2007

Assessing Human Vulnerability in Major River Systems - The Human Dimension

Karlyn Eckman — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:35 PDT

This presentation will summarize ongoing work at the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center (WRC) and the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) to investigate socioeconomic vulnerability to multiple stresses and hazards occurring in the lower Mekong River basin.

Political and Civic Engagement of Agriculture Producers Who Operate in Selected Idaho and Texas Counties Dependent on Irrigation

Patrick S. Pauley et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:33 PDT

The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent those who produce agricultural commodities are currently engaged in the process of formulating policy that will affect the methods and outcomes of their production that influences their livelihood as well as quality of life. This study will seek to quantify the benchmark of the scope and intensity of current civic and political engagement among agriculture producers who operate in selected counties of Idaho and Texas.

Dutch-US Experience in Flood Management

Paul Bourget et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:32 PDT

This paper compares and contrasts the policy and management framework associated with flood management between these two countries. The results of a related workshop will be discussed, along with post-Katrina collaborations.

Salinity Control by the El Morillo Drain, South Texas

Allen W. Sturdivant et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:31 PDT

Potential increased sodium loads in the Rio Grande associated with drainage from Mexican farmer fields is avoided due to the El Morillo Drain, located in Mexico. Random failures of the Drain threaten the quality of source water available to Rio Grande Valley municipal water treatment plants as well for agricultural irrigation of high value crops. Economic analysis and capital budgeting methods are utilized to analyze the impacts of cities having to add reverse osmosis treatment components to conventional municipal water treatment facilities to reduce the excessive sodium loads and be in compliance with water quality standards.

Zone Testing for Water Quality Based Well Design

Michael E. Guilbert — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:29 PDT

Zone testing refers to the chemical analysis of groundwater in a small diameter test hole, prior to drilling large diameter boreholes and installing permanent casing. Using the methods outlined below, the water quality of the production well can essentially be chosen from the reported water quality of the zones tested.

Waterborne Diseases: Linking Public Health and Watershed Data

Debalina Das et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:28 PDT

This paper presents Massachusetts as a case study for linking public health data of waterborne diseases with sources of drinking water, potential recreational exposures, as well as hydrologic, climatic, and land use data. Information of reported illnesses from known waterborne pathogens will be synthesized and the relationship of confirmed illnesses will be compared with available hydrologic data. The goal is to develop a pathogen vulnerability index for Massachusetts waters to improve estimates of exposure to pathogens given watershed conditions.

Consolidation as a Compliance Strategy for Small Drinking Water Systems

Min-Yang Lee et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:27 PDT

A discrete choice model is employed to determine the characteristics shared by small water systems that are acquired in six midwest states. We find that these acquired firms are smaller, have more frequent drinking water violations, are often privately-owned, and are more likely to purchase their water from another system than water systems that are not acquired. These results suggest that consolidation may be able to increase the rate of regulatory compliance of the drinking water industry.

Public Response to Elevated Levels of Arsenic in Drinking Water: An Investigation of Survey Participation, Risk Perception, and Averting Behavior

Kati Ireland Stoddard et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:25 PDT

By evaluating perceived risks and averting behaviors associated with arsenic in drinking water, scientists, the EPA, policy makers, and public water treatment officials will better understand the public and thereby be better equipped to protect them from the health risks posed by arsenic.

The Impact of Rural Water Supply Systems on Property Values

Steven Shultz et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:23 PDT

Rural water pipelines and service areas along with residential sale locations were digitized into a geographic information system (GIS) database and hedonic multiple regression models were used to measure the marginal impact of rural water on sale prices while accounting for varying housing characteristics.

Hazards of R&D and Adoption Delays from Water Policy Infrastructure

Michael Farmer — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:22 PDT

This work contends that farmers as a group do not impede progress on long run land use change and aggressive forward-looking research to locate a 'backstop' technology practice(s) that wean them from heavy use of virtually non-renewable aquifer supplies. Interests that may impede progress are paradoxical and defy convention but not theory.

Texas Cooperative Extension’s Role in Emergency Management

Janie L. Harris — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:21 PDT

Texas Cooperative Extension’s (TCE) Emergency Management Program focuses on an “All Hazards” approach. An agency-wide steering committee has been developed to work with administration to facilitate the process. The agency has developed an internal structure in order to respond to disasters. TCE has petitioned the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management for a seat at the State Operations Center, trained County faculty on their role in Emergency Management, developed an agency output plan, developed a disaster related website, and organized Incident Resource Teams (IRTs) to provide resources to support hazardous incidents that affect Texas.

Impacts of Climate Change on Frequency of Floods and Droughts in Idaho

John C. Tracy et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:19 PDT

Analyses of changes in the flood frequency relationships over the last century will be presented for key river reaches in Idaho. In addition, projections of the impacts of increasing temperatures on the ability of Idaho's water resources to meet demands will be presented for key water use areas within the state.

Determination of the Relationship Between Precipitation and Return Periods to Assess Flood Risks in the City of Juarez, Mexico

Héctor Quevedo Urías et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:18 PDT

This hydrology study applied the Hazen plotting position method to estimate precipitation, return periods and its probability of occurrence, to assess flood risks in Ciudad Juárez, México.

Baseflow Prediction for Mitigating for Flow Uncertainty

Kevin Boggs et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:17 PDT

Time-lag and dampening effects are being evaluated through time-series analysis of historical data, analytical models, and numerical models. Application of these techniques in the eastern Snake River Plain in Idaho provides an indication of the potential for forecasting changes to spring discharge in the Thousand Springs area.

Status Update on the USGS StreamStats Web Application

Alan Rea — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:15 PDT

This session presents a description of StreamStats functionality and an update of the current implementation status.

Building Behind Levees: Public Policy and Housing Prices in the Flood Zone

Ellen E. Hanak — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:14 PDT

This paper assesses the market value of protection afforded by levees, using data from two metropolitan areas within California's Central Valley where some levees have been subject to scrutiny since the late 1980s.

Effect of Groundwater Availability on Land Values

Robert H. Taylor et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:13 PDT

The purpose of this study is to estimate the land values as affected by factors such as availability of groundwater in terms of saturated thickness, pumping lift, soil type and quality. This hedonic pricing model will then be incorporated into a regression analysis in association with the actual sales prices of parcels sold in the last five years as reported by regional groundwater development offices in order to determine the effect each component in the pricing model has on the dollar value per acre of agricultural land in the Texas High Plains.

Landowner Compensation for Dispersed Temporary Water Storage to Mitigate Low Frequency Flooding

Steve Shultz et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:12 PDT

Land rental costs associated with a proposed large-scale and dispersed floodwater storage project in the Red River Basin (RRB) of North Dakota and Minnesota are estimated through: GIS-based spatial overlays of township cropland rental values with optimal floodwater storage locations, surveys of RRB landowners used to elicit their assessments of storage impacts and their required compensation levels, and, observed compensation rates paid to landowners in a separate but nearby floodwater storage project in Devils Lake, North Dakota.

Energy Cost Comparisons of Centre Pivot Systems in the Northern Texas High Plains

Naveen C. Adusumilli et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:10 PDT

A study was done to compare energy costs of high, medium, and low pressure sprinkler systems in the North Texas High Plains and to estimate the amount of savings in dollar terms by adopting the change.

The Oklahoma Mesonet: A Multi-Purpose Network for Water Resources Monitoring and Management

Ronald L. Elliott et al. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:56:09 PDT

The Oklahoma Mesonet, a statewide automated network of more than 110 environmental monitoring stations, has proven to be very useful to the state's water management functions at both the wet and dry ends of the hydrological spectrum.