Situational Waste in Landscape Watering: Residential and Business Water Use in an Urban Utah Community1

Abstract: Landscape water conservation is an important issue for municipalities throughout the Western United States, and especially in Utah as rapid growth strains existing water supplies. We conducted interdisciplinary research in Layton, Utah, that aimed at understanding patterns of landscape water use among households and businesses. The research project involved three basic tasks. First, a landscape “water budget” was developed by producing a calibrated and classified mosaic of landscape type and area from airborne multispectral digital imagery, integrating this information with Layton City parcel boundary data to determine landscape vegetated areas per lot, and estimating irrigation needs derived from reference evapotranspiration (ETo) obtained using weather data for the Salt Lake City metropolitan region. Second, utilizing Layton water billing data, water use for each household and business was identified and categorized as “conserving,”“acceptable” or “wasteful” by determining how much the water applied varied from actual landscape plant need. Third, surveys were administered to a random stratified sample of households and businesses in the study area to investigate various factors that were hypothesized to be predictive of wasteful watering practices. This paper primarily focuses on analysis of the household and business survey data, which explores factors affecting urban landscape water use from a human behavioral perspective. We found that the most significant factors predicting actual water use were the type of irrigation system and whether the location was a household or business. Attitudinal and motivational characteristics were not consistently associated with water use. We found that wasteful watering is the result of many factors embedded in the complex context of urban landscapes. This implies that water conservation programs should identify potential wasteful users through analyses of water billing data and direct water conservation measures at these users by focusing on site‐specific evaluations and recommendations. Water audits or water checks are one such tool that some communities have employed to help people understand and assess the quantity of water needed by and applied to their landscapes. This approach provides an opportunity to evaluate situational constraints at particular locations and design appropriate strategies for reducing water waste.     

N2O emissions from municipal solid waste landfills with selected infertile cover soils and leachate subsurface irrigation

This study presents the field investigations into the effects of cover soils and leachate subsurface irrigation on N₂O emissions from municipal solid waste landfills. Landfill Site A and Site B, covered with carefully chosen infertile soils, were selected to monitor their diurnal and seasonal variations of N₂O emissions. The annual average N₂O flux was 469 ± 796 μg N₂O-N m⁻² h⁻¹ in Site B with leachate subsurface irrigation, three times that of Site A without leachate irrigation. When an additional soil containing lower contents of carbon and nitrogen was introduced to cover part of Site B, its N₂O fluxes decreased by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared with the left area of Site B. This suggested that carefully selected cover soils could substantially reduce N₂O emissions even under leachate subsurface irrigation. Statistical analysis proved that the availabilities of soil moisture and mineralized nitrogen were the key parameters controlling landfill N₂O emissions.     

城镇生活污水治理规划研究——以双阳区奢岭镇为例

实现农村生活污水有效治理在推进生态文明建设和农民生活方式现代化中具有标志性意义.通过对区域现状数据调研及分析,划分区域污水汇水分区及选择污水收集方式,合理确定用水指标和污水排放系数,预测生活污水量,布局生活污水处理设施建设.其结果表明:具备条件排入奢岭镇污水处理厂的镇区外村屯的污水,排入奢岭镇区污水处理厂.不具备条件的...     

川北高台原区废弃煤矿枯水期矿井涌水水化学特征及成因分析

对废弃煤矿矿井涌水的水化学特征及成因进行分析,可为保护矿区地下水环境提供理论支撑.基于地质背景,通过对比枯水季节川北高台原区废弃煤矿矿井涌水与背景泉点水化学指标,并采用聚类分析方法对矿井涌水中离子指标进行统计,进而对其特征及成因进行了研究.结果表明:地层中黄铁矿中硫元素氧化是矿井涌水水化学特征变化的开端,受研究区矿井涌...     

内蒙古农业灌区秋浇的盐分流失变化

在农业废水产生量较大的秋浇期,选取14条引水和排水渠中的灌溉引水和秋浇退水进行盐份含量及组分分析,并针对重点渠段进行了45d 的连续监测.结果发现,在各引水渠中盐分含量都较低,全盐量基本在300mg·L-1左右.排水渠中全盐量较引水渠中有大幅升高,其中第8灌域与第9灌域的排干渠中的全盐量达到 6000mg·L-1以上.水质综合分析表明,灌溉后退水都为盐碱水和重盐碱水.同时,排水渠中高含盐量是随着灌区的秋浇活动而持续发生的,并且与灌溉引水量成比例关系.研究表明,内蒙古农业灌区的秋浇活动是导致乌粱素海以及黄河中下游水中盐分含量过高的主要原因之一.     

含镉工业污水对农田污染的防治和土地利用——生态农业工程初探

在沈阳张士灌区采用综合方法治理镉污染农田。在中度和轻度污染土壤种植水稻,控制灌溉水质(Cd~2+<2PPb,PH>7,Cl-<100ppm)或以清水灌溉,在重污染区,采用农业生态工程改良方法如农业改良(繁育水稻、玉米良种),繁育绿化苗木和草皮、种植甜高梁提取酒精。结果表明,农业生态工程方法是合理利用和改良严重镉污染农田的良好途径。     

近50a人工灌排技术进步对玛纳斯河流域耕地格局变化的影响

分析绿洲人工灌排技术发展和耕地格局变化之间的关系,对研究干旱区灌溉农业发展具有重要的意义。论文选取玛纳斯河流域为研究区,利用RS和GIS技术,对玛纳斯河流域1960年地形图,1976、1989、1997、2006、2013年Landsat遥感影像和历史水利工程建设分布图等原始数据进行处理,获得5期人工灌排渠系矢量图和6期土地利用分类矢量图,并计算人工灌排渠系长度指数和表征耕地格局的绿洲垦殖率、净耕地系数、周长面积比;利用多元逐步回归法,分析干旱区绿洲人工灌排技术对耕地格局变化的影响。结果表明:滴灌技术应用前,玛纳斯河流域耕地分布格局由灌排渠系的空间分布决定,尤其是农渠的分布格局和长度,其与耕地面积的回归方程为y=0.43x+7.38(R~2=0.90,n=33,P=0);滴灌技术应用后,耕地分布格局的变化取决于滴灌系统管网的空间分布,尤其是干管和支管的分布格局与长度,导致流域灌溉水利用系数从1960年的0.38增长到2010年的0.65。     

本煤层顺层预抽瓦斯钻孔间距数值模拟研究

煤层瓦斯流动存在启动压力,在预抽钻孔抽采瓦斯的后期瓦斯渗流出现非Darcy渗流的现象,同时煤层瓦斯压力、吸附膨胀应力、有效应力等物性参数亦发生改变。为得到为得到启动压力对抽采的影响作用,基于煤岩弹性理论和瓦斯渗流理论,研究了在启动压力作用下非Darcy渗流现象,得到了考虑启动压力的达西定律,建立了考虑启动压力、地应力、吸附膨胀应力、孔隙压力共同作用的煤岩瓦斯流固耦合数学模型。采用建立的模型对漳村煤矿2601工作面瓦斯抽采钻孔间距进行数值模拟研究,研究结果表明:建立的考虑启动压力的煤岩瓦斯流固耦合数学模型具有一定的可靠性,一定负压下启动压力影响钻孔抽采范围。最终给出了漳村煤矿2601工作面预抽钻孔抽采设计参数。     

太原污灌区土壤重金属和盐分含量的空间变异特征

在面积为2.7万hm^2的太原污灌区布设土壤取样点49个,测定了耕层土壤中重金属Hg、Cd、Pb、盐分、氯离子含量及pH，应用地统计学的方法分析了数据的统计特征值和结构特征，结果表明：铅和盐分服从正态分布，氯离子服从对数正态分布，其它无分布类型，拟合得到Hg、Pb、盐分的半方差函数模型为指数型，镉和氯离子为球型，pH为高斯型，这些测定项目有在一定范围内存在空间相关性性。用Kriging内插法对未测点重金属及盐分进行最优估计，并绘制了等值线图，可更直观地反映出污灌区土壤重金属及盐分的空间变异特征。