Sydney tar ponds: some problems in quantifying toxic waste

Information on the type and amount of hazardous and toxic waste is required to develop a meaningful strategy and estimate a realistic cost for clean up of the Sydney Tar Pond site which is located on Cape Breton, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The site covers the area of the decommissioned Sysco (Sydney Steel Corporation) plant. The materials of concern include BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes), PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl), and particulates laden with toxic metals, such as arsenic, lead, and others. The originally nontoxic materials such as soil, blast furnace slag, and vegetation, as well as surface and ground waters, which were subsequently contaminated, must also be included if they fail tests prescribed by environmental regulations. An extensive sampling program must be undertaken to obtain data for an accurate estimate of the waste to be cleaned and disposed of. Apparently, 700,000 tons of toxic waste, which is believed to be present on the site, may represent only a fraction of the actual amount. The clean-up of the site is only part of the solution. Toxic waste has to be disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations.     

SIZING SMALL STORMWATER PUMP STATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Design of a stormwater pump station is a complicated procedure because of the large number of parameters that are involved. Even the most basic pump station serving a small catchment requires a computationally intensive iterative evaluation. However, the design problem consists primarily of finding the combination of temporary storage and pump capacity that accommodates runoff of the selected recurrence interval for the least cost. A procedure is developed for rapidly obtaining the needed relation between storage volume and discharge for small pump stations where a constant outflow can be assumed and the inflow hydro-graph can be represented using the modified rational method with rainfall given by a widely-used intensity-duration equation. Accepting the limitations of the modified rational method and the simplifications applied to pump station operation, the procedure provides an uncomplicated way of rapidly finding the stormwater runoff volume that needs to be temporarily stored for given values of pump discharge and activation water level (or, equivalently, activation storage volume). Ultimate determination of temporary runoff storage will depend on an economic analysis of the trade-off between storage volume and pump capacity.     

STORMWATER DETENTION BASINS AND RESIDENTIAL LOCATIONAL DECISIONS1

ABSTRACT: Residents of seven subdivisions with wet and dry stormwater basins were questioned about the role the basin played in their decision to purchase their home. They were asked to estimate the impact of such basins on the image of residential developments and on lot values. Respondents believed that wet basins contributed positively to subdivision image and that lots in developments with wet basins were more valuable than comparable lots in dry basin subdivisions. Lots adjacent to wet basins were perceived as the most valuable, while those adjacent to dry basins were considered the least valuable.     

WATER CHEMISTRY OF NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS STRIP MINE AND LIVESTOCK WATER IMPOUNDMENTS1

The water from 34 strip mine and 9 livestock water impoundments on the Northern Great Plains was analyzed. In all areas the water was classified as slightly brackish or saline. The dominant ion sequence for the study ponds was Na>Ca>Mg>K and SO₄HCO₃CO₃Cl, which differs from most freshwater by the transposition of Na and SO₄. Even though mean concentrations of total filterable residue were consistently greater in strip mine ponds, statistically significant differences were not found at the p ≤ 0.05 level between strip ponds and livestock ponds. The macronutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus found in the ponds were neither limiting to primary productivity nor excessive for fresh water. Many ponds contain turbid water. Turbidity restricts light penetration and limits photosynthesis besides making the ponds visually unattractive. The source of water for the pond, whether surface runoff or groundwater, seems to have important bearing on turbidity. The most appropriate use of these strip mine ponds is for waterfowl, warm-water fisheries, and other wildlife associated with prairie wetlands. However, even these uses are jeopardized by detrimental concentrations of trace elements in the water (Anderson and Hawkes, 1984).     

Disaster Management for Nandira Watershed District Angul (Orissa) India, Using Temporal Remote Sensing Data and Gis

NALCO – the largest exporter of aluminium in India has a power plant of 720 MW capacity in Nandira watershed in Angul district of Orissa. The power plant utilises local coal to generate thermal power and disposes of large amount of ash which accumulates in slurry form at nearby two ash ponds. These ash ponds were breached on 31 December 2000, causing ash accumulation for entire regime of the Nandira river. An attempt has been made towards preparation of recovery and rehabilitation plan for NALCO using temporal Remote Sensing data and GIS. Indian remote sensing satellite data for pre-breach condition 12 December 2000, during breach event 31 December 2000 and post-breach condition 4 and 6 January 2001 has been digitally analysed for Nandira watershed. The satellite data of coarse spatial resolution provides the absence and presence of fresh sediment deposition along Nandira watershed and Brahmani river pertaining to pre-breach and post-breach conditions respectively on regional scales. The temporal comparison of fine resolution has clearly highlighted the aerial extent of damage caused by the disaster for entire watershed on local scales. The GIS has helped in demarcation of freshly accumulated ash at interval of 500 m along the river length as well as in delineation of maximum ash accumulation across the river width. The study has clearly demonstrated the use of temporal Remote Sensing data in conjunction with GIS for disaster management in terms of recovery and rehabilitation plan preparation of the Nandira watershed.     

不同绿地类型在城市中的滞尘作用研究

通过对在城市各种适宜的不同绿地类型对空气尘的阻滞作用研究，从而提供在城市绿化中不同功能区所采有各种不同绿地搭配，使之发挥出更好的作用。     

FECAL COLIFORM SOURCE ASSESSMENT IN A SMALL,MIXED LAND USE WATERSHED1

ABSTRACT: This study presents the results of fecal coliform (FC) sampling in the Rawls Creek, South Carolina, watershed during 1999 and 2000. The work was undertaken because the watershed is listed on the 303(d) list for South Carolina due to FC excursions. The watershed is 43.8 percent residential, 35 percent forest, 5.7 percent mixed urban, 4.9 percent commercial, and 4.8 percent agriculture. Samples were taken at 15 stations during eight field trips divided into two phases to characterize FC inputs from subbasins and to integrate results from upstream sampling. FC concentrations ranged from 135 to 730 colonies/100 ml. Results suggest that retention ponds in the area are a significant factor in attenuation of FC concentrations. Catchments with the largest contiguous impervious areas are the greatest source of FC. The highest concentrations of FC were observed at stations just downstream from a large detention basin that intercepts storm runoff from a large commercial area. Further analysis of the design and performance of that structure is suggested. The Koon Branch tributary is less than 20 percent of the land area in the watershed but may contribute 40 percent of the fecal loading. The results of this study confirm the importance of site assessments to aid understanding of nonpoint source pollution in complex watersheds.     

盐碱池塘底栖动物的初步研究

研究了不同放养模式的高青盐碱池塘底栖动物的种类组成、生物量及其季节变动。结果表明,盐碱池塘底栖动物群落结构简单,主要优势种是羽摇蚊幼虫和奥特开水丝蚓,底栖动物密度和生物量无鱼对照池比养鱼池高得多,平均密度（nar/m^-2）和生物量（ρA/g m^-2）分别为1103（40－2085）m^-2和4.61(0.15-12.91)g m^-2,养地池底栖动物nar/m^-2和ρA/g m^-2分别为54－161m^-1和0.14-0.54g m^-2。底栖动物密度和生物量在春夏之交有一高峰,对盐碱池塘底栖动物种、量特点及其与鱼类捕食和一些生态因子的关系进行了讨论。     

Exploratory study of suspended sediment concentrations downstream of harvested peat bogs

Peat bog harvesting is an important industry in many countries, including Canada. To harvest peat, bogs are drained and drainage water is evacuated towards neighboring rivers, estuaries or coastal waters. High suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) were found in the drainage water at one particular site during the 2001–2002 spring seasons in New Brunswick (Canada). The main objective of this study was to verify this observation at other sites, compare SSC levels leaving harvested peat bogs with those leaving an unharvested bog, and to determine if high SSC events happen only in Spring or all year round. Suspended sediment concentrations were monitored downstream of three harvested peat bogs and an unharvested reference bog located in New Brunswick during the ice free seasons of 2003–2004. On average, SSC at the harvested sites exceeded 25 mg/l, which is the recommended daily maximum concentration, 72% of the time, while the same concentration was exceeded 30% of the time at the unharvested sites. SSC were found to be significantly higher at harvested sites than at the reference sites for all seasons. The highest SSC medians were recorded in the Fall but SSC was elevated in all seasons. High SSC levels in receiving waters may be caused by field ditching activities and insufficient sediment controls. Findings suggest the NB Peat Harvesting 25 mg/l SSC guideline should be reviewed.     

长江流域养殖池塘氮磷污染负荷估算

长江流域平原区水网密布、渔业发达,养殖池塘造成的氮磷污染问题突出,是河湖富营养化的重要污染源之一;从大空间尺度,精细化估算养殖池塘的氮磷污染负荷,对水污染的精准防控具有重要意义.以长江流域为研究区,依托Google Earth Engine遥感大数据平台,构建了基于机器学习算法的养殖池塘识别模型,精细化识别了长江流域养殖池塘的分布与类型;梳理养殖坑塘的氮磷污染研究案例,针对长江流域养殖坑塘的特征,构建氮磷污染负荷的估算方法,评估氮磷污染负荷的时空分布.研究结果表明：2021年,长江流域养殖池塘总面积为14567km²,包括鱼塘5820 km²、虾蟹塘8747 km²、氮磷排放量分别为95059、16224 t;中部地区的氮磷污染负荷最大,东部地区次之,西部地区最小.本研究是遥感大数据在大尺度污染负荷定量分析的尝试应用,方法适用于其它类型污染负荷的估算.