Water Resource Management Commons^™

Are Experimentally Derived Estimates Of Thermal Tolerance Useful In Interpreting Species Distribution Models, Iva Sokolovska

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Species distribution models are frequently used in ecology to predict the spatial and temporal occurrence of organisms. Direct interpretation of these models assumes that the relationships between the organisms and their environment are manifestations of causal mechanisms. However, in general, the mechanisms producing these associations have not been experimentally validated, which questions our confidence in their interpretation and application. Temperature is one of the most important factors influencing the fitness and distribution of aquatic organisms, and studying the thermal physiology of aquatic invertebrates could provide a useful approach for validating predictions of the species distribution models.

Experimental thermal tolerance studies, …

Gauging Wetland Restoration Status Using Benthic-Based Structural And Functional Metrics, Claudia Alejandra Tamez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Efforts to restore Bahia Grande, a 2630 hectare, historically sea grass dominated playa lake, are currently underway and describing its current ecological status is critical to recommending any future physical manipulations to the immense basin. A benthic community based study was conducted on three estuaries in Cameron County, Texas (2012 to 2013) in order to compare the polychaete community dynamics and ecosystem productivity rates of the restored basin to that of two older adjacent reference sites (i.e. South Bay and San Martin Lake) in an effort to gauge system status. All three sites were once contiguous with the Lower Laguna …

An Assessment Of The Emas Pump And Its Potential For Use In Household Water Systems In Uganda, Jacob Daniel Carpenter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rural improved water supply coverage in Uganda has stagnated around 64% for a number of years and at this point more than 10 million rural people do not have access to an improved drinking water source. It has been recognized that progress toward improved water supply coverage and increased service levels may be gained through Government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) support of private investment in household and shared water supplies, commonly known as Self-supply. Self-supply can be promoted by introducing and building local capacity in appropriate and affordable water supply technologies such as hand-dug wells, manually drilled boreholes, low-cost pumps, …

Drinking Water In The Developing World: Sources Of Fecal Contamination In Pitcher Pump Systems And Measurement Alternatives, Meghan Wahlstrom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been reported that globally we have achieved Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Target 7C, to halve the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water; however, there is a major flaw with this statement. While Target 7C calls for access to `safe' drinking water, what is actually being measured and reported is access to an `improved' water source. The World Health Organization (WHO) maintains that they must use this proxy measure because the methods for water quality testing are too expensive and logistically complicated, but by doing so, they may be over reporting safe water coverage.

This …

Assessing The Impacts Of Unrestricted Pesticide Use In Small-Scale Agriculture On Water Quality And Associated Human Health And Ecological Implications In An Indigenous Village In Rural Panam[Aacute], Sarah Louise Watson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2014, the global pesticide industry's projected worth is $52 billion and by 2020, the developing world will make up one-third of the world's chemical production and consumption. Pesticides can have unintended negative consequences for human health and the environment, especially in the developing world where regulations are loose or nonexistent. One country with unrestricted use of pesticides is Panam[aacute], especially in Santa Rosa de Cucunatí. In this indigenous village, small-scale farmers and ranchers spray paraquat, glyphosate, picloram, and 2,4-D at higher elevations than the spring water source of a gravity-fed water system, the river, and the village. The objective …

Troubled Waters: Georgia, Florida And Alabama's Conflict Over The Waters Of The Acf River Basin, Johnny King Alaziz Wong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since 1989, the co-riparian States of Georgia, Florida and Alabama have been locked in an overt and institutionalized conflict to secure access to the waters of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin. In 1997, in an effort to end this interstate conflict which had earned the reputation as the longest water conflict in U.S. history, public officials at the federal and state scales agreed to suspend all pending litigation against one another and concurrently deployed a dispute resolution mechanism, known as `compact negotiations,' in the hope of equitably allocating the waters of the ACF Basin. Despite proclamations by public officials, exclaiming …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 29, 2014, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for April 29, 2014 (4/29/14) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), an approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during the past 52 weeks (line graph) for corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 22, 2014, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for April 22, 2014 (4/22/14) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), an approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during the past 52 weeks (line graph) for corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

Improving Drought Management For Transboundary River Basins In The United States Through Collaborative Environmental Planning, Crystal J. Bergman

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Increasing demand for water and the uncertainty of climate change have put pressure on the global water supply, presenting one of the greatest challenges of the 21^st Century for human development. Drought is a natural hazard that further compromises water supply and increases competition among water use sectors. These challenges confirm the need for comprehensive water supply and drought planning. Planning for water, however, is often conducted within political boundaries that are not consistent with the water resource’s natural boundaries, which can result in conflict. Collaborative environmental planning is a sub-discipline of planning that can address the occurrence of …

Policy Pressures On Federal Dam Building Decisions And The Cost Benefit Analysis, Richard Martinez

College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs Presentations

This case study will focus on the economic costs associated with the mandates set forth in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970. This legislation requires an environmental impact assessment for all new infrastructure projects. The Arrowrock Dam, which was built in 1915 before the NEPA regulations, was an engineering marvel of its time. In 2011 the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) acknowledged that the structure was aging, and published a preliminary evaluation of the dam and recommendations for its future. Since its construction, the Arrowrock dam has undergone various safety and efficiency upgrades. The Corps’ recommendations in …

Extending Sustainable Irrigation Opportunities To Socially And Historically Disadvantaged Farmers In The Alabama Black Belt To Support Commercial-Level Production, Raymon Shange, Richard Martin, Victor Khan, Kwesi Daniels, George X. Hunter, Gwendolyn J. Johnson, Steve Musser, William Puckett, Walter A. Hill

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

This paper focuses on providing sustainable irrigation opportunities to socially and historically disadvantaged farmers (SHDFs). The ability to provide steady production capacity through the use of renewable energy sources and microirrigation is innovative, in that it demonstrated how to develop and utilize a sustainable irrigation system in both energy and water conservation. This venture is also innovative in that it sought to provide SHDFs with irrigation in a state in which irrigation in agriculture is minimal, while at the same time, offsetting the energy costs that normally accompany irrigation. Several farmers are profiled in their participation in the irrigation program. …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 15, 2014, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 15, 2014 (4/15/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Relationships Between Environmental Governance And Water Quality In A Growing Metropolitan Area Of The Pacific Northwest, Usa, Heejun Chang, Paul R. Thiers, Noelwah R. Netusil, J. Alan Yeakley, Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens, Steve Bollens, Sonia Singh

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate relationships between environmental governance and water quality in two adjacent growing metropolitan areas in the western US. While the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington metro areas share many common biophysical characteristics, they have different land development histories and water governance structures, providing a unique opportunity for examining how differences in governance might affect environmental quality. We conceptualize possible linkages in which water quality influences governance directly, using monitoring efforts as a metric, and indirectly by using the change in the sale price of single-family residential properties. Governance may then influence water quality directly through riparian restoration resulting from …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 8, 2014, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 8, 2014 (4/8/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Household Water Demand And Land Use Context: A Multilevel Approach, Elizabeth Yancey Breyer

Dissertations and Theses

Urban water use arises from a mix of scale-dependent biophysical and socioeconomic factors. In Portland, Oregon, single-family residential water use exhibits a tightly coupled relationship with summertime weather, although this relationship varies with land use patterns across households and neighborhoods. This thesis developed a multilevel regression model to evaluate the relative importance of weather variability, parcel land use characteristics, and neighborhood geographic context in explaining single-family residential water demand patterns in the Portland metropolitan area. The model drew on a high-resolution panel dataset of weekly mean summer water use over five years (2001-2005) for a sample of 460 single-family households …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 1, 2014, David Simeral

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 1, 2014 (4/1/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Determining The Dynamics Of Agricultural Water Use: Cases From Asia And Africa, Lisa-Maria Rebelo, Robyn Johnston, Poolad Karimi, Peter G. Mccornick

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Across Africa and Asia, water resources are being affected by a complex mixture of social, economic, and environmental factors. These include climate change and population growth, food prices, oil prices, financial disruptions, and political fluctuations. The need to produce more food will have one of the largest impacts on water and will continue to reshape the patterns of agricultural water use in major food-growing regions. With this increasing demand on water for agriculture, from large-scale irrigation to intensification of rainfed systems, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that water resources decision-making has access to information that captures the spectrum …

Bioremediation Of Polluted Zanzibar Seawater: The Nutrient And Bacterial Bioextraction Potential Of Native Seaweeds And Bivalves, Katie Bergman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Stone Town, Zanzibar, increasing populations and insufficient sewage treatment has greatly increased harmful levels of nutrients and anthropogenic-sourced contaminants along the city’s coastal waters. In this study, the nutrient and bacterial bioextractive abilities of local species of bivalves (A. antiquata, P. margaritifera) and seaweeds (E. denticulatum, U. reticulata) were examined in order to determine the potential for these species to remedy the local polluted waters. It was hypothesized that due to bivalves’ suspension-feeding activity, both species of bivalves would be able to decrease turbidity and fecal indicator bacteria (Enterococci) levels in sample polluted …

From Holy To Holistic: Working Towards Integrated Management Of The Bagmati River Corridor, Lauren Platman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Bagmati and its tributaries have been an integral part of the Kathmandu Valley civilization. The river not only became a source of sustenance for the Valley's population but also gained religious-cultural significance. However, rapid urbanization and increasing industrial activities have transformed this once pristine river into an open sewer. Governmental organizations, NGOs, and community members are working towards improving the conditions of the Bagmati River through restoration projects and public awareness campaigns. Because of the large number of actors, collaboration on projects is vital in order to avoid duplication or conflict. After nearly thirty years of failed restoration projects …

Pollution In Stone Town’S Coastal Waters: An Assessment Of Environmental Influences On Fecal Contamination, Socorro Lopez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Urbanized areas in Tanzania, including Zanzibar Town on Unguja, are struggling to deal with the large amount of waste generated by growing populations and increasing tourist industries. In 2010, the waters surrounding Stone Town, a subsection of Zanzibar Town, were found to be highly polluted by fecal waste. This study attempted to determine whether pollution has lessened or worsened in the past four years. Furthermore, environmental components of the coastal area, particularly tides, were tested in order to determine whether they had an impact on pollution in the waters. Using the membrane filtration method, mean enterococci were quantified in two …

Issue Brief: Asset Management For Stormwater, New England Environmental Finance Center, Sustainable Communities Learning Network

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

Asset management is a strategic approach to maintaining and sustaining infrastructure in order to meet the needs of the community at the lowest overall life cycle cost. This approach helps communities know how and where to prioritize limited funds in order to achieve the greatest benefit. Often applied to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, this method is well suited to managing any assets, including stormwater systems.

This issue brief is intended to introduce local governments to the asset management process and to show how it can be applied in managing stormwater assets. It was adapted from an appendix written by …

Examples Of Non-Noetherian Domains Inside Power Series Rings, William Heinzer, Christel Rotthaus, Sylvia Wiegand

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Given a power series ring R∗ over a Noetherian integral domain R and an intermediate field L between R and the total quotient ring of R∗, the integral domain A = L ∩ R∗ often (but not always) inherits nice properties from R∗ such as the Noetherian property. For certain fields L it is possible to approximate A using a localization B of a particular nested union of polynomial rings over R associated to A; if B is Noetherian, then B = A. If B is not Noetherian, we can sometimes identify the prime ideals of B that are not …

Salinity Risk Mapping For Assessing Carbon Farming Initiative Proposals: Decision Support And Data Requirements, Paul Raper, Peter Gardiner

Resource management technical reports

The Clean Energy Legislation passed by the Australian Parliament on 8 November 2011 links the carbon price to the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). Under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 (the Act), proponents need to consider regional natural resource management (NRM) plans to ensure that tree plantings for carbon bio-sequestration maximise environmental benefits and avoid unintended adverse effects on biodiversity, water and agricultural production systems.

Effects Of Urban Stream Burial On Organic Matter Dynamics And Reach Scale Nitrate Retention, Jake J. Beaulieu, Paul M. Mayer, Sujay S. Kaushal, Michael J. Pennino, Clay P. Arango, David A. Balz, Timothy J. Canfield, Colleen M. Elonen, Ken M. Fritz, Brian H. Hill, Hodon Ryu, Jorge W. Santo Domingo

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Nitrogen (N) retention in streams is an important ecosystem service that may be affected by the widespread burial of streams in stormwater pipes in urban watersheds. We predicted that stream burial suppresses the capacity of streams to retain nitrate (NO₃ ⁻) by eliminating primary production, reducing respiration rates and organic matter availability, and increasing specific discharge. We tested these predictions by measuring whole-stream NO₃ ⁻ removal rates using ¹⁵NO₃ ⁻ isotope tracer releases in paired buried and open reaches in three streams in Cincinnati, Ohio (USA) during four seasons. Nitrate uptake lengths were 29 times …

Droughtscape, Spring 2014, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

Contents

Director’s report

Outlook . 2

Drought climate recap 3

Drought impacts .

DroughtAtlas

Missouri River Basin pilot 9

NASA Horn of Africa project 10

U2U tools and social science . 12

Consulting for Turkey 14

Czech drought monitoring 14

Floodplain Mapping Using Soil Survey Geographic (Ssurgo) Database, Nikhil Sangwan

Open Access Theses

Floods are the most damaging of all natural disasters, adversely affecting millions of lives and causing financial losses worth billions of dollars every year across the globe. Flood inundation maps play a key role in assessment and mitigation of the potential flood hazards. However, there are several communities in the United States for which the flood risk maps have not been published yet, as the current flood inundation mapping methods are typically very expensive and time consuming. The objective of this study is to develop and examine an economical alternative approach to floodplain mapping using widely available soil survey data. …

Water Current, Volume 46, No. 2, Spring 2014

Water Current Newsletter

Planning Nearly Complete on July Water And Natural Resources Tour

Brozović Joining Daugherty Institute as Director of Policy

Meet the Faculty

From the Director: Lab Review, Research Collaborations, Upcoming Events

Prof, Alumnus Team To Fruther Evaporation Research

NSF Award Aids Li's Antibiotic Resistance Research

Tadesse leads $1.6M NASA project to predict drought, flood in Africa

USGS Technical Announcement: Assessing Nutrient Inputs to the Naion's Estuaries

Harnessing the Data Revolution: Ensuring Water and Food Security From Field to Global Scales

Ray Publishes Low Cost Emergency Water Purification Technologies

North Central Region Water Network

Water Current Focus on the NU Water Sciences …

Osmb Final Report, Task 4: Oregon Lake Watch, Angela L. Strecker, Rich Miller, Vanessa Morgan

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

The Oregon Lake Watch (OLW) volunteer monitoring program was resurrected after over a decade in hibernation. The new program was designed to educate the public about threats of aquatic invasive species (AIS), provide early detection of AIS invasions, and provide long term water quality data for the better management of Oregon’s lakes and reservoirs. Protocols were created for citizen scientists to survey for AIS, collect temperature and water clarity data, and record the data through an online data entry portal. An OLW website was developed to educate about AIS and provide survey protocols and identification materials to volunteers. AIS surveys …

Modelling Rainwater-Harvesting System Reliability Based On Historical Precipitation Data For Portland, Mrinali Mathur

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Rainwater harvesting can ease the water availability problems for many parts of the world where water is not easily available. It is also a solution for minimizing stormwater runoff and better managing sewers by preventing combined sewers to overflow. The goal of this project is to calculate the reliability of rainwater harvesting systems and provide optimum size of the storage tank using historical records for Portland specific rain pattern. A simple water balance approach for historical data is used to calculate the reliability by which rainwater harvesting system can be used as a means of irrigating gardens in Portland. The …

Osmb Final Report, Task 7: Online Atlas Of Oregon Lakes - Aquatic Invasive Species Interface, Rich Miller, Mark D. Sytsma

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

In order to educate a broad cross section of the public about Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) distributions and survey efforts in Oregon’s lakes and reservoirs, database connections were created to display AIS information on the Online Atlas of Oregon Lakes (aol.research.pdx.edu/). The connections allowed for the dynamic display of AIS survey records stored in three separate databases: the Center for Lakes and Reservoir’s Oregon Aquatic Plant and Mussel Databases and the iMapInvasives database. AIS survey records collected by the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs were also reported to the iMapInvasives database.