Martin M. Kaufman

Urban watersheds : geology, contamination, and sustainable development

The Watershed Approach Historical Transformation of Urbanized Watersheds by Industrial Development The Evolution of Industry and the Rouge Watershed Major Themes of the Watershed Approach Used in This Book Organization of This Book PART I: GEOLOGY Geology of Urban Watersheds Geological Processes Affecting Urban Watersheds Sedimentary Processes: From Removal to Rock Formation Identification and Classification of Sedimentary Deposits Sedimentary Depositional Environments Disturbance Water and the Hydrogeology of Watersheds Water Basics Surface Water in Watersheds Groundwater in Watersheds Fundamental Concepts of Groundwater Surface Water-Groundwater Interaction Anthropogenic Influences on Surface Water and Groundwater Conducting Subsurface Environmental Investigations in Urban Watersheds Types and Description of Subsurface Environmental Investigations, Studies, Plans, or Reports Common Environmental Sampling Methods Urban Geologic Mapping Geologic Mapping in an Urban Environment Geologic Vulnerability Subsurface Vulnerability and Vulnerability Map Development Methods Map-Building Example Demonstrating the Significance of Vulnerability Mapping PART II: CONTAMINATION Common Contaminants in Urban Watersheds Contaminant Toxicity Volatile Organic Compounds Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons Polychlorinated Biphenyls Semivolatile Organic Compounds Heavy Metals Other Contaminants Contaminant Fate and Transport Contaminant Releases into the Environment Principles of Contaminant Fate and Transport Fate and Transport of Contaminants Metal Contamination in Urban Watersheds Heavy Metals in Soil Case Study: Metals in Soil, Rouge River Watershed Case Study: Dissolved Metals in Shallow Groundwater, Rouge River Watershed Contaminant Risk Factors Surface Risk Factor Groundwater Contaminant Risk Factor Soil Contaminant Risk Factor Air Contaminant Risk Factor Discussion and Implications Remediation: Techniques and Cost Remediation Overview Common Soil Remediation Technologies Summary of Soil Remediation Technologies Common Groundwater Remediation Technologies Summary of Groundwater Remediation Technologies Sediment Remediation Surface Water Remediation Air Remediation Cost of Remediation PART III: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Urbanization and the Disruption of Matter and Energy Flows within Watersheds Watershed Structure Watershed Function Urbanization and Watersheds: Disruption of Matter and Energy Flows Pollution Prevention Pollution Prevention in the United States Implementing Pollution Prevention Techniques: Industrial Point Sources Implementing Pollution Prevention Techniques for Nonpoint Sources in Urbanized Watersheds Case Studies: Successful and Unsuccessful Redevelopment of Contaminated Sites Case Study 1: Michigan Case Study 2: Illinois Case Study 3: Indiana Case Study 4: Wisconsin Case Study 5: California Case Study 6: New Jersey Science-Based Landscape Planning in Urban Watersheds The Science: Policy Gap Science-Based Landscape Planning Watershed Management Attaining Sustainable Urban Watersheds Sustainability and Sustainable Development A Framework for Beginning Urban Watershed Management Linking the First Step to the Big Picture Glossary of Terms Index

Consumer perception of household hazardous materials

We evaluated consumer perception of household hazardous materials (HHM) to identify links between storage of HHMs and consumer perception. Methods. 357 telephone surveys were conducted within one county to determine home storage location (high, low, unknown) of 10 substances common to pediatric poisoning. Questions addressed look-alikes, poison information resources, disposal/recycling practices, and the transfer of cleaning products to other containers. Results. Prescription medications were stored in lower elevations than vitamins with iron and OTC ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Products common in poisoning were often stored at low elevations. Poison center (PCC) awareness was modest; 35% stated the PCC would be first choice; 43% chose 911. Nineteen percent indicated they transferred cleaning items to other containers, usually bleach (6.7%), but 29% transferred prescription medications. Conclusion. Results will be utilized to develop a community-specific educational campaign targeted toward lack of awareness of the poison center and reinforcement of proper storage and disposal practices.

Hydro-ecological implications of edge cities

Abstract A spatial and temporal classification of the embryonic forms of edge cities within their physical/environmental context is developed. Three classes of edge cities are identified as having developed along the expressway system: (1) transportation/service; (2) transportation/service/commercial; and (3) corporate/industrial. Each edge-city class has special implications for the hydro-ecological environment. A case study was used to assess the effects on these three classes on several basic indicators of impacts from stormwater runoff, groundwater contamination, and habitat fragmentation. The results indicate that transport/service edge-cities may pose a significant threat of contamination to the groundwater resource owing to the existence of underground storage-tanks and the transport of hazardous substances. In transport/service/commercial edge-cities, runoff volumes increase dramatically and water quality declines, as development displaces wetlands and creates impervious land cover. At a corporate/industrial edge-city location, habitat fragmentation is higher, as reflected by a decreased patch size for forest and wetland areas.

Improving Environmental Risk Management through Historical Impact Assessments

Abstract A historical contaminant impact assessment was conducted at 48 heavy manufacturing facilities located in 20 different states for a U.S.-based company. The facilities evaluated were industrial manufacturing sites that operated for as long as 100 yr and used several types of hazardous substances, including solvents and degreasers, oils and other petroleum products, paints and pigments, and heavy metals. The purpose of conducting the impact assessment was to provide direction and guidance on future environmental objectives and pollution prevention initiatives. The impact assessment involved examining historical investigative and remediation costs since 1985, types of contaminants, sub-surface geology, hydrology, and regulatory requirements. The results reveled that 85% of the historical environmental costs were associated with hexavalent chromium and chlorinated solvents. Other contaminants, such as oils and other petroleum products and other heavy metals, were far more commonly detected but only accounted for the remaining 15% of costs. The results also indicated that the costs are also strongly associated with the type of geologic environment to which the chemicals were released. As a result of these findings, an aggressive pollution prevention program has been initiated to eliminate the use of those contaminants that are especially expensive to remediate and to develop stronger and more effective engineering controls at facilities located in sensitive ecological areas.

Reading Topographic Maps

Interpreting the colored lines, areas, and other symbols is the first step in using topographic maps. Features are shown as points, lines, or areas, depending on their size and extent. For example, individual houses may be shown as small black squares. For larger buildings, the actual shapes are mapped. In densely built-up areas, most individual buildings are omitted and an area tint is shown. On some maps, post offices, churches, city halls and other landmark buildings are shown within the tinted area. The first features usually noticed on a topographic map are the area features such as vegetation (green), water (blue), some information added during update (purple), and densely built-up areas (gray or red). Many features are shown by lines that may be straight, curved, solid, dashed, dotted, or in any combination. The colors of the lines usually indicate similar kinds or classes of information: brown for topographic contours; blue for lakes, streams, irrigation ditches, etc.; red for land grids and important roads; black for other roads and trails, railroads, boundaries, etc.; and purple for features that have been updated using aerial photography, but not field verified.

Physical Geography: The Global Water System

Chapter Overview Few things on Earth are as central to physical geography as water or, to put another way, without water Earths physical geography would be a much simpler matter than it is. So we start this section of the book with an overview of this magnificent system, a glimpse into the big picture of water. The discussion is driven by some compelling questions including how Earth got its water, how much water is held where on the planet, how the water-exchange system, the hydrologic cycle, works, and how on land the system is organized into subsystems. We are led to a model called the water budget that helps us understand how the subsystems like watersheds, glaciers, and soils function. We then give some thought to hydrologic landscapes and what makes humid and arid landscapes different in terms of where water is stored and accessed by plants. Finally, and consistent with one of the books main themes, Earth is a planet of changing systems, and so it is with the hydrologic system, for no matter where we are this great system is constantly changing around us. Introduction Of the many things that make Earth unique as a planet, one of the most striking is its water system. It is not merely the presence of a large water supply that is striking – Mars also has abundant water – but rather the makeup, distribution, and dynamics of Earths water system.

Earth's Radiation and Heat Systems Over Land and Water

Chapter Overview This chapter is about the concept of balance in the Earth energy system. We deal first with the input side of the system by bringing solar radiation into the Earths atmosphere to see what happens when it passes through air and strikes the Earths surface. Since geography is our main concern, we are particularly interested in factors, such as cloud cover and the curvature of the Earth, which influence the global distribution of solar energy. Next is the output side of the system. To keep from overheating, Earth must release back into space the energy it gains from the Sun. But before this can take place, solar radiation must be converted into heat and then converted back into radiation in order to leave the atmosphere. We then examine the balance between Earths energy inflows and outflows. The chapter ends with a look at global temperature patterns and the geographic controls on those patterns, in particular the world distribution of land and water. Introduction Uncle Bill could have been a character out of a Jack London novel. At least thats how I, at the age of eight or nine, saw him. On this occasion he was home on Christmas leave from the Air Force and he thought it might be challenging for us to experience a winter night camping out in the northern Michigan woods. But to make it truly challenging, he suggested that we “rough it” by doing without the standard cold weather gear.

Atmospheric Moisture, Precipitation and Weather Systems

Chapter Overview The atmosphere is a complex system, sometimes described as chaotic in nature. In this chapter we examine one of the principal components of that system, the precipitation system, and find that it is indeed complex, but within that complexity, there is a good deal of order to be found in its processes and patterns. We want to learn how precipitation is produced and how and where it is delivered. We trace our way through the atmospheric moisture system, beginning with a brief examination of water vapor, humidity, and condensation and then go on to the processes and causes of precipitation and their geographic circumstances, including the nature of storm systems such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. The chapter ends with some insights into the nature of violent storms and some of their consequences. Introduction The town was nothing more than a general store and saloon on a side road a few hundred feet off US-21 in northern Nebraska. A half mile or so to the north you could see a few houses and beyond them endless farm fields and plains stretching into the horizon. Thunderstorms with great billowing heads dominated the hot afternoon sky creating shadowy islands in an otherwise sunny landscape. Inside the store we milled around looking at antiques and chatting with the clerk. Suddenly, a siren sounded. Almost immediately the clerk said, “Its a severe storm warning, probably a thunderstorm, we get them all the time.”

Physical Geography: Mountain Systems, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes

Chapter Overview The Battle of Gettysburg, a pivotal event in American history, was strongly influenced by the lay of the land. But instances of landforms influencing battles and even shaping the development of countries and entire cultures are not unique in the annals of world history. Mountain ranges in particular have influenced where political boundaries are drawn, how religions and languages are distributed, and who trades with whom. So it behooves us to learn about mountains, both their geological and geographical aspects. In this chapter we want to learn first about their anatomies, that is, what do mountains look like on the inside? This will lead to a brief survey of mountain types and how rock is deformed by tectonic forces into folded, faulted, and volcanic structures. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to an examination of the two most studied and feared phenomena of mountain lands, earthquakes and volcanoes, with a glimpse at some of the most notorious of these natural villains including the infamous Mt. Pelee explosion of 1902 that killed 28,000 people, the more infamous Haitian earthquake of 2010 that killed more than 250,000 people, and the East Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011 that killed over 25,000 people. The chapter ends on the question of the influence of volcanic eruptions on global weather and climate.

Physical Geography: The Formation and Geographic Organization of the Continents and Ocean Basins

Chapter Overview Plate tectonics is the window to understanding the geographic arrangement of so many of the things we once took for granted when looking at maps of the world. Why the sizes and shapes of the continents and ocean basins and what about those large islands, chains of islands, and the great belts of mountains hugging the edges of the continents? We begin with a brief review on the development of the theory itself and then go on to describe the gross features of the Earths crust to provide a geographic framework for the ensuing discussion. This discussion looks into the nature of plate motion, the conditions and features on the plate borders, and the processes that produce earthquakes and volcanoes. We end the chapter briefly examining a few of the many geographic implications of plate tectonics, in particular the distribution of marsupial and placental mammals and the climate and drainage of monsoon Asia. Introduction This is the story of plate tectonics, a theory that ranks with evolution as one of the monumental advances of natural science in the past two centuries. For many reasons, some we have already touched on and many that lie in the pages ahead, this concept is foundational to physical geography. Although the theory of plate tectonics has been with us for only several decades, the roots of this revolutionary idea actually go back several centuries or more.