Minimizing contamination hazards to waterbirds using agricultural drainage evaporation ponds

In much of the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA, inadequate drainage of applied irrigation water and accumulating salts in the soil have necessitated the installation of subsurface tile drainage systems to preserve crop productivity. At present, these subsurface drainage waters are disposed of by means of evaporation ponds or discharges into the San Joaquin River. Unfortunately, most of these agricultural drainage waters contain high concentrations of salts and naturally occurring trace elements, such as selenium, and recent evidence indicates that substantial numbers of waterbirds are exposed to contamination by selenium in the evaporation ponds. In order to avoid, minimize, or mitigate the adverse impacts on wildlife using the ponds, alternative pond management methods must be identified and evaluated for implementation. A number of methods have the potential to be cost-effective in significantly reducing the contamination hazard to birds using agricultural evaporation ponds. Twenty general methods were evaluated in this study, and four methods are recommended for implementation: remove levee vegetation, remove windbreaks, deepen the ponds, and haze birds. A number of other methods are recommended for further consideration because they appear to have good prospects for reducing the contamination hazard: steepen interior levee slopes, apply herbicides and insecticides, place netting on pond shorelines, and provide freshwater habitat adjacent to evaporation ponds. It may be necessary to use a combination of methods to effectively control selenium contamination of aquatic birds because it is unlikely that a single affordable pond management method will be able to entirely eliminate the contamination hazard.     

环境中五氯酚监测研究进展

本文概述了五氯酚(PCP)的环境污染、人群暴露水平及目前有关监测方法研究进展。环境污染主要来源于本品的生产及工农业中的应用。在我国主要广泛用于杀灭血吸虫的中间宿主——钉螺。人体通过污染的空气、水体及食品可摄入PCP造成生物蓄积,危害健康。监测方法有化学法、紫外分光光度法、色谱法、极谱法、电化学检测法等,其中,色谱法简单、灵敏,易于普及使用。     

A regional environmental information system for analyzing and predicting the impacts of nonferrous mining on an agricultural environment

Mineral exploitation is a necessary component of China's economic development goals. Such exploitation brings with it the potential for serious environmental degradation. Careful environmental impact assessments of mining projects are required in order to implement China's environmental protection law and identify measures for protecting surrounding agricultural environments. This article describes an environmental information system that has been developed for the purpose of assisting with the environmental impact assessment of nonferrous mining operations with a particular focus on agricultural impacts. An application of the environmental information system to the Yongping copper mine, located in Jiangxi Province, is discussed. The role of the environmental information system is analyzing and predicting soil contamination from heavy metals and other types of impacts from this mining operation is described. The environmental information system is designed for implementation on an IBM PC/XT microcomputer. The experience gained from the Yongping copper mine application and the growing popularity of microcomputers in China indicate a significant potential for the effective use of a microcomputer-based environmental information system in other parts of China.     

PRESERVATION OF SAMPLES FOR DISSOLVED MERCURY1

ABSTRACT: Water samples for dissolved mercury require special treatment because of the high chemical mobility and volatility of this element. Widespread use of mercury and its compounds has provided many avenues for contamination of water. Two laboratory tests were done to determine the relative permeabilities of glass and plastic sample bottles to mercury vapor. Plastic containers were confirmed to be quite permeable to airborne mercury, glass containers were virtually impermeable. Methods of preservation include the use of various combinations of acids, oxidants, and complexing agents. The combination of nitric acid and potassium dichromate successfully preserved mercury in a large variety of concentrations and dissolved forms. Because this acid-oxidant preservative acts as a sink for airborne mercury and plastic containers are permeable to mercury vapor, glass bottles are preferred for sample collection. To maintain a healthy work environment and minimize the potential for contamination of water samples, mercury and its compounds are isolated from the atmosphere while in storage. Concurrently, a program to monitor environmental levels of mercury vapor in areas of potential contamination is needed to define the extent of mercury contamination and to assess the effectiveness of mercury clean-up procedures.     

THE BISCAYNE AQUIFER CONTAMINATION: CLEANUP AND PREVENTION1

ABSTRACT: The Biscayne Aquifer is the sole source of drinking water for approximately three million residents of southeast Florida. Nine hazardous waste sites on the EPA National Priority List overlie this aquifer. Extensive investigation of an 80 square-mile area in metropolitan Miami detected low to moderate levels of toxic contaminants in the ground water, with volatile organic chemicals the most prevalent. The Centers for Disease Control concluded that contamination of the aquifer within the study area poses a serious potential threat to public health. Recommendations for source control and cleanup have been partially carried out. The top few feet of soil at the Miami Drum site have been excavated and relocated; ground water encountered during excavation has been withdrawn and treated, and the Northwest 58th Street Landfill has been closed. Recovery and treatment of ground water from the contaminated area was the recommended cleanup measure and has been approved by EPA and state and local agencies. A preventive action program for the Biscayne Aquifer region was also recommended for implementation by local agencies. This program consists of regulations, waste management practices, construction and treatment guidelines, and public information activities and materials. Implementing this program will help keep the Biscayne Aquifer water drinkable far into the future.     

Sequential sampling: A cost-effective approach for monitoring benthic macroinvertebrates in environmental impact assessments

Sequential sampling is a method for monitoring benthic macroinvertebrates that can significantly reduce the number of samples required to reach a decision, and consequently, decrease the cost of benthic sampling in environmental impact assessments.Rather than depending on a fixed number of samples, this analysis cumulatively compares measured parameter values (for example, density, community diversity) from individual samples, with thresholds that are based on specified degrees of precision.In addition to reducing sample size, a monitoring program based on sequential sampling can provide clear-cut decisions as to whethera priori-defined changes in the measured parameter(s) have or have not occurred. As examples, sequential sampling programs have been developed to evaluate the impact of geothermal energy development on benthic macroinvertebrate diversity at The Geysers, California, and for monitoring the impact of crude oil contamination on chironomid midge [Cricotopus bicinctus (Meigen) andC. mackenziensis Oliver] population densities in the Trail River, Northwest Territories, Canada.     

污染地下水零价铁原位反应带修复技术:理论·应用·展望

ZVI-IRZ(零价铁原位反应带)是一种新兴的地下水原位修复技术,具有工程造价低、施工简单、环境扰动小、修复效果好等优势, 而ZVI(零价铁)自身理化性质、场地的水文地球化学特征以及场地的污染状况等是影响修复效果的主要因素. 当前的研究内容主要包括IRZ(原位反应带)中ZVI的反应活性、稳定性、迁移性、生物毒性以及注入方式等方面. 在修复工程中存在的问题主要体现在:①ZVIs(细粒径零价铁)在含水介质中的迁移性较差,并且多采用Fe2+、pH等间接指标考察含水层中ZVIs的分布情况;②ZVIs表面钝化而诱发介质反应活性下降;③ZVIs的潜在生物环境效应尚不明确. 因此,需要加强对ZVIs表面改性手段、作用机制、老化特性、使用寿命、解钝化及钝化抑制技术等方面的理论与应用研究,还应关注ZVIs在环境中的归趋、转化机制和暴露路径,建立生态系统尺度上的评估体系; 同时,在实际应用中,需要在系统评估污染场地水文地质条件的基础上,加强对注入含水层中ZVIs及其反应产物的原位监测技术研发和监测体系完善.      

重金属复合污染下草本植物两两组合水培的富集特性

为了探明草本植物两两组合培养对其重金属富集特性的影响,寻求修复V、Pb、Cd、Cr复合污染的最佳草本植物组合模式,在V、Pb、Cd、Cr 4种重金属〔ρ分别为14.0、0.8、6.0、4.0 mg/L〕共存的水培条件下,研究蒌蒿(Artemisia selengensis turcz)、三叶草(Trifolium repens)、鱼腥草(Houttuynia cordata)和紫花苜蓿(Medicago sativa) 4种草本植物两两组合培养时的重金属富集特性,以及对植物生物量、重金属富集量和转运系数的影响. 结果表明:4种草本植物两两组合培养会在不同程度上影响植物的重金属富集特性,在重金属富集能力方面,蒌蒿、鱼腥草和紫花苜蓿分别与三叶草组合培养时,其地上部分w(Cr)分别比单独培养时提高约157%、303%、639%;两两组合培养时,紫花苜蓿可促进蒌蒿、鱼腥草和三叶草对Pb的吸收. 在重金属转移能力方面,效果最突出的是“三叶草‖紫花苜蓿”组合模式,其中三叶草对V、Pb、Cd、Cr 4种重金属的转运系数分别是单独培养时的1.19、2.52、22.60和1.67倍;对不同组合模式下植物地上部分重金属提取量的分析结果显示,“三叶草‖紫花苜蓿”组合模式对V、Pb、Cd、Cr 4种重金属的提取量均较高,分别为1 555、1 688、473、482 mg/kg,表明该组合模式能够有效缓解地表径流对附近土壤造成的叠加污染. 因此,水培条件下不同草本植物两两组合培养会改变植物的重金属富集特性,并且与植物种类有关.      

石油污染土壤的原位生物修复技术和多种土壤改良剂应用研究

土壤中的石油污染是一类严重的环境危害.针对石油污染的土壤修复技术有物理法、化学法和生物法.其中原位生物修复法由于简易性和生态可持续等优点成为了具有前景的一个发展方向.土壤改良剂的选取和添加是原位生物修复法中重要的一个部分,对生物修复的改进起到了至关重要的作用.土壤改良剂的种类有无机改良剂、有机改良剂和吸附性改良剂.以N、P、K为主的无机改良剂主要为生物生长提供营养元素;有机改良剂则可提高石油污染物流动性,提供生物碳源;吸附改良剂则通过吸附污染物,减少毒性,提供生物生长依附.通过对不同种类改良剂的分析和讨论,可为生物修复发展提供进一步的理论基础.