EROSIONAL POTENTIAL OF STREAMS IN URBANIZING AREAS1

ABSTRACT: In urbanizing areas, the usual increase in flood flows also increases erosional capability of streams. In order to evaluate such tendencies quantitatively, 25 stream reaches were studied, and were classified as to whether erosion of the channel and banks was light, medium, or heavy. Analysis of characteristics indicated that (1) densely developed areas are correlated with greater erosion, (2) wide stream buffers of natural vegetation are correlated with lesser erosion, and (3) there is no definite correlation of erosion to slope or characteristics of soil. Erosional stream instability can be avoided by retention of storm water runoff, creating additional channel roughness or reducing channel slope during floods by drop structures, such as culverts, which restrict flow. Channel straightening and general bank protection should be minimized in such streams. Design of culverts should take such effects into consideration.     

WATER RIGHTS,EMINENT DOMAIN,AND THE PUBLIC TRUST1

ABSTRACT: Faced with the necessity of meeting growing municipal water requirements in areas where available supplies are completely allocated, numerous cities throughout the West are turning to their eminent domain powers to affect a reallocation of water from less preferred uses to municipal uses, thus bringing about a sharp conflict with agricultural interests. As a basis for discussing these eminent domain powers, this paper begins with a brief review of the development of property rights. The existence of both private and public (social) rights in the “bundle of rights” is noted. In recent years the Public Trust Doctrine has been used to limit private rights in property, and to protect and strengthen social rights. A case study which focuses on a conflict between individual and social interests in water rights is discussed. This case involves the City of Thorton, Colorado which initiated municipal condemnation proceedings to acquire the water rights and structures of two nearby irrigation companies. The case represents an attempt to incorporate the spirit of the Public Trust Doctrine into legislation which sets forth procedures for resolution of similar water rights conflicts that will inevitably become more numerous throughout the West in the future.     

FEASIBILITY OF INTERBASIN WATER TRANSFER1

ABSTRACT: Interbasin water transfer is one of the most controversial water-resources-planning topics. Local communities, particularly those from which the water is to be taken (donor regions), generate enough opposition to doom many projects to failure. The opposition often arises because planners have traditionally considered excess water a free commodity rather than a marketable resource. To make transfer schemes mutually acceptable to donor and recipient regions, visible benefits must be offered. Agreement must be made on an acceptable purchase price and/or on other benefits such as a substantial amount of low flow augmentation or possibly some degree of flood control on the donor source stream. The hydrologic and economic feasibility of water transfer from the East Susquehanna River basin to the Delaware Reservoir System for supplemental supply to the New York City area was investigated. Nine alternative schemes for diversions up to 400 cfs and compensations in the form of low flow augmentation and/or flood control were considered resulting in unit costs to the recipient region between $90 and $380/mg. If only the minimum state-mandated flow is released to the Susquehanna River, the savings to the water recipients would be sufficient to pay a purchase price of about $21/mg, which would be equivalent to a total amount of $420,000/year for an average export of 100 cfs.     

陕西关中渭北地区村镇建筑防火现状调查与分析

根据相关统计，农村地区建筑面临与城市地区同样的火灾风险。为了农村地区人民生命财产安全，预防火灾，从村镇规划及布局、消防设施及人员消防意识、户舍基本情况调查入手，对陕西关中渭北地区村镇建筑防火现状进行调查与分析。根据调查结果，发现该地区村镇建筑防火条件薄弱，与相关规范差距很大，人员消防意识淡薄，缺乏相关立法规范村镇消防责任制，相关防火规范不完善，应该引起各方对农村防火的高度重视。     

隧道排污量估算与治污效果预测

通过隧道排污量和排污效果的简单分析，指出了其排污治理过程中应注意的有关事项，如进 行人口控制，改善居民的生活方式，提高环境保护意识和治理技术等，所述分析方法可供其它类似 工程参考。     

循环经济的范式研究

发展循环经济是落实科学发展观、实现经济增长方式根本性转变的重要途径。借鉴“范式”理论探讨和研究了循环经济范式替代末端治理范式的变革：①自然资源的价值得到重估。循环经济范式中将自然资源列为最重要的资源形式。认为它是人类社会最大的资源储备，提高资源生产率是解决环境问题的关键。②不同生态伦理得到整合、提升。循环经济的生态伦理基础强调“生态价值”的全面回归．主张在生产领域和消费领域向生态化转向，承认“生态位”的存在和尊重自然权利。它既包含了现代人类中心主义、生命中心主义和生态中心主义兰种生态伦理追求人类道德完善的合理成分。又补充了各自其不完善的方面o③生态阈值的研究得到深化。循环经济范式的基本前提之一是认为生态阈值是客观存在的。强调在生态阈值的范围内合理利用自然资源．从原来的仅对人力生产率的重视转向在根本上提高资源生产率。在尊重自然的基础上切实有力地保护生态系统的自组织能力。实现经济发展和环境保护的目的。④深层生态学的研究得到加强。循环经济范式是一种深层生态学。符合天人调谐的理念。它不仅强调技术进步．而且将制度、体制、管理、文化等因素通盘考虑，注重观念创新和生产、消费方式的变革．树立了人与自然和谐发展的价值观念。     

Conservation Easements: Biodiversity Protection and Private Use

Abstract:  Conservation easements are one of the primary tools for conserving biodiversity on private land. Despite their increasing use, little quantitative data are available on what species and habitats conservation easements aim to protect, how much structural development they allow, or what types of land use they commonly permit. To address these knowledge gaps, we surveyed staff responsible for 119 conservation easements established by the largest nonprofit easement holder, The Nature Conservancy, between 1985 and 2004. Most easements (80%) aimed to provide core habitat to protect species or communities on-site, and nearly all were designed to reduce development. Conservation easements also allowed for a wide range of private uses, which may result in additional fragmentation and habitat disturbance. Some residential or commercial use, new structures, or subdivision of the property were permitted on 85% of sampled conservation easements. Over half (56%) allowed some additional buildings, of which 60% restricted structure size or building area. Working landscape easements with ranching, forestry, or farming made up nearly half (46%) of the easement properties sampled and were more likely than easements without these uses to be designated as buffers to enhance biodiversity in the surrounding area. Our results demonstrate the need for clear restrictions on building and subdivision in easements, research on the compatibility of private uses on easement land, and greater public understanding of the trade-offs implicit in the use of conservation easements for biodiversity conservation.     

Plant cover synanthropization in the pechora-Ilych biosphere reserve along an altitudinal gradient

Trends in plant cover synanthropization along a plain-foothills-mountains gradient have been revealed in the reserve. Characteristics of plant communities in anthropogenically disturbed habitats, centers of concentration of anthropophytes and apophytes, and pathways of their migration are described.     

生态脆弱区榆林三维生态足迹动态变化及其驱动因素

榆林能源丰富但生态脆弱,是生态工程的重点实施区域。分析榆林自然资本存量及流量的利用状况,有利于揭示自然资本占用的成因、探讨生态脆弱区环境保护与经济社会可持续发展的问题。在测算榆林2005—2014年人均生态足迹、人均生态承载力、生态压力指数等的基础上,以足迹深度和广度描述了自然资本存量消耗与流量占用的变化关系,并以偏最小二乘法分析了驱动生态足迹变化的因素。结果显示：10 a来榆林人均生态赤字增长幅度为274.18%,其中,能源消耗账户贡献率最高;人均生态承载力增加了61.81%,体现出生态建设的正向作用。榆林对资本存量消耗的速度大于资本流量占用的速度。影响生态足迹变化的显著因素是经济增长和社会消费。这些结论不仅对榆林自然资本利用与经济协调发展具有参考意义,而且对生态脆弱区核算自然资本、探讨生态系统与经济社会系统间的关系有一定的学术价值。     

Alternative treatments for the municipal solid waste and domestic sewage in Campinas,Brazil

The treatments of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the domestic sewage (DS) are critical issues of the current political and environment discussions. These concerns are due to the lack of dumping areas, the continuous increase of the population, and public health issues. The adequate treatment and management of MSW and DS can produce many benefits such as financial funds, heat and energy production, reduction of emissions and recuperation of water for reuse. Currently in Campinas MSW and DS are deposited in landfills or discharged into rivers and other sites. In the present study two scenarios are evaluated for the treatment of MSW and DS in Campinas: recycling with biological treatment and recycling with thermal treatment. The most suitable treatments for Campinas, based on the data from the present analysis and taking into consideration the local conditions, maximization of energy potential and environmental benefits, are incineration for the MSW and biological treatment for DS, both with energy recuperation. The main gains of this option are substantial environmental benefits, generated energy which can reach 18% of the total electrical energy consumed in Campinas while about 53% recuperation of the total amount of water treated for Campinas in 2010.