Ecological Feasibility Studies in Restoration Decision Making

The restoration of degraded systems is essential for maintaining the provision of valuable ecosystem services, including the maintenance of aesthetic values. However, restoration projects often fail to reach desired goals for a variety of ecologic, financial, and social reasons. Feasibility studies that evaluate whether a restoration effort should even be attempted can enhance restoration success by highlighting potential pitfalls and gaps in knowledge before the design phase of a restoration. Feasibility studies also can bring stakeholders together before a restoration project is designed to discuss potential disagreements. For these reasons, a feasibility study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of restoring a tidal freshwater marsh in the Potomac River near Alexandria, Virginia. The study focused on science rather than engineering questions, and thus differed in approach from other feasibility studies that are mostly engineering driven. The authors report the framework they used to conduct a feasibility study to inform other potential restoration projects with similar goals. The seven steps of the framework encompass (1) initiation of a feasibility study, (2) compilation of existing data, (3) collection of current site information, (4) examination of case studies, (5) synthesis of information in a handbook, (6) meeting with selected stakeholders, and (7) evaluation of meeting outcomes. By conducting a feasibility study using the seven-step framework, the authors set the stage for conducting future compliance studies and enhancing the chance of a successful restoration.     

MATHEMATICAL SIMULATIONS OF THE TOCCOA FALLS,GEORGIA, DAM-BREAK FLOOD1

ABSTRACT: Four dam-break models were selected for testing with an observed data set from the November 6, 1977, disaster at Toccoa Falls, Georgia. The Kelly Barnes Dam failure occurred with a 35-ft head of water and produced a peak discharge of 23,000 ft³/s. The selected models included: (1) Modified Puls (MP), (2) U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Gradually Varied Unsteady Flow Profiles (USTFLO), (3) National Weather Service's Dam-Break Flood Forecast (DBFF), and (4) U. S. Geological Survey's method of characteristics (MOC) coupled with a general purpose streamflow simulation (J879DB). Achieving a successful simulation was easiest with the MP model. The DBFF model required a moderate effort while the MOC-J879DB models required some data alterations and considerable effort. The USTFLO model failed to simulate this test case. In the stream segment near the dam, the computed peak stages were generally within 5 feet of the observed high water marks. Elsewhere, the peak stage results were much better, generally within 2 feet. The peak discharges computed by the models were generally within 20 percent of discharges estimated by slope area and contracted opening measurements, except near the dam where the MOC-J879DB model's results was 80 percent too high.     

USING COMPUTED STREAM FLOW IN WATERSHED ANALYSIS1

Modifications in the computed climatic water budget have made it possible to achieve good agreement between computed and measured stream flow on both a monthly and annual basis in basins without appreciable winter snow cover. Comparisons of computed and measured stream flow in 28 basins on the Delmarva peninsula show that for some basins the agreement is excellent (regression line essentially equals unity), for other basins the regression line has a slope of one but it is displaced above or below the y=x line, while for other basins, the slope of the regression line differs appreciably from unity. Study of the basins where agreement between computed and measured values is only fair to poor reveals that the patterns of disagreement can be used to provide information on the water holding capacity in the root zone of the soil, on the quantity of deep aquifer recharge within the basin, or on the effect of human modifications within the basin. The technique should also reveal the quantity of interbasin transfers or other consumptive uses within the basin. The water budget, thus, becomes a useful tool to study hydrologic characteristics or their changes over time within a basin.     

PROCEDURE FOR SELECTING A MINIMAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ROUTING FOR A WATER CONVEYANCE CANAL1

ABSTRACT: Several techniques for selecting a least environmental impact corridor have been proposed. Two approaches have been found workable; the computer graphics and the map overlay. This report combines features of both to determine an appropriate routing for a water conveyance canal. The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary planning team. Environmental factors were mapped and weighted on overlay maps. Alternative routes were identified and carefully studied. Several critical environmental implications were noted. Aesthetic factors, out door recreation interpretation, visitor safety and disruption of human and animal travel routes were considered and dealt with.     

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACCOUNTING APPLIED TO WATER RESOURCE PLANNING1

ABSTRACT The growing social consciousness and concern with human well-being has resulted in numerous water resource use and control programs, the results of which must be measured not in the customary monetary terms, but rather in terms of social and human welfare. Interdisciplinary research offers the greatest promise of yielding fruitful results in establishing planning methodology that would result in a maximum utilization of funds available for water resource programs. Working with the various social science disciplines, accountants have begun research in social measurement thus opening the door to a new field of accountancy known as socio-economic accounting. The development of social accounting systems will improve water resource management by projecting heretofore unmeasureable social values into the management decision making process.     

Growth substrate selection and biodegradation of PCP by New Zealand white-rot fungi

Nine New Zealand native white-rot fungi were studied for their ability to grow and survive on different substrates formulated from bark, wheat straw, sawdust, apple pomace and maize products in order to identify their pentachlorophenol (PCP) biodegradation potential and to select a fungal carrier for bioaugmentation of polluted soils. Isolates were also evaluated to mineralize (14)C-PCP in liquid culture and in soil. The American fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium outgrew the native fungi on the substrates tested, but the high colonisation did not result in superior PCP dechlorination as measured by chloride release. Whilst Trametes versicolor inocula produced on wheat straw and SCS (sawdust-corn meal-starch-mix) gave the highest chloride release, colonization of these two substrates as measured by biological potential was lower compared to the pomace and pomace-sawdust-mix. Neither lignin peroxidase nor manganese peroxidase production were measured for New Zealand white-rot fungi during the experiments. Laccase was the only enzyme detected. In liquid culture, the mineralisation rate was higher for T. versicolor isolates compared to P. chyrysoporium. Very little to no pentachloroanisole (PCA) was captured in the volatile fraction of T. versicolor isolates, whereas 75% of the volatile fraction of P. chrysosporium consisted of PCA. The soil microcosms studies, using contaminated soil from a timber treatment site, clearly showed that the New Zealand T. versicolor isolates mineralized PCP. Degradation of PCP in non-sterile soil was higher in the presence of white-rot fungi than in soil without white-rot fungus. This demonstrates that viable white-rot fungus is necessary for significant PCP degradation and that T. versicolor isolates showed PCP remediation potential. Wheat straw and SCS could be suitable carriers for New Zealand native T. versicolor isolates for bioremediation of PCP polluted soil sites.     

Indicators for hydraulic and pollution retention assessment of stormwater infiltration basins

Infiltration basins are frequently used for stormwater management even though their long-term evolution is not well understood nor controlled. The two main problems encountered are clogging which compromises the hydraulic capacity of the basin and possible contamination of underlying soil and groundwater. This paper defines a framework for evaluating the hydraulic and pollution retention performance of infiltration basins in the long-term. Sets of context and performance indicators are proposed, along with two complementary modes of evaluation. Context indicators are identified in order to define the clogging and contamination states of the basins. Performance indicators are developed to assess several aspects of basin performance: drainage duration, overflow frequency, predictive life period, particle filtration and pollution trapping. Modes of evaluation include field investigation and long-term simulation modeling. Indicators are tested on five infiltration basins in suburban Lyon (France). Both context indicators and hydraulic performance indicators are reliable and their evaluation is representative of basin behavior. This is not the case for pollution retention performance indicators. Their assessment is difficult because of data quality. Field data has high uncertainties. The model is satisfactory for the hydraulic simulation and the evolution of clogging. Improvements are necessary for pollution flow simulation and the acquisition of better quality data is required.     

SALINITY INCREASES IN THE NAVAJO AQUIFER IN SOUTHEASTERN UTAH1

ABSTRACT: Salinity increases in water in some parts of the Nava-jo aquifer in southeastern Utah have been documented previously. The purpose of this paper is to use bromide, iodide, and chloride concentrations and del oxygen-18 and deuterium values in water from the study area to determine if oil-field brines (OFB) could be the source of increased salinity. Mixing-model results indicate that the bromide-to-chloride X 10,000 weight ratio characteristic of OFB in and outside the study area could not be causing the bromide depletion with increasing salinity in the Navajo aquifer. Mixing-model results indicate that a mixture of one percent OFB with 99 percent Navajo aquifer water would more than double the bromide-to-chloride weight ratio, instead of the observed decrease in the weight ratio with increasing chloride concentration. The trend of the mixing line representing the isotopically enriched samples from the Navajo aquifer does not indicate OFB as the source of isotopically enriched water; however, the simulated isotopic composition of injection water could be a salinity source. The lighter isotopic composition of OFB samples from the Aneth, Ratherford, White Mesa Unit, and McElmo Creek injection sites relative to the lsmay site is a result of continued recycling of injection water mixed with various proportions of isotopically lighter make-up water from the alluvial aquifer along the San Juan River. A mixing model using the isotopic composition of the simulated injection water suggests that enriched samples from the Navajo aquifer are composed of 36 to 75 percent of the simulated injection water. However, chloride concentrations predicted by the isotopic mixing model are up to 13.4 times larger than the measured chloride concentrations in isotopically enriched samples from the Navajo aquifer, indicating that injection water is not the source of increased salinity. Geochemical data consistently show that OFB and associated injection water from the Greater Aneth Oil Field are not the source of salinity increases in the Navajo aquifer.     

SEDIMENT,NITRATE, AND AMMONIUM IN SURFACE RUNOFF FROM TWO TAHOE BASIN SOIL TYPES 1

ABSTRACT: Few studies have addressed the natural pollution potential of pristine subalpine forested watersheds on a site-specific basis. Consequently, specific source and amounts of nutrient discharge to tributaries of the Tahoe Basin are difficult to identify. The sediment content and nitrate and ammonium levels in surface runoff from two soil types (Meeks and Umpa), four plot conditions (wooded natural and disturbed, open natural and disturbed), and three slopes (gentle, moderate, and steep) were studied using rainfall simulation that applied a 9 cm h¹, 1-h event. A significant (P ≤ 0.005) two-way interaction between soil type and plot condition affected runoff nitrate concentration. Runoff from natural or disturbed open plots contained significantly (P = 0.05) greater nitrate than wooded plots. Peak concentrations of nitrate commonly occurred during early runoff, suggesting that peak nitrate discharge to Lake Tahoe tributaries can be expected during early runoff from snowmelt and summer precipitation events. The highest nitrate runoff concentration and 1-h cumulative loading from the 0.46 m² plots were 6.7 mg L-¹ (Umpa, open natural, 15–30 percent slope), and 0.7 mg (Umpa, open natural, ≥ 30 percent slope), respectively. Ammonium in surface runoff was generally below detection limits (≤ 0.05 μg L^?1). No statistical relationship between runoff nitrate and sediment discharge was detected.     

Laboratory-scale chlorination to estimate the levels of halogenated DBPs in full-scale distribution systems

Occurrence of halogenated disinfection by-products (DBPs) (trihalomethanes –THMs– and haloacetic acids –HAAs–) in the waters of two utilities in Quebec City (Canada) was investigated using two approaches: experimental chlorination studies and full-scale sampling within distribution systems. Experimental studies were designed to reproduce treatment plant and distribution system conditions (chlorine dose, water temperature, pH and water residence time). Differences in halogenated DBPs in the two distribution systems under study were significant and comparable to those observed in experimental laboratory studies. For the waters of both utilities, chlorination studies better reproduced the occurrence of halogenated DBPs in points of the distribution system located near the treatment plant (low residence time of water) than in other points. Multivariate regression models for THMs, HAAs and their species were developed using the data from experimental studies in order to predict halogenated DBP levels measured in the distribution system. Models were all statistically significant, but showed low ability to predict full-scale halogenated DBPs, particularly in points located at distribution system extremities. Specifically, experimental chlorination-based models are not able to simulate the decrease of HAA levels. Results of this research suggest that the use of experimental data to predict halogenated DBP levels in full-scale distribution systems – for operational, regulatory and epidemiological purposes – must be done with caution.