Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Soil Erosion And Surface Water Quality Impacts Of Natural Gas Development In East Texas, Usa, Matthew W. Mcbroom, Todd Thomas, Yanli Zhang

Forestry

Due to greater demands for hydrocarbons and improvements in drilling technology, development of oil and natural gas in some regions of the United States has increased dramatically. A 1.4 ha natural gas well pad was constructed in an intermittent stream channel at the Alto Experimental Watersheds in East Texas, USA (F1), while another 1.1 ha well pad was offset about 15 m from a nearby intermittent stream (F2). V-notch weirs were constructed downstream of these well pads and stream sedimentation and water quality was measured. For the 2009 water year, about 11.76 cm, or almost 222% more ...

Micro-Aeration Of Sulfide Removal From Biogas, Shihwu Sung, Samir Kumar Khanal, Thanapong Duangmanee

Iowa State University Patents

No abstract provided.

Using Qual2kw As A Decision Support Tool: Considerations For Data Collection, Calibration, And Numeric Nutrient Criteria, Andrew J. Hobson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The in-stream water quality model, QUAL2Kw, can provide guidance in watershed management decisions by linking changes in nutrient loads to responses in water quality. This model is particularly useful for determining wasteload allocations, aiding in total maximum daily load analyses, and developing numeric nutrient criteria. Unfortunately, states struggle to balance the data collection and modeling requirements to accomplish many of these water quality management tasks due to limited resources. This commonly results in routine data collection and monitoring efforts that do not satisfy the data requirements for modeling. To address this disconnect, this study presents a data collection and parameter ...

Sensitivity Analysis Of A Proposed Model For Removal Efficiency Of Trihalomethanes (Thms) Using Spray Aeration, Aidan Cecchetti

Honors Theses

Trihalomethanes (THMs) form in drinking water treatment systems as a byproduct of chlorination and are problematic from a public health perspective due to their carcinogenic potential and their potential for additional formation throughout distribution systems. Recently, regulations have tightened on THMs in an attempt to reduce the risk of exposure for consumers at the far ends of distribution systems. Due to widespread use of chlorine and the reluctance of drinking water providers to overhaul current treatment systems, research has been undertaken to investigate post-treatment removal of THMs. One such method is spray aeration, whereby water is recycled in water storage ...

Effect Of Groundwater-Lake Interactions On The Distribution Of Arsenic In A Freshwater Beach, Jacky Sk Lee

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis presents field measurements and numerical modeling that provide insight into the nearshore geochemical conditions and groundwater flows controlling the mobility of arsenic (As) in a freshwater beach aquifer and its potential discharge to Lake Erie. Field measurements were performed via shore-normal monitoring transects installed at beaches (Little Beach and Main Beach) located adjacent to a brownfield industrial harbour site that has elevated sediment and groundwater As concentrations. Detailed pore water chemistry analyses revealed elevated As (up to 0.056 mg/L) 1 - 2 m below the shoreline at all transect locations. The distributions of species in the aqueous ...

Stormwater Pollution Treatment Bmp Discharge Structures, Miles F. Simmons

Civil Engineering Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research

Structural best management practices (BMPs) are used to capture and treat stormwater runoff. Most structural BMPs provide treatment by filtering runoff through a filter media or collecting it in a detention basin and slowly discharging it over an extended period of time to allow suspended solids and associated contaminants to settle out. The purpose of this study is to design an effective outlet structure that provides adequate filtration or slows discharge to 40 hours.

A model detention basin was constructed in the Civil Engineering Hydraulics Laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and two full scale outlet structures were tested ...

Exploring Anaerobic Reductive Dechlorination At Low Ph Environments, Yi Yang

Masters Theses

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs), such as tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE), are ubiquitously pollutants in aquifer sediments and groundwater due to their heavy usage in industry and inappropriate disposal in the last century. Among about 1300 NPL (National Priorities List) sites, PCE and TCE are the two most frequently detected hazardous contaminants.

Engineered bioremediation, including biostimulation and bioaugmentation, is a promising technology to clean those PCE and/or TCE contaminated sites. However, in many contaminated groundwater systems and hazardous waste sites, pH can be lower than 5 to 6. And release of HCl (strong acid) from anaerobic reductive dechlorination may ...

Impacts Of Beetle Kill On Modeled Streamflow Response In The North Platte River Basin, Jordan Andrew Rudolph

Masters Theses

A beetle epidemic has been sweeping its way across the western United States and into portions of southern Canada that has caused millions of acres of forests to ultimately die. This beetle outbreak, that many have come to know simply as “beetle kill”, has caused many scientists to feel that such dramatic changes in land cover could potentially alter the hydrology throughout much of the West. One of the most important hydrological processes that beetle kill has the potential to impact is streamflow. This paper attempts to evaluate the hydrological impacts on streamflow from land cover change due to beetle ...

Estimates Of Glacier Mass Loss And Contribution To Streamflow: Wind River Range (Wyoming, Usa), Jeffrey Allen Marks

Masters Theses

The Wind River Range is a continuous mountain range approximately 160 km in length in west-central Wyoming. The Wind River Range is host to roughly 680 snow and ice bodies with 63 of these considered glaciers including seven of the ten largest glaciers in the American Rocky Mountains. The presence of glaciers results in meltwater contributions to streamflow during the late summer (July, August, and September – JAS) when snowmelt is decreasing, temperatures are high, precipitation is low, and irrigation demand continues. Most studies indicate that the glaciers in the Wind River Range have been retreating since the 1850’s, the ...

Utilization Of Rainwater As A Supplementary Water Source For Cooling Tower Makeup: A Sustainability Strategy For Potable Water Use Reduction, Elizabeth Stassun Costello

Masters Theses

The use of rainwater as a supplementary water source for cooling water makeup was explored in an effort to reduce the potable water demand of theUniversityofTennessee’sKnoxvillecampus. A water quality analysis involving the measurement of parameters relevant to cooling tower operation was conducted on tap water currently used for makeup supply and rainwater collected from the roof of a campus building. In anticipation of limited rainwater supplies due to issues of catchment surface area, collection efficiency, storage capacity, and climatic conditions, blends of rainwater and tap water were also analyzed. The dissolved solids concentration of the rainwater was significantly lower ...

Predicting Groundwater Trading Participation In The Upper Republican River Natural Resource District, Elizabeth M. Juchems

Dissertations and Theses in Agricultural Economics

The goal of this thesis is to predict participation in groundwater trading and the directions of trades among participants. Specifically, the paper considers both formal and informal trading of groundwater used for crop irrigation purposes and attempts to identify those characteristics that predict the probability of trade participation and whether an individual is a buyer or seller of groundwater rights. While the public benefits from efficient use of groundwater include adequate stream flow in hydrologically connected areas and future use of groundwater supplies, there are significant private benefits to landowners especially in water-short areas. Groundwater trading can help move water ...

Design Of An Underwater Video And Gps Mapping System For The Exploration Of Streambed Aquatic Populations, William Barbour

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

This design project was initiated due to the need for an underwater video mapping system optimized for exploration along the streambed or riverbed and under rocks. Such a system would be used for population mapping of fish and other aquatic species. The system also needed to incorporate global positioning system data with the visual data. The current prototype successfully fulfills the requirements for underwater practicality and visual and GPS data collection. It incorporates a compact waterproof camera with Sony lens, two Fenix high-intensity waterproof flashlights for illumination, a handheld DVR for recording video, and a Garmin 60CSx GPS unit. The ...

Preliminary Analysis Of Ghg Production From The Lincoln Water System To Determine Operating Energy And Infrastructure Construction Impacts, Martin Gakuria

Environmental Engineering Theses and Graduate Student Research

The Lincoln Water System (LWS) provides water to the citizens, industries, and commercial areas within and near the City of Lincoln, Nebraska. The intent of this thesis is to determine if reductions in future per capita water demand will help reduce the building of infrastructure and reduce future pumping costs and uses the computation of greenhouse gasses to compare the effects of different degrees of water conservation.

Data analysis was performed on water production statistics and data (1994-2011) collected and provided by the City of Lincoln, Nebraska. Projections in accordance with the Lincoln-Lancaster County 2040 Comprehensive Plan were made to ...

Biological Control Of Manganese In Water Supplies In The Presence Of Humic Acids, Michael S. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The main objective of this study was to improve our understanding of biological filtration (biofilm type) treatment for manganese (Mn) removal in drinking water. Biological filtration treatment involves biofilms of Mn(II)-oxidizing microorganisms attached to solid filter material that remove and immobilize dissolved Mn(II) in raw water by conversion to black MnO_2(s) precipitates. Mn-biological filtration is an emerging green technology that can serve as an alternative to conventional physicochemical treatments but its full potential is hindered by various factors. These include lack of understanding the: (1) optimal removal conditions for Mn, (2) mechanisms for Mn releases ...

Building Upon Common-Pool Resource Theory To Explore Success In Transitioning Water Management Institutions, Christina M. Hoffman

Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources

Nebraska, like many regions around the world, is faced with the challenge of adapting to a new era in water management. Increasing demands for water resources, mounting concerns over threatened and endangered species, and obligations to abide by interstate water allocation agreements have motivated Nebraska to revisit traditional water management approaches. However, although Nebraska’s water management institutions have undergone much change, little research exists on the influence these changes have had on the ability of water institutions to successfully manage water allocations. This research (1) qualitatively explores the perspectives and experiences of stakeholders in the overappropriated region of the ...

Effects Of Phosphate On The Transport Of Escherichia Coli In Saturated Quartz Sand, Nan Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial deposition and survival in porous media is a crucial phenomenon in various environmental processes including bioremediation, water treatment, and pathogen contamination. The fate of bacteria in porous media may be greatly influenced by ionic strength and phosphate. Although phosphate is widespread in the natural environment, the influence of phosphate on the transport of three strains of ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 cells in the groundwater system remains unknown.

Experiments were performed in saturated sand packed columns with and without phosphate to examine the transport of bacteria, deposition rate coefficient, interaction energy between bacteria and sand, and bacteria surface charge.

Experimental ...

Simulation Of Mobility And Retention Of Selected Engineered Nanoparticles Beneath Landfills, Shumsun N. Siddique

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Engineered Nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique physical, chemical, and electrical properties which has led to their application in a wide variety of industries. Landfills are a likely disposal site for ENPs at the end of their useful life, either encapsulated in a product as discrete nanoparticles or in nanoparticle agglomerates. Most countries and jurisdictions have landfill design regulations to provide an effective impermeable barrier between a landfill and soil/groundwater, however, landfills are still of concern due to the potential threat to groundwater resources. This study assesses the fate of selected ENPs ...

A Meta-Heuristic Approach For Assessment Of Automobile Related Policies, And Their Impact On Co2 Emissions, Leila Pourzahedi

Civil Engineering Master's Theses

After the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, governments are becoming more wary of the effects of Green House Gases (GHGs) on the climate, and are trying to control and reduce their country's share by various means. From Cap-and-Trade programs, to introducing hybrid and plug-in vehicles, and creating standards for every source of pollution, they are trying to limit these emissions from every aspect possible. One of the pollution sources with a great deal of contribution to the total GHGs emitted is the transportation sector. Setting policies and regulations is one effective way to limit the share of these sources. In United ...

Experimental And Modeling Study Of Reactive Core Mats To Reduce Bioavailability Of Persistent Organic Compounds In Aquatic Sediments, Dogus Meric

Civil Engineering Dissertations

Sediment remediation techniques to limit the bioavailability of contaminants are of special interest due to related acute or chronic toxicities associated with sediment contaminants. Bioavailability in aquatic sediments can be particularly problematic due to their accessibility to food chain biota, and interactions with surface and ground water which makes the long-term effective isolation necessary. This dissertation summarizes an experimental and numerical study to assess, characterize and model the effectiveness of Reactive Core Mats (RCM) for isolation, filtering, long term remediation and reducing bioavailability of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aquatic sediments.

Bench-scale consolidation-coupled contaminant transport column ...

Facilitating The Development And Integration Of Low-Carbon Energy Technologies, Emily Fertig

Dissertations

Climate change mitigation will require extensive decarbonization of the electricity sector. This thesis addresses both large-scale wind integration (Papers 1-3) and development of new energy technologies (Paper 4) in service of this goal.

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) could be paired with a wind farm to provide firm, dispatchable baseload power, or serve as a peaking plant and capture upswings in electricity prices. Paper 1 presents a firm-level engineering-economic analysis of a wind/CAES system with a wind farm in central Texas, load in either Dallas or Houston, and a CAES plant whose location is profit-optimized. Of a range of ...