Voluntary Approaches to Basinwide Water Management

13 pages (includes illustration). Contains references (page 11)

Standardization of highway construction delay claim analysis: A highway bridge case study

Highway construction efficiency is critical to highway users such as the trucking industry given today’s era of shortages in funding, and given the need for major re-investments in the highway system. One topic that can add to project costs relates to delays and how contractors are reimbursed for such delays. Delays are common in construction, especially in complex heavy highway and other infrastructure projects, and the claims they generate have negative effects on project schedules and costs. In spite of this, the analysis of claims is hindered due to the variety of methods and analysis techniques in use and lack of standardization in the incorporation of delay claim analysis methods in construction contracts. This paper reviews different methods for delay claim analysis and outlines their advantages and disadvantages. A case study of a bridge project is used to demonstrate the potential for manipulation by using different methods for the same delay case. The analysis shows clearly that a standardized process for delay claim analysis would improve highway construction contracting. Research needs to create a standardized process are outlined

Development of a drainage and flood control management program for urbanizing communities. Part I

Submitted to Office of Water Research and Technology, U.S. Dept. of Interior.Bibliography: pages [29]-41.September 1978.Urbanization causes an alteration of the stormwater runoff response of the urbanizing watershed which, in turn, increases stormwater damages downstream. Few communities have successfully implemented programs for managing these development induced drainage impacts due in part to the uncertainties associated with any drainage management program. Which rainfall-runoff model should be used, how sensitive is project analysis to poor discharge prediction, how should project cost be allocated, and so on. The objective of this research is to clarify these uncertainties and develop a readily implementable drainage and flood control management program for the mitigation of development-induced drainage impacts. These objectives are realized through a detailed examination of and recommendation on the three major elements of a drainage management program: the Technical element which establishes the method of flood hydrology calculation, the Financial element which establishes the methods for drainage and flood control cost calculation and cost allocation, and the Regulatory element which establishes the enforcement mechanism of the drainage management program. The recommended Technical element is based on the sensitivity of project analysis to poor runoff prediction, and on the predictive capability of various rainfall-runoff models. This predictive capability was evaluated for some of the more popular rainfall-runoff models through a statistical analysis of published results from those models. The recommended Financial element is based on a thorough review of the legal issues regarding: 1) municipal and developer liability with respect to development-induced drainage impacts, 2) project cost calculation, and 3) project cost apportionment. A new approach for apportioning drainage and flood control facility costs between developers and the municipal government is presented. The approach utilizes existing engineering analysis techniques to divide project costs in proportion to the reduced liability attributable to the developers and to the municipal government. Two Regulatory elements are proposed for the drainage management program. The changes to existing legislation that are necessary to enforce the drainage management program under the proposed regulatory component are discussed and sample legislation is included for each. The report is divided into two parts. Part II is the complete project report with detailed discussions of the methods and data used, and of the research findings. Part I is written as a user publication. It summarizes the research methods and results, and discusses the recommended drainage management program.OWRT Project no. B-161-COLO; supported in part by funds provided by the United States Department of the Interior, Office of Water Research and Technology, as authorized by the Water Resources Research Act of 1964, and pursuant to Grant Agreement No.(s) 14-34-0001-7112; and in part by funds provided by the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, Denver, Colorado; and in part by the City of Lakewood, Colorado

Social network analysis workshop for water and resource management

April 2014.Includes bibliographical references.Social network analysis (SNA) is a system for studying relationships and transactions between people, organizations, countries, and other entities. The purpose of this CWI project was to research and apply SNA techniques, then develop materials to provide a Fall 2013 half-day introductory workshop in Social Network Analysis for Water and Natural Resources Management at Colorado State University (CSU). The SNA workshop introduced interested students and professionals in engineering, natural resources, agriculture, and other scientific disciplines to complimentary analysis for human dimensions of their work and research through SNA principles and techniques. Complex social-ecological systems cannot be well-studied by only relying on technical analysis of the natural systems. SNA can help analyze how humans interact with resources and their environment and how their ties affect management choices. Social network structure can then be improved to enhance cooperation and innovation. CSU TILT instructional designers were involved in periodic workshop materials review with focus on implementing Research-Based Instructional (RBI) design. The workshop was marketed intensively for three weeks prior to delivery. The most effective means of participant recruitment were word of mouth and group emails, rather than posted flyers or campus-wide online calendars and newsletters. Instead of a traditional classroom, the SNA workshop was held in a conference room that permitted all attendees to sit facing one another around a large oval table, which enhanced participation and shared learning. Expert speakers with real world experience and warnings helped attendees better understand SNA application context and nuance. Providing two smaller sessions, rather than one larger offering, also allowed all attendees to participate more fully, and post-workshop evaluations from the first session were used to improve the second session by most evaluation measures. Follow-up included posting an SNA software demo online using CSU Echo 360 software and expanding other resources and discussion at the SNA Workshop Collaborative website to serve as an ongoing source for learning and sharing. Although not in the scope of the original project, in the Spring of 2014, a half-hour panel brief, a shortened seminar for undergraduates, and SNA software training for graduate students were also tested for SNA technical education merit. The SNA workshop will continue to be refined and tailored to specific CSU departments and programs, and it may be offered to more academic institutions and for other groups and agencies statewide and nationwide. Since attendees felt more time was needed to cover the many related topics and better learn SNA software tools for different applications, the SNA workshop will also be developed into a semester-long course and related textbook

Metropolitan water intelligence systems completion report, phase III

Submitted to: U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Water Resources Research.Series numbering taken from cover.June 1974.Grant no. 14-31-0001-9028

Evaluación de la implementación de la Gestión Integrada de Recursos Hídricos – Revisión sistemática de la literatura 2003- 2023

El monitoreo de la implementación de la Gestión Integrada de Recursos Hídricos (GIRH) se ha convertido en un tema central en la formulación de políticas para gestionar los desafíos vinculados a la gestión del agua. La presente investigación busca contribuir a este esfuerzo de medición y tiene como objetivo determinar el estado del arte en las evaluaciones sobre la implementación de la GIRH y derivar algunas conclusiones y recomendaciones para la mejora de la gestión del agua, mendiante la revisión sistemática de la literatura

Fort Collins Flood 1997: lessons from an extreme event

Includes bibliographical references.The July 28, 1997 flood disaster in Fort Collins, Colorado is generally called a "500-year event" and offers insight into the causes and impacts of extreme urban flooding. Although it hurt and traumatized many people, the flood provided valuable lessons for civil engineers, managers of government agencies, political leaders, counselors, and citizens. Representing several disciplines and entities, the authors present a cross-cutting view of the flood emergency and its lessons. The paper also includes a synthesis of a post-flood conference at Colorado State University which featured reports from all major entities involved in the flood. The remarkable storm that caused the flood produced the heaviest rains ever documented to have fallen over an urbanized area in this state in the recorded history of Colorado. The storm occurred in stages, and dropped 10 to 14 inches in 31 hours in a large area around Fort Collins. The heaviest hourly precipitation occurred at the storm's end, which is different from most storms, and may have exacerbated the flooding. Runoff was dramatic and some peak discharges greatly exceeded projected 100-year and 500-year flows. The City Manager's report showed five people dead, 54 people injured, loss of about 200 homes, and 1500 homes and businesses damaged throughout the City. Fort Collins was more prepared than most cities because it has a nationally-recognized Stormwater Utility and good emergency response capabilities, but it still learned much from the event. Damages at Colorado State University were unusually severe, totaling in the range of $100 million, including building damages, about 425,000 library volumes inundated, loss of a semester's textbooks in the bookstore, and many other losses-both personal and professional. Although the university was surprisingly vulnerable, it responded well with no delay in opening school a month later, but only as a result of tremendous efforts. Emergency response in the City by the Poudre Fire Authority was outstanding, and although the flood had tremendous impacts on the community, not one firefighter or police officer was injured. Within three months after the flood, the local paper, the Coloradoan, had published 282 stories about the flood, and the event received broad coverage in the United States and abroad. After the flood, Fort Collins has tried to focus beyond the physical issues to recognize the multi-faceted losses and the ensuing grief experienced by many people. Lessons are presented in the paper about complacency, protecting vulnerable areas, flood frequency analysis, stress and trauma, the importance of organizational mobilization, the vulnerability of universities, growth management in a hazardous environment, mitigation versus response, communicating risk to officials and the public, and handling large influxes of donations

Antagonism of Tetherin Restriction of HIV-1 Release by Vpu Involves Binding and Sequestration of the Restriction Factor in a Perinuclear Compartment

The Vpu accessory protein promotes HIV-1 release by counteracting Tetherin/BST-2, an interferon-regulated restriction factor, which retains virions at the cell-surface. Recent reports proposed β-TrCP-dependent proteasomal and/or endo-lysosomal degradation of Tetherin as potential mechanisms by which Vpu could down-regulate Tetherin cell-surface expression and antagonize this restriction. In all of these studies, Tetherin degradation did not, however, entirely account for Vpu anti-Tetherin activity. Here, we show that Vpu can promote HIV-1 release without detectably affecting Tetherin steady-state levels or turnover, suggesting that Tetherin degradation may not be necessary and/or sufficient for Vpu anti-Tetherin activity. Even though Vpu did not enhance Tetherin internalization from the plasma membrane (PM), it did significantly slow-down the overall transport of the protein towards the cell-surface. Accordingly, Vpu expression caused a specific removal of cell-surface Tetherin and a re-localization of the residual pool of Tetherin in a perinuclear compartment that co-stained with the TGN marker TGN46 and Vpu itself. This re-localization of Tetherin was also observed with a Vpu mutant unable to recruit β-TrCP, suggesting that this activity is taking place independently from β-TrCP-mediated trafficking and/or degradation processes. We also show that Vpu co-immunoprecipitates with Tetherin and that this interaction involves the transmembrane domains of the two proteins. Importantly, this association was found to be critical for reducing cell-surface Tetherin expression, re-localizing the restriction factor in the TGN and promoting HIV-1 release. Overall, our results suggest that association of Vpu to Tetherin affects the outward trafficking and/or recycling of the restriction factor from the TGN and as a result promotes its sequestration away from the PM where productive HIV-1 assembly takes place. This mechanism of antagonism that results in TGN trapping is likely to be augmented by β-TrCP-dependent degradation, underlining the need for complementary and perhaps synergistic strategies to effectively counteract the powerful restrictive effects of human Tetherin

Motion of single particles in sand channels

CER68-69NSG-42.Open-file report.Includes bibliographical references (pages 127-130).June 1969.The motion of single particles over ripple and dune beds was investigated in a laboratory flume. Statistical properties of the step lengths, rest periods and bed profiles were calculated and analyzed. Seven different runs were made to detect the variation of particle motion with hydraulic conditions. Two bed material sizes were used. The investigation was made possible through the use or single high-activity radioactive particles. Medical tracer particles with specific gravity of approximately 2.65 were used. Median diameters were approximately 0.33 and 0.45 mm. In general, the tracers proved quite satisfactory for studies of this type. The measurement of the statistical properties of particle motion made possible the evaluation of a general two-dimensional stochastic dispersion model developed by Sayre and Conover (1967). It was found that the model predicted well the mean velocity of the centroid of a group of particles but under predicted the rate of spreading of their concentration distribution. Other observations suggested that the assumptions made in the development of the model are too restrictive. The particle step lengths followed the gamma distribution and the rest periods followed the exponential distribution. Parameters of the distributions related to flow conditions in a predictable manner. The distribution of bed form lengths followed a gamma distribution indicati.ng a relation between step length and bed form length. The relation is most evident in the dune range. Good correlations between particle motion, hydraulic conditions and bed properties give promise that bed-load movement can be predicted either from a knowledge of hydraulic conditions or the statistical properties of the sand waves. The probability distribution for elevations of deposition is investigated through an equation relating conditional and unconditional rest periods. These investigations, along with other observations made during the tests, suggest that most deposition and erosion occurs below the mean bed elevation. Some inferences are made from this deduction about the detailed processes of sediment transport and bed form migration. The results of the study show that previously developed simple models may, not be adequate to fully describe particle motion. The experimental techniques developed can be used to study further the mechanism .of particle motion to define in a more general fashion the relations between sediment motion, sediment properties and hydraulic conditions