Nature of uranium contamination in the agricultural drainage water evaporation ponds of the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine C. Duff ◽  
C. Amrhein ◽  
G. Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Drainage Water ◽  
San Joaquin Valley ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Wetting And Drying ◽  
Evaporation Ponds ◽  
High Carbonate ◽  
Water Disposal ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Irrigation Drainage

Evaporation ponds used for agricultural subsurface drainage water disposal in the Tulare Lake Bed (TLB) of the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA, have elevated levels of U. Waterfowl which inhabit and forage the ponds and surrounding areas are threatened by exposure to U. The ponds, which receive irrigation drainage waters and seasonal rain, are subject to wetting and drying periods. The periods result in the accumulation of decaying algae and other organic material in surface sediments. Sediment and waters in the ponds were sampled to determine what factors control U solubility and sediment U concentrations. Data from a 1990 study conducted by Chilcott et al. in 1989 on the TLB ponds were used to help identify what factors may control U solubility. Pond sediment U concentrations decreased abruptly with depth and surface sediment U concentrations were related to dissolved Ca:HCO3 ratios. Pond algal U bioaccumulation was favored in waters with high Ca:HCO3 ratios, which had lower pH values and carbonate alkalinities than waters with low Ca:HCO3 ratios. Ponds with high salinities and high carbonate alkalinities contained the highest aqueous U concentrations relative to other TLB ponds. Sediment total organic carbon (TOC) was correlated with sediment U concentrations, suggesting that U is bound to organic matter. The source of TOC is most likely from algae deposition. Key words: Uranium, salinity, redox potential, carbonate alkalinity, bioaccumulation, algae

scholarly journals Identification and Characterization of Bacteria in a Selenium-Contaminated Hypersaline Evaporation Pond

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 3785-3794 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. de Souza ◽  
A. Amini ◽  
M. A. Dojka ◽  
I. J. Pickering ◽  
S. C. Dawson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Hazard ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
San Joaquin Valley ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Bacterial Isolates ◽  
Evaporation Ponds ◽  
Uncultured Bacteria ◽  
X Ray Absorption ◽  
Identification And Characterization

ABSTRACT Solar evaporation ponds are commonly used to reduce the volume of seleniferous agricultural drainage water in the San Joaquin Valley, Calif. These hypersaline ponds pose an environmental health hazard because they are heavily contaminated with selenium (Se), mainly in the form of selenate. Se in the ponds may be removed by microbial Se volatilization, a bioremediation process whereby toxic, bioavailable selenate is converted to relatively nontoxic dimethylselenide gas. In order to identify microbes that may be used for Se bioremediation, a 16S ribosomal DNA phylogenetic analysis of an aerobic hypersaline pond in the San Joaquin Valley showed that a previously unaffiliated group of uncultured bacteria (belonging to the orderCytophagales) was dominant, followed by a group of cultured γ-Proteobacteria which was closely related to Halomonas species. Se K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy of selenate-treated bacterial isolates showed that they accumulated a mixture of predominantly selenate and a selenomethionine-like species, consistent with the idea that selenate was assimilated via the S assimilation pathway. One of these bacterial isolates (Halomonas-like strain MPD-51) was the best candidate for the bioremediation of hypersaline evaporation ponds contaminated with high Se concentrations because it tolerated 2 M selenate and 32.5% NaCl, grew rapidly in media containing selenate, and accumulated and volatilized Se at high rates (1.65 μg of Se g of protein−1 h−1), compared to other cultured bacterial isolates.

scholarly journals Policy-Driven Sustainable Saline Drainage Disposal and Forage Production in the Western San Joaquin Valley of California

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6362
Author(s):  
Amninder Singh ◽  
Nigel W. T. Quinn ◽  
Sharon E. Benes ◽  
Florence Cassel
Keyword(s):  
Root Zone ◽  
Subsurface Drainage ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Tall Wheatgrass ◽  
San Joaquin River ◽  
Agricultural Drainage Water ◽  
Irrigation Drainage ◽  
Root Zone Salinity

Environmental policies to address water quality impairments in the San Joaquin River of California have focused on the reduction of salinity and selenium-contaminated subsurface agricultural drainage loads from westside sources. On 31 December 2019, all of the agricultural drainage from a 44,000 ha subarea on the western side of the San Joaquin River basin was curtailed. This policy requires the on-site disposal of all of the agricultural drainage water in perpetuity, except during flooding events, when emergency drainage to the River is sanctioned. The reuse of this saline agricultural drainage water to irrigate forage crops, such as ‘Jose’ tall wheatgrass and alfalfa, in a 2428 ha reuse facility provides an economic return on this pollutant disposal option. Irrigation with brackish water requires careful management to prevent salt accumulation in the crop root zone, which can impact forage yields. The objective of this study was to optimize the sustainability of this reuse facility by maximizing the evaporation potential while achieving cost recovery. This was achieved by assessing the spatial and temporal distribution of the root zone salinity in selected fields of ‘Jose’ tall wheatgrass and alfalfa in the drainage reuse facility, some of which have been irrigated with brackish subsurface drainage water for over fifteen years. Electromagnetic soil surveys using an EM-38 instrument were used to measure the spatial variability of the salinity in the soil profile. The tall wheatgrass fields were irrigated with higher salinity water (1.2–9.3 dS m−1) compared to the fields of alfalfa (0.5–6.5 dS m−1). Correspondingly, the soil salinity in the tall wheatgrass fields was higher (12.5 dS m−1–19.3 dS m−1) compared to the alfalfa fields (8.97 dS m−1–14.4 dS m−1) for the years 2016 and 2017. Better leaching of salts was observed in the fields with a subsurface drainage system installed (13–1 and 13–2). The depth-averaged root zone salinity data sets are being used for the calibration of the transient hydro-salinity computer model CSUID-ID (a one-dimensional version of the Colorado State University Irrigation Drainage Model). This user-friendly decision support tool currently provides a useful framework for the data collection needed to make credible, field-scale salinity budgets. In time, it will provide guidance for appropriate leaching requirements and potential blending decisions for sustainable forage production. This paper shows the tie between environmental drainage policy and the role of local governance in the development of sustainable irrigation practices, and how well-directed collaborative field research can guide future resource management.

scholarly journals Economic assessment of an integrated drainage management system for a regional irrigation-drainage network

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 799-807
Author(s):  
Dimitris Gotsis ◽  
Spyros Giakoumakis
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Drainage Network ◽  
Irrigation Drainage ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Tolerance To Salinity

Abstract The disposal of the excessive volume of degraded water coming from agricultural drainage systems is a serious environmental and economic issue, since a significant load of agrochemicals and salts contaminates water bodies downstream. An integrated on-farm drainage management (IFDM) system is an effective method of treatment by successively irrigating zones with drainage water. Each zone is cultivated with crops that have increasing tolerance to salinity, so that the drainage water effluents are minimized to an extent that the final drainage water volume is collected into an evaporation pond. The methodology of the system is proposed herein for a regional irrigation-drainage network (E1 in Agoulinitsa irrigation district in western Greece) as a method of reducing the disposal of agrochemicals in the coastal environment. Based on the design principles of an IFDM system, both the surface area of every irrigation zone and the costs of installing and operating the system are assessed. A scenario regarding the volume of drainage water that must be treated is examined as a sensitivity analysis. The results show that almost 15% of the cultivated area must be bounded for non-productive uses, resulting in a significant economic impact on the net present value of the investment.

Agricultural Drainage Water as a Basis for Wildlife Development in the San Joaquin Valley of California

1976 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 0862-0865
Author(s):  
Gylan L. Dickey ◽  
Romeo A. Rivera ◽  
Bernard J. Hewes ◽  
Mark W. Sussman
Keyword(s):  
Drainage Water ◽  
San Joaquin Valley ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Agricultural Drainage Water

Feasibility of reverse osmosis desalination of brackish agricultural drainage water in the San Joaquin Valley

Desalination ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 261 (3) ◽  
pp. 240-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian C. McCool ◽  
Anditya Rahardianto ◽  
Jose Faria ◽  
Kurt Kovac ◽  
David Lara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
San Joaquin Valley ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Agricultural Drainage Water ◽  
Reverse Osmosis Desalination

scholarly journals Study and evaluation the Marshes and surrounding areas in south of Iraq

2020 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 03011
Author(s):  
Husam Al-Nussairi ◽  
Khalida Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Land Degradation ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Hydrochemical Characteristics ◽  
Drainage Systems ◽  
Tigris River ◽  
South Of Iraq ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Southern Iraq

In this study, the marshlands in southern Iraq were investigated, focusing on the Hawizeh Marshlands and adjacent areas, by studying the scenario and quantities of water, in addition to the hydraulic and hydrochemical characteristics. To accomplish the objects of this study the researcher visited some fields, made interview with farmers, specialists, authorities and directorates related to this study. The results of this study indicate that there are a huge problem existed in the drainage systems with absence of natural outlets, the discharges of drainage water is towards Al- Hawizeh marsh which flow back its water into Tigris river through several canals, increasing salinity, scare of water, miss-use of land, lack of governments efforts to promote agricultural production leads to loss of soil productivity and land degradation.

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