Public Water Bodies Research Articles

East Indian Hygrophila: Hygrophila polysperma (Roxb.) T. Anderson

East Indian hygrophila, also known as Miramar weed, Indian swampweed, and hygro, is an invasive aquatic plant that grows under submersed and emergent conditions. The species is a federally listed noxious weed and a Florida Class II prohibited aquatic plant. East Indian hygrophila was first introduced to the United States as an aquarium plant around 1945. The first recorded sighting of East Indian hygrophila in Florida occurred near Tampa in 1965; by 1980, it had become a weed problem in southern Florida canals, and by 1994 it had spread to 18 of Florida’s public water bodies. This paper outlines the biology, ecology, invasion characteristics and environmental impacts of East Indian hygrophila and and management of this noxious weed.

New type of ponds? Changing of quantity and function of water bodies in rural built-up areas (Pilsen Region, Czechia)

Abstract This study is focused on the changing of areas of water bodies in selected villages of the Pilsen Region (Czechia). We researched several different types of rural settlements and three time horizons with the help of old maps, orthophoto maps and GIS tools. To capture the influence of their location within the urban system, we chose 15 places from four categories (inner suburban area, outside suburban area, rural area, periphery rural area) depending on their distance to the core of the Pilsen agglomeration. There is no significant change in the amount of water bodies between the first reference period (1838-1839) and the second period (1957-1963) in the selected settlements. However, the third period (2013-2015) is characterized by the emergence of a large number of small water bodies - swimming pools and garden ponds. Based on the results of our research we identified the declining importance of public water bodies in some of the settlements. However, we have identified a notable prevalence of garden ponds which have a more positive ecological impact than pools. The proportion of private water bodies (covered and uncovered pools and garden ponds) in the total area of water bodies in the rural settlements in most cases is less than 20%, in the suburban settlements up to 100%. Peripheral settlements have a below-average share of these water bodies. The difference between the number of pools in different settlements is related to the proportion of newly built houses there. Although there are relatively fewer pools in rural settlements, the difference compared to the situation in suburban settlements is not pronounced due to the change in lifestyle in rural areas and the change in functions of some villages to recreational areas. Influence of pools on water consumption is dependent on the individual exchange technology of water in swimming pools. Filling of the pool before the season can overload the capacity of the local water supply.

Costs of Capturing and Recycling Irrigation Water in Container Nurseries

In the future, the U.S. ornamental horticulture industry may be faced with limited water resources and increased requirements to reduce pollution runoff from production areas. The concerns are most evident to outdoor, uncovered container crop production, which relies on daily irrigation. Capture of precipitation and irrigation runoff from ornamental horticulture nurseries to be recycled as irrigation could potentially generate cost savings relative to the cost of alternative water sources. Existing nurseries may incur large investment costs to modify their infrastructure for water capture to recycle. These added costs must be compared with costs of alternative sources such as off-farm municipal or on-farm well water. Using both existing case nurseries and simulated nurseries, this study employed partial budgeting for comparison of annual costs of recapture and recycling to the alternatives of either municipally delivered water or on-farm well extraction. On-site visits were conducted at mid-Atlantic ornamental horticulture operations that recycle water currently to gather data for constructing budgets and to determine factors that enhance or inhibit nursery adoption of recycling. The partial budgeting analysis was followed by breakeven analysis with regard to costs of regrading, pond excavation, and opportunity costs of land to isolate their effects on the nursery adoption decision. Six of eight case nurseries currently obtaining from 20% to 100% of their irrigation needs from recycled water achieve lower production costs as a result of recycling compared with using alternative municipal or well water sources. Recycling would also reduce pollution runoff as water containing nutrients and chemicals would be retained for reuse on the farm rather than being discharged to public water bodies. Two case nurseries and two simulated nurseries that were constructed based on average conditions for nurseries participating in a mail survey see higher production costs as a result of recycling. The cost of land regrading for water recapture, excavating the recapture pond, and the opportunity cost of production area occupied by the recapture pond are critical for determination of the least cost outcome. Public funding incentives for water collection and recycling could motivate increased water conservation and reduced pollution runoff within the horticulture industry.

Assessment of Impact of Leachate on Groundwater, in the Vicinity of the First Engineered Landfill Site in Delhi, India

The dumping of solid waste in sanitary landfills can cause significant impacts on the environment and human health. The main concern is focussed on the pollution potential due to movement of the leachate generated from these landfills into the groundwater, surface water or the sea. Hence, to decide whether the leachate is to be collected and treated, or may be allowed to discharge into the adjoining soil or public sewer or surface water body, it is essential to have the assessment of its composition, strength and its variation with time and space. In this paper, the experimental work carried out at the first engineered landfill site in New Delhi, India, to ascertain the composition of leachate, and its effect on the groundwater under the existing scenario, is presented. For asserting the contamination potential of the landfill site, a tool called Leachate Pollution Index (LPI) has been used. LPI is an increasing scale index, where a higher value indicates poor environmental condition, developed based on the Rand Corporation’s Delphi Technique; which is an opinion based research technique to extract information from a group of panellists. LPI includes 18 parameters, out of which the leachate samples were analyzed for 16 parameters viz. pH, TDS, BOD5, COD, TKN, Ammonia nitrogen, Total Iron, Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Lead, Total chromium, Mercury, Arsenic, Chlorides and Cyanide. The groundwater samples collected from the vicinity of the landfill were analyzed for 12 parameters viz. pH, TDS, Chlorides, Total iron, Arsenic, Cyanide, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Total chromium, Mercury and Nickel. In order to determine the factors which had higher detection rate and larger impact, the Pearson correlation matrix has been developed among the parameters tested of groundwater samples. Results clearly indicated that the likely contamination of groundwater due to leachate released from the landfill. Results are further compared with Bureau of Indian Standards and standards laid down by World Health Organisation (WHO), for drinking water. Presence of contaminants in groundwater particularly near the landfill sites warns its quality and thus renders the associated aquifer unreliable for domestic water supply and other uses.

Status and prospects of fish and fish product marketing in Karnataka.

The structure and performance of fish and fish products marketing in Karnataka was analysed through a combination of primary and secondary collection of information. Data were obtained from annual reports of fisheries department. Karnataka is one of the most important States contributing 4.75% of India's total fish production. The contribution of Fisheries Sector to GSDP at current prices during 1993-94 was Rs. 16,316 lakhs and it has increased to Rs. 286273 lakhs in 2012-13. The policy suggestions for further development of fisheries sector are: Strengthening of fish marketing by developing strong marketing networks through Fisheries Corporation's cold chain; Development of Inland Fisheries by proper incentives to farmers for taking up fish rearing and to strengthen fisheries research and education; Creation of Reservoir Development Authority for better management of the reservoirs; Fish seed rearing may be encouraged by involving private entrepreneurs to use public water body; Use of ICT for Inter connection and co-ordination of fish farms; Promote Ornamental fish production and marketing, and bring comprehensive policy for protecting water resource bodies and their flora and fauna. Key words: Fisheries, policy, inland fisheries, fish products, fish marketing

A Multifactorial GIS-Based Analytical Method to Determine the Quality of Urban Green Space and Water Bodies

The type, size, and spatial distribution of public green spaces and water bodies are key factors for the microclimatic quality of urban areas, particularly within densely built-up districts, where they influence the quality of life. The analytical method presented in this paper looks at entire cities in a GIS-based approach that identifies potential critical areas of the city (with regard to heat stress or the accessability of green spaces) and quantifies their size and location in relation to green space and water bodies. The advantage of this method is that analysing the urban environment can be largely automated by the use of available geo base data. This requires the application of algorithms from the field of landscape ecology to the urban environment. The method is based on multifactorial evaluation. Comparisons between cities are made possible by extremum normalisation. Densely built-up areas as well as all green spaces and water bodies within settlements are quantified in the form of areal indicators. Thus the proximity of densely built-up areas to green space or water bodies is measured by the indicator “Euclidian distance.” By correlating the resulting potential heat islands with population data from the 2011 National Census, it is possible to determine the likely number of residents affected. The method presented, which has been tested on seven cities in Germany, is part of a wide-ranging investigation into urban densities aimed at improving efficiency and environmental quality.

Extension Programming In Support of Public Policy For The Management of Aquaculture In Common Water Bodies

Many countries of Asia, including Indonesia, have experienced the problem of hypoxic fish kills among fish in netpens and fish corrals in various publicly-held water bodies. Fish farming in enclosures in public water bodies attractive because of low overhead costs in comparison to farming the identical species in constructed ponds. But aerobic bacterial degradation of feed and fish feces in common waters can lead to oxygen depletion, thus causing fish kills. Mass-balance and ecological carrying capacity models and education through and extension programming can be used to inform policy makers as to the maximum biomass of farmed fish allowable before risking hypoxia. Economic modeling of social costs and lost revenue in fish kills can also be used to inform and refine public policies. Tools for managing aquaculture carrying capacity might include managing demand for permits by increasing fees, holding auctions for fixed numbers of permits, or using a system of capping, developing offset charges for finfish effluents, and trading of rights to discharge. In this system, holders of finfish netpen permits would pay an offset to nearby aquafarmers conducting nutrient extractive forms of aquaculture (e.g. bivalve or seaweed farming), thus making often desired Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems more economically viable. The important work of translating recommendations from environmental and economic modeling into practical public policy and management practice requires a considerable effort in extension programming and ongoing exchange among the scientific, industry, regulatory and policy-making communities.

An institutional approach for developing South African inland freshwater fisheries for improved food security and rural livelihoods

South Africa has over 4 700 storage dams, about 700 of which are owned and controlled by Government. Public dams were primarily constructed for domestic, irrigation and industrial water supply. Over time secondary uses for recreation and tourism have been established. Many of the public dams have been stocked with indigenous and alien fish species, predominantly for recreational angling. Given widespread rural unemployment, poverty and undernourishment, the development of inland fisheries on public dams and natural water bodies has much potential for improving rural livelihoods and food security. There is also potential for inclusion of communities in other value chains linked to economic activities around public dams such as recreational fishing and tourism. The public dams and natural water bodies fall under various implicit institutional arrangements depending on primary and secondary activities on a given water body. These determine the existing formal and informal power dynamics and related decision-making arrangements and controls under current use-right practices. This paper analyses the existing property rights that determine access, co-management options and governance arrangements necessary to promote sustainable development of inland fisheries in South Africa. Attention needs to be given to the various ways of explicit definition and enforcement of property and access rights if communities are to realise the potential benefits from use of public dams for fisheries and other economic activities. Achieving this will require a developmental approach based on principles of inclusive, representative, equitable, accountable and effective governance. Leadership by the line agency – Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries – will be critical for success of such an initiative.

Access to Fish Cage Aquaculture in the Ping River, Northern Thailand

Aquaculture in rivers and other public water bodies raises issues of access and property rights. Over the past few years an industry has developed around the rearing of hybrid red and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) in cages in the Ping River in northern Thailand. In this article we report on a study of how households gain access to river cage sites to farm fish. The findings are based on a case-control study of 400 households, half of which had a history of fish farming and half which did not. Additional information was gathered from qualitative in-depth interviews with 93 stakeholders. Households with good access to farming sites, financial capital, and social networks are more likely to farm fish. Proximity to the river front was a very important factor and operated at a micro-level within villages with river borders. Land and vehicle assets were also associated with fish farming—more so than monthly income levels—probably because they reflect access to credit. Social capital measured as belonging to various kinds of groups was also associated with fish farming, but may have been in part an outcome rather than a pre-requisite. Many fish farmers start through encouragement and invitations by firms or the fisheries department. Sites for cage aquaculture in rivers have characteristics somewhere between a private and a club good: those who don’t live near the river are usually excluded, but rivalry for sites among those who live close becomes an issue with congestion of farms arising from expansion in number of cages or other factors that reduce availability of suitable rearing sites like variability in climate, water flows, water quality, and government regulations.

秋田県における公共用水域の水質と水質保全行政

秋田県における公共用水域の水質と水質保全行政

Application of coagulation process for the treatment of combined sewer overflows (CSOs)

Nonpoint source pollutions discharged with stormwater runoff during rainfall events degrade public waterbodies. Because combined sewer overflows (CSOs) especially affect public waterbodies, necessary measures must be taken for CSOs. Therefore, this study treated CSOs using the ultra-rapid coagulation (URC) process. More than 50% of the study site was comprised of an industrial area, followed by forest, farmland and residential areas at 21.3, 2.6, and 23.5%, respectively. The 30,000 ton capacity URC process was used to treat CSOs generated from the catchment. Monitoring was conducted over 8 rainfall events, and the samples were analyzed for pollutant parameters such as total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (CODcr), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and heavy metals. At the beginning of the rainfall, the first flash effect was observed, but was not observed 20 min later. The concentration of TSS and BOD increased as the rainfall intensity became stronger in the middle stage of the rainfall. The treatment efficiency of the pollutants by the URC process was analyzed as TSS 94.4%, BOD 70.8%, CODcr 77.6%, TN 36.1%, and TP 83.5%. These treatment efficiencies were higher than those of other nonpoint pollution control facilities. Meanwhile, the removed particle size ranged from 0.1 to 10μm or from 80 to 300μm.

Occurrence and reduction of human viruses, F-specific RNA coliphage genogroups and microbial indicators at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant in Japan

To evaluate and compare the reductions of human viruses and F-specific coliphages in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant based on the quantitative PCR (qPCR) and plate count assays. A total of 24 water samples were collected from four locations at the plant, and the relative abundance of human viruses and F-RNA phage genogroups were determined by qPCR. Of the 10 types of viruses tested, enteric adenoviruses were the most prevalent in both influent and effluent wastewater samples. Of the different treatment steps, the activated sludge process was most effective in reducing the microbial loads. Viruses and F-RNA phages showed variable reduction; among them, GI and GIII F-RNA phages showed the lowest and the highest reduction, respectively. Ten types of viruses were present in wastewater that is discharged into public water bodies after treatment. The variability in reduction for the different virus types demonstrates that selection of adequate viral indicators is important for evaluating the efficacy of wastewater treatment and ensuring the water safety. Our comprehensive analyses of the occurrence and reduction of viruses and indicators can contribute to the future establishment of appropriate viral indicators to evaluate the efficacy of wastewater treatment.

Institutional Arrangements in Seasonal Floodplain Management under Community-based Aquaculture in Bangladesh

Seasonal floodplains under private and public ownership in the Indo-Ganges river basin provide food and income for millions of people in Bangladesh. Floodplain ownership regimes are diverse, covering the whole spectrum from public to private ownership. The paper compares community-based fish culture projects in these floodplains and analyzes the institutional arrangements of three different Floodplain Management Committees (FMC). The paper aimed to understand the complex institutional relations that govern ownership, access, and control of the floodplains under community-based fish culture (CBFC) to increase fish production and the livelihoods of the poor. We followed the stakeholders representing the various institutions and organizations such as the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Department of Land (DoL), and FMC. Other important stakeholders were the lease-holders of public water bodies in the floodplains, private landowners, seasonal, and professional fishers. The analysis demonstrates a significant increase of benefits to all stakeholders, including the poor, through the sharing of benefits derived from their involvement in the project. The willingness of different social classes to work together, the adoption of new technologies, and the societal embeddedness of local government institutions appear to be important inputs for policy making.

Removal and recovery of phosphorus in wastewater by superconducting high gradient magnetic separation with ferromagnetic adsorbent

Prevention of eutrophication for semi-enclosed bays and ponds is serious and important challenge. In spite of the advanced wastewater treatment, typically 1mg/L phosphorus is discharged into public water bodies from wastewater treatment plants. The total amount of the discharged water is so large that the further improvement of the removal efficiency of phosphorus in the discharged water is demanded. On the other hand, recently phosphorus has become increasingly recognized as the important strategic material due to the global food problem. Therefore, the recovery and recycling of phosphorus is also important issue.In this work, removal and recovery of phosphorus from treated wastewater by High Gradient Magnetic Separation (HGMS) with ferromagnetic zirconium ferrite adsorbent were studied. Phosphorus in the treated wastewater could be removed from 1.12mg/L to 0.03mg/L by the HGMS system with 500mg/L zirconium ferrite adsorbent for 5min in adsorption time. The magnetic separation speed achieved 1m/s at 1T which was necessary for practical use. We also confirmed that phosphorus could be desorbed from zirconium ferrite adsorbent by alkali treatment in a short time.

Debris Separation Technology in Combined Sewer System

Debris Separation Technology in Combined Sewer SystemIn Japan, the combined sewer system is employed in cities which have, from early on, been engaged in the creation of sewage works. However, when there is a heavy rainfall in such cities, the water flowing into the combined sewer pipes increases and untreated combined sewage, i.e. a mixture of wastewater and storm water, flows out into the public water body and it is concerned about influences on...Author(s)Shigeru TsukadaShizuo YoshikawaYukitoshi IwasaSourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationSubjectSession 48: Innovative Treament Technologies for StormwaterDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Jan, 2010ISSN1938-6478SICI1938-6478(20100101)2010:14L.3008;1-DOI10.2175/193864710798170487Volume / Issue2010 / 14Content sourceWEFTECFirst / last page(s)3008 - 3028Copyright2010Word count158Subject keywordsCombined sewer systemcombined sewer improvementdebris reduction measurescombined sewer overflow (CSO)untreated wastewater

Assessment of current status of zinc in wastewater treatment plants to set effluent standards for protecting aquatic organisms in Japan

New environmental standards for protecting aquatic organisms for zinc (e.g., 0.03 mg/L) in surface waters were set in Japan in 2003. Although wastewater effluent might be one of the major pathways of zinc to public water bodies in Japan, current status of concentration of zinc in wastewater effluent was not clear due to higher detection limits (e.g., 0.5 mg/L) than the level required by the new regulations. This study aims at assessing current status of zinc in wastewater effluent in Japan to revise wastewater effluent standards for protecting aquatic organisms. Survey of zinc in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) was carried out in Japan in 2005, setting the detection limits at least 0.01 mg/L. The results of the survey suggested the difficulty to remove zinc (especially dissolved zinc) with conventional activated sludge treatment if concentration of zinc in influent was relatively low. And it was suggested that high concentration of dissolved zinc might be derived from some industries discharging high concentration of zinc. The concentration of zinc in wastewater influent without industrial discharges was about 0.1 mg/L which might be lower than that in wastewater from industries discharging high concentration of zinc. Finally, effluent standards for point sources including WWTPs to public water bodies were set at 2 mg/L in 2006. Based on the results of the survey that it was difficult to remove dissolved zinc discharged from industries at WWTPs, the effluent standards from industries to sewerage were set at the same value of the effluent standards from WWTPs to public water bodies.

Ammonium removal from anaerobic digester effluent by ion exchange

The effluent of a 500 kW biogas plant is treated with a solid separation, a micro filtration and a reverse osmosis to achieve nutrient recovery and an effluent quality which should meet disposal quality into public water bodies. After the reverse osmosis, the ammonium concentration is still high (NH(4)-N = 467 mg/l), amongst other cations (K+ = 85 mg/l; Na+ = 67 mg/l; Mg2+ = 0.74 mg/l; Ca2+= 1.79 mg/l). The aim of this study was to remove this ammonium by ion exchange. Acidic gel cation exchange resins and clinoptilolite were tested in column experiments to evaluate their capacity, flow rates and pH. Amberjet 1,500 H was the most efficient resin, 57 BV of the substrate could be treated, 1.97 mol NH4-N/l resin were removed. The ammonium removal was more than 99% and the quality of the effluent was very satisfactory (NH4-N < 2 mg/l). The breakthrough of the observed parameters happened suddenly, the order was sodium-pH-ammonium-potassium. The sharp increase of the pH facilitates the online control, while the change in conductivity is less significant. A regeneration with 3 bed volumes of 2 M HCl recovered 91.7% of the original cation exchange capacity.

Effect on water quality in irrigation reservoir due to application reduction of nitrogen fertilizer

Until 1997, tea farmers in the Makinohara district of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, applied around 1.2 ton/ha of nitrogen fertilizer per year to their tea fields. In general, uptake amount of nitrogen by tea plants is around 300–350 kg/ha. Then some part of the remainder of nitrogen fertilizer leach into ground water and flow out into the river. The other part of remainder of nitrogen fertilizer is accumulated in the soil layer. Following a recommendation by the local government, this amount was then gradually decreased to 660 kg/ha in 1999 and 540 kg/ha in 2000. Although nitrate nitrogen concentrations in local ground and river water have decreased, they remain high today. The river water runs off from a watershed in the Makinohara area and enters a small irrigation reservoir called Tanno Reservoir, where it has caused deterioration of the water quality, that is, acidification of the reservoir. In Japan, environmental standard for nitrate nitrogen is 10 mg/L in public water body and ground water. Here, the author developed the Water Quality Tank Model, and applied this model to investigate the nitrate nitrogen concentrations in the rivers and an irrigation reservoir called Tanno. The author applies these findings to demonstrate that nitrogen concentrations continue to remain high due to nitrogen accumulation in the soil layer, and that the amount accumulated would be reduced by a reduction in application. The simulation results demonstrate a small decrease in accumulation in the soil layer, and thus that the present high nitrate nitrogen concentrations will continue in ground, river and reservoir water will decrease only gradually.

Using hedonic property models to value public water bodies: An analysis of specification issues

The hedonic literature has established that public water bodies provide external benefits that are reflected in the value of nearby residential real estate. The literature has employed several approaches to quantify these nonmarket services. With a residential hedonic model, this paper tests whether model specification affects resource valuation using an actively managed reservoir in Indiana and a passively managed lake in Connecticut. The results indicate that valuation is quite sensitive to model specification and that omitting either the waterview or waterfront variables from the hedonic function likely results in a misspecified model. The findings from this study are important for researchers and public agencies charged with managing water resources to bear in mind as the external benefits from existing or proposed man‐made lakes and reservoirs are estimated. Therefore, while it requires considerably more effort to determine which properties are in waterfront locations and which properties have a view, the potential mispecification of “distance‐only” models likely justifies these extra research costs. Further, the findings in this analysis call into question results from distance‐only models in the literature.

Long-Term Declining Trends in River Water pH in Central Japan

pH monitoring data for public water bodies in Niigata and Gifu prefectures in central Japan were tested by the nonparametric seasonal Mann–Kendall method to evaluate long-term acidification. A significant long-term declining trend in river water pH was found in several watersheds in Niigata and Gifu prefectures. In Niigata, the declining trend was observed only in areas receiving drainage from granitic rocks, and the acid neutralizing capacity of the river waters was in fact low in those areas. In Gifu, a declining trend was observed in some remote watersheds, where there was no clear relationship between the geology and the long-term trends. Since Niigata and Gifu receive the highest level of acid loading from the atmosphere in Japan, river water acidification in several watersheds may be attributable to the effects of the acid deposition. Other factors, such as hot spring drainage, changes in land use, and natural sea salt deposition, cannot adequately explain the acidification phenomena observed in this study.