Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Comparative Analysis Of Three Remediation Technologies For The Clean Up Of Petroleum Contaminated Groundwater, Thomas Bouck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper will compare three remediation technologies to determine which is the most efficient and effective remediation treatment for a petroleum contaminated groundwater site. The three remediation technologies are in situ bioremediation, in situ air sparging, and air stripping with carbon filtration. This comparison will be done through a literature review. It will take the information derived from the review and then apply it to the information about a petroleum contaminated groundwater location. The comparative analysis will consist of these parameters permit requirements, clean up time, operating and maintenance, and geological factors.

These factors permit requirements, cleanup time, and operating …

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Hatchlings Success: The Effects Of Artificial Lights And Other Human Impacts, Hui-Yu Tracy Liang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sea turtles appeared more than 200 million years ago in the late Triassic period. They grow very slowly, taking an average of 25 years to reach sexual maturity, with a life span averaging 40-50 years. From May to October green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) emerge during the night and follow light cues toward the sea. Recently, beachfront development has increased hatchling mortality rate. When hatchlings emerge from nest, high densities of artificial lights lead them toward the land where they either desiccate and die, or are preyed upon. Short-wavelength high intensity light and the distance of artificial light are the …

Systemic Environmental Analysis Of The Legal Mechanisms For Controlling Air Pollution In The Las Vegas Valley, Richard Little

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the air pollution control structure for the Las Vegas Valley. A System Dynamics computer model was created that represents the structure of the real world system for controlling air pollution, in order to examine how the current air pollution control system might behave in the future.

Vegetation Analysis: A Graphical Analysis Of Plant Succession In Desert Communities Affected By Fire, Jeff Lantow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Mojave Desert is affected by fire every year. With each fire comes the removal of old growth and, in its place, new growth – consisting primarily of those species which thrive in disturbed areas. The focus of my research is to look at plant communities that have been disturbed by fire, and examine the successional pathway of these disturbed environments. The seven environments I analyzed were burned within the last twenty years and are found in the Coleogyne ramosissima ecotone throughout the Spring Mountain range near Las Vegas, Nevada. The data was collected with randomly chosen circle plots in …

Lead Shot Concentration In Soil At The Overton Wildlife Management Area, Nevada, George R. Bertoty

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

During the spring of 1998, soil samples were collected from two areas at the Overton Wildlife Management Area (OWMA), located in the Moapa Valley of Clark County, Nevada. Lead shot has been banned for the hunting of waterfowl since 1986 but is still legal for upland game hunting. Both types of hunting occur at OWMA. One area sampled is a cultivated field and serves primarily as a dove hunting area. The other area is primarily a waterfowl hunting area and is flooded during the waterfowl-hunting season. Lead shot was recovered from 83% of the samples from the dove hunting area, …

A Strategic Analysis Of The Rocky Flats Cleanup, Patrick Mccann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site is located in Golden, Colorado. It is situated on 384 acres in a 6,550-acre natural preserve. Rocky Flats ended its original mission in 1989, after raids on the site by both the FBI and the EPA for illegal dumping and other environmental violations. Since then the site has been scheduled for cleanup. This thesis will provide background information on the site and on the company hired to perform the cleanup. It also provides an evaluation of some key policies regarding the cleanup procedures. Since the end of the cold war, the production of nuclear …

The Price Of Clean Air: A Consideration Of Market Based Emissions Trading, Mark W. Miller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traditional regulatory approaches for environmental protection do not consider

the costs and benefits of the standards they impose. Further, imposing strict performance

standards on firms with heterogeneous control costs leads to an inefficient allocation of resources devoted to pollution control. This paper explores the use of emission allowance trading as a way to improve economic efficiency within the context of environmental protection. PM10 air pollution from sources within the Las Vegas Valley is used as the case study.

This paper found that an emission trading

program in this particular case study would not live up to the theoretical expectations. Although, …

Watercraft Impact On The Lake Mead National Recreational Area, Terence Lino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Plan For Characterizing Waste For The Defense Special Weapons Agency At The Nevada Test Site, Tiffany A. Hatcher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 1976, Congress adopted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to govern hazardous waste. The Act was amended in 1984 with the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments in order to further define the requirements of RCRA. RCRA is meant to protect human health and the environment from the effects of hazardous waste, promote waste minimization, and encourage material recycling and recovery. For this purpose, regulations are implemented that cover every aspect of the hazardous waste problem, including generation, transport, treatment, storage, and disposal.

Generators of waste are the most important part of this chain. As defined in RCRA, a …

The Use Of Spectrofluorimetry And Capillary Electrophoresis/Laser-Induced Fluorescence For The Detection Of Fluorescent Dyes In Groundwater Migration Studies, Patrick Ferguson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis involves work that was accomplished during a two-year internship at the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA), Environmental Chemistry Branch. The research is an application of trace level determination of fluorescein dyes used as groundwater tracers. The work was performed to determine whether groundwater could migrate from a Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) site to an adjacent Superfund site. The research involved using Spectrofluorimetry and a new technique called capillary electrophoresis/laser induced fluorescence (CE/LIF) to determine tracer dyes that were injected at the RCRA site and monitored at the Superfund site. Results from Spectrofluorimetry were compared to those of CE/LIF. …

The Real Cost Of Beef: A Monetary Assessment Of The Environmental Degradation Caused By Beef Production, Carolyn Babcock

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The environmental degradation caused by beef production is severe. The current literature assesses the ecological damage, but falls short of assigning a per pound dollar amount to reflect the real cost of beef. In the United States, most of the environmental focus has been centered around the use of public lands for grazing and the grazing fee the government considers appropriate. The fee covers the maintenance of the grazing program, which includes maintenance of the actual land. This paper will concentrate on beef-related environmental degradation and select specific damage for monetary valuation.

An Analysis Of Remediation Alternatives In An Attempt To Establish An Effective Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils Remediation Program At The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (Ymp), Marc A. Gonzales

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An analyses, of six (6) soil remediation alternatives was completed in attempt to establish an effective hydrocarbon-contaminated soils remediation program at the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Program (YMP). The remediation alternatives analyzed included: no remediation, on-site incineration, off-site incineration, in-situ .bioremediation, ex-situ bioremediation, and excavation and disposal. Variables considered in the evaluation process included cost of contaminated soil transportation, treatment costs, future liability, and success of remediating the contaminated soils to below regulatory thresholds. The analysis concluded in the recommendation of an on-site ex-situ bioremediation treatment facility (BTF) to remediate hydrocarbon-contaminated soils at the YMP. The selection was based on …

An Experimental Technique In Lowering Total Dissolved Solids In Wastewater, Aaron Crotts

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An experimental method for lowering total dissolved solids in wastewater. This thesis project has been undertaken by Aaron Crotts in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies. The problem undertaken in this thesis is to apply an experimental technique in wastewater treatment in hopes of reducing the total dissolved solids. Total dissolved solids consist of various dissolved ions in water such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur and sodium. In looking at one industry in particular a local Ice Cream manufacture, the problem with total dissolved solids is evident because of their manufacturing process, an …

Management Of Pesticide Related Soil Contamination In Tulare County, California: Remediation And Prevention Options, Nickolas Keoni Akana

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The case study chosen for research is the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) summary report of Remedial Investigations of the Harmon Field contaminated site located near the town of Pixley, in Tulare County, California. "These reports were prepared in accordance with a directive from the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal-EPA), formerly the California Department of Health Services (DHS). (Canonie, 1996).

Harmon Field is a hundred acre field located at 1494 South Airport Road. The airfield has been in full operation since 1952. The uses of the airport are all agriculturally related. The primary use is for crop duster operations. (Canonie 1996). …

Updating The Colorado River Compact, Jeffrey A. Freer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Water is essential to life in the arid environment of the western United States. For centuries, humans have used the Colorado River to fulfill their needs and until the past 100 years, the use of the river was sustainable. Over the last 100 years, the Colorado River has been dammed and diverted to "reclaim" the arid west for man's use. In 1946, a Department of the Interior report stated that "Tomorrow the Colorado will be utilized to the very last drop. Its water will convert thousands of additional acres of sagebrush desert to flourishing farms and beautiful homes for servicemen, …

Determining Recreational Visitor Carrying Capacity: The Case Of Black Canyon At Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Kenneth C. Forman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, created by Hoover and Davis Dams respectively, were combined, along with much of the surrounding area, into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1964. The enabling legislation is specific about the duty the National Park Service has to the public to create and maintain this, and other, national recreation areas for the benefit of the visitors, the environment, and future generations. By investigating human impacts on the physical environment (water quality, litter, etc.) and by querying park users on their opinions (with respect to crowding, visitor behavior, etc.), insight can be gained about appropriate …

Analysis And Evaluation Of The Workplace Exposure Assessment Workbook Developed By Keith Tait Including Some Recommended Revisions, Lisa Hebberd

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Some risk due to the contamination of workplace environments is an inevitable part of human lives. These risks can often be reduced by improving the control of environmental pollution in the workplace. An extremely important challenge for any industry is to develop a mechanism to identify acceptable levels of safety, or "acceptable risk" in the workplace for specific situations, and to assure adequate quality control over measured or calculated exposure concentrations and their possible contributions to adverse health effects.