POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND COSTS OF INGROUND STORAGE OF IMPORTED WATER1

ABSTRACT: In the near future, groundwater storage of imported water may become increasingly important as sites for surface storage are less available. This article explores the potential economic costs and benefits of groundwater storage. The costs include capital outlays, maintenance costs, land costs, legal costs, energy costs, and opportunity costs. The benefits include land cost savings, prevention of subsidence, aquifer protection, and higher economic use of surface lands that might be covered by a reservoir.     

Identification of critical areas on forest lands for control of nonpoint sources of pollution

Most nonpoint source pollution problems on forest lands can be controlled by careful planning and management of specific critical areas. Critical areas include sites with high mass and surface erosion hazards, overland flow areas, and the riparian zone. Some guides for identifying critical areas are presented along with examples of land-use constraints that might be applied.     

Some observations on work‐sharing

The background to this paper is the substantial and prolonged rise in the measured rate of unemployment which appears to have continued, more or less unabated, since 1968. A number of commentators have recently questioned the effectiveness and desirability of remedial policy measures designed to expand labour demand, and there appears to be increasing support for the idea that a return to full employment can only be achieved by limiting the supply of labour, with work‐sharing apparently offering the greatest scope for success. The author questions the validity of such a policy, given the current legislative and operational environment in which labour market decisions are taken.     

Land development and employment creation on landed estates in the Northern Highlands

The landed estates may be divided into four groups according to land use and use intensity: crofting, sheep, sporting, mixed use. While sheep and mixed use estates have held sheep numbers constant, other estates have shown dramatic declines. All estates, and in particular sporting estates, have increased deer culls. Many sporting estates are supported by external private finance which makes land development unnecessary. Private enjoyment is an important ownership motivation on many estates. This, rather than lack of profitability or lack of finance, prevents development. However, significant employment creation can come only through extensive land developments beyond those on even the more productive estates. Such a strategy would require a development plan and a challenge to existing property rights.     

WATERSHED PLANNING FOR ACID MINE DRAINAGE ABATEMENT1

Acid drainage from abandoned mines is a widespread problem in old mining regions. Agencies seeking to abate it face the prospect of dealing with hundreds of potential abatement projects, stretching decades into the future. A systematic regional analysis is necessary to establish locations, objectives, priorities, and phasing of such projects. The U.S. Bureau of Mines developed a novel procedure for abatement planning in the 420 square mile Blacklick Creek Watershed in Pennsylvania. The plan sought to direct abatement projects toward pollution sources where degradation was worst and adverse effects greatest. It established abatement priorities by comparing the “supply” of sources to be reclaimed (the degrees of old mines' water quality degradation) with the “demand” for abatement to be done (the natural and cultural values represented by the region's demography, land use and other non-mining characteristics). Matrices were used to define the relationships among mining and non-mining factors; maps were developed to show the geographic distribution of the conclusions. The locations, priorities, and phasing of abatement objectives shown on the maps should provide guidance for any abatement effort, no matter what type of technology is applied to achieve the objectives. Over the many years in which abatement projects are to be performed in the Watershed, the plan can be used to define, coordinate, and establish priorities for the projects in a manner that can result in maximum abatement benefits from the application of limited funds.     

Dilemmas of regional planning in Hungary

The author provides an account of Hungarian regional policy and planning during the last 40 years, describing a socialist state trying to escape from a centrally planned economy. The paper discusses the consequences of the reforms and the problems of conflict resolution which resulted. The author argues that central planning will continue to be necessary in the future, and that there is a need to strengthen the co‐ordinative role of regional plans.     

A better future for upland landscapes?

The Countryside Commission's report, “A Better Future for the Uplands”, contains recommendations that seek a better balance between conservation and farming and conservation and forestry: recommendations that concern the uplands as landscape. This paper considers the recommendations under three headings — those which seek to reduce conflict, those which seek to reinforce the voluntary approach to conflict resolution, and those which seek to extend control. The paper concludes with a consideration of the likely effectiveness of the measures proposed.     

Regional planning acceptance by residents of Northern New York,USA

This study compares the effectiveness of two regional planning agencies in terms of public support for various planning activities. The Adirondack Park Agency and the Temporary State Commission on Tug Hill have fundamentally different approaches to planning. The Adirondack Park Agency has implemented a restrictive regulatory program with little citizen participation by Adirondack residents. The Tug Hill Commission has implemented an advisory and coordinating program with an emphasis on public input. Residents of two towns in each region were surveyed to determine environmental concern and support for regional planning activities. Respondents from both regions favored a planning agency that incorporates citizen input; controls air, water, and toxic waste pollution; and develops recreation areas. They strongly opposed an agency that regulates private land-use. Basic demographic characteristics and levels of environmental concern were similar in all four towns, but receptivity to various planning activities was consistently greater among residents of the Tug Hill Region. Paired comparisons of the four towns demonstrated no differences between towns of the same region and significant differences between towns of different regions. Public support for regional planning is greater in the Tug Hill Region than in the Adirondack Park.     

Heavy metal concentration in the moss Pleurozium schreberi in the Niepołomice Forest,Poland: changes during 20 years

The Niepoomice Forest is a large forestcomplex (110 km²) situated in southern Poland 10 to 30 kmto the east of the urban industrial Kraków agglomeration andsteelworks, which was built up on the outskirts of the city in1950. Due to prevailing westerly winds, the forest is affectedby pollutants emitted by both the steelworks and the city. Thelevel of heavy metal contamination in the Niepoomice Forestwas described using a sensitive bioindicator – the moss Pleurozium schreberi. Mean concentrations of metals in mosscollected in the Niepoomice Forest were Cd – 0.71, Cr – 2.4,Cu – 8.6, Fe – 673, Pb – 12.7, and Zn – 61 mg/kg.Concentrations of heavy metals in moss in the NiepoomiceForest decreased in time. As compared with the relatively cleanarea in north-eastern Poland (Puszcza Biaowieska), the concentration of Fe was 2–9 fold and Pb 4–6 fold higher in theNiepoomice Forest in 1975, while in 1998 4 fold and 2 fold,respectively. In both 1975 and 1998 the most polluted by heavymetals was the western part of the Niepoomice Forest (closestto the pollution sources) and the area along the roads insidethe forest complex.