Understanding urban residential end uses of water

The 'end use' of water is a breakdown of the total household water usage such as water used for toilets, showers, washing machines, taps, lawn watering, etc. Understanding end uses of water will enable water planners, water authorities and household owners determine where water is used/wasted, how much and how often. This paper describes the end uses of water from a number of single-family homes in Greater Melbourne, Australia. The study involves the analysis of water consumption data recorded at 5-s intervals from logged households collected by Yarra Valley Water in Melbourne in 2004. The study determines how much water is used for outdoor and indoor purposes in a single-family home in Melbourne and compares the water usage during winter and summer. Hourly patterns of major end uses of water are also developed. The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of the end uses of water and to assist where to focus water conservation efforts that would be most effective financially and environmentally, and be acceptable to everyone.     

Spectrophotometric characterization of human impacted surface waters in the Moselle watershed

In order to characterize the pollution discharged into the Moselle River and some of its tributaries, spectroscopic techniques, namely UV-vis spectroscopy and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, have been combined. UV-visible spectra were analysed using the maximum of the second derivative at 225 nm (related to nitrates), the SUVA254 and E2/E3 indices (related to the nature of organic matter). Synchronous fluorescence spectra (delta lambda = 50 nm) presented different shapes depending upon the type of pollution. The pollution results from anthropogenic activities: untreated domestic sewage due to misconnections in a periurban river, effluent from urban WWTPS, agricultural runoff (nitrates) in several streams, discharge from a paper mill (humic-like substances due to wood processing) and from steel mills (PAHs).     

抽水蓄能技术的优势

抽水蓄能除了其常规效益外,相比其他蓄能技术更具优势,并可以解决可再生能源的间歇性问题,为此世界上许多国家都计划大力发展抽水蓄能。简要介绍了环球数据中心有关抽水蓄能的最新报告、西班牙抽水蓄能的发展情况及全球发展趋势。最后指出,在快速发展的可再生能源技术中,抽水蓄能将会得到越来越多的关注。     

加拿大托巴蒙特罗斯水电工程建设经验

对加拿大托巴蒙特罗斯（TobaMontrose）水电工程的建设进展进行了详细描述。该工程由两座电站组成,以EPC总包形式开发建设。介绍了工程开发背景、融资模式、审批程序,以及设计创新情况,重点强调了当地社区参与及尽量减轻工程环境影响的重要性。对该工程成功建设实施的经验进行了归纳总结。     

气候变化和跨国界水资源管理

跨国界水资源的共享一直是人们主要关心的问题。在很多地区,没有足够的水资源满足人们的用水需求。随着全球气候变暖,人们在水资源的获得、分配和共享等方面面临越来越多的压力和困难。当水资源跨越国界边境时,这些问题会变得更加尖锐。对影响获取水资源的主要因素,以及有助于解决跨国界水资源冲突的跨国界协议或合约的内容进行了介绍和分析。     

Flunking economics?

Economists are in revolt over President Clinton's health care reform proposal. Many contend that the Administration is abandoning free-market principles and embracing price controls that could have disastrous consequences. But others argue that traditional rules of supply and demand don't apply to the health care sector.