The California Urban Water Conservation Council: a consensus partnership for water conservation

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-288
Author(s):  
M.A. Dickinson
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Efficiency ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Conservation Council

California, perhaps more than any other of the United States, has been a leader in water efficiency experiments. It adopted uniform efficient plumbing standards in 1978 for showerheads and faucets and the same for water closets in 1992. Comprehensive water management planning was adopted in 1983 for all water agencies serving more than 3,000 connections or 3,000 people, and in 1991, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by major water utilities and environmental groups statewide - pledging to implement standardized water efficiency programs called “Best Management Practices” in an attempt to help save the dying Bay-Delta Estuary. The California Urban Water Conservation Council, created by this Memorandum, is a non-profit NGO formed to oversee the Best Management Practices and to enforce the terms of the Memorandum. Since the historic signing of this Memorandum ten years ago, the Council has become a national example of consensus partnership on water efficiency. Water utilities and environmental groups work together on defining programs for water conservation, not as adversaries fighting each other in the press or in the courtroom. Technical assistance provided by Council staff helps utilities plan and implement conservation projects. This paper will outline national programs and will focus specifically on the Council partnership, which has resulted in benefits to water utilities, environmental groups, and state governmental agencies alike.

scholarly journals Rewarding Best Pest Management Practices via Reduced Crop Insurance Premiums

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J. Beckie ◽  
Stuart J. Smyth ◽  
Micheal D. K. Owen ◽  
Savannah Gleim
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Insurance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
Sites Of Action ◽  
Industry Sectors

Despite decades of research, development, and extension on the mitigation and management of pesticide resistance, the global agricultural situation is becoming increasingly dire. Pest populations with evolved resistance to multiple pesticide sites of action are becoming the norm, with fewer remaining effective xenobiotics for control. We argue that financial incentives and not regulations are needed to encourage farmers or land managers to use best management practices recommended by academia. Although some incentives are offered by pesticide manufacturers or distributors, there is a paucity of incentives by other industry sectors and all levels of government (federal or state/provincial). Crop insurance can be important to facilitate and reward best pest management practices and address other important agricultural policy objectives. Herein, we describe possible changes to crop insurance programs in the United States and Canada through premium rate changes to incentivise clients to adopt best management practices.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of forestry best management practices in the United States: Literature review

2016 ◽  
Vol 360 ◽  
pp. 133-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Cristan ◽  
W. Michael Aust ◽  
M. Chad Bolding ◽  
Scott M. Barrett ◽  
John F. Munsell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Best Management ◽  
United States Literature

Welfare effects of forestry best management practices in the United States

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1674-1683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changyou Sun
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Welfare Loss ◽  
Equilibrium Displacement Model ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Welfare Losses ◽  
State Forestry

State forestry best management practice (BMP) programs have been widely developed and implemented to prevent nonpoint source water pollution in the past three decades. The unanswered question is how forestry BMPs have affected the welfare positions of consumers, mills, loggers, and forest landowners. A Muth-type equilibrium displacement model was constructed to examine welfare changes of these stakeholders. The model considered a two-stage vertical production system with variable proportion production technology and imperfect market structure. Industrial mills experienced little welfare loss from forestry BMP regulation. Consumers had the largest absolute welfare loss, and loggers had the largest relative welfare loss in the base scenario. The supply elasticity of harvesting services had the greatest impact on the relative incidence of welfare losses between landowners and loggers, and in the long run their welfare losses were comparable. These results may help to improve future state forestry BMP guidelines and design incentive systems for increasing implementation rates.

A Review and Discussion on Modeling and Assessing Agricultural Best Management Practices under Global Climate Change

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongbo Liu ◽  
Wanhong Yang ◽  
Chengzhi Qin ◽  
Axing Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Spatiotemporal Pattern ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Negative Impacts

<p>Understanding the impacts of global climate change on the spatiotemporal pattern of hydrologic cycle and water resources is of major importance in highly developed watersheds all over the world. These impacts are strongly dependent on related changes in intensity and frequency of extreme climate events. Implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) and policy approaches at watershed and regional scales is essential for mitigating their negative impacts on soil and water conservation, and sustainable economic development. However, the uncertainty of BMP effectiveness including increasing variability of future water supply and changing magnitudes of nonpoint source pollution has to be accounted for in watershed planning and management. This paper provides a review and discussion on the impacts of global climate change on BMP’s hydrologic performance, the current progress on hydrologic assessment of BMPs, as well as the existing problems and countermeasures. Research challenges and opportunities in the field of hydrologic assessment of BMPs under global climate change are also discussed in this paper.</p>

scholarly journals Best management practices for erosion and sedimentation control of The Sermo Watershed

2021 ◽  
Vol 930 (1) ◽  
pp. 012068
Author(s):  
A A Rofikha ◽  
Y Saputra ◽  
F A Islami
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Stability ◽  
Sedimentation Rates ◽  
Sediment Control ◽  
Best Management ◽  
High Sedimentation ◽  
Calculation Results ◽  
High Level

Abstract Erosion and sedimentation problems caused by human activities disturbed the primary conditions of the watershed. This situation was also influenced by significant hydrometeorological shifts and high rainfall, which increased soil erosion. These inclement watershed conditions resulted in high sedimentation rates and caused severe problems for the quality and quantity of water in the reservoir. This study aims to solve the Sermo watershed problems by calculating the value of erosion and sedimentation, then providing a solution to deal with these problems in the form of Best Management Practices (BMP). This research used a USLE method to calculate the erosion and sedimentation rate. The calculation results showed that 40.86% of Sermo Reservoir within 809.12 hectares was classified as a high level of erosion. Further recommendations for overcoming this condition were made by referring to BMP for erosion and sediment control, including structures and soil water conservation. Further recommendations to address this condition were made regarding BMP for controlling water, maintaining soil stability, controlling sedimentation, and managing and maintaining optimal watersheds.

scholarly journals The Impact of the Louisiana Master Gardener Program on the Perceived and Actual Horticultural Knowledge of Program Participants

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 968E-969
Author(s):  
Bobby H. Fletcher ◽  
Michael F. Burnett ◽  
Krisanna L. Machtmes ◽  
Jeff S. Kuehny
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Perceived Knowledge ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
The Impact

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the impact of participation in the Master Gardener program on horticultural knowledge and practice. In 1972, the “Master Gardener” concept was initiated in Washington State due to the high demand to answer consumer horticultural questions. The main objective of this program is to increase horticultural knowledge of program participants so they can transfer this information to consumer horticultural clientele. The program quickly spread throughout the United States. It reached Louisiana in 1994 and was expanded throughout most metropolitan areas by 1997. No formal evaluation has been conducted to determine the horticultural knowledge impacts of this program. All 257 participants in the 2004 Louisiana Master Gardener (LMG) program were surveyed before and after participation in this program. The survey used was a researcher-developed instrument designed to measure self-perceived knowledge, tested knowledge, and Best Management Practices (BMPs) used. Data were collected by master gardener coordinators and submitted to the researcher after each phase of data collection (pre and post). Results of the study revealed that the LMG participants were highly educated, mostly Caucasian, and mostly female. Significant improvements were identified in all of the knowledge and practice measurements included in the study. These included self-perceived knowledge, tested knowledge, and use of BMPs. It was concluded that the 2004 Louisiana Master Gardener program was effective in increasing the self-perceived horticultural knowledge and tested horticultural knowledge of program participants. In addition, the study concluded that the 2004 Louisiana Master Gardener program improved the use of BMPs among the participants.

scholarly journals Improving Best Management Practice Decisions in Mixed Land Use and/or Municipal Watersheds: Should Approaches Be Standardized?

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1402
Author(s):  
Jason A. Hubbart
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Mixed Use ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Best management practices (BMP) are defined in the United States Clean Water Act (CWA) as practices or measures that have been demonstrated to be successful in protecting a given water resource from nonpoint source pollution. Unfortunately, the greatest majority of BMPs remain unvalidated in terms of demonstrations of success. Further, there is not a broadly accepted or standardized process of BMP implementation and monitoring methods. Conceivably, if standardized BMP validations were a possibility, practices would be much more transferrable, comparable, and prescriptive. The purpose of this brief communication is to present a generalized yet integrated and customizable BMP decision-making process to encourage decision makers to more deliberately work towards the establishment of standardized approaches to BMP monitoring and validation in mixed-use and/or municipal watersheds. Decision-making processes and challenges to BMP implementation and monitoring are presented that should be considered to advance the practice(s) of BMP implementation. Acceptance of standard approaches may result in more organized and transferrable BMP implementation policies and increased confidence in the responsible use of taxpayer dollars through broad acceptance of methods that yield predictable and replicable results.

Occupant noise exposure in a fitness classroom setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (2) ◽  
pp. 4070-4078
Author(s):  
Madeline Didier ◽  
Gina Jarta
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Group Fitness ◽  
Fitness Programs

Fitness facilities characteristically place an emphasis on the health and wellness of their occupants. Very loud amplified speech and music in group fitness rooms creates energetic spaces at the expense of the health and wellness of participants' hearing. The authors measured spectral sound pressure levels from fitness programs and occupants in over 20 group fitness classes (cycling, dance, strength training, and yoga) at facilities throughout the United States. Measurements occurred over durations varying from 10 minutes to a full hour. Variables considered include class type and the athletic club where the classroom is located. This paper discusses the overall findings from these noise surveys with an emphasis on noise exposure and statistical levels. This paper also includes a discussion of noise management and recommendations for best management practices to help achieve energetic spaces that are protective of hearing health and wellness.

Sustainable, Resilient, and Reliable Urban Water Systems: Making a Case for 'One Water Approach'

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarin Raj Pokhrel ◽  
Gyan Chhipi-Shrestha ◽  
Kasun Hewage ◽  
Rehan Sadiq
Keyword(s):  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Visionary Leadership ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Service Components

An urban water system (UWS) has three main service components: 1) drinking water, 2) wastewater, and 3) stormwater. Historically, each component in urban water development evolved over time with different objectives for “different” types of water. Even today, the trend continues, as different urban water services are managed in silos. This trend is less sustainable, resilient, and reliable mainly because of significant pressures on freshwater supplies exerted by increasing population, demand for high living standards, rapid urbanization, and climate change. To cope with these challenges, the conventional thinking necessitates a change. This paper identifies a number of significant research gaps related to inter-relationships among various UWS service components. An innovative paradigm - One Water Approach (OWA), which considers “urban water” as a single entity, is investigated. Currently, Australia, the United States, and Singapore are leading the pack to implement OWA, whereas only a few Canadian municipalities have embraced OWA at a very basic level. In the European Union nations, Amsterdam (Netherlands) emphasized the need for integrated water resource management in an urban environment. This review highlights the challenges in adopting OWA and also proposes guiding principles in ongoing water management practices. Institutional complexities involving an intricate regulatory structure for different UWS service components, a wider fragmentation in decision making at government levels, and insufficient stakeholder engagement within and between water utilities and other institutions present serious challenges. Various strategies such as, data sharing between water utilities, use of novel technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, sensor technologies), and visionary leadership at different government levels have been identified as key drivers for the adoption and implementation of OWA. The authors believe that a paradigm shift from ‘conventional’ approach to OWA is needed to increase resiliency and reliability of water services and assist decision-makers of UWSs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document