Abstract:
Texas has had periods of drought as far back as 1534 based upon the tree ring evidence. However, water laws in Texas are such that the groundwater is governed by ‘absolute ownership’, and thus the exclusive property of the landowner. For most residents, they rely on municipal water supplies which are drawn from surface water alone. It is equally the quantity and quality of that surface water which is critical to the population of the state. This is especially true for the population of the East Fork watershed (EFW, aka Region C), whose population continues to slowly increase, and where water demand had already exceeded supply by 2010. [1] Based on publications and website data from the USGS, EPA, the Texas Water Development Board
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These include the terracing of cropland, use of grassed waterways, contour farming, conservation tillage, filter strips/boarder, and others. But by 2006, the USDA reported that only 0.8 percent of the cropland in EFW had implemented such best practices. Further, the 50 percent of cropland which was effectively terraced, was not maintaining those terraces. Although Atkinson et all noted the “most cost effective and least maintenance strategies to provide runoff interception are vegetative filters comprised of deep rooted plant species” [16] there are no plans proposed to implement or seek funding for any of these pollution abatement actions. The Trinity River Authority states that their pollution abatement plan “…recognizes the responsibility of the soil and water conservation districts and the State Soil and Water Conservation Board to provide the master plan for their programs in the basin.” [17]. However, the State Soil and Water Conservation Board 2015 report and plan focuses on bacteria control in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. There are no other stated plans for the Trinity basin, and nothing regarding pollution or sedimentation remediation efforts in the East Fork watershed. Incredibly, none of the groups and committees responsible for the quality of the EFW water appear to be making any plans to address …show more content…
Ruben S. Solis, Jason J. Kemp, Tony Connell, Holly Holmquist, Tyler McEwen, and Nathan Brock, "Volumetric and Sedimentation Survey of Lavon Lake June – July 2011 Survey," Texas Water Development Board, 2013, https://www.twdb.texas.gov/surfacewater/surveys/completed/files/Lavon/2011-07/Lavon2011_FinalReport.pdf, 18.
14. "ATRAZINE REMEDIATION IN THE LAKE LAVON WATERSHED of GRAYSON COUNTY, TEXAS," Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, http://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/files/contentimages/01-07-FR-ATRGRAYSON-00-00-00.pdf.
15. "Modeling Atrazine in Seven Texas Modeling Atrazine in Seven Texas," USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service, October 24, 2006, http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_003337.pdf, Executive Summary.
16. Samuel F. Atkinson, William T. Waller, Kenneth L. Dickson, Sirichai Sanmanee, and Maria C. Moreno, “Atrazine Monitoring and Modeling in the Lake Lavon Watershed,” Denton, TX. UNT Digital Library, http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29479/.
17. "Trinity River Basin Master Plan," Trinity River Authority of Texas, 2010, http://www.trinityra.org/downloads/Master Plan Justified REV.pdf,
Government agencies carefully monitor water quality and its effect on wetlands (Reference: Environment Protection Agency Wetland Report EPA 832-R-93-005). Of particular concern is the concentration of nitrogen in water draining from fertilized lands. Too much nitrogen can kill fish and wildlife. Twenty-eight samples of water were taken at random from a lake. The nitrogen concentration (milligrams of nitrogen per liter of water) was determined for each sample. The variable in this information is nitrogen concentration (mg nitrogen/l water).
This analysis of case studies from Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the case study to predict the effects of pesticides on aquatic systems and the waterfowl that uses them. Comparing the two processes of these case studies, along with analysis of the assessments. Describing the case study on the effects of pesticides in aquatic ecosystem, the risk assessment correlated to observed field studies and evaluate the importance of this type of correlation in general for all risk assessment efforts. Breaking down the ecological and social
The novel Golden Goblet illustrates the life of a young Egyptian boy struggling against the cruelty of his half-brother Gebu. This novel is the life of Ranofer as he desperately tries to uncover the secrets of his half-brother and the mysterious golden goblet. He eventually discovers that Gebu is a tomb robber and knows he must tell someone. He ends up telling Queen Tiy herself and receiving great rewards for his actions. When Ranofer finds the goblet, it sets off a whole new stream of events, each leading to the next. This lead to him figuring out what Gebu does with his helper Wenamon, what a strange scroll in the scroll room is for and this all leads to Ranofer finding out and being able to prove that Gebu is a tomb robber.
The Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Enrichment on Water Samples from Encanto Lake and the Rio Salado River.
The state of Texas is the second largest state in the United States. Due to its location and size, it covers different geographical areas and climates. These areas support different ecosystems from deserts to coastal wetlands, with local wildlife varying with the environment. With such varied climates and yearly rainfall, it is easy to have crops growing in the east and little rainfall and an open rocky desert with cacti in the west. The geological history is also varied across the state leading to different mineral deposits by region. It is easy to see that Texas is a state with many unique areas that provide a wide variety of natural resources, native crops, and wildlife.
Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.
The company I chose for this assignment is the Missouri Department of Conservation. It is a Missouri state agency whose mission is to protect and conserve Missouri’s natural resources.
The Red River Compact Commission was created and signed by 1978 by 4 states Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The Red River, the northern boundary of a lot of the state, is a major water source for all four of these states and was being fought over until this commission was made to help solve many of the disputes that could come up. Similarly, Texas has more agreements with other states including the Sabine River Compact Commission and the Rio Grande Compact. These commission serves the same purpose as the other commission, to make sure that all states receive the correct amount of water and that neither state ruins the water for any other one. The United States has an agreement with Mexico regarding the Colorado River that helps decide what should be done with a river that gives water to more than 33 million people across the two nations. The agreement is made to help the Colorado River make it back to the Ocean which will in turn help refill Lake Mead, the main source of water for the city of Los Vegas. The major treaty between the US and Mexico that Texas has a large hand in is the Treaty of February 3, 1994. This treaty restricts the water that the other country can take from the Rio Grande river, and guarantees the US one-third of the water from 5 tributaries in Mexico, and guarantees Mexico all of the water from two other tributaries. This treaty also allows both nations to dam parts of this
"It is not possible to add pesticides to water anywhere without threatening the purity of water everywhere. Seldom if ever does Nature operate in closed and separate compartments, and she has not done so in distributing the earth's water supply" (Carson 42).
How is Atrazine used? It is sprayed on plants, grass, and weeds. Why is it used? It is used to kill weeds and unwanted plants that are in places people don’t want them to be. Also, used heavily by farmers on crops. What happens when it enters the environment? Atrazine is known to be slow to break down. It is found in streams, rivers, lakes, and drinking water. It mainly spreads from runoff because of rain, but can also be absorbed into the air.
Atrazine is an herbicide that does not occur naturally, can be applied before and after planting to control broadleaf and grassy weeds. Atrazine is part of the triazine chemical class, it is mostly used for agriculture. Farmers value atrazine for its effective use against some of the toughest weeds in corn like lambsquarters, morningglory, pigweed, and foxtails that make it the most popular herbicide in pre-mix combination products. Atrazine is an odorless, white powder that is not very volatile, reactive, or flammable, and that will dissolve in water. Atrazine is used to kill weeds, mostly on farms, but also been used on highway and golf courses. The EPA now controls how atrazine can be used and implemented, only trained people are allowed
Often, toxic substances are being drained into the air, waterways, and undergrounds wells. According to the report by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 60 million pounds of deadly chemicals are produced by industries in Florida. Notably, Florida’s water has been suffering mercury contamination until the state’s department of migration issues a circular regularly for regulations of eating freshwater fish in the region (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). In fact, such metals emanate from coal combustion’s emissions which run into water bodies. Not to mention, pesticides and herbicides utilized by government and homeowners pollute the environment (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). Indeed, all chemicals released into the atmosphere find themselves in rivers.
6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-triazine-2, 4-diamine, commonly referred to as Atrazine, is a member of the Triazine class. It is the number one ground water contaminant and the most commonly used herbicide in the United States. Chemicals in the Triazine class, like Atrazine, Propazine and Simazine all consists of nitrogen-containing heterocycles with a parent molecule molecular formula of C3H3N3. Due to their common mechanism of toxicity, Triazine classified chemicals, like Atrazine have been identified as Endocrine Disruptors. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the endocrine systems, leading to adverse effects. Some chemicals do this by binding to receptors,
The third article I found was, Atrazine exposure in public drinking water and preterm birth by Rinsky L. et al. this article looked at atrazine in drinking water and how that is related to preterm birth. The objective of the study is to look at exisiting data to see id there is a relationship that exists between the level of atrazine in drinking water and preterm birth. The authors explain that atrazine is commonly apply to crops to protect it from weeds and is then transported to bodies of water by runoff from fields. The article explains that atrazine exposure can be dangerous to human health and it has access to people through their drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency has a regulation on how much atrazine can be in the public
Recoveries experiments would be conducted to confirm the validity of the methods. Findings from this study would allow us to propose an efficient extraction procedure for selected imidazolinone herbicides in fish samples.