further adaptations is hindered by a strongly sectoral divided reality. Adaptation is now heavily dominated by the water department, while spatial planning and the environment are only limitedly involved. Finally, it was observed that the contextual factor size proved to most important for horizontal policy integration, whereas the contextual factor extreme-weather experience was the most definite for the realisation of adaptations. We conclude that a more sustainable adaptation should first tackle the sectoral divides which requires administrative efforts, for example, professional training. These would preferably be initiated from a vertical direction.     

人工湿地处理系统的运行管理与维护

人工湿地作为一种新型的处理技术,在水环境保护中具有重要的意义和广阔的应用前最。随着人工湿地处理工程数量的增多,迫切地需要建立科学的管理制度和维护方法,以充分发挥其美化水环境和提升人文环境的双重作用。本文对人工湿地处理系统中水位控制、进出水装置维护、护堤维护、植物管理、气味控制、蚊蝇控制和野生动物管理等方面进行了分析探讨,系统论述了人工湿地处理系统在运行管理和维护中需要考虑的主要事项。对将来建立完善的人工湿地处理系统的管理体系具有一定的借鉴意义。     

USE OF THE DELPHI METHOD IN RESOLVING COMPLEX WATER RESOURCES ISSUES1

ABSTRACT: The tri‐state river basins, shared by Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, are being modeled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help facilitate agreement in an acrimonious water dispute among these different state governments. Modeling of such basin reservoir operations requires parallel understanding of several river system components: hydropower production, flood control, municipal and industrial water use, navigation, and reservoir fisheries requirements. The Delphi method, using repetitive surveying of experts, was applied to determine fisheries' water and lake‐level requirements on 25 reservoirs in these interstate basins. The Delphi technique allowed the needs and requirements of fish populations to be brought into the modeling effort on equal footing with other water supply and demand components. When the subject matter is concisely defined and limited, this technique can rapidly assess expert opinion on any natural resource issue, and even move expert opinion toward greater agreement.     

National minerals policies and stakeholder participation for broad-based development in the southern African development community (SADC)

This paper explains how the well-accepted concept of improved stakeholder participation during mineral policy development leads to a national mineral policy that accommodates the diverging views and interests that allows wide acceptance of decisions, enhancing the success of implementation and, ultimately, national benefits. This process is based on lessons learnt during the South African experience and has been successfully applied in the development of the Namibian and Malawian national minerals policies. An effective policy in the SADC will engineer the delicate balance between poverty reduction and an internationally competitive minerals sector. This balance enhances the possibility of long-term economic growth and development in the SADC region. The overriding advantage of this strategy is that it generates ‘home-grown’ policy instruments and implementation of mineral law with which stakeholders can identify. This process presents a new challenge to traditional policy formulation strategies in emerging economies and the bottom-up approach, linked to wide political support, allows the potential realisation of national objectives.