Jonathan W. Bulkley

Executive Order 13112 Invasive Species

Invasive species pose a serious environmental threat to this country and countries all around the world. Global commerce essential to the economic well being of the citizens of the world provides important pathways whereby invasive species may move from their natural habitats to new locations where the conditions of the ecosystem may enable the invasive species to grow and multiply to the extent that native species are lost and severe economic loss, environmental harm, and harm to human health may occur. Executive Order 13112 signed by President Clinton on February 3, 1999 establishes a rational process to mobilize and coordinate the activities of the federal government in order to mount an effective and cost efficient set of programs and activities to mitigate the threats posed by invasive species. This paper describes the nature of the threats posed by invasive species and presents the major elements of Executive Order 13112. Observations are provided regarding both the nature of the multiple threats from invasive species and the potential of the provisions of Executive Order 13112 to meet these threats.

The Environmental Impact of Cruise Ships

The impact of cruise ships on the environment is an important issue that needs to be addressed in order to mitigate damage to the surrounding ecosystem. Cruise ships generate significant quantities of wastes that the industry disposes of with surprisingly little regulation. For example, the cruise ship industry is not subject to the same environmental standards as land-based industries. Furthermore, where there is regulation, there is often marginal enforcement. Due to the concentration of cruise ships in a small number of environmentally sensitive areas, the potential environmental impacts of the industry are intensified. As the size of the cruise ship industry increases, the need to regulate the environmental effects of cruise ships is becoming more urgent. The cruise ship industry is very large and is rapidly expanding. In 1998, more than 223 cruise ships worldwide carried an estimated 9.5 million passengers. Many of these cruise ships are the size of small cities. Between 2002 and 2005, cruise ship companies plan to add 51 more ships to the fleet, many of which are larger than any existing cruise ships. As the size of the cruise ship industry increases, so does the industrys potential for causing adverse environmental impacts. The first section of this paper provides an introduction to the cruise industry and a description of the different waste streams generated daily by a typical cruise ship. It also describes the consequences of pollution on the environment. The next section discusses current regulations and their efficiency in regulating waste streams. The next section addresses the actions being taken to mitigate the environmental impact of cruise ships and provides an assessment of the effectiveness of these actions. Finally, the last section provides recommendations on future actions needed to reduce adverse environmental burdens and impacts arising from cruise ship operations.

Preliminary study of the diversion of 283 m3 s−1 (10,000 cfs) from Lake Superior to the Missouri River basin

Bulkley, J.W Wright, S.J. and Wright, D., 1984. Preliminary study of the diversion of 283 m 3 s -~ (10,000 cfs) from Lake Superior to the Missouri River basin. In: G.E. Stout and G,H. Davis (Editors), Global Water: Science and Engineering -- The Ven Te Chow Memorial Volume. J. Hydrol., 68 : 461--472. Trans-basin diversion is an established practice in this country. The High Plains Study authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1976 examined large-scale intra-basin diversion to replenish the depleted groundwater resources of the Ogallala aquifer. A portion of this intra-basin diversion could come from the Missouri River basin. This study presents the preliminary engineering associated with a large-scale diversion of Lake Superior water out of the Great Lakes and into the Missouri River basin in order to replace intra-basin water diverted for recharge of the Ogallala aquifer. The magnitude of the diversion is 283 m 3 s -1 (10,000 cfs). The first cost of the conveyance structure is estimated at US

Probability models of wastewater treatment plant operation

19.6 billion. The total length is estimated at 984 km and the total static lift including friction losses, static head, and pumping plant losses is 1130 m. It is estimated that eighteen pumping plants will be required to lift the water from Lake Superior and transport it to the Missouri Basin. This study estimated an energy requirement to move this water equivalent to the annual energy production from seven 1000-MW plants. Initial costs of these power plants is estimated at

Characteristics of Integrated Water Resource Management in the Zambezi River and Great Lakes Basins: A Comparison of Two Approaches

7 billion.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the University of Zambia and the University of Michigan: Conception and Subsequent Implementation Goals

This paper represents a bried report upon the question of failure in a wastewater treatment plant. Typically the engineer designs a wastewater treatment plant to remove a fixed percentage of constituents of the wastewater. For example, the design may be to remove 90% (each) of the volatile suspended solids (VS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Phosphorous as P. In evaluating proposed wastewater treatment plants, the implicit assumption is that plants will operate at their design level. Tbis study originated as an effort to examine actual operating data from a wastewater treatment facility for the purpose of comparing performance data with anticipated design standards. In particular, we set out to utilize probability models as representatives of plant performance. This may prove to be valuable for several purposes. First, one may be able to associate specified probability models with specific types of treatment processes. Secondly, explicit means would be available for comparing alternative treatment techniques in terms of alternative probability models. Third, the utilization of probability models for treatment plant operations may provide a more systematic basis for the use

Global Change Research: Strategic Planning, Knowledge Production and Barriers to Use

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is evolving as a contemporary means to address complex and critical issues associated with making the most effective and efficient use of water resources. Water resource challenges in the Zambezi River Basin include both quality and quantity issues including potential diversions from the basin to localities outside the basin and lack of an agreed upon institutional framework for the management of the Zambezi River system. In 1972, the United States and Canada signed the first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. This agreement committed the two countries who share the trans-boundary waters of the Great Lakes to restore and enhance water quality in the Great Lakes System. Amendments in 1987 resulted in establishing the goal to virtually eliminate persistent toxic substances into the Great Lakes resulting from human activities. In 2008, the Great Lakes Compact was approved by all of the eight Great Lakes States plus the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. This compact was subsequently approved by the Congress of the United States and signed by President Bush on October 3, 2008. Both the Zambezi River Basin and the Great Lakes Basin offer valuable insights into the application of IWRM to critical water resource planning and management challenges in their respective geographical locations.

Watershed Planning and Management: Institutional Realities

In April 2008 the University of Michigan and the University of Zambia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that approved a cooperative agreement to foster the development of a collaborative research and exchange program focused on concepts of integrated water resources management (IWRM) to be applied in the Zambezi River Basin in Southern Africa and the Great Lakes Basin in the U.S. The Zambezi River Basin, home to nearly 40 million people, is the largest river basin in Southern Africa covering 1.37 million square kilometers in eight countries. The Great Lakes Basin watershed is home to about 40 million people living in eight U.S. States and two Canadian Provinces and covers over 1/2 million square kilometers.

Industrial ecology of the automobile : a life cycle perspective

Concerns about global change resulting from global warming, ozone depletion and population pressures provided the motivation for the development of the United States Global Change Research Act (USGCRA) of 1990. The legislation was enacted to develop and coordinate a comprehensive, integrated research program with two primary goals: to advance scientific understanding of global change and provide usable information upon which to develop effective policies to abate, mitigate, and cope with global change. An analysis of the USGCRA and United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) was conducted based on an examination of planning and reporting documents and proxy measures. Results of the analysis indicate three areas in which improvements in the policy can be made. The three improvements are: 1) Better metrics for quantifying reduction in uncertainties and knowledge production must be developed and employed to better measure progress, 2) Strengthening interagency working relationships should improve Program continuity particularly during periods of transition. Reducing the frequency of strategic plan revisions from every three years to every five years would help conserve personnel resources and focus energies to enable the 10-year strategic planning timeline for deliverables to be met, and 3) Congress should consider creating an independent governing structure for the USGCRP comprised of a combination of outside experts, lay public, agency scientists/officials and administration scientists/officials. There is limited evidence that water resource managers are using climate change science. This paper lays the foundation for additional work examining research priority setting of the USGCRP as well as an investigation of user information needs and barriers to use.

Quantifying U.S. aluminum in-use stocks and their relationship with economic output

Overlaying traditional political boundaries upon natural watersheds creates institutional complexity due to the necessity of facilitating appropriate and effective linkages for watershed planning, analysis, and management. This paper describes and compares two urban watershed case studies designed to identify and illuminate their institutional complexities and various solutions over the past decade. Our premise is that the establishment and maintenance of effective institutional arrangements across political boundaries is an essential element for the overall success of watershed planning and management. Of special note is the relative role of the federal courts in both cases as well as the institutional lessons to be learned. The first case focuses upon the Rouge River Watershed near Detroit, Michigan. The Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project, begun in 1992, assists the forty-eight units of government in the seven sub-watersheds to develop more efficient means to control both point and nonpoint pollutants. As a result, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality developed a new and innovative voluntary General Permit for storm water that is designed in part to facilitate effective watershed planning and management. Since the U.S. EPA recently stated that those commited to full compliance with all provisions of the Michigan General Storm Water Permit will satisfy the requirements of the new federal Phase II Storm Water rules and regulation, this model may be of interest elsewhere. The western watershed case study focuses upon the Tualatin River Basin near Portland, Oregon. In 1988, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality established Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for total phosphorous and ammonia for the Tualatin River. The river now meets its point source allocations but not its nonpoint ones. Despite significant progress in river quality and community involvement, some conflict remains over interpretations and expectations of science and the law. A variety of institutional arrangements have played important roles and continue to evolve. This examination is particularly interesting since the TMDLs in the Tualatin River were the first ones done by Oregon and among the earliest completed in the country.