Environmental Monitoring Commons^™

Input And Distribution Of Sewage Derived Sedimentary Material Adjacent To Chesapeake-Elizabeth Sewage Outfall, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Robert Carroll Brown

OES Theses and Dissertations

The concentrations of coprostanol and hydrocarbons were measured in the effluent from the Chesapeake-Elizabeth sewage treatment plant and surface sediments from the area surrounding the effluent discharge site. Most of the coprostanol (>84%) and hydrocarbons (>91%) were associated with particulates in the effluent. Some of these particles were incorporated into the sedimentary column within the study area, while some may have escaped from the area.

The study area is found to be a dynamic area where changes in the percentage and distribution of fine-grained sediments occur over periods of months. The movement of fine-grained sediments is an important …

Fisheries Report No 59 - Potential Fisheries Capability Of The Ord In The Short, Medium And Long Terms, Dr N. Morrissy

Fisheries Research Reports

This report examines the history, future and problems of various methods for development and exploitation of the fisheries resources of the Ord.

The primary resource is the array of native fish and crustacean species, with the possible introduction of other desirable or noxious species being a subject for consideration.

Water resources, supporting these species, are the remaining natural Ord River downstream from the Diversion Dam at Kununurra, the stillwaters of Lake Kununurra and Lake Argyle, and, for aquaculture, the controlled distribution of water supply over the flat land of the irrigation system (Fig. 1). Another recognized resource is the climatic …

Report No 58 - 1982 - Review Of Rainfall And Wetlands In The South-West Of Western Australia, J. A.K. Lane, D. R. Munro

Fisheries Research Reports

An account is given of involved the biological principles in decisions concerning duck-shooting seasons in the south-west of western Australia.

Conditions for waterfowl during 1982 are described through the use of rainfall statistics and data obtained from the Department's wetland monitoring programme.

1982 was characterized by exceptionally high rainfall in January and well-below average from February to October.

1982 was the seventh consecutive year of below-average rainfall in all five Meteorological of the south-west. 1976 to 1982 has thus been the south-west's driest seven-year period for more than seventy years.

The record-breaking rains of January caused widespread flooding in the …

Government Response To Drought In The United States: With Particular Reference To The Great Plains, Donald A. Wilhite

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Drought relief has become an expected response of the federal government to periods of widespread drought in the United States. A wide range of emergency, short-term and long-term drought programs were formulated to deal with the extreme drought of the 1930's. By 1977 there were 40 separate programs administered by 16 different federal agencies. This paper traces the development of federal drought relief bureaucracy, including drought designation criteria and procedures.

Two obvious deficiencies of past drought relief efforts in the United States are noted. First, drought relief organizations and programs have been hastily assembled during periods of crisis. This has …

Water Quality Trends In The Las Vegas Wash Wetlands, F. A. Morris, L. J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

The Las Vegas Wash is a wetlands ecosystem that acts to buffer the effects of wastewater discharges on the receiving waters of Lake Mead. The wash is the terminus for the 4,144 km2 Las Vegas Valley drainage basin, emptying into Las Vegas Bay of Lake Mead (Colorado River). It is in the northern Mojave desert, which receives an average of only 10 cm of rainfall annually. The Las Vegas Wash is technically an artificial wetland supported almost entirely by the perennial flows from sewage treatment plants. These flows contribute an average of 3-7 t of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and …

The Effects Of Limited Food Availability On The Striped Bass Fishery In Lake Mead, John R. Baker, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

The original range of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) was along the Atlantic Coast. They were introduced into the lower Sacramento River in 1879 and are now also found along the Pacific Coast. A landlocked striped bass fishery was established in Santee-Cooper Reservoir, South Carolina, in 1954, and they have since been introduced into numerous other reservoirs, including Lake Havasu, Lake Mead and Lake Powell on the Colorado River. Striped bass were introduced into Lake Mead in 1969 in response to declines in the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fishery that occurred during the 1960s and in order to further utilize the …

Pastoral Land Degradation: The Fitzroy As A Case Study, Alan L. Payne, Ronald B. Hacker

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

When large numbers of domestic livestock are superimposed on native vegetation in semi-arid and arid areas of the world, the ecological balance inevitably changes. In extreme cases these changes include such degradation as drastic losses of vegetation and active soil erosion. Areas affected in this way are unproductive for most purposes.

Western Australia's Fitzroy River valley has deteriorated in this way. Today, this once-­productive grazing country is so degraded that it has become a matter of concern to Governments, the pastoral industry and others.

This article gives a brief history of land degradation in parts of the Fitzroy River valley, …

The Effects Of Impoundments On Salinity In The Colorado River, Larry J. Paulson, John R. Baker

Publications (WR)

The increase in salinity of our western rivers has been identified as one of the most serious water quality problems in the nation. This is of special concern in the Colorado River where salinity has increased from pristine levels estimated at 380 mg/1 to present-day levels of 825 mg/1 at Imperial Dam. Flow depletions, associated with decreased runoff and increased evaporation and diversions, coupled with high salt loading from natural and man-created sources are considered the primary causes for rising salinity in the river. The urban and agricultural development projected to occur in the basin through this century could deplete …

Use Of Hydroelectric Dams To Control Evaporation And Salinity In The Colorado River System, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

The main stem reservoirs on the Colorado River comprise one of the largest and most heavily used freshwater bodies in the nation. These reservoirs (Lake Powell, Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Lake Havasu) can store up to 53,590,400 acre-feet of water at their maximum capacities. Nonetheless, local water shortages still exist in some areas of the Colorado River Basin. There is also concern that salt concentrations are approaching levels that could severely affect municipal and agricultural uses. Water shortages will become even more acute as demands for water increase with continued urban and agricultural development in the basin. Water conservation …

Historical Patterns Of Phytoplankton Productivity In Lake Mead, Richard T. Prentki, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

Lake Mead was impounded in 1935 by the construction of Hoover Dam. The Colorado River was unregulated prior to then and therefore was subjected to extreme variations in flows and suspended sediment loads. Hoover Dam stabilized flows and reduced suspended sediment loads downstream, but Lake Mead still received silt-laden inflows from the upper Colorado River Basin. The Colorado River contributed 97% of the suspended sediment inputs to Lake Mead, and up to 140 x 1O⁶ metric tons (t) entered the reservoir in years of high runoff. Most of the sediments were deposited in the river channel and formed an …

The Influence Of Lake Powell On The Suspended Sediment-Phosphorus Dynamics Of The Colorado River Inflow To Lake Mead, T. D. Evans, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

The Colorado River has been successively modified by the construction of several reservoirs, beginning in 1935 with the formation of Lake Mead by Hoover Dam. These reservoirs are located in a chain, and each one has an influence on the nutrient dynamics and productivity of the river and downstream reservoir. Lake Mead derives 98% of its annual inflow from the Colorado River. Historically, the Colorado River inflow was unregulated into Lake Mead. Regulation occurred in 1963, when Lake Powell was impounded by the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, approximately 450 km upstream. The formation of Lake Powell drastically altered the …

Effects Of Wastewater Discharges On Periphyton Growth In Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, Marsha Korb Morris

Publications (WR)

A study of the effects of secondary-treated wastewater on periphyton growth in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona was conducted from September 1979 to December 1980. Periphyton ash-free dry weight, chlorophyll-a, dominant species composition, and alkaline phosphatase activity were measured on fiberglass substrates. Substrates were incubated for two to four weeks in littoral and limnetic habitats. Physical and chemical variables and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a were measured concurrently.

Transparency increased with increasing distance from the discharge. Secchi depth ranged from 0.75 m at the discharge confluence (station 2) in August, to greater than 20 m at the most distant stations (stations 9 and 10) in …

State Of The Fisheries Report 1981, Department Of Fisheries And Wildlife, Western Australia

Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

Western Australia continues to be one of the leading fishing States in Australia. The total gross value of fish, crustaceans and molluscs for 1980/81 was $82.8 million (Table 1) to which may be added the value of the pearl culture industry resulting in a total value of approximately $100 million.

An Ecological Analysis Of Relic Diatoms In Sediments Of Las Vegas Bay, Lake Mead, David Ross Hetzel

Publications (WR)

Relic diatoms in sediments of the inner Las Vegas Bay, near the Las Vegas Wash sewage inflow, were examined in order to assess historic trophic conditions in this area of Lake Mead. Diatom sedimentation rates and ratios of Araphidineae/Centrales (A/C) diatom groups were determined from sediment cores collected in the old wash channel 1.5 km from the sewage inflow (station 2), in a small cove 1.5 km further downstream (station 3) and in an adjacent embayment off Gypsum Wash (station 4). Diatom sedimentation rates generally increased from the bottom to the top of each core, but pronounced minima existed at …

Development, Verification And Use Of Methods To Model Chemical And Thermal Processes For Lakes Mead And Powell, John Eric Edinger, Edward M. Buchak, Joseph S. Norton, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Analysis and development of carbonate-bicarbonate chemical subroutine.

Climate Data Sources In Connecticut, Patricia A. Palley, David R. Miller

Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station

No abstract provided.

Report No 49 - Geographically Restricted Plants Of Southern Western Australia, Barbara L. Rye

Fisheries Research Reports

This publication lists 527 angiosperm species native to southern western Australia whose known geographical ranges are less than 100 kilometres long. A further 128 angiosperms are listed with geographical ranges between 100 and 160 kilometres. No fern or gymnosperm species in the region are known to be geographically restricted.

Apart from the presently unnamed species, a large majority of the rare plants of southern Western Australia are believed to be listed, including 86 of the species that have been gazetted as rare flora.

Less than 40% of the listed species are known to occur on conservation reserves and less than …

Report No 56 - 1981 Review Of Rainfall And Wetlands In The South-West Of Western Australia, J. A.K. Lane, D. R. Munro

Fisheries Research Reports

An account is given of the biological principles involved in decisions concerning duck-shooting seasons in the south-west of Western Australia.

The conditions for waterfowl which prevailed during 1981 are described through the use of rainfall statistics and data obtained from the Department's wetland monitoring programme.

Rainfall was generally average over central and northern areas of the south-west during 1981. Rainfall in southern areas, however, was generally

below to much-below-average, although south coastal areas from Augusta to Albany received average falls.

Unusually heavy falls were recorded in North Coastal, North Central and Central Coastal Districts in May, and average falls were …

Report No 54 - A Guide To The Gazetted Rare Flora Of Western Australia: Supplement 1, Susan J. Patrick, Stephen D. Hopper

Fisheries Research Reports

On March 12, 1982 36 plants were added to and 4 plants were deleted from the schedule of flora proclaimed by the Minister for Fisheries and Wildlife to be rare, likely to become extinct or otherwise in need of special protection under Section 23F of the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950-1979. Descriptions and drawings of each of the 36 additions to the schedule are provided.

All 36 rare taxa are confined to the South West Botanical Province, most being concentrated in the Albany, Pingelly,

Moora and Wongan Hills wildlife districts. There is an urgent need for further studies on the conservation …

The Voluntary Water Quality Monitoring Program : 1982 Project Report, Barbara Welch, Judy Potvin, Mary Ellen Dennis

Maine Collection

The Voluntary Water Quality Monitoring Program : 1982 Project Report

by Barbara Welch, Judy Potvin & Mary Ellen Dennis

Division of Environmental Evaluation and Lake Studies, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Augusta, Maine 1982.

Contents: Understanding Maine's Lakes and Ponds / Acknowledgement / Temperature / Dissolved Oxygen / Other Measures of Lake Water Quality / Nutrients / Algae and Chlorophyll a / Transparency / Morphometry / Sampling / Protection / Classification / Answers to Most Frequently Asked Questions / Glossary of Terms / Appendix A : Maximum, Minimum, and Mean Values / Appendix B : Phosphate Content of Common Cleansers …

The Ecology Of Maine's Intertidal Habitats : A Report Prepared For The Maine State Planning Office, Peter F. Larsen, Lee F. Doggett

Maine Collection

The Ecology of Maine's Intertidal Habitats : A Report Prepared for the Maine State Planning Office

by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (Authors: Peter F. Larsen and Lee F. Doggett) , 1981.

Contents: Acknowledgements / List of Tables / List of Figures / Chapter 1 - Introduction / Chapter 2 - Human Impact on Intertidal Fauna / Chapter 3 - A Primer of Intertidal Ecology / Chapter 4 - A Sampler of Intertidal Species / Chapter 5 - Methodology / Chapter 6 - Results of Faunal Studies / Appendix 1 - Habitats With Date Sampled / Appendix 2 - List …

State Of The Fisheries Report 1980, Department Of Fisheries And Wildlife, Western Australia

Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

Western Australia has maintained its position as the top fishing State. The catch in Western Australia of fish, crustaceans and molluscs in 1979/80 was worth $85.7 million to the fishermen, which is 27 per cent of the total value for Australia.

Diagenesis Of Organic Matter In Las Vegas Bay And Bonelli Bay, Lake Mead, James W. Murray, Carolyn J. Jones, Kathy Kuivila, Jeff Sawlan

Publications (WR)

The interstitial water chemistry of the sediments of Las Vegas Bay and Bonelli Bay in Lake Mead has been studied as part of a comprehensive water quality study of those locations. Pore water and solid phase analyses were completed from four stations in Las Vegas Bay and two stations in Bonelli Bay. At both locations the pore water compositions and organic matter diagenesis in the sediments are dominated by sulfate reduction. This major role of sulfate reduction is unusual for lake sediments and reflects the fact that SO₄ is the major anion in the lake water. In addition, gypsum …

Chemical And Biological Structure Of Lake Mead Sediments, Richard T. Prentki, Larry J. Paulson, John R. Baker

Publications (WR)

Lake Mead has undergone a serious decline since Glen Canyon Dam was constructed 450 km upstream in 1963.

State fisheries management agencies are concerned that the decline was caused by water level fluctuations and more severe drawdowns during the bass spawning season, when the operation of Hoover Dam was altered during the post-Lake Powell period.

The construction of Glen Canyon Dam and formation of Lake Powell in 1963 drastically altered the natural discharge and temperature cycles and decreased suspended sediment and nutrient loading in the Colorado River inflow to Lake Mead. Recent studies indicate that these changes in nutrient loading …

Maine's Whitewater Rapids And Their Relevance To The Critical Areas Program, Janet Mcmahon

Maine Collection

Maine's Whitewater Rapids and Their Relevance to the Critical Areas Program

by Janet McMahon

Planning Report No. 74, Critical Areas Program, 184 State St., Augusta, Maine,

April, 1981 (additions made in October, 1981). Reprinted July, 1983.

Contents: Introduction / Natural History of Whitewater Rapids / Methods / Criteria / Results / Conclusions / General Evaluation of Whitewater Rapids for Inclusion on the Register of Critical Areas / Bibliography / Action Plan

Report No 41 - A Survey Method For Identifying Roadside Flora Suitable For Conservation In Western Australia, John K. Scott

Fisheries Research Reports

A survey method for identifying flora suitable for conservation alongside roads in south-western Australia was derived from an examination of characteristics of road verges. Two roads, from Midland to Toodyay and from Armadale to Bunbury, were examined. Width of verge, weed cover, soil disturbance, vegetation structure, presence of public utilities, evidence of fire and the type of adjoining land were measured at one mile (1.6 km) intervals on both sides of the road. Also recorded were aesthetic qualities such as stands of beautiful trees and sites of special interest, e.g. the presence of rare plants.

Three variables, percentage weed cover, …

Report No 42 - A Guide To The Gazetted Rare Flora Of Western Australia, Barbara L. Rye, Stephen D. Hopper

Fisheries Research Reports

Descriptions and illustrations are provided for the first 100 taxa which have been gazetted as rare, likely to become extinct or in need of special protection under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950-1979. Most of these rare taxa are restricted to the South-West Botanical Province and more than one-third occur in the Albany Wildlife District.

An outline is given of the means adopted to determine which taxa are gazetted as rare, the legal provisions for their protection and the biological data being sought for their management.

Fisheries Report No 45 - The Short Term Effects Of Brush Harvesting On The Kwongan Vegetation At Eneabba, Western Australia, E. A. Griffin, A. J. M. Hopkins

Fisheries Research Reports

Areas of the kwongan vegetation south of Eneabba are currently being harvested to provide brush for rehabilitation after mining. Because of the botanical importance of the Eneabba kwongan, a study of the effects of the harvesting was initiated. Three areas with different harvest histories were sampled using quadrats paired across cut/uncut boundaries. Floristic and structural differences between quadrats and between areas were assessed. The store of seed in uncut vegetation was measured.

There was a loss of species as a result of harvesting, at least in the short-term. Many species regenerated by resprouting from buds in damaged stems or in …

Report No 47 - 1980 Review Of Rainfall And Wetlands In The South-West Of Western Australia, J. A.K. Lane, D. R. Munro

Fisheries Research Reports

An account is given of the biological principles involved in decisions concerning duck-shooting seasons in the south-west of Western Australia.

The conditions for waterfowl which prevailed during 1980 are described through the use of rainfall statistics and data obtained from the Department's wetland monitoring programme.

1980 was the fifth consecutive year of below-average rainfall in all five Meteorological Districts of the south-west. 1976 to 1980 was thus' the south-west's driest five-year period since 1913 at least.

Low rainfall during 1980 resulted in a further decline in the condition of wetlands throughout most of the inland south-west, Few gauged wetlands increased …

The Distribution And Relative Abundance Of Aquatic Oligochaeta In The Upper Cache River System, Southern Illinois, In Relation To Water Quality, Mark Julian Wetzel

Masters Theses

Species composition, distribution, abundance, and water quality relationships of aquatic oligochaetes occurring in the upper Cache River system, southern Illinois were investigated. Forty-two taxa of oligochaetes including 16 naidids, 22 tubificids and representatives of the families Aeolosomatidae, Branchiobdellidae, Enchytraeidae, and Lumbriculidae were collected. Four species of oligochaetes new to Illinois, Limnodrilus psammophilus Loden, L. rubripenis Loden, Psammoryctides (Spencerius) californianus Brinkhurst, and Haemonais waldvogeli Bretscher were collected during this study. Another species of Limnodrilus new to science is reported here, as yet undescribed. The thesis that aquatic oligochaetes can be used as true water quality indicator organisms is rejected. It is …