M.Sc. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This research was part of a project underway at Barren River and Nolin River Reservoirs in south-central Kentucky. The research was partially supported by a grant through the Sport Fishing Institute, Washington, D.C. The study reported herein was concerned with the analysis of trace metal concentrations in the two reservoirs. It is believed that the fish population may in part depend upon the trace metals present in the water. It is anticipated that the data presented in this paper will eventually be correlated with the biology studies of the reservoirs being carried out by the Department of Biology of Western Kentucky University.

Stormwater runoff from urban and urbanizing areas poses a serious threat to water quality, and unless managed properly will impede efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay.Water quantity, as well as quality, must be considered, and Low Impact Development(LID) is an innovative stormwater management approach that addresses both. LID seeks to mimic a site's predevelopment hydrologic regime by retaining and treating stormwater at the lot level using small, cost-effective landscape features.The purpose for this study was to identify and rank impediments to the implementation of LID in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This was accomplished by going to LID workshops and distributing a survey to stakeholders in attendance. The survey asked respondents to rank the following impediments to the implementation of LID: site-specific & non-structural, property owner acceptance, pollutant removal benefit, development rules, lack of education, maintenance considerations, flooding problems, and cost. Lack of education was ranked as the most important impediment, with development rules following close behind. Pollutant removal benefit was ranked the least important impediment. A second purpose was to assess whether there is a relationship between a county's growth rate and adoption of Better Site Design principles (BSD) and LID. A Code and Ordinance Worksheet was used to evaluate the development rules of 13 counties (6 high growth, 3 medium growth and 4 low growth) within Virginia's portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The scores from the worksheets were used to determine if the amount of growth pressure experienced by a county influenced the degree to which they incorporated BSD and LID in their local development codes. Statistical testing revealed that the relationship between growth pressure and score on the Code and Ordinance Worksheet was moderate, at best.

Environmental modelling is lately becoming to be one of the most important decision support systems. Hydrological models present significant potential for use especially in area of surface and groundwater protection. In the diploma thesis, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to evaluate nitrate surface water pollution in nine catchments situated in Křivoklátsko protected area during the period of 2003 - 2010. Modelling process consist of assorted consequent steps. First the hydrological model of each catchment was created. Afterwards the sensitivity analysis was conducted to select most sensitive model parameters. Calibration process was carried out after the parameters selection using SWAT-CUP automatic calibration tool. Model results were visualized and evaluated. The results of the model suggested, that the area of interest was not widely endangered by nitrate pollution. Within each catchment the critical source areas of nitrate pollution were identified. It was observed that these areas are related with intensive agricultural areas. Nitrate leaching ranged from 6 kg.ha-1 to 10 kg.ha-1 per year in agriculture areas. Some areas exceed this amount. Nitrate loss from most of the area of interest ranged from 0 kg.ha-1 to 4 kg.ha-1 per year. Concentrations of nitrates in modeled...

M. Tech. (Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology) Vaal University of Technology / The Klip River has suffered severe anthropogenic effects from industrial, agricultural, mining and domestic activities. As a result harmful contaminants such as heavy metals have accumulated in the river, causing microorganisms inhabiting the environment to develop mechanisms to protect them from the harmful effects of the contaminants. The current study deals with the isolation and characterization of heavy metal resistant bacteria isolated from the Klip River Catchment. Water and sediment samples were collected from 6 sites of the Klip River, and the Vaal Barrage (control). In-situ parameters, such as pH, turbidity, salinity, conductivity, temperature and dissolved oxygen were determined. Lead, iron, cadmium, nickel, zinc and copper concentrations of water were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. For bacterial analysis sediment and water samples were collected in sterile glass jars and bottles respectively. Heavy metal resistant bacterial isolates were screened on heavy metal constituted Luria Bertani (LB) agar. Biochemical profiles of the isolates were constructed using the API 20E® strips, antibiotic susceptibility tests were done and growth studies were carried out using spectrophotometric methods. The isolates were identified using 16SrDNA sequencing and alignment. A partial sequence of the copper resistance gene pcoA was amplified from strains Lysinibacillus sp. KR25 [KJ935917], and Escherichia coli KR29 [KJ935918]. The pcoR gene was amplified from E. coli (KR29) and the partial sequence for the chromate resistance gene chrB, was amplified from Pseudomonas sp. KR23 [KJ935916]. The gene fragments were then sequenced and translated into protein sequences. The partial protein sequences were aligned with existing copper and chromate resistance proteins in the Genbank and phylogenetic analysis was carried out. The physico-chemical properties of the translated proteins were predicted using the bioinformatics tool Expasy ProtParam Program. A homology modelling method was used for the prediction of secondary structures using SOPMA software, 3D-protein modelling was carried out using I-TASSER. Validation of the 3D structures produced was performed using Ramachandran plot analysis using MolProbity, C-score and TM-scores. Plasmid isolation was also carried out for both the wild type strains and cured derivatives and their plasmid profiles were analysed using gel electrophoresis to ascertain the presence of plasmids in the isolates. The cured derivatives were also plated on heavy metal constituted media. Antibiotic disc diffusion tests were also carried out to ascertain whether the antibiotic resistance determinants were present on the plasmid or the chromosome. The uppermost part of the Klip River had the lowest pH and thus the highest levels of heavy metal concentrations were recorded in the water samples. Turbidity, salinity and specific conductivity increased measurably at Site 4 (Henley on Klip Weir). Sixteen isolates exhibiting high iron and lead resistance (4 mM) were selected for further studies. Antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed that the isolates exhibited multi-tolerances to drugs such as Ampicillin (10 μg/ml), Amoxcyllin (10 μg/ml), Cephalothin acid (30 μg/ml), Cotrimoxazole (25 μg/ml), Neomycin (30 μg/ml), Streptomycin (10 μg/ml), Tetracycline (30 μg/ml), Tobramycin (10 μg/ml) and Vancomycin (30 μg/ml). Growth studies illustrated the effect of heavy metals on the isolates growth patterns. Cadmium and chromium inhibited the growth of most of the microorganisms. The following strains had high mean specific growth rates; KR01, KR17, and KR25, therefore these isolates have great potential for bioremediative applications. Using 16SrDNA sequencing the isolates were identified as KR01 (Aeromonas hydrophila), KR02 (Bacillus sp.), KR04 (Bacillus megaterium), KR06 (Bacillus subtilis), KR07 (Pseudomonas sp), KR17 (Proteus penneri), KR18 (Shewanella), KR19 (Aeromonas sp.), KR22 (Proteus sp.), KR23 (Pseudomonas sp.), KR25 (Lysinibacillus sp.), KR29 (Escherichia coli), KR44 (Bacillus licheniformis) and KR48 (Arthrobacter sp.). Three heavy metal resistance genes were detected from three isolates. The pcoA gene was amplified from strains Lysinibacillus sp KR25, and Escherichia coli KR29; pcoR gene from E. coli KR29 and the chrB gene, from Pseudomonas sp. KR23. The genes encoding for heavy metal resistance and antibiotic resistance were found to be located on the chromosome for both Pseudomonas sp. (KR23) and E.coli (KR29). For Lysinibacillus (KR25) the heavy metal resistance determinants are suspected to be located on a mobile genetic element which was not detected using gel electrophoresis. The translated protein sequence for pcoA_25 showed 82% homology with the copper resistant protein form Cronobacter turicensis [YP003212800.1]. Sequence comparisons between the pcoR partial protein sequence found in E. coli KR29 showed 100% homology with 36 amino acids (which was 20% of the query cover) from a transcriptional regulatory protein pcoR found in E. coli [WP014641166.1]. For the chrB partial protein sequence detected in Pseudomonas sp. (KR23), 97% of the query sequence showed 99% homology to a vitamin B12 transporter btuB in Stenotrophus sp. RIT309.

M.Sc. / The lower Thukela River catchment supports the highly industrialised Mandini/Sundumbili Industrial Complex, which in turn supports Tugela Rail, a textile factory, a vegetable-oil factory, as well as the Sundumbili Sewerage Treatment works. All of these industries release their wastes into the Mandini River that leads into the lower Thukela River. Another major potential impacting factor on the lower Thukela River is the Sappi Tugela pulp and paper mill that has both abstraction and discharge points in the same region. In 2004 the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry completed a comprehensive Reserve Determination study for the Thukela River. Upon reviewing the results it was clear that many of the variables assessed were of low confidence or there was not sufficient data collected within the region of the Mandini and Thukela River confluence and further downstream (Resource Unit K). Therefore the previous studies were not able to determine the degree to which the industries in the lower Thukela system impacted upon the integrity of the system. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the contributing impacts of the Tugela pulp and paper mill and other industrial activities on the ecological integrity of the lower Thukela River. This was done by through a toxicity assessment of the potential impacts of effluent and wastewater using the Direct Estimation of Ecological Effect Potential (DEEEP) methodologies. The toxicity of pulp and paper effluent from the Thukela mill and the receiving water body was compared to effluents from two other mills (Stanger and Ngodwana), assessing the water quality in relation to the input of different industrial effluents in the lower Thukela River. The general integrity of the lower Thukela River in relation to the input of different industrial effluents was assessed using the Habitat Quality Index (HQI), Habitat Assessment Index (HAI), macroinvertebrate and fish population studies. These studies were integrated to derive the Ecostatus of the lower Thukela River using the Macro-invertebrate and Fish Response Assessment Indices (MIRAI and FAII respectively). The toxicity testing (DEEEP) showed the paper mill effluent in the Mandini River was the least hazardous whilst Ngodwana effluent showed the highest potential to elicit a harmful impact on the receiving water body. The latter effluent displayed the highest LC50 values for the fish and the Daphnia toxicity tests, as well as an extremely high base-pair substitution mutagen activity. Toxicity was also found in algae at 100% raw effluent exposure. Tugela and Stanger mill effluent samples were very similar in their toxicity, except that Stanger effluent showed greater mutagenicity potential with exceptionally high values of revertants. The Tugela effluent samples showed no concerning levels of mutagenicity. The fish showed lower levels of response to the Tugela sample when compared to the Stanger sample. Thus comparatively the Thukela system is regarded to be the least at risk with regards to effluent discharge into the receiving water body. The lower Thukela River integrity assessment showed a sharp increase in temperature below the discharge point of the pulp and paper mill effluent. This was attributed to the excessive temperatures recorded in the pulp and paper effluent itself. There was further decrease in dissolved oxygen, which was due a combination of the industrial waste water in the Mandini River and the pulp and paper effluent. The increased organic content in the sediments of the lowest site situated downstream (TR5) is a combination of both reduced velocity of the stream flow entering the upper reaches of the estuary as well as increased organic material entering the river via the pulp and paper effluent and the Mandini River above TR3-D. This was accompanied by increased contribution of fine particle size sediments to the overall sediment composition. Habitat conditions were near natural at sites upstream of the Mandini River and effluent discharge confluences with the Thukela River. The exception was at TR1 as the weir results in unnatural inundation of biotopes upstream. The habitat conditions around the confluences of the Mandini River and pulp and paper mill effluent discharge are diminished with a recovery noted further downstream at TR4 and TR5. Invertebrate assessment shows the upstream sites to be natural, while the impact sites were largely to seriously modified. Once again the downstream sites (TR4 and TR5) show an improvement to recover to a moderately modified state. The fish assessment also shows a decrease in the FAII score below the impacts when compared to the integrity above the impacts. However these results are of low confidence due to insufficient sampling effort as only electronarcosis, seine and cast nets were used. The Ecoclassification assessment indicated a clear decrease in Ecostatus between the sites that are upstream of the impacts caused by the industrial effluent from the Mandini River and the pulp and paper mill effluent from the effluent discharge stream. The MIRAI also clearly indicated that the major impacts are caused by the combination of the Mandini River and the pulp and paper effluent. However there was a recovery in the river further downstream from the impacts.

This paper presents the results of the spike tests performed in the alternative water supply pilot testing program for the City of Pembroke Pines. It establishes the effectiveness of a protocol that can be used to gain further insight on the rejection capacities of RO membranes. An in-depth study of the molecular descriptors affecting rejection by RO membranes is presented and used in the development of a discriminant function analysis. This analysis proved to be an effective way to predict the passage of Emerging Substances of Concern (ESOCs) through RO membrane. Further, a principal component (PC) analysis was performed to determine which factors accounted the largest variation in RO permeability. Additionally, this paper defines the groundwork for a discriminant analysis model that, if further developed, could serve as an important tool to predict the rejection capabilities of RO treatment when handling with ESOCs. / by Fernando J. Pleitez Herrera. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Orientador: Jorge Hamada / Banca: Valdir Schalch / Banca: Isabel Cristina de Barros Trannin / Resumo: A influência de um aterro sanitário sobre a qualidade das águas superficiais traz preocupações do ponto de vista sanitário e ambiental, especialmente quando essas instalações encontram-se em bacia de manancial usado para abastecimento público. Freqüentemente, na análise da qualidade das águas superficiais, credita-se o problema de sua deteorização somente à presença do aterro de resíduos, sem que se avalie a presença dos usos e ocupações do solo no entorno. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a contaminação das águas superficiais relacionadas ao aterro sanitário e sua real contribuição para a qualidade das águas da drenagem receptora, o córrego Gabiroba, considerando outras fontes potencialmente poluidoras na microbacia. A análise do uso e ocupação do solo determinou 6 pontos para amostragem de águas superficiais. As amostragens foram realizadas mensalmente, de janeiro a dezembro de 2010. Neste período, observou-se que a qualidade da água tende a diminuir no sentido da montante à jusante. Foram encontrados, à jusante do aterro, valores acima do limite estabelecido pela Resolução CONAMA 357, para corpos de água de classe 2, para os parâmetros DBO, fósforo total, coliformes totais, ferro, chumbo e alumínio. Porém, outras atividades observadas na microbacia se mostraram tão ou mais impactantes à qualidade da água que o aterro sanitário, como uma estação de tratamento de esgoto, empreendidos cujas atividades não foram identificadas e plantações de eucalipto. O ponto mais poluído da microbacia do córrego Gabiroba foi encontrado próximo ao aterro sanitário, porém, sob a influência do lançamento de efluentes provenientes dos empreeendimentos cujas atividades não foram identificadas. A maior carga poluidora foi detectada no ponto à jusante da estação de tratamento de esgoto. Foi observado que, após receber as diversas... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The influence of a landfill on the surface water quality raises concerns to the public health and environmental protection, especially when such facilities are in a watershed where there are streams of interest for public water supply. When analyzing the surface water quality, the deterioration was often blamed to the most visible facilities, like a sanitary landfill. Frequently, other uses of the land has been neglected. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contamination of surface waters connected to the sanitary landfill and its real contribution to the quality of the main stream Gabiroba, considering other potentially polluting sources in the watershed. The analysis of the use and land occupation led to 6 points for the sampling of surface water. Samples were collected monthly from January to december 2010. During this period, water quality tends to decrease upstream towards downstream. Downstream of the landfill the values were above the limit established by CONAMA Resolution 357 - class 2 streams - considering the parameters BOD, total phosphorus, total caliform, iron, lead and alumininum. The results indicated that there are other activities in the watershed as or more important, then the landfill, affecting the streams: eucalyptus farming and sewage discharges from penitentiary and its industrial operation. While the assessment did not detect significant contributions of the landfill, it is known that any operational problems may result in deteriotion of the surface water, mainly in rainy season. A significant pollutions was found near the landfill, but under the influence of small industries inside penitenciary area, whose activities were not identified. The strongest pollutant load was detected in point downstream of the penitentiary sewage treatment facilities. It was observed that, after many pollution sources, the necessary environmental conditions could not be restored, at least along the stream course studied / Mestre

Sampling data of many surface water bodies in Broward County tend to reveal abnormal levels of bacterial concentrations for total coliform, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus. Given the presence of septic systems in geohydrologically sensitive areas throughout the County, several studies (Morin 2005 and Bocca 2007) suggested a correlation in the high bacterial densities and the septic sites. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-10T10:44:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARIANA BERNARDES BORGES BENCHIMOL.pdf: 15746292 bytes, checksum: 6f409bc1d98f40023f1239cbe314ec0c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-30 / This study was conducted in the Araguaia and Tocantins basins in the State of Goiás, during the drought period, and aimed to evaluate the content of polluting metals: aluminum, cadmium, lead, copper, chromium, iron, manganese and zinc in different trophic levels of fishes, and to compare the concentrations of these metals between the different trophic levels, sampling sites and between the two basins. Tests for determining the concentration of metals were performed by atomic absorption spectrometry, flame mode (AAS-flame). The similarity of the median concentrations of metal pollutants between trophic groups, between sampling sites and between basins was investigated by nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test. The metals that most contributed to the pollution of basins studied were aluminum and manganese, possibly due to soil typical of the region (Oxisol) and the type of handling close to watercourses. The highest concentrations of metals were found in the Araguaia basin. There was significant difference in the levels of aluminum, iron and zinc between the basins. The trophic level most affected by metal pollution was the insectivore. Significant difference in the concentrations of pollutant metals (except lead) between trophic levels was observed. The data analysis indicates that the source of metal contamination of fish is the sediment of the aquatic environment. Results show a possible contamination of fish Araguaia and Tocantins basins with metal pollutants. Human activities observed in these basins appear to contribute to these results. / Esse estudo foi realizado nas bacias dos rios Araguaia e Tocantins, no Estado de Goiás, durante o período de estiagem, e teve como objetivo avaliar o teor de metais poluentes: alumínio, cádmio, chumbo, cobre, cromo, ferro, manganês e zinco em diferentes níveis tróficos de peixes, bem como comparar as concentrações destes metais entre os diferentes níveis tróficos, locais de coleta e entre as duas bacias hidrográficas. As análises para a determinação da concentração dos metais foram realizadas por espectrometria de absorção atômica, modalidade chama (EAA chama). A similaridade das concentrações medianas de metais poluentes entre os grupos tróficos, entre os locais de coleta e entre as bacias foi investigada pelo teste não-paramétrico de Kruskal-Wallis. Os metais que mais contribuíram para a poluição das bacias estudadas foram o alumínio e o manganês, possivelmente em decorrência do solo típico da região (Latossolo) e do tipo de manejo próximo aos cursos d água. As maiores concentrações de metais foram encontradas na bacia do rio Araguaia. Observou-se diferença significativa nos teores de alumínio, ferro e zinco entre as bacias. O nível trófico mais afetado pela poluição por metais foi o insetívoro. Diferença significativa nas concentrações de metais poluentes (exceto para o chumbo) entre os níveis tróficos foi verificada. Análises dos dados indicam que a fonte de contaminação dos peixes por metais é o sedimento do ambiente aquático. Resultados mostram uma possível contaminação de peixes das bacias dos rios Araguaia e Tocantins com metais poluentes. As atividades antrópicas observadas nestas bacias parecem contribuir para esses resultados.