STATE WATER LAW REFORM: IDENTIFYING LEGAL AND MANAGERIAL ISSUES AND OPTIONS1

ABSTRACT: Statutory and case law at the state level provide critical legal frameworks for water management. As many state governments struggle to improve efficiency in water management and resolve conflicts over water usage, they must continually assess the efficacy of their state water law. Most states have water laws that are disconnected and overlapping. This article presents a methodology to assess state water law and take first steps toward a comprehensive state water resources act. The methodology is driven by issues and conflicts in water management. It synthesizes management and legal analyses into a process that incorporates the diverse perspectives of state water stakeholders. The results of the analysis are identification of management issues, profiles of state water law, and explorations of legal options that are available to the state government. Illinois is provided as a case study for this methodology.     

HISTORICAL AND SOCIOPOLITICAL CONTEXT OF THE WESTERN WATERSHEDS MOVEMENT1

ABSTRACT: The 1990s have featured a rapid proliferation of “watershed initiatives” in the western United States and elsewhere. Watershed initiatives are ad hoc, voluntary associations typically featuring both governmental and non-governmental actors organized together to collaboratively seek new strategies for addressing water and related natural resource problems at physically relevant regional scales. These efforts are a response to historical and sociopolitical trends that have resulted in increasingly ineffective forums and processes of resource management decision-making, and that have subordinated the role of local stakeholders in problem-solving efforts. In most cases, watershed initiatives appear to provide a pragmatic vehicle for resource managers and stakeholders to address common concerns in a more efficient manner than is otherwise possible, and as such, deserve further application and continued support.     

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT AND SOCIAL CAPITAL: KEYS TO WATERSHED MANAGEMENT SUCCESS IN ALABAMA1

ABSTRACT: Forces driving the initiation of watershed management activities in Alabama have ranged from top-down, agency-led initiatives to bottom-up, citizen-led initiatives. A number of watershed projects in Alabama were examined including three NPS projects funded by U.S. EPA grants and a more comprehensive locally-initiated watershed management authority. Watershed projects were categorized into four different models. Factors which produced significant differences in the development and utilization of social capital and local capacities for watershed management were investigated. The success of watershed management initiatives was examined qualitatively and appears to correlate with a number of social factors. These factors include the extent of stakeholder involvement, the availability of social capital in the watershed, and the presence of a real or perceived water resource concern or problem. Both short term project success and the longer term prognosis for continued watershed management activities seems to depend most upon the amount of social capital in the watershed. Two major changes in resource management programs and organizations could lead to increased focus on and support for local watershed management initiatives. These are reorganization of resource management agencies around watershed units, and assignment of at least one staff person in each watershed unit to watershed management.     

POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AGRICULTURAL WATER USE IN THE SOUTHEAST U.S.1

ABSTRACT: Climate change has the potential to have dramatic effects on the agricultural sector nationally and internationally as documented in many research papers. This paper reports on research that was focused on a specific crop growing area to demonstrate how farm managers might respond to climate-induced yield changes and the implications of these responses for agricultural water use. The Hadley model was used to generate climate scenarios for important agricultural areas of Georgia in 2030 and 2090. Linked crop response models indicated generally positive yield changes, as increased temperatures were associated with increased precipitation and CO2. Using a farm management model, differences in climate-induced yield impacts among crops led to changes in crop mix and associated water use; non-irrigated cropland received greater benefit since irrigated land was already receiving adequate moisture. Model results suggest that farm managers will increase cropping intensity by decreasing fallowing and increasing double cropping; corn acreage decreased dramatically, peanuts decreased moderately and cotton and winter wheat increased. Water use on currently irrigated cropland fell. The potential for increased water use through conversion of agriculturally important, but currently non-irrigated, growing areas is substantial.     

EROSION ON LOGGING ROADS IN REDWOOD CREEK,NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA1

Road-related erosion was estimated by measuring 100 randomly located plots on a 180 km road network in the middle reach of R'dwood Creek in northwestern California. The estimated erosion ratn of 177 m³ km^-1 was contrasted with two earlier studies in nearby parts of the same watershed. A sizable proportion of the great reduction in erosion from that reported in the earlier studies is attributed to changes in forest practice rules. Those changes have resulted in better placement and sizing of culverts and, especially, to less reliance on culverts to handle runoff from logging roads.     

耐氨固氮菌对蔬菜作物生长的促进作用研究

研究并探讨了蔬菜作物在施用耐氨固氮菌后的生长、生理反应及增产的效果和原因。试验结果表明： 施用耐氨固氮菌显著增加了蔬菜苗期生物量、叶面积和叶片的叶绿素含量, 同时还增强了植株的根系活力, 并有明显的增产效果。耐氨固氮菌促进增产的作用不仅与其本身的固氮作用有关, 还可能与其分泌出某些生长刺激物 （ 或激素） 有关。     

中国沿海地区水资源及生态环境持续利用战略

由于地质和地理条件的特殊性,沿海地区生态环境极其脆弱和敏感。水资源短缺、水环境污染、海水入侵、地面沉降、生态环境退化和海平面上升,已构成我国沿海地区实现可持续发展战略面临的重大资源和环境问题。水资源和生态环境的持续利用,已成为我国沿海地区一项极其重要的战略任务。根据可持续发展理论,通过建立适应水资源持续利用的管理体制、政策和运行机制,采取生态环境可持续保护策略,可完全达到水资源和生态环境的持续利用,并有效实现中国沿海地区资源、环境与经济、社会的有机协调及经济、社会的持续、稳定、健康发展     

突发性环境污染事故应急预警系统发展探讨

在介绍突发性环境污染事故的概念、类型与特性的基础上,综述了近年来国内外对这一领域的研究进展．并结合“5S”技术提出突发性环境污染事故应急预警系统的全程模拟。     

高架仓库内喷头热响应性能研究

基于喷头热响应性理论的研究成果,主要研究了在给定响应时间指数和喷头动作温度的务件下,高架仓库所用快速响应早期抑制喷头(ESFR)的热响应性能,并结合案例,对高架仓库内喷头热响应性能的主要影响因素进行了定量分析,得出喷头热响应性能与环境温度和火源功率之间的关系。研究结果可为高架仓库自动喷水灭火系统的设计和评估提供一定的参考。     

锡林郭勒盟植被物候枯黄期对干湿变化的时间多尺度响应

基于全球监测与建模组(GIMMS)1982～2015年第三代归一化植被指数(NDVI)GIMMS NDVI 3g数据集和气象观测数据,采用累计NDVI的Logistic曲线曲率极值法提取锡林郭勒草原植被枯黄期,并结合不同时间尺度标准化降水蒸散指数(SPEI)分析植被枯黄期对干湿变化的响应特征.结果表明:1982～201...