Evaluation of the california environmental quality act

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has evolved from a mini-NEPA, first enacted in 1970, into a procedural act that affects the approval process of all large developments in California. In 1990, California local governments produced over 1600 environmental impact reports and 30,000 initial studies under CEQA. Because of its widespread use, CEQA has periodically drawn the attention of the state legislature, most recently in 1993, when over 60 CEQA reform bills were introduced. This paper describes the CEQA process and evaluates its success at meeting its explicit and implicit goals. The research includes a statewide survey of CEQA practice, sent to the planning departments of all 513 local governments in California in 1991. Survey respondents agreed that CEQA helps in evaluating environmental impacts, reducing impacts, informing the public, and coordinating public agency review. It is effective in reducing the environmental impacts of individual projects, but is not as effective in improving environmental quality on an areawide scale. This research concludes that CEQA has led to positive outcomes and is not as deeply flawed as many of its critics claim. Still, CEQA as currently designed may not be the optimal vehicle for ensuring environmental quality.     

The influence of collection facility attributes on household collection rates of electronic waste: The case of televisions and computer monitors

In the US, household electronic waste collected for recycling is primarily by voluntary drop-off at designated collection facilities. This study examines the influence of specific collection facility attributes (recycling fees charged, number of days open, and driving distance) on the household collection rate of e-waste in the US state of Maine. Data were collected for household computer monitor and television collection for 92 municipal waste transfer facilities representing 30% of the state's population for one year. Results suggest that recycling fees are negatively correlated with the number of televisions and computer monitors collected; furthermore, the more frequently facilities were open, the more televisions and computer monitors were collected per capita. The distance from the facility had no correlation, which prompted an analysis of whether the existence of a curbside collection system in the municipality was influential. Results show a negative correlation between computer monitor and television collection and a municipality having recycling (but not e-waste) curbside collection. Based on the results of this study, policymakers may be able to increase the collection rate of household e-waste by eliminating or lowering recycling fees, expanding collection days and hours to increase convenience, and/or considering curbside collection of e-waste.     

场地污染监测预警与决策一体化系统的设计与实现

通过分析我国相关场地污染现状和需求,设计了场地污染监测预警与决策一体化系统,利用物联网设备实时监测采集污染数据,并通过数据传输技术SignalR进行数据传输,再使用三维地理框架Cesium反映监测区域的污染情况,保证对污染处理响应的实时性和高效性,指出三维虚拟地理技术与大数据、物联网技术结合是系统的发展方向。     

基于土地利用回归模型的场地土壤污染特征分析

通过在广东韶关凡口铅锌矿向外辐射8 km²范围内布设25个采样点,监测土壤中Pb、Zn、As、Cu、Cr和Hg的质量比,构建土地利用回归(LUR)模型模拟该6种元素质量比的空间分布。结果表明：不同土壤元素质量比受地理要素影响差异较大,Pb和As的空间分布受道路影响较大,其高值区沿道路呈带状分布;Zn和Cu受自然因素与土地利用的综合影响,高值分布相对零散;Cr的空间分布主要受地形降水等自然因子的影响。研究区整体元素质量比偏低,西部地区元素质量比低于东部地区,南部地区低于北部地区。     

Transport of pollutants in two estuarine systems on the coast of Georgia

The aim of the present study was to examine the distribution of pollutants in two coastal systems in Georgia: (1) Kubitskali river which flows into the Black sea through the city of Batumi and is polluted mainly from the effluents of an oil refinery; (2) Paliastomi lake, which is a shallow water body at the south-east of the city of Poti. During 2000-2001, two samplings took place in each system, one in the low-flow period and one in the high-flow period. During these samplings, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity were measured in situ, whereas water samples were collected for the analysis of trace metals, nutrients, and organic pollutants with standard methods. The results of the measurements indicate the significant pollution of both systems by ammonia and in the case of Kubitskali River also by oil products. The need for a sustainable management plan of the activities taking place in the river basin is urgent.     

An assessment of heavy-metal contamination in surface sediments of the Suez Gulf using geoaccumulation indexes and statistical analysis

An assessment of marine pollution due to metals was made in the Suez Gulf based on surface costal sediment collected from 18 locations along the Gulf. The samples were dried and acid-digested, and the metal contents (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (air-acetylene) with deuterium background correction. An evaluation of the heavy-metal pollution status of the Gulf was carried out using enrichment factors (EF) and geo-accumulation Indexes (I_geo). Also, heavy-metal concentrations in Suez Gulf sediments were evaluated using the Effect Range-Low (ERL) and the Effect Range-Median (ERM). The results of a Spearman correlation and factor and cluster analysis of the heavy metals analysed in the collected sediment were discussed. The main source of contamination is offshore oil field and industrial wastes, which arise due to the ineffective and inefficient operation equipments, illegal discharge and lack of supervision, and prosecution of offenders.     

Comparative study of heavy metal distribution in some coastal seaweeds of Alexandria, Egypt

The distribution of Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentration in five algae species (Enteromorpha intestinalis, Enteromorpha linza, Ulva lactuca, Corallina mediterranea, Pterocladia capillacea) collected from three areas having different types of metal contamination along Alexandria coastal waters (Egypt) were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The recovery study was carried out using a Certified Reference Material TORT-2. The obtained heavy metal contents indicate that different species demonstrate various degree of metal accumulation. Enteromorpha intestinalis (green algae) recorded the highest levels of Fe and Mn while Corallina mediterranea (Calcareous red algae) recorded the highest concentration of Pb, Ni, and Cd in the three areas under study. According to the present study, filamentous algae (Enteromorpha intestinalis) showed the ability to concentrate greater amount of trace elements than the foliaceous ones (Enteromorpha linza). In each area, mercury concentration has nearly the same value for all species under study.     

中国工业污染防治的战略决策——清洁生产

本文简述了清洁生产的概念与国外清洁生产的概况，评述了国内工业生产的现状及推行清洁生产的潜力和前景，并提出了一些有益建议。     

POLLUTIONAL ASPECTS OF PESTICIDES IN NATURAL STREAMS

The extensive use of synthetic organic pesticides in this country during the past twenty-five years has resulted in widespread pollution of our water resources. An obvious detrimental effect of such pollution has been observed in the numerous fish kills that have occurred. The most widely used pesticides, and the ones that have been implicated in the vast majority of the pollutional episodes, are the chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides. These compounds, generally speaking, have almost no solubility in water, are subject to very slow microbial degradation if any at all, and are so resistent to natural degradation forces they can persist almost indefinitely in aqueous environments; characteristics that are all detrimental from a stream pollution standpoint. In addition, studies have shown that, as a group, the chlorinated hydrocarbons are more toxic to higher forms of aquatic life than other chemicals widely used for pest control. Because of these undesirable characteristics, present trends are to discontinue using these highly toxic, persistent compounds for pest control in outdoor areas. Legislation banning the sale of DDT has been introduced. Similar legislation controlling the use of several of the chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides is probably the most effective way to reduce pollution.     

Monitoring Forest Carbon Sequestration with Remote Sensing and Carbon Cycle Modeling

Sources and sinks of carbon associated with forests depend strongly on the management regime and spatial patterns in potential productivity. Satellite remote sensing can provide spatially explicit information on land cover, stand-age class, and harvesting. Carbon-cycle process models coupled to regional climate databases can provide information on potential rates of production and related rates of decomposition. The integration of remote sensing and modeling thus produces spatially explicit information on carbon storage and flux. This integrated approach was employed to compare carbon flux for the period 1992–1997 over two 165-km² areas in western Oregon. The Coast Range study area was predominately private land managed for timber production, whereas the West Cascades study area was predominantly public land that was less productive but experienced little harvesting in the 1990s. In the Coast Range area, 17% of the land base was harvested between 1991 and 2000. Much of the area was in relatively young, productive-age classes that simulations indicate are a carbon sink. Mean annual harvest removals from the Coast Range were greater than mean annual net ecosystem production. On the West Cascades study area, a relatively small proportion (< 1%) of the land was harvested and the area as a whole was accumulating carbon. The spatially and temporally explicit nature of this approach permits identification of mechanisms underlying land base carbon flux. Published online