USING MARYLAND'S STREAM CORRIDOR ASSESSMENT SURVEY TO PRIORITIZE WATERSHED RESTORATION EFFORTS1

ABSTRACT: The Stream Corridor Assessment survey has been developed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a watershed management tool to identify environmental problems and to help prioritize restoration opportunities on a watershed basis. Potential environmental problems commonly identified during the survey include: stream channel alterations, excessive bank erosion, exposed pipes, inadequate stream buffers, fish migration blockages, trash dumping sites, near stream construction, pipe outfalls, and unusual conditions. In addition, the survey records information on the location of potential wetlands creation sites and collects data on the general condition of instream and riparian habitats. Over the past several years, in collaboration with the Maryland Conservation Corps, watershed associations, and local governments, more than 3,293 km (2,046 miles) of Maryland streams have been surveyed. Overall, the survey has proven to be a cost effective starting point for many watershed restoration efforts.     

Socioeconomic and Institutional Dimensions of Dam Removals: The Wisconsin Experience

/ There are tens of thousands of small dams in the United States; many of these aging structures are deteriorating. Governments and dam owners face decisions regarding repair or removal of these structures. Along with the many benefits society derives from dams and their impoundments, numerous recent ecological studies are revealing the extensive alteration and degradation of river ecosystems by dams. Dam removal-a principal restoration strategy-is an infrequent event. The major reasons for removal have been public safety and the high costs associated with repair; the goal of river ecosystem restoration now warrants greater attention. Substantial study is being given to the environmental aspects of dams and dam removals, but very little attention has been given to the socioeconomic and institutional dimensions associated with the removal of dams, although these factors play a significant role in the removal decision-making process. Based on a case study of dam removals in Wisconsin-where more than 30 of the state's 3600 small dams have been removed in the past few decades-legal, financial, and socioeconomic issues associated with dam removal are documented and assessed. Dam removal has been complex and contentious, with limited community-based support for removal and loss of the impounded waters. In cases examined here, the estimated costs of repairing a dam averaged more than three times the cost of removal. The availability of governmental financing has been a key determinant in removal decisions. Watershed-scale ecological considerations are not major factors for most local interests. As watershed management and restoration increasingly include dam removal options as part of an integrated strategy, more attention will need to be focused on socioeconomic factors and stakeholder perspectives-variables that strongly influence the viability of this management alternative.KEY WORDS: Dam removal; River restoration; Institutions; Stakeholders     

Environmental factors affecting growth of grasses,herbs and woody plants on a sanitary landfill

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大姚县生态修复试点工程的实施现状与问题

生态修复试点工程力争3年综合治理水土流失面积16293 1hm2,治理程度达94 4%,年平均侵蚀模数下降到877 2t/hm2,完成林草措施面积16094 7hm2,植被覆盖率达84 1%。并针对存在的问题提出了相应的解决方法及建议。     

Ecological rebuilding and land reclamation in surface mines inShanxi Province, China

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缺水地区煤化工项目污水用于荒地浇灌的可行性及关注点探讨

随着国家能源开发西移战略实施，内蒙古构筑我国重要能源重化工基地成为内蒙古自治区十一五规划的主要内容之一。因此，内蒙古自治区得天独厚的煤炭储量以及相对丰富的土地资源使得煤化工项目在内蒙古自治区得到了前所未有的发展。同时内蒙古自治区匮乏的水资源和煤化工污水排放的最终去向亦成为严重制约大型煤化工项目建设的瓶颈。 通过这几年做煤化工项目环评我有以下体会，即一般煤化工项目特别是大型煤化工项目的工艺路线和设备的选择均为国际或国内成熟技术，而制约煤化工项目建设的主要问题是外部依托条件，如：原料来源及产品贮运路线、水源供给、废渣填埋场、污水最终去向等。 本文拟通过已完成并通过国家环保总局评审的一个大型煤化工项目的污水去向的设计为例，针对大型煤化工项目在西部缺水地区的污水最终去向如何处理以及其需特别关注的方面和老师及同行进行交流并探讨。 该项目的污水在深度处理后排入净化库后经氧和沉淀后对项目区域周边的荒地进行冬储夏灌，用于生态建设用水，不向外环境排放。荒地种植景观生态林。灌木以及植被等。     

Impact of Man’s Activities on a Closed Fishing-Lake,Lake Maryout in Egypt,as a Case Study

Lake Maryout is an important fishing lake lining Alexandria City, Egypt at its southern side. It has no direct connection with the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the landed fish come from its Main Basin (one of the lakes four sub-basins). This basin, area 6000 acres, since the sixties of the last century is suffering from pollution as it receives untreated sewage and industrial effluents from Alexandria City at four hot spots, distributed along the coasts of its eastern half. This has led to a noticeable decline with time in the quantity and quality of the fish catch and to subsequent social and economic problems to the fishermen. In a solution for these problems the government has erected two treatment plants in 1993 to primary treat these waste effluents before discharging into this Main Basin at only two sites. One at a (an old) site lies at its southeast side where one of the plants discharges is indirectly reaching the lake via an agricultural drain while the other plant discharge is directly flowing at a new site lies at the lake northwest side. Obviously the other three old hot spots are completely blocked. Water (on monthly basis) and sediment samples were collected from the Main Basin as well as from the other basins of the lake to study the state of the water quality and level of some priority metal pollutants in addition to organic carbon (org-C) in the sediments of the lake after the erection of the two treatment plants. The results reveal that the water at the (north) eastern side of the Main Basin gets improvement while that in front of the new site at its northwest side becomes polluted and its sediments become enriched with the studied metals (Ag, As, Sb, Cr, Hg, Ni, (Pb), Cd, Zn and Cu). The enrichment was more noticeable for the (spoiled) sediments in front of all the old hot spots in addition to those off the new source. Also, this basin as a whole still shows remarkable high levels of sewage indicating elements including nutrients, organic carbon, fecal coliform, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) simultaneously with noticeable low levels of total dissolved solids and dissolved oxygen relative to the other lake basins. The last basins are in healthy conditions as they only fed with agricultural drainage waters free from the treatment plants effluents. The elevated concentrations particularly for the last six studied metals in the sediments are found to be at levels comparable to their corresponding of the median effect-range of Long and Morgan recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that may have possible effect on bottom fauna and other organisms (including edible fish) live in this polluted basin. This situation makes this important lake basin as a dangerous source for health-hazard fish. Suggested solutions are presented here for rehabilitation of the lake and its sediments. The most accepted ones by the government include diversion of the sources simultaneously with dredging of the spoiled sediments and advanced treatments of the effluents to reuse them for irrigation of reclaimed neighboring desert lands.     

基于生态安全格局的国土空间生态保护修复关键区域诊断与识别——以烟台市为例

山水林田湖草系统生态保护修复是维护国家生态安全的重要保障。当前国土空间生态保护修复研究缺乏从生态系统的完整性和结构连通性角度对国土空间生态保护修复关键区域进行诊断和识别。烟台市作为我国典型滨海城市,湿地退化,生境类型单一造成景观稳定性差,国土空间生态保护修复刻不容缓。为全面识别烟台市国土空间生态保护修复关键区域,利用生境质量模型、生境风险评估模型、粒度反推法、最小累积阻力模型和电路理论,通过构建区域生态安全格局,诊断生态“夹点”、生态障碍点、生态断裂点等,识别和确定研究区域的国土空间生态保护修复关键区域。研究发现：（1）烟台市生态源地共计668.85 km²,主要为林地、水域,源间廊道共计1548.36 km,呈现“两横两纵”的空间特征;（2）基于生态安全格局识别烟台生态保护修复关键区域,包括13处生态“夹点”区域、8处生态障碍点区域、39处生态断裂点区域、破碎生态空间1308.66 km²;（3）结合各类生态保护修复关键区域的空间分布特征、土地利用现状,分别提出修复提升方向。研究可为国土空间生态保护修复关键区域识别、生态系统整体修复提升提供科学指导。     

乡土植物在广梧高速公路生态绿化中的应用

绿化关系到高速公路的长期效益,是生态高速公路建设的重要内容。广梧高速公路的生态绿化,以利用乡土植物为原则,模拟自然生态系统的组成和结构,实现公路景观与周边自然景观的和谐统一。对广梧高速公路双凤至平台段的自然条件、植被类型及植物种类进行了全面调查,结果显示该地域共有维管束植物342种,隶属于95科244属,然后结合植物本身的生物学、生态学及生理学特征,从中筛选出适于本段高速公路两侧绿化带、边坡绿化的乡土植物53种;并根据沿线具体的生境条件,按照群落学的原则对其组合应用进行了设计。     

基于“要素-景观-系统”框架的江苏省长江沿线生态修复格局分析与对策

在当前中国生态文明建设和绿色发展征程中,实施尺度、要素、途径复合的国土空间生态修复是解决区域系统性生态问题的重要途径。针对江苏省长江沿线地区这一生态保护与经济发展矛盾突出区域,基于“要素-景观-系统”框架构建生态修复潜力评价体系,采用K-means聚类分析、Getis-Ord G_i^*热点分析等方法识别生态修复分区与热点,构建由点、线（带）、面组成的生态修复格局,提出生态管控与修复对策。研究结果表明：（1）生态修复具有多尺度性、对象复合性及途径多样性,在宏观、中观、微观尺度下具有不同的对象、目标与途径,并可以通过不同级别与类型规划进行衔接;（2）研究区要素层生态修复潜力平均值为0.460,空间分布呈“大分散、小集聚”的特征,景观层生态修复潜力热点区分布于环长江入海口区域,冷点区分布于扬泰平原区,根据系统层评价指标可将研究区划为5个聚类分区;（3）根据评价结果可以构建“五区、三带、两核心”生态修复总体格局,并在发展导向、空间管控策略、工程措施等方面提出生态修复对策。本文可为江苏省沿江区域生态修复规划编制、生态修复内涵与实施范式探索提供参考借鉴。