Fate and Transport Model of CRYPTOSPORIDIUM

The waterborne pathogen Cryptosporidium has been identified in surface drinking water supplies. Suspected sources of this pathogen include sewage and the feces of animals, particularly dairy calves. There are many dairy cattle and significant sewage effluent discharges in the Catskill-Delaware watershed that is part of the New York City water supply system. This water supply serves 8,000,000 customers with 5.8 × 109 L (1.5 billion gal. of water daily). This paper is concerned with the movement and fate of pathogens from wastewater and dairy sources and the resulting raw water quality for New York City. Manure and Cryptosporidium oocysts are modeled as surface pollutants and assumed to move in response to runoff events in the six watershed-reservoir systems within the Catskill-Delaware watershed. Oocyst degradation in manure and in water is modeled with first-order kinetics. Rudimentary stream routing and reservoir modeling with a first-order decay function complete the fate and transport modeling of oocysts in the watercourse. Reported effluent discharge rates and oocyst concentrations in secondary treated sewage allow estimation of wastewater-derived oocyst contributions. This research highlights the importance of wastewater-derived oocysts, the need for expanded research into oocyst fate in streams and reservoirs, and the concentration of oocysts in sewage effluent.     

Estimating Stream Temperature from Air Temperature: Implications for Future Water Quality

This study examines the air temperature/stream temperature relationship at a geographically diverse set of streams. We evaluate the general temperature relationships (both linear and nonlinear) that apply to these streams, and then examine how changes in stream temperature associated with climate variability or climate warming might affect dissolved oxygen levels. The majority of streams showed an increase in water temperature of about 0.6–0.8°C for every 1°C increase in air temperature, with very few streams displaying a linear 1:1 air/water temperature trend. For most of the streams, a nonlinear model produced a better fit than did a simple linear model. Understanding the relationship between air temperature and water temperature is important if people want to estimate how stream temperatures are likely to respond to anticipated future increases in surface air temperature. Surface water temperature in many streams will likely increase 2 to 3°C as air temperature increases 3 to 5°C. At sites with currently low dissolved oxygen content, an increase in summer stream temperatures could cause the dissolved oxygen levels to fall into a critically low range, threatening the health of many aquatic species.     

Selenium and arsenic in the environment in Finland

A characteristic feature of glaciated Precambrian environments is their low selenium content, as a chalcophile element, Se, replaces sulfur in many of the sulfide minerals, for example, pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and pentlandite. The average Se concentration in rocks and related till deposits in Finland is in the range of 0.01 to 0.2 mg/kg. Due to geological conditions, Se concentrations in surface and ground water are low in Finland compared with other countries. In a nationwide study dealing with the hydrogeochemistry of headwater streams, the median Se concentration in streams during August to September 1990 was 30 to 180 microg/L. For comparison, Se concentrations in shallow well waters are generally in the range of 50 to 1000 microg/L. The Se concentrations in stream sediments varied from 0.03 to 3.94 mg/kg. There was a highly significant correlation between the Se concentrations in stream water and in stream sediment. The streams with Se concentrations exceeding the general level in both water and sediment were most common in southern Finland. A speciation study on Finnish stream waters revealed that there were equal proportions of Se complexed with humic substances (36%) and Se as a selenate species (36%), whereas selenite accounted for less than 10% of total Se. About 8% of the Se in stream water occurred in particulate form. In an effort to enhance the Se intake of Finns through diet, Se-supplemented fertilizers have been used nationwide since 1985. While greatly improving Se levels in the population, the measure has raised concerns about undesirable environmental effects. Therefore, the amount of Se added to fertilizers has been reduced since 1991. Differing in behavior from Se, arsenic is considered one of the most toxic metals derived from the natural environment. Alarm has been triggered in Finland by the recent lowering from 50 microg/L to 10 microg/L of the upper level of As permissible in potable water, the recent information of high As concentrations in water from drilled bedrock wells, and the findings of international medical studies suggesting that As is a carcinogen. The most important source of As is arsenopyrite (FeAsS). Hence, high As concentrations most frequently occur in areas of sulfide mineralization, often in connection with occurrences of mafic rocks such as gabbros, amphibolites, and peridotites. The As concentrations in till fines, the most common glaciogenic soil type in Finland, reflect those in bedrock. The concentrations in groundwater are controlled by the chemical composition of the bedrock and the soil and prevailing hydrogeochemical conditions, for example, pH and Eh levels. Arsenic concentrations are lowest in surface water and swiftly flowing shallow ground water discharged by springs and are somewhat higher in shallow wells dug into overburden. By far, the highest As concentrations are to be found in wells drilled into bedrock (maximum 1 to 2 mg/L), although the concentrations vary by several orders of magnitude from well to well. The highest probability of encountering deleteriously arsenious well water is in areas with characteristic As anomalies in the till and bedrock. Hence, it is important to understand local geological conditions, particularly in the case of wells drilled into bedrock. The risk of deleteriously high As concentrations occurring in captured springs and shallow wells is slight.     

Empirical Relations for Longitudinal Dispersion in Streams

Although several methods are available for dispersion in natural streams, no method is accurate enough to satisfactorily predict the time variation of stream pollution concentration. Further, limited studies exist for dispersion of nonconservative pollutants. In this paper a six-parameter concentration equation for dispersion of conservative and nonconservative pollutants has been proposed. The parameters of the equation have been related to hydraulic variables and stream geometry. Using these predictors, the equation is fairly accurate for concentration predictions. It is hoped that the equation is useful in water quality management studies.     

Stream Classification System Based on Susceptibility to Algal Growth in Response to Nutrients

We developed a stream classification system that is based on stream’s susceptibility to algal growth using a two-step approach. The model portrays algal biomass as a result of stream’s response to nutrient concentrations and the response is governed by various stream factors. In the first step, a nutrient-chlorophyll a relationship was developed to characterize nutrient’s effects on algal biomass. Residuals of the relationship were attributed to stream’s susceptibility to algal growth in response to nutrients and referred to as “observed” susceptibility. In the second step, conditions of other contributing factors were used to explain the variation in the residuals and the developed relationship was used to generate “predicted” susceptibility. Existing data compiled from various monitoring projects of Illinois streams and rivers were used to illustrate the approach. Streams were classified into three (high, medium, and low) categories based on their observed and predicted susceptibility values, respectively. With the available data, the model showed a 40-50% success rate for classifying the streams based on three observed and predicted susceptibility categories. Model entropy also was calculated for selecting the best model. The results show the important role of both nutrients and other contributing factors in explaining the variation of algal biomass. The study also suggests ways to fine tune the model and improve its accuracy, which would make the presented model a more viable tool for stream classification for establishing nutrient criteria to prevent surface streams from eutrophication.     

Dimensional Analysis of Reaeration Rate in Streams

Atmospheric reaeration at the free surface of lakes and streams is a relevant process for water quality, thus the amount of oxygen transferred to the water body should be carefully estimated. Recent studies have demonstrated that available equations for estimation of the reaeration rate offer a poor fit with field data different from those for which each equation was originally developed. Thus, none of the available equations is applicable to all stream hydrodynamic conditions; on the contrary, they remain stream-specific, probably since some parameters involved in the process have been neglected in their formulation and their expressions are too simplistic. This paper proposes a comprehensive approach to the mass-transfer process at the air-water interface that is based on dimensional analysis. Careful inspection of equations in the literature shows that the mass-transfer process at the air-water interface has been affected by 14 different parameters. The application of dimensional analysis produces, for a wide rectangular section if wind speed is negligible, a dimensionless equation for the mass-transfer rate, where this rate is a function of the Froude number, channel slope, Reynolds number, Sherwood number, Weber number, and relative roughness. This expression is further developed to address the reaeration process in streams and rivers. As a result, at a fixed temperature, the dimensionless reaeration rate KaND (where ND denotes nondimensional) is finally a function of only the Froude number, channel slope, Reynolds number, and relative roughness. Moreover, the application of the Darcy-Wiesbach equation allows this dimensionless rate KaND to be considered as a function of only three of the aforementioned parameters. This result provides a comprehensive approach to the reaeration process that can also explain the unreliability of the literature equations available up to now.     

Hyporheic Exchange with Gravel Beds: Basic Hydrodynamic Interactions and Bedform-Induced Advective Flows

Stream-subsurface exchange processes are important because of their role in controlling the transport of contaminants and ecologically relevant substances in streams. Laboratory flume experiments were conducted to examine solute exchange with gravel streambeds. Two morphologies were studied: flat beds and beds covered by dune-shaped bedforms. High rates of exchange were observed with flat beds under a wide range of stream flow conditions, indicating that there was considerable turbulent coupling of stream and pore water flows. The presence of bedforms produced additional exchange under all flow conditions. The exchange with bedforms could be represented well by considering solute flux caused by bedform-induced advective pumping. Pumping exchange was enhanced by inertial effects, including non-Darcy flow and turbulent diffusion. For the flat bed case, dye injections showed that exchange also occurred by a combination of advective pore water flow and turbulent diffusion near the stream–subsurface interface. The relative effects of advective and diffusive transport processes could not be separated due to the complex nature of the induced flows in the gravel bed. However, exchange was found to scale with the square of the stream Reynolds number in all cases. Comparison of these results with those obtained with coarser and finer sediments demonstrated that the exchange rate is also proportional to the square of the characteristic bed sediment size. These scaling relationships can be used to improve interpretation of solute transport observed in natural rivers.     

Longitudinal Dispersion Coefficient in Single-Channel Streams

Using a new channel shape equation for straight channels and a more versatile channel shape or local flow depth equation for natural streams a method is developed for prediction of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient in single-channel natural streams, including straight and meandering ones. The method involves derivation of a new triple integral expression for the longitudinal dispersion coefficient and development of an analytical method for prediction of this coefficient in natural streams. The proposed method is verified using 70 sets of field data collected from 30 streams in the United States ranging from straight manmade canals to sinuous natural rivers. The new method predicts the longitudinal dispersion coefficient, where more than 90% calculated values range from 0.5 to 2 times the observed values. The advantage of the new method is that it is capable of accurately predicting the longitudinal dispersion coefficient in single-channel natural streams without using detailed dye concentration test data. A comparison between the new method and the existing methods shows that the new method significantly improves the prediction of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient.     

湖南柿竹园矿区野鸡尾南部坑道涌水原因及治理方案

野鸡尾南部矿段坑道涌水严重影响井下生产和地下探矿工作。根据地表、井下水文地质调查,综合各溪流、暗河流量以及离子跟踪与测试分析,认为坑道涌水的补给源是地表水和地下水。据此,提出了切实可行的治理方案。     

Numerical Model for Channel Flow and Morphological Change Studies

In this paper a depth-integrated 2D hydrodynamic and sediment transport model, CCHE2D, is presented. It can be used to study steady and unsteady free surface flow, sediment transport, and morphological processes in natural rivers. The efficient element method is applied to discretize the governing equations, and the time marching technique is used for temporal variations. The moving boundaries were treated by locating the wet and dry nodes automatically in the cases of simulating unsteady flows with changing free surface elevation in channels with irregular bed and bank topography. Two eddy viscosity models, a depth-averaged parabolic model and a depth-averaged mixing length model, are used as turbulent closures. Channel morphological changes are computed with considerations of the effects of bed slope and the secondary flow in curved channels. Physical model data have been used to verify this model with satisfactory results. The feasibility studies of simulating morphological formation in meandering channels and flows in natural streams with in-stream structures have been conducted to demonstrate its applicability to hydraulic engineering research∕design studies of stream stabilization and ecological quality among other problems.     

Risk factors of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Sources of asbestos in drinking water may be natural deposits or the use of asbestos cement for water distribution. 50 water samples were selected in Austria to detect fibre contamination from either geology or asbestos cement by comparison with control areas and by comparison of raw and treated water. Standardized EPA/BGA methodology with transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and selected area electron diffraction was used to quantify concentrations of different sized amphibole and chrysotile fibres. In 10 areas with asbestos deposits and in 14 areas with use of asbestos cement pipes asbestos concentrations in drinking water were low and not significantly different from 6 control areas (median 32,000 total asbestos fibres per litre). The relative highest concentration was found in an area with natural deposits at the source of the water supply (190,000 per litre). In areas without natural deposits the increase of asbestos concentrations from origin to consumer of water was not significant and unrelated to water aggressiveness, age and length of asbestos cement pipes. This could be mainly due to the fact that in areas with aggressive water asbestos cement pipes have been coated in Austria. A sample from a cistern, however, showed considerable asbestos contamination and raises concern about the use of surface water for room air humidification.     

Phosphorus and bacterial growth in drinking water

The availability of organic carbon is considered the key factor to regulate microbial regrowth in drinking water network. However, boreal regions (northern Europe, Russia, and North America) contain a large amount of organic carbon in forests and peatlands. Therefore, natural waters (lakes, rivers, and groundwater) in the northern hemisphere generally have a high content of organic carbon. We found that microbial growth in drinking water in Finland is highly regulated not only by organic carbon but also by the availability of phosphorus. Microbial growth increased up to a phosphate concentration of 10 micrograms of PO4-P liter-1. Inorganic elements other than phosphorus did not affect microbial growth in drinking water. This observation offers novel possibilities to restrict microbial growth in water distribution systems by developing technologies to remove phosphorus efficiently from drinking water.     

Uncertainty in Water Surface Profile of Buried Stream Flowing under Coarse Material

Non-Darcy flow occurs when a hydraulic gradient is set up across a matrix of coarse porous media, resulting in turbulence in the void spaces. Buried streams that are formed at open-pit coal mines in mountainous areas (due to the disposal of large quantities of waste rock in valley terrain) are good examples of this phenomenon. An overview of the sources of uncertainty associated with non-Darcy water surface profile computations is presented. Numerical and experimental examples are used to illustrate how the mathematical developments presented in this paper can be used to quantify some of the inherent uncertainties. A model buried stream built as part of this study was used to test these mathematical developments. The performance of an equation for optimizing cross-section spacing is described. Uncertainty equations developed using first-order uncertainty analysis is applied to a rectangular stream. A procedure for quantifying the probable error in the computed depth of flow is illustrated herein by applying a simplified form of the total uncertainty equation to a model buried stream. Based on these results, guidance is provided for the uncertainty analysis of water surface profiles for field-scale buried streams.     

Calculation of Bed Changes in Mountain Streams

Simulation of flow and sediment transport in mountain streams is complicated by the presence of high gradients, abrupt changes in geometry, variations in regime of flow, and large roughness elements. Most of the numerical models to predict aggradation and degradation in alluvial channels have been developed for low-gradient rivers. This paper is devoted to the development of a numerical model to calculate bed elevation and grain size distribution changes in mountain streams where the maximum bed material size is in the range of boulders. An attempt is made to validate the model by using observed field data collected upstream from a small retention dam in a Venezuelan stream. After calibration of the sediment transport equation, reasonable agreement is obtained for the variations in the grain size distribution of the bed-surface material. An additional application is presented in the Cocorotico River, a small mountain stream located in the northwest region of Venezuela, which illustrates the adaptability of the model to handle a case of coarsest-bed-material removal from the active channel and to simulate the armoring process.     

Parameter Estimation of the Transient Storage Model for Stream–Subsurface Exchange

The transient storage model (TSM) is the most commonly used model for stream–subsurface exchange of solutes. The TSM provides a convenient, simplified representation of hyporheic exchange, but its lack of a true physical basis causes its parameters to be difficult to predict. However, the simple formulation makes the model a useful practical tool for many applications. This work compares the TSM with a physically based pumping model. This comparison is advantageous for two reasons: Advective pumping is known to be an important hyporheic exchange process in many streams, and the pumping model can be used to derive dimensionless transient storage parameters that are properly scaled with important physical stream parameters. Transient storage model parameters are shown to be dependent on both the timescale of observation and the shape of the breakthrough curve, i.e., on the temporal evolution of the solute concentration in the surface water. This indicates that the transient storage model can, in practice, lead to incorrect predictions when model parameters are obtained without consideration of the stream flow dynamics, the properties of the stream bed, or the process timescale. This work emphasizes the limitations of simplified models for hyporheic transport, and indicates that such models need to be carefully applied.     

Persistence of Skewness in Longitudinal Dispersion Data: Can the Dead Zone Model Explain It After All?

Field studies reporting coefficients of temporal skewness that do not decrease in the main flow direction have cast doubt on the transient storage (TS) or dead zone model of longitudinal dispersion in rivers and streams. In this study, the conditions under which the TS model predicts persistent or growing skewness coefficients are investigated. The findings clearly show that, though not outright impossible, an instantaneous slug release into a uniform channel reach is, indeed, extremely unlikely to result in persistent or growing skewness coefficients. In contrast, the passage of a tracer or pollutant along a sequence of (hydraulically) different subreaches may easily give rise to nondecaying skewness coefficients, the occurrence of which is governed by the parameter sets of the subreaches concerned. Thus, the TS model does show a certain potential to explain the persistence of skewness. The findings reported here are expected to be useful in guiding future field studies on the subject. An application of the newly derived criterion to stream tracer data has been successful.     

Hybrid-Cells-in-Series Model for Solute Transport in Streams and Relation of Its Parameters with Bulk Flow Characteristics

The conceptualized hybrid-cells-in-series model, consists of a plug flow zone and two thoroughly mixed unequal reservoirs, all connected in series, has three time parameters, namely: (1) residence time of solute in the plug flow zone; and (2) residence times of solute in the two thoroughly mixed reservoirs. The model simulates closely advection-dispersion solute transport in natural streams. The resident time parameters are related to the velocity of flow, width of water surface, and depth of flow in the stream. Through the Péclet number, defined as Pe = (Δxu)/DL (in which Δx=process unit size; u=mean flow velocity; and DL=longitudinal dispersion coefficient), the relations of the model parameters with the longitudinal dispersion coefficient and with the bulk stream flow characteristics have been established. For a given reach of a stream, the parameters are inversely proportional to the flow velocity. By decoupling of pure advection by the plug flow component and dispersion of tracer by the two thoroughly mixed reservoir components, a robust fitting to the observed concentration-time data in natural streams was achieved.     

Effect of monochloramine disinfection of municipal drinking water on risk of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease

BACKGROUND: Many Legionella infections are acquired through inhalation or aspiration of drinking water. Although about 25% of municipalities in the USA use monochloramine for disinfection of drinking water, the effect of monochloramine on the occurrence of Legionnaires' disease has never been studied. METHODS: We used a case-control study to compare disinfection methods for drinking water supplied to 32 hospitals that had had outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease with the disinfection method for water supplied to 48 control-hospitals, with control for selected hospital characteristics and water treatment factors. FINDINGS: Hospitals supplied with drinking water containing free chlorine as a residual disinfectant were more likely to have a reported outbreak of Legionnaires' disease than those that used water with monochloramine as a residual disinfectant (odds ratio 10.2 [95% CI 1.4-460]). This result suggests that 90% of outbreaks associated with drinking water might not have occurred if monochloramine had been used instead of free chlorine for residual disinfection (attributable proportion 0.90 [0.29-1.00]). INTERPRETATION: The protective effect of monochloramine against legionella should be confirmed by other studies. Chloramination of drinking water may be a cost-effective method for control of Legionnaires' disease at the municipal level or in individual hospitals, and widespread implementation could prevent thousands of cases.     

Size Distributions and Light Scattering Features of Minerogenic Particles in a Stream during Runoff Events

Inorganic (minerogenic) particles received from streams during runoff events cause undesirable increases in turbidity (Tn; i.e., the light scattering coefficient, b) in many lakes and reservoirs. Quantification of particle inputs in the context of turbidity impacts and representative light scattering calculations (submodel), the necessary components in the development of a mechanistic multiple particle class model to simulate these impacts, are described for Schoharie Creek, N.Y. Light scattering attributes of minerogenic particles, including number concentration (N), size distribution (PSD), composition, and projected area per unit volume (PAVm), are quantified for three runoff events through analyses by scanning electron microscopy interfaced with automated X-ray microanalysis and image analysis (SAX). The combined credibility of the light scattering submodel and SAX to represent the light scattering features of minerogenic particles is depicted by the consistency of calculated scattering efficiencies with theory and the strength of the reported Tn-PAVm relationship. Particles in the size range of 2–10?μm were responsible for b and Tn in the stream, with greater contributions by the larger particles of this range at elevated stream flows. Empirical relationships are developed to predict N and PSD from Tn or stream flow.     

Methotrexate suppresses nitric oxide production ex vivo in macrophages from rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis

This review discusses the relation between by-products of drinking water chlorination and cancer in the light of present toxicological and epidemiologic evidence. During the chlorination of drinking water, a complex mixture of by-products forms from chlorine and the organic and inorganic compounds present in raw water. The quality and quantity of such compounds depend on the specific nature of the organic material in raw waters, the inorganic material in raw water, pH, temperature, other water treatment practices, and the chlorine timing and dose added. Chlorination by-products are important mainly when surface water is used for drinking water as more organic compounds are present in surface waters than in ground waters. The gastrointestinal and urinary tract are the cancer sites that are most often associated with the use of chlorinated surface water or with the quantity of chlorination by-products in the water-supply network. Yet the microbial quality of drinking water should not be compromised by excessive caution over the potential long-term effects of disinfection by-products because the risk of illness and death resulting from exposure to pathogens in untreated drinking water may be several orders of magnitude greater than the cancer risks from chlorination by-products.