FLOOD CONTROL STORAGE ALLOCATIONS BY LINEAR PROGRAMMING1

ABSTRACT. The setting of rule curves for reservoirs or lakes operation requires balancing the flood control storages reserved against the storage requirements for various conservation uses. In this study, a linear programming model is developed to perform single purpose analysis that minimizes flood damages of a multi-lake river system under various initial and input conditions. A flood control utility measure function is arrived from the resulting analysis, and the inclusion of the function in conservation analysis could provide the total functional analysis. The river-system transition function involving time-lags of short duration is described. The function constitutes the basis for the optimization model, and also provides the transformation to reduce significantly the size of the problem. The application to a critical subsystem in the Oswego River System is reported.     

DESALTING SALINE WATER FOR IRRIGATION A CASE STUDY,COACHELLA AREA,CALIFORNIA1

ABSTRACT .A case study was performed to evaluate potential applications of desalted saline water for agriculture using 2 distillation type processes and 2 membrane type processes. The investigation determined the costs and benefits associated with desalting saline water at concentrations of 1,500, 900, 400, 200, and 50 ppm. Benefits from desalting are generated by shifts to more profitable crops, reduced costs for drainage, and reduction in fertilizer and labor requirements with better quality water. Costs are based on the project features such as desalting plants, raw water diversion facilities, storage reservoirs, conveyance and distribution systems, brine disposal, blending facilities, and gypsum addition systems. Hydrologic studies determined the crop irrigation requirements, water demand schedules, desalted water storage requirements, brine disposal requirements, and size of facilities required. Reconnaissance design layouts were made for producing desalted water using a combination of 14 schemes. The study also included a review of irrigation practices. The benefit-cost ratios range from 0.4 to 1.0 for 1,500 ppm irrigation water to 0.8 to 1.0 for 50 and 200 ppm water. Investment costs per acre are high, ranging from $12,900 to $20,900. Irrigation benefits are based on the increase in production from a desert condition with no water supply to the irrigation conditions studied.     

STABLE PROFILES OF PLUNGE BASINS1

The characteristics of scour holes were discussed including the problems created by them in relation to the hydraulic structures associated with their formation. The philosophy on the design and use of deflector buckets together with the need for plunge basins to dissipate the energy of the high velocity jets were reviewed. Laboratory observations were made to study the erosion of beds of gravel caused by water jets projected from spillway buckets. Flip buckets with 15, 30, 45 and 60 degrees exit angles were utilized. One-quarter inch and %-inch nominal size bed materials were used in the investigation. The gravel was placed in a large comprehensive scour basin to observe their behavior when subjected to the water jets. Besides the formula derived for the maximum depth of scour, a set of dimensionless equations were developed to describe the three-dimensional configuration of scour holes. The dimensions of stable plunge basins could be obtained from these profiles.     

Electricity consumption and economic growth nexus in Zimbabwe revisited: fresh evidence from Maki cointegration

This study explores the relationship between electricity consumption, real gross domestic product per capita and carbon dioxide emissions in Zimbabwe. To achieve this, the study set off by examining the stationarity properties of the variables under review with the Zivot-Andrews (1992 Zivot, E., and D.W.K. Andrews. 1992. Further evidence on the great crash, the oil-price shock, and the unit-root hypothesis. Journal Of Business and Economic Statistics 10:251-270. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1391541.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) unit root test that accounts for a single structural break. Subsequently, Maki (2012 Maki, Daiki. 2012. “Tests for Cointegration Allowing for an Unknown Number of Breaks.” Economic Modelling 29 (5): 2011–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECONMOD.2012.04.022 [Google Scholar]) cointegration test, which accounts for multiple structural breaks, is applied for equilibrium relationship between the variables under review while the long run regression of dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) is employed for long-run coefficients as estimation procedures. In order to account for the direction of causality flow, the Toda-Yamamoto (1995 Toda, H Y.., and Taku Yamamoto. 1995. Statistical inference in vector autoregressions with possibly integrated processes. Journal Of Econometrics 66 (1–2):225–50. doi: 10.1016/0304-4076(94)01616-8.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) causality test is used for annual frequency data set spanning from 1971–2014. Empirical evidence from the Maki cointegration test shows that there exists a long-run equilibrium relationship between electricity consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and real gross domestic product per capita over the sampled period. The long-run regression suggests that there exist a positive statistically significant relationship between real income and electricity consumption. Thus, corroborating the electricity-led growth hypothesis. This result is supported by the causality test, as one-way causality is observed running from electricity consumption to real gross domestic product. Thus, this is suggestive to government administrators and policymakers that the Zimbabwean economy is electricity dependent. However, there is a tradeoff for environmental quality. As the increase in electricity consumption increases carbon dioxide emissions. The need for diversification of Zimbabwe energy portfolio to cleaner and environmentally friendly energy sources is recommended, given the world global consciousness for cleaner energy consumption.     

Assessing Ecological Resources for Remediation and Future Land Uses on Contaminated Lands

Increasingly, the public and governmental agencies are concerned about remediating and reclaiming contaminated sites. Understanding the ecological resources on-site and valuing those resources in terms of future uses is important for determining suitable future land uses. In this article, we suggest the major categories of natural resource information required by managers, policy makers, and the general public for making initial future land-use determinations. We then use a dataset of 25 Department of Energy (DOE) sites slated for remediation to explore whether such data are readily available and whether the data can be used to assess natural resource value. Although information is available for almost all sites on federally endangered and threatened species, this information is less available for state-listed species. Biodiversity information is available only for some sites for birds (N = 17), mammals (N = 15), reptiles (N = 14), amphibians (N = 13), and plants (N = 11) and is almost nonexistent for invertebrates (N = 2). Some information is available for invasive species (N = 9). The number of available habitats is directly related to total acres and nonindustrial acres. Biodiversity of birds, mammals, and reptiles (but not amphibians) is directly related to both total acres and total nonindustrial acres of sites. These data suggest that even over a wide geographical area (from eastern to western United States), biodiversity relates to habitat size and number of habitats available. This information will be useful not only to DOE managers but also to natural resource trustees, ecologists, state and federal regulators, and the general public in the discourse over future uses of these lands.*Published online Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; Joanna Burger     

Understanding Fish Behavior,Distribution, and Survival in Thermal Effluents Using Fixed Telemetry Arrays: A Case Study of Smallmouth Bass in a Discharge Canal During Winter

Advances in telemetry have facilitated the continuous monitoring of fish position and movement. At present, there are few examples where this approach has been applied to environmental monitoring or assessment. Here we 1) present a case study that used a fixed antenna array and continuously scanning coded receiving system to monitor the movement of radio-tagged smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in a thermal discharge canal on Lake Erie during the winter of 1998/1999, and 2) evaluate the use of fixed telemetry arrays for environmental monitoring. Although the number of radiotagged bass in the canal decreased gradually over time, fish spent the majority of the winter in the canal. When in the canal, bass selected areas upstream of the tempering pumps where water was the warmest. This region was also high in habitat complexity, had adequate velocity refuges, and abundant forage. Despite residing in the thermal effluent throughout the winter, none of the fish monitored were observed to participate in reproductive activities in the canal in the Spring. Interestingly, during a biofouling chlorination pulse in May, 50% of radiotagged fish still residing in the canal left and did not return during the monitoring period. Utility infrastructure accessible to fish, including thermal effluents, should be considered as fish habitat and managed accordingly to minimize mortality and sublethal effects on resident and transient fish. Fixed telemetry arrays that permit the continuous monitoring of fish behavior as described in this paper are widely applicable to many issues in environmental management, monitoring, and conservation.     

Indicators for sustainable energy development: Brazil's case study

This article summarizes the results of the project on indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED) in Brazil. The project's aim was to present energy related economic, social and environmental data to policy makers in a coherent and consistent form, showing interlinkages, time‐series and cross‐sectoral analyses and assess energy policy. Two priority areas assessed by these indicators, regarding the country's energy supply and demand, helped in the identification of a number of energy policy options that focused on specific aspects of the country's energy sector. On the supply side, these options include the development and stimulation of renewable energy, such as small‐scale hydroelectric, wind, solar photovoltaic power and bagasse cogeneration; stimulation of programmes for ethanol use as automotive fuel and sugarcane bagasse cogeneration; and implementation of natural gas‐fired, combined heat and power (CHP) plants. On the demand side, policy options include: the full implementation of the law on efficiency standards for appliances; expansion of utility investment in end‐use energy efficiency; adoption of targets and protocols to reduce energy intensity in the industrial sector; improvement of passenger transport efficiency; and the creation of a fund to improve energy affordability for the poor.     

Indicators for sustainable energy development in Mexico

This article presents a summary of a study on the application to the Mexican energy sector of a core set of indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED), developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The study focused on the elaboration of socio‐economic and environmental indicators related to energy production and use, and was aimed at assessing Mexico's existing energy policies and identifying strategies and possible policies that could bring about improvements in major priority areas: energy intensity, atmospheric emissions, energy import dependency and use of renewables. While positive trends have been observed in relation to energy intensity and atmospheric emissions, Mexico is becoming more dependent on imports of gasoline, natural gas and other high‐value secondary energy sources, while exporting significant amounts of primary fuels, such as crude oil. Also, no significant increase has been observed in the use of renewable sources of energy. Social, economic and environmental policies need to be formulated for the energy sector and related investments (public and private) reinforced so that all economic sectors have access to energy from cleaner and more diverse sources.     

Monitoring the sustainability of Russia's energy development

This article presents an assessment of Russia's energy sector, its current state and planned future direction. The analysis of Russia's energy trends is based on a set of indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED), developed under the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The article discusses Russia's Energy Strategy to 2020, and outlines major developments and challenges of the country's energy system. Russia's energy priorities, captured in the Strategy to 2020, emphasize securing a stable and uninterrupted energy supply; reducing energy intensity and improving energy efficiency; developing the domestic energy resource base; reducing negative environmental impacts; and ensuring affordable energy for the poorer segments of the population. Energy needs and challenges are discussed in relation to the three aspects of sustainability as defined in Agenda 21: economic, social and environmental. Concerns are expressed regarding environmental repercussions of energy development, in particular since Russia's 1998 economic rebound. There are also concerns, despite the economic recovery, that anticipated increases in energy tariffs may exceed the affordability of poorer segments of the population.     

提高垃圾焚烧电厂热能利用效率的几个途径

采用能量分析的方法,从几个侧面对垃圾焚烧发电厂热能利用效率低下的原因进行分析,提出了解决垃圾焚烧发电厂热能利用效率的途径:选择合适的炉型,降低散热损失以提高锅炉效率;对进厂垃圾进行堆酵以沥出其中水分,提高入炉垃圾低位热值;提高锅炉出口蒸汽参数,采用回热循环等措施增加蒸汽的可用能,提高系统发电效率。