Evolution of environmental impact assessment as applied to watershed modification projects in Canada

This article reviews the application of environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures and practices to three watershed modification projects situaled in western Canada. These ventures were justified for accelerating regional economic development, and cover the period during which public concerns for protecting the environment rapidly made their way into the national political agenda. An historical account and analysis of the situation, therefore, seems desirable in order to understand the development of EIA processes, practices, and methodologies since the start of construction of the first project in 1961. This study concludes that there has been good progress in predicting and evaluating environmental and related social impacts of watershed modification proposals. However, a number of obstacles need to be overcome before EIA can firmly establish itself as an effective planning tool. These difficulties include jurisdictional confusions and conflicts, division of authority and responsibility in designing and implementing appropriate mitigative and monitoring measures, lack of tested EIA methodologies, and limited availability of qualified human resources. A number of conclusions and suggestions are offered so that future watershed modification proposals may be planned and implemented in a more environmentally sustainable fashion. These include: (1) EIA processes must be completed before irrevocable decisions are made. (2) Any major intrusion into a watershed is likely to impact on some major components of the ecosystem(s). (3) Mitigation costs must form part of the benefit-cost analysis of any project proposal. (4) Interjurisdictional cooperation is imperative where watersheds cross political boundaries. (5) The EIA process is a public process, hence public concerns must be dealt with fairly. (6) The role of science in the EIA process must be at arms length from project proponents and regulators, and allowed to function in the interest of the protection of the environment and public health and safety. The views expressed here are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of FEARO and/or other government agencies and officials involved in the review of these projects.     

导流明沟人工湿地治理橡胶废水实践

运用人工湿地原理，采用明沟导流治理橡胶生产废水，其工程投资低，占地面积小，运行稳定，易于管理，去除率高，处理后废水达到国家标准。     

调引太湖水改善苏州市水动力条件研究

基于苏州地区独特的地理位置,简述引水改善该地区水环境的必要性,拟定了3种调水方案,利用感湖河网数学模型,对3种方案调水后主要河道的水动力条件进行预测,分析了各河道调水后的水动力变化趋势,提出了利用太湖水自流引水改善苏州市水环境的最佳方案.     

城区地表径流面源污染和河道水环境治理的研究

河流为人类提供了多样的生态服务功能,然而城市化对河流生态系统健康状况造成严重的影响。随着点源污染的有效管理控制,非点源污染降雨径流己成为造成城市地表水环境污染的主要原因。为了改善河道水质,引调清水激活城市内河水体,提高河道的水环境自净能力,有效改善城市水环境。文章以南京河西水系为例,利用Saint-Venant方程组对水系建立一维水动力模型,并通过汇流结点水位法对方程组进行数值求解;对WASP5水质模型进行二次开发用于水质模拟;建立水质模型和一维河网水动力模型的耦合模型,将水动力模型计算所得到的水动力参数耦合到WSAP5水质模型中,模拟降雨过程以及引调清水过程的河网各河段的水质变量浓度,得出降雨径流对河流的污染程度以及引清冲污措施对河流水质改善的效果并优化调水过程。     

引水放流方式对太湖贡湖示范区水质的影响

基于国家水专项太湖贡湖湾示范区水质水量调控的需求,构建了示范区的等比例缩放实体模型。通过研究模型中4种不同调水方案的效果,为示范区调水技术的比较与选择提供决策依据。研究中,通过测定模型中5个断面的流场数据,判断引水方式对模型流场的影响,以此评价不同调水方案效果。同时以墨汁作为示踪剂,通过不同引水放流方式下示踪剂的扩散场变化,验证不同断面流速测定对整个区域流场判断的准确性,从而分析引水放流方式对水质的影响。     

钱塘江引水降氮示范工程的构建和运行研究

针对杭州西湖钱塘江引水低碳高氮的特点,提出以改性水草塘—复合垂直流人工湿地(IVCW)相耦合的生物—生态工艺进行引水处理,对该引水降氮示范工程的构建和运行效果进行了跟踪研究。结果表明,整个稳定运行期间(2012年7月19日至11月19日),耦合工艺对COD、TN、硝酸盐氮、TP的平均去除率分别为52.27%、52.49%、53.69%、52.79%,系统出水满足《地表水环境质量标准》(GB 3838—2002)Ⅳ标准;改性水草塘和IVCW单元作为耦合工艺的两个重要组成部分,在脱氮、除磷方面优势互补,从而共同保证出水水质的稳定;在改性水草塘单元,温度与COD的去除效果呈负相关关系,进水C/N与TN去除效果呈正相关关系;而在IVCW单元,温度与COD、TN的去除效果均呈线性正相关关系,进水C/N与两者的去除效果也呈正相关关系,且对COD的影响要大于对TN的影响。     

Climatic and stream-flow controls on tree growth in a Western montane riparian forest

Humans have severely impacted riparian ecosystems through water diversions, impoundments, and consumptive uses. Effective management of these important areas is becoming an increasingly high priority of land managers, particularly as municipal, industrial, and recreational demands for water increase. We examined radial tree growth of four riparian tree species (Pinus jeffreyi, Populus trichocarpa, Betula occidentalis, and Pinus monophylla) along Bishop Creek, California, and developed models relating basal area increment (BAI) and relative basal area increment (RBAI) to climatic and stream flow variables. Between years 1995–1999, univariate regression analysis with stream flow explained 29 to 61% of the variation in BAI and RBAI among all species except P. trichocarpa; growth by P. trichocarpa was not significantly related to stream flows over this period. Stepwise linear regression indicated that species responded differently to climatic variables, and models based on these variables explained between 33 to 86% of variation in BAI and RBAI during the decade of the 1990s. We examined branch growth of P. trichocarpa for sensitivity to differences in stream flow regimes and found that annual branch growth did not vary between a high- and low-flow site, but that annual branch growth was significantly higher in wet years with greater stream flows. Our results support the establishment of site-specific management goals by land managers that take into account all of the important tree species present in riparian ecosystems and their differential responses to altered hydrologic condition. Instream flow requirements for maintaining tree growth and vigor are only one of the species-specific responses that need to be evaluated, and these assessments should attempt to separate experimentally stream-flow (managed) controls from climatic (unmanaged) controls on growth.     

ADAPTATION TO ARIDITY: WATER DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA1

ABSTRACT The Republic of South Africa, legatee of a three-century history of recurring drought, is firmly committed to a program of the optimum use of its water for the national benefit. Its water law encourages centralized planning in that water is held to be the property of the state and is assignable without requiring acquiescence by the basin or province of origin. Interbasin diversions from the Tugela River to the Vaal River Basin, from the Orange River to the Fish and Sundays River Basins, and from several basins to Cape Town are under construction as are facilities for water importation from Lesotho and Angola. For satisfaction of demands beyond the year 2000 the nation may depend increasingly on a shift of its power production and water-using industry from the coal fields of the central plateau to nuclear power development with associated desalination along its coasts. Alternatively, and preferably, it may cooperate in a co-prosperity bloc in Southern Africa aiding the economies of its neighbors by development for mutual advantage of the water and power resources of the Okavango and other northern rivers.     

Environmental changes in Sepetiba Bay,SE Brazil

Sepetiba Bay is an example of an aquatic environment that has been severely impacted by human occupation and industrial activities in its basin. Some 400 industries including metallurgical, petrochemical and pyrometallurgical smelters, which emitted pollutants to air, soil and water, were established in Sepetiba Basin during the past 30 years. Apart from these point sources, changes in land use have also resulted in a large remobilization of pollutant deposition on Sepetiba Bay Basin. Studies have pointed out significant changes in sedimentation rates, concentrations of inorganic pollutants (Zn, Cd, Pb and Hg) and more recently, eutrophication, pointing to this area as an example of an impacted coastal zone. Notwithstanding local sources, Sepetiba Bay also suffers environmental impacts caused by diversion of river waters from adjacent basins, with some 30% of the total Hg flux to Sepetiba Bay and a 10-fold increase in water and sediment fluxes resulting from this. Decreasing environmental quality compromises both the large biodiversity and the potential economic uses of Sepetiba Bay, including fisheries and tourism. Monitoring of heavy metal levels in organisms (algae, mollusks, crustaceans and oysters) often shows concentrations well above the limits allowed following Brazilian legislation for food quality. Historical evolution of these concentrations suggests a worsening of the situation. Failure to monitor the effect of land-based activities, including those from other basins artificially associated with Sepetiba Bay has resulted in poor scenario construction and proper management planning.     

海河平原农业供水的决策分析模型

本文根据海河平原水源不足的问题,采用系统分析的方法,探讨了农业供水的对策。提出的决策分析模型可望适用于不同大小的区域。通过实际资料的分析得出实行节流、管理与开源的具体方案及经济效益。分析成果表明推行节水灌溉技术与管理措施是完全可行的。在建立节流系统(包括管带与滴灌及调整耕作制度、作物布局)和加强水管理的基础上,实行开源引江、引黄,可大大缩减调水规模,降低开源工程投资,缓和工农与城乡供水的矛盾。