Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

On The Spatial Nature Of The Groundwater Pumping Externality, Nicholas Brozovic, David L. Sunding, David Zilberman

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Most existing economic analyses of optimal groundwater management use single-cell aquifer models, which assume that an aquifer responds uniformly and instantly to ground- water pumping. This paper demonstrates how spatially explicit aquifer response equations from the water resources engineering literature may be embedded in a general economic framework. Calibration of our theoretical model to published economic studies of spe- cific aquifers demonstrates that, by averaging basin drawdown across the entire resource, existing studies generally understate the magnitude of the groundwater pumping external- ity relative to spatially explicit models. For the aquifers studied, the drawdown predicted by single- cell models may …

Amherst Ma: A New Village Plan For Atkins Corner, Maggie Jones, Richard Barringer

Planning

The case study describes a successful smart growth initiative in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, at an intersection known as Atkins Corner. The initiative grew from two motivating factors: the necessity of realigning Route 116, a major north-to-south artery through the town, to decrease traffic accidents at the intersection and improve pedestrian safety; and a desire on the part of Hampshire College and the Town to create a village center at the intersection. Through a consensus-building process involving key town officials, Hampshire College, neighbors, and the design firm of Dodson Associates, agreement on the project was reached with local stakeholders …

The Fate And Transport Of Nitrogen (N) And The Effect Of Emergent Plants On Natural Treatment Of N-Species At Las Vegas Wash, Nevada, Tanju Kiriscioglu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of emergent plant communities at Las Vegas Wash (the System) using a system dynamics modeling approach. Understanding the dynamics of nitrogen (N —major polluting nutrient in the Wash) that enters the System is important because it occasionally causes algal blooms, choking Lake Mead through excessive eutrophication. Emergent plant communities are an integral part of wetland ecosystems and they play a crucial role in natural treatment of nutrients. This study is intended to test this hypothesis.

The study makes use of Wash data from reliable sources (Las Vegas Valley Water District, …

Optimal Management Of Groundwater Over Space And Time, Nicholas Brozovic, David L. Sunding, David Zilberman

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

For nearly half a century, groundwater has been portrayed in the economic literature as a typical common property resource. Numerous studies of groundwater extraction have analyzed the externalities imposed by users on each other. A large body of work offers clear prescriptions in the form of optimal policy instruments, and a similarly large body of work advocates the needlessness of any centralized intervention. Yet existing theoretical models of groundwater extraction implicitly make two strong assumptions about the underlying behavior of the resource. First, the spatial distribution of resource users is assumed to be irrelevant. Second, path-independence of the resource is …

Promoting Low Impact Development In Your Community, New England Environmental Finance Center

Planning

Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to stormwater management and site development that is gaining popularity throughout the country. Its attractiveness lies in its potential to lessen off-site stormwater impacts, reduce costs to municipalities and developers, and promote development that is “softer on the land” compared with typical traditional development. The approach, which is applicable to residential, commercial and industrial projects, and in urban, suburban and rural settings, often is linked with efforts by governments and citizens to foster more sustainable communities.

Zero Effluent Stretch Target (Zest), Orla O'Connor

Theses

The goals of this project were to assess the viability of avoiding water use and of “cascading” water uses, i.e. using outlet water from one process in another activity, possibly with some purification, including the upgrading of the final effluent stream for internal reuse. Water use has been inventoried at FMC Biopolymer, Cork. Avoidance and reduction measures were identified that could reduce water consumption from 49m /hr to 19 m /hr (a reduction in excess of 60%), with an annual saving in excess of €350,000. These projects were assessed for feasibility and implementation. Potential streams that could be subject to …

Coupled Oceanic-Atmospheric Variability And U.S. Streamflow, Glenn A. Tootle, Thomas C. Piechota, Ashok Singh

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

A study of the influence of interdecadal, decadal, and interannual oceanic-atmospheric influences on streamflow in the United States is presented. Unimpaired streamflow was identified for 639 stations in the United States for the period 1951–2002. The phases (cold/negative or warm/positive) of Pacific Ocean (El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)) and Atlantic Ocean (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)) oceanic-atmospheric influences were identified for the year prior to the streamflow year (i.e., long lead time). Statistical significance testing of streamflow, based on the interdecadal, decadal, and interannual oceanic-atmospheric phase (warm/positive or cold/negative), was performed by …

Assessing The Relationships Between The Spatial Variation In Land-Use Spatial Patterns And Surface Water Quality, Majed A. Khater

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the association between the spatial patterns of urban land uses and surface water quality parameters at the watershed outlet. The aim of the study was to understand the strength and nature of this relationship, and examine new methods of classifying and quantifying contributing urban land-uses and their spatial patterns. The hypothesis of this research was: in an urban watershed, the variation in the spatial patterns of contributing land uses will have a significant impact on the surface water quality parameters at the watershed outlet.

This relationship between urbanization and water quality is …

Risk And Consequence Analysis Focused On Biota Transfers Potentially Associated With Surface Water Diversions Between The Missouri River And Red River Basins, Greg Linder, Ed Little, Lynne Johnson, Chad Vishy, Bruce Peacock, Heather Goeddecke

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Section 1 provides a brief overview of the project, including a cursory summary of the history of the “Garrison Diversion” and how that history relates to this work focused on the analysis of risks and consequences potentially associated with interbasin biota transfers. The present study was initiated under the auspices of the Dakota Water Resources Act (DWRA) of 2000, which directed the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive study of the water quality and quantity needs of the Red River Valley and the options for meeting those needs. As such, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) requested technical support …

Regional Scale Evidence For Improvements In Surface Water Chemistry 1990-2001, B. L. Skjelkvåle, J. L. Stoddard, D. S. Jeffries, K. Tørseth, T. Høgåsen, J. Bowman, J. Mannio, D. T. Monteith, R. Mosello, M. Rogora, D. Rzychon, J. Vesely, J. Wieting, A. Wilander, A. Worsztynowicz

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The main aim of the international UNECE monitoring program ICP Waters under the Convention of Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) is to assess, on a regional basis, the degree and geographical extent of the impact of atmospheric pollution, in particular acidification, on surface waters. Regional trends are calculated for 12 geographical regions in Europe and North America, comprising 189 surface waters sites. From 1990-2001 sulphate concentrations decreased in all but one of the investigated regions. Nitrate increased in only one region, and decreased in three North American regions. Improvements in alkalinity and pH are widely observed. Results from the ICP …

Hydrogeologic Model Of A Leachate Plume In An Unconfined Coastal Plain Aquifer And Chemical Transport Mechanisms Of Metals And Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids, Thomas Lindblad

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater contamination is of increasing environmental concern as many aquifers across the globe have experienced a decrease in water quality in recent time. The growth of the world's population over the last couple of decades has caused a dramatic increase in the rate of groundwater use. One potential source of groundwater contamination is waste material in landfills. The 1 st Division Road Sanitary landfill at Fort Benning Military Reservation was studied to evaluate the potential effect on local groundwater and a leachate plume was recognized using data from 16 groundwater monitoring wells located around the facility. The study site is …

Day 2: Thursday, August 5, 2004: Valmont Power Plant, Valmont Power Plant

Energy Field Tour 2004 (August 4-6)

5 pages (includes illustrations).

Agenda: Energy Field Tour 2004, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Energy Field Tour 2004 (August 4-6)

Tour (day trips along the Front Range, originating in Boulder) held August 4-6, 2004.

Summary: Assorted articles, maps, brochures, and other materials prepared for participants of the tour

Contents:

2004 energy field tour agenda -- Mission and vision of the Natural Resources Law Center -- Natural Resources Law Center, University of Colorado School of Law : a brief introduction -- Boulder area street map 4 -- Chatauqua area map -- [Bus] Route 203/225 : Boulder/Lafayette/Baseline -- Boulder-Lafayette via Baseline [bus schedules]

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2004: OIL & GAS PRODUCTION FACILITIES AND PLATTEVILLE GAS PROCESSING FACILITY: 'Our next shortage', The Washington …

Slides: Intro To Groundwater Law In Colorado, David L. Harrison

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: David L. Harrison.

17 slides.

Groundwater Management: Lessons From Colorado V. Kansas, David W. Robbins

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

11 pages.

Slides: South Metro Denver Water Supply Study, Patricia Wells

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Patricia Wells, General Counsel, Denver Water.

23 slides.

The Future Of Groundwater In The West, James S. Lochhead

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

7 pages.

Slides: Ground Water Resources In Colorado, Matthew A. Sares

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Matthew Sares, Chief, Environmental Geology Section, Colorado Geological Survey.

21 slides.

Intro To Ground Water Law In Colorado And Surface-Groundwater Conflicts In The South Platte, David Harrison, Veronica A. Sperling, Steven O. Sims

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

25 pages.

Contains footnotes.

Slides: Coalbed Methane Water Quantity/Quality, Tom Darin

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Tom Darin, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance.

18 slides.

Advancing Binational Cooperation In Transboundary Aquifer Management On The U.S. Mexico Border [Paper And Presentation], Stephen P. Mumme

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Steve Mumme, Colorado State University.

23 pages and 8 slides.

Contains footnotes.

Slides: The Spokane And The Yakima: A Tale Of Two Aquifers, Rachel Paschal Osborn

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Rachael Paschal Osborn, Private Practice and Gonzaga Law School.

89 slides.

Slides: Deep Trouble On The Plains: Conflicts Over Aquifer Mining, Management And Marketing, Ronald Kaiser

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Ron Kaiser, Texas A&M University.

47 slides.

Slides: California Groundwater Management, Michael Fife

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Michael Fife, Hatch and Parent.

66 pages (includes map) and 18 slides.

Contains footnotes.

Slides: Groundwater In The West, John Entsminger

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: John Entsminger, Deputy Counsel, Southern Nevada Water Authority.

16 slides.

Groundwater Resources Of The Lower Colorado Region, Tim Henley

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

15 pages.

Slides: An Update On Management Of The Northern Ogallala, Raymond J. Supalla

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Raymond Supalla, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska.

37 slides.

Slides: Overview Of Groundwater Management Laws In The Western United States, Gary Bryner

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Gary Bryner, Natural Resources Law Center and Brigham Young University (see also Groundwater Law Sourcebook of the Western United States).

37 slides.

Slides: Survey Of Indian Groundwater Issues, Rodney B. Lewis

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Rodney Lewis, General Counsel, Gila River Tribe.

49 slides.

Agenda: Groundwater In The West, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Conference moderators and/or speakers included University of Colorado School of Law professors James N. Corbridge, Jr., Douglas S. Kenney, Jim Martin and Kathryn M. Mutz.

The Colorado Law Natural Resources Law Center celebrated its 25th Annual Summer Conference by exploring one of the most important natural resources of the 21st century: groundwater. Titled "Groundwater in the West," the conference was held June 16-18 at the Fleming Law Building on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. Participants discussed law, policy, and management of groundwater in the West. "As demands on surface water increase and drought seems more the norm than …