Carrying Capacity and Coupling Coordination of Water and Land Resources Systems in Arid and Semi-arid Areas: A Case Study of Yulin City, China

Quantitatively assessing the carrying capacity of water and land resources systems in arid and semi-arid areas is crucial for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.In this work,taking Yulin City in China as a case study and employing the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation(CRITIC)method,a modified model of coupling degree was developed to evaluate the car-rying capacity of water and land resources systems endowment and utilization,as well as their coupling coordination degree from 2013 to 2020.Our findings indicate that the water and land resources of Yulin are diminishing due to declines in agriculture,higher industrial water use,and wetland shrinkage.However,reallocating domestic water for ecological sustainability and reducing sloping farmland can mitigate this trend of decline.Temporally,as the coupling coordination between water and land resources system endowment in Yulin continuously improved,the coupling coordination between water and land resources system utilization first decreased and then in-creased with 2016 as the turning point.Spatially,the carrying capacity of water and land resources systems,the coupling coordination degree between water and land resources system endowment,and the coupling coordination degree between water and land resources system utilization in Yulin exhibited the same pattern of being higher in the six northern counties than in the six southern counties.Improving the water resources endowment is vital for the highly efficient use of water and land resources.

Defining Cities by Water: Addressing Capital Misallocation in a Race to Conserve Resources

As part of its efforts to promote a sustainable and high-quality development,China has pledged to reduce water consumption and create a water-efficient society.On the basis of identifying the institutional root causes of excessive capital allocation and excessive water consumption in China’s water-intensive industrial sectors,this study elaborates how the national water-efficient cities assessment contributes to optimized capital allocation.Our research shows that national water-efficient cities assessment has motivated local governments to compete for water efficiency.To conserve water,local governments regulated the entry and exit of water-intensive enterprises,discouraged excessive investments in water-intensive sectors,and phased out obsolete water-intensive capacities within their jurisdictions.This approach has resulted in mutually beneficial outcomes,including improved allocation of capital,enhanced water efficiency,and reduced emissions.This paper offers policy recommendations for establishing a water-efficient society throughout the 14^(th) Five-Year Plan(2021-2025)period by presenting empirical evidence on the policy effects of resource efficiency evaluation.

Comparison and Selection of Water Restoration Techniques for Artificial Landscape Lakes in Nantong City

As an important part of urban infrastructure,urban water system is of great and far-reaching significance for ensuring urban flood control and waterlogging safety,protecting ecological environment and building livable homes.Taking the urban water system of Nantong as an example,Nantong Water Resources Bureau issued R evision of Nantong Urban Water System Planning in 2017,and put forward the construction of the"two circles,eight lakes and nine veins"water system layout,giving new vitality to the urban water system.In view of problems existing in newly excavated artificial landscape lakes,such as fragile water ecosystem,strong eutrophication trend,poor environmental sensory effect and unsatisfactory water landscape effect,it is urgent to study the in-situ water ecological restoration technique of"algae-controlling zooplankton+submerged plant community"to build a"grass-type clear water"ecosystem for artificial landscape lakes,so as to improve the water sensory index and self-purification ability and finally realize the double improvement of"sensory effect and water quality"of artificial landscape lakes.

The distribution and ecological risks of antibiotics in surface water in key cities along the lower reaches of the Yellow River:A case study of Kaifeng City,China

A large number of antibiotics have been discharged into rivers by human activities,posing a threat to aquatic ecosystems.The surface water of the Yellow River Basin also suffers antibiotic pollution,which hinders the improvement in the aquatic ecological environment.This study investigated and analyzed the characteristics and assessed the ecological risks of antibiotic pollution in surface water bodies such as canals,rivers and fish ponds in Kaifeng,Henan Province,which is a key city along the lower reaches of the Yellow River.The test results are as follows.A total of 15 types of antibiotics were detected in the surface water.They had a total antibiotic concentration of 12.2-249.9μg/L,of which tetracyclines(TCs)and quinolones accounted for the highest percentages.Six types of quinolones had detection rates of up to 100%,and doxycycline(DC)and oxytetracycline(OTC)had average concentrations of 29.52μg/L1 and 13.71μg/L,respectively.The major canals with water diverted from the Yellow River had total concentrations of quinolones and TCs of 22.0μg/L and 14.9μg/L,respectively,which were higher than those in previous studies.This phenomenon may be related to the decrease in the water flow of the Yellow River during the dry season and the increase in the antibiotic consumption of residents in the context of the Covid-19 outbreak.The upper reaches of the Huiji River in the Xiangfu District had higher antibiotic content than other districts in Kaifeng.Specifically,TCs accounted for 72.38%-91.84%of all antibiotics,and the DC and OTC concentrations were significantly higher than other antibiotics in the upper reaches.As indicated by the ecological risk assessment results,TCs had the highest ecological risks to green algae.Among them,DC had medium-high risks;TC,OTC,and chlortetracycline(CTC)had medium-high risks;trimethoprim(TMP)and lomefloxacin(LOM)had low risks;other TC antibiotics had no risk.Compared with green algae,most antibiotics showed higher ecological risks to daphnia and lower ecological risks to fish.DC and OTC dominate antibiotic pollutants in the surface water in Kaifeng City,and especially in Xiangfu District,where DC and OTC have medium-high risks.The TCs in the major Yellow River showed medium risks to both green algae and daphnia.It can be speculated that the antibiotic pollution in the Yellow River might pose a certain threat to the ecological security of water in Kaifeng City.

Landscape Architecture Development Path of Water Resource-Scarcity Cities: Summary of Jinchang City's Efforts in Constructing National Garden City

Jinchang City, a city with scarce water resources, has developed through 32 years of efforts from a small town in the Gobi desert into a medium modern city, and green coverage ratio of the downtown area has risen from 2.6% before the founding of the city to 36.11%. This paper summarized the measures adopted by Jinchang City for building national garden city.

Analysis on the situation and countermeasures of water resources supply and demand in the cities of small and medium-sized river basins along southeast coast of China-taking Xiamen City as an example

The small and medium-sized river basins along southeast coast of China hold comparatively abundant water resources.However,the rapid resources urbanization in recent years has produced a series of water problems such as deterioration of river water quality,water shortage and exacerbated floods,which have constrained urban economic development.By applying the principle of triple supply-demand equilibrium,this paper focuses on the estimation of levels of water supply and demand in 2030 at different guarantee probabilities,with a case study of Xiamen city.The results show that water shortage and inefficient utilization are main problems in the city,as the future water supply looks daunting,and a water shortage may hit nearly 2×10^(8)m^(3)in an extraordinarily dry year.Based on current water supply-demand gap and its trend,this paper proposes countermeasures and suggestions for developing and utilizing groundwater resources and improving the utilization rate of water resources,which can supply as a reference for other southeast middle-to-small-sized basin cities in terms of sustainable water resources and water environment protection.

Stable Isotopic Signatures of NO3 in Waste Water Effluent and Los Angeles River

A metropolitan city such as Los Angeles (LA) is an ideal study site with a very high population density, and it houses at least 3 treatment plants where sewage is treated preliminarily and then progressing to tertiary treatment before discharging into the LA River. We will gain a better understanding of the water quality in the LA River and the nitrate load in the watershed system by examining the influence of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs). The goal of this study is to pinpoint the exact source of nitrate in the LA River using the isotope signatures. We have selected sampling locations both upstream and downstream of the WWTP. This serves to monitor nitrate levels, aiding in the assessment of treatment plant effectiveness, pinpointing nitrate pollution sources, and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. The research explores the isotopic composition of NO3 in relation to atmospheric nitrogen and Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water, shedding light on the contributions from various sources such as manure, sewage, soil organic nitrogen, and nitrogen fertilizers. Specifically, there is a change in the δ15NAir value between the dry and wet seasons. The isotope values in the Tillman WWTP sample changed between dry and wet seasons. Notably, the presence of nitrate originating from manure and sewage is consistent across seasons, emphasizing the significant impact of anthropogenic and agricultural activities on water quality. This investigation contributes to the broader understanding of nitrogen cycling in urban water bodies, particularly in the context of wastewater effluent discharge. The findings hold implications for water quality management and highlight the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the impact of nitrogen-containing compounds on aquatic ecosystems. Overall, the study provides a valuable framework for future research and environmental stewardship efforts aimed at preserving the health and sustainability of urban water resources. This data informs decisions regarding additional treatment or mitigation actions to safeguard downstream water quality and ecosystem health.

Economic significance and environmental impacts of the Song Dam Drinking Water Project(SDDWP)in Garhwal Himalaya

With the population growth through natural growth and migration,coupled with the city expansion,it is the fact that Dehradun City in India faces severe water scarcity.Therefore,the Song Dam Drinking Water Project(SDDWP)is proposed to provide ample drinking water to Dehradun City and its suburban areas.This paper examined economic significance and environmental impacts of the SDDWP in Garhwal Himalaya,India.To conduct this study,we collected data from both primary and secondary sources.There are 12 villages and 3 forest divisions in the surrounding areas of the proposed dam project,of which 3 villages will be fully submerged and 50 households will be affected.For this study,50 heads of the households were interviewed in the 3 submerged villages.The questions mainly focused on economic significance,environmental impacts,and rehabilitation issues of the dam project.The findings of this study indicate that economic significance of the dam project is substantial,including providing ample water for drinking and irrigation,contributing to groundwater recharge,creating job opportunities,and promoting the development of tourism and fisheries in the Doon Valley.In terms of the rehabilitation of the affected people,there are only 50 households in need of rehabilitation.Currently,the arable land of these affected people is not sufficient to sustain their livelihoods.The entire landscape is fragile,rugged,and precipitous;therefore,the affected people are willing to rehabilitate to more suitable areas in the Doon Valley.Moreover,it is essential to provide them with sufficient compensation packages including the compensation of arable land,houses,cash,common property resources,institutions,belongingness,and cultural adaptation.On the other hand,the proposed dam project will have adverse environmental impacts including arable land degradation,forest degradation,loss of fauna and flora,soil erosion,landslides,and soil siltation.These impacts will lead to the ecological imbalances in both upstream and downstream areas.This study suggests that the affected people should be given sufficient compensation packages in all respects.Afforestation programs can be launched in the degraded areas to compensate for the loss of forest in the affected areas.

Comparison of the City Water Consumption Short-Term Forecasting Methods

There are a lot of methods in city water consumption short-term forecasting both inside and outside the country. But among these methods there exist many advantages and shortcomings in model establishing, solving and predicting accuracy, speed, applicability. This article draws lessons from other realm mature methods after many years′ study. It′s systematically studied and compared to predict the water consumption in accuracy, speed, effect and applicability among the time series triangle function method, artificial neural network method, gray system theories method, wavelet analytical method.

Construction of Urban Overall Water Environment in Xi'an City

[Objective] The aim was to study on construction of overall water environment in Xi＇an. [Method] The study discussed necessity and basic principles of over-all restoration and construction of ＂Chang＇an Eight Water＂ from urban planning, and explored related methods from long term planning and concrete construction approaches. [Result] The study proposed that urban landscape substrates of ＂Chang＇ an Eight Water＂ should be restored based on overall planning about urban water environment, change of linear metabolism, and construction of drainage circulation system. Furthermore, self-circulation and purification of rainfall and sewage could be made use of there in view of present urban water environment. In addition, urban ＂metabolism＂ should be restored progressively to improve urban environment with consideration of water catchment, storage, and diversion. [Conclusion] We should take the initiative to catch the special opportunity to build Xi＇an into an international metropolis with overall planning, designing and implementation, which will be conducive to reconstruction of water system and pleasant surroundings, and to presentation of urban ecosystem and context in ＂Chang＇an Eight Water＂, providing many opportunities for urban development.

Qingdao City Resources Water Price Estimate

The water resource price is currently one of the difficult problems of water price research.After references collection,investigation and analysis,the water resource price of Qingdao City was calculated by applying fuzzy mathematics.According to the present situation and region characteristic of Qingdao,water quality,per capita water supply,economical level,population density and alternative water resources were selected as water resource influence factors and weigh coefficients of all these factors were ascertained.The results show that the water resource price of Qingdao is 3.05yuam/m3 and total water price is 4.65Yuan/m3.

Comprehensive Evaluation on the Irrigation Water Quality in Turpan City Based on Matter Element Analysis Method

Matter-element analysis method was used to construct the comprehensive matter-element model for the evaluation of the quality of various kinds of irrigation water in Turpan City to evaluate the quality of irrigation water（such as river water,spring water, Karez well water, pumped well water） in Turpan City, Xinjiang. The results showed that the quality of the irrigation water was the best in October,which was in Grade I or Grade 2; in May, the quality of some of the irrigation water became poorer to Grade II, which was easy to soil salinization; in March, the detected qualities of the water samples water from the Meiyaogou basin were all in Grade IV, which was not suitable for farmland irrigation. The comparison on the evaluation results of matter-element analysis and fuzzy evaluation method showed that the results of the 2 methods were almost consistent with each other, and showed good uniformity.

System dynamics model of Suzhou water resources carrying capacity and its application

A model of Suzhou water resources carrying capacity （WRCC） was set up using the method of system dynamics （SD）. In the model, three different water resources utilization programs were adopted： （1） continuity of existing water utilization, （2） water conservation/saving, and （3） water exploitation. The dynamic variation of the Suzhou WRCC was simulated with the supply-decided principle for the time period of 2001 to 2030, and the results were characterized based on socio-economic factors. The corresponding Suzhou WRCC values for several target years were calculated by the model. Based on these results, proper ways to improve the Suzhou WRCC are proposed. The model also produced an optimized plan, which can provide a scientific basis for the sustainable utilization of Suzhou water resources and for the coordinated development of the society, economy, and water resources.

Genotoxicity evaluation and a primary risk assessment of organic pollutants in the drinking water sources of Nanjing, China

An increasing number of industrial, agricultural, and commercial chemicals in the aquatic environment leads to various deleterious effects on organisms, which is becoming an increasingly serious problem in China. In this study, the comet assay was conducted to investigate the genotoxicity to human body caused by organic concentrates in the drinking water sources of Nanjing City from Yangtze River of China, and health and ecology risk due to expose to these organic pollutants were evaluated with the multimedia environmental assessment system （MEAS）. For all the water samples, they were collected from four different locations in the drinking water sourcr samples, es of Nanjing City. The results of the comet assay showed that all the organic concentrates from the water samples could induce different levels DNA damages on human peripheral blood lymphocytes, and a statistically significant difference （p〈0.01） was observed compared with the solvent control, which demonstrated the genotoxicity was in existence. According to the ambient severity （AS） of individual compound, we had sorted out the main organic pollutants in the drinking water source of the four waterworks, and the results showed that there was some potential hazard to human body for all the source water, namely the total ambient severity （TAS） of health for each water source was more than 1. However, the TAS of ecology for each water source was less than 1, which indicated that it was safe to ecology. The results of this investigation demonstrate the application of the comet assay and the MEAS in aquatic environmental monitoring studies, and the comet assay found to be fast, sensitive, and suitable for genotoxicity monitoring programs of drinking water source.

Evaluation of regional water resources carrying capacity based on binary index method and reduction index method

Based on the regional water resources carrying capacity(WRCC)evaluation principles and evaluation index system in the National Technical Outline of Water Resources Carrying Capacity Monitoring and Early Warning(hereafter referred to as the Technical Outline),this paper elaborates on the collection and sorting of the basic data of water resources conditions,water resources development and utilization status,social and economic development in basins,analysis and examination of integrity,consistency,normativeness,and rationality of the basic data,and the necessity of WRCC evaluation.This paper also describes the technique of evaluating the WRCC in prefecture-level cities and city-level administrative divisions in the District of the Taihu Lake Basin,which is composed of the Taihu Lake Basin and the Southeastern River Basin.The evaluation process combines the binary index evaluation method and reduction index evaluation method.The former,recommended by the Technical Outline,uses the total water use and the amount of exploited groundwater as evaluation indices,showing stronger operability,while the latter is developed by simplifying and optimizing the comprehensive index system with greater systematicness and completeness.The mutual validation and adjustment of the results of the above-mentioned two evaluation methods indicate that the WRCC of the District of the Taihu Lake Basin is overloaded in general because some prefecture-level cities and city-level administrative divisions in the Taihu Lake Basin and the Southeastern River Basin are in a severely overloaded state.In order to explain this conclusion,this paper analyzes the causes of WRCC overloading from the aspects of basin water environment,water resources development and utilization,water resources regulation and control ability,water resources utilization efficiency,and water resources management.

Landscape pattern dynamics of water body in Kaifeng city in the 20th century

Landscape spatial pattern mainly refers to the distribution of patches, which are different in size and shape in space owing to the interaction of various ecological activities. In landscape ecology study, landscape pattern has been one of the key study areas. Water body landscape plays an important role in the development history of a city, but at present city water body landscape in many cities has been destroyed, hence protecting water body in the city is becoming more and more important. In order to protect city water body landscape reasonably, the precondition is to probe the dynamics of water body landscape. Based on historical data and remote sensing data, six indexes including patch number, patch area, landscape dominance index, fractal dimension, patch density and connectivity index etc. were used to analyze landscape pattern dynamics of water body in Kaifeng city since the end of the Qing Dynasty (in the 20th century). The results showed: (1) Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, landscape area of water body in Kaifeng city increased first and then decreased from 1898 to 2002AD; the landscape dominant degree had the same changing tendency with the area. (2) Patch number of water body landscape in Kaifeng city had an increase from 1898 to 2002, but maximum area of patch, minimum area of patch and average area of patch decreased, which resulted in an increase in landscape fragment degree. (3) Connectivity index decreased and fractal dimension increased from 1898 to 2002. The reasons for these changes were the repeated overflows and flooding of the Yellow River and the influence of human activities.

Spatial variation of health risk of groundwater for drinking water supply in Mingshan County,Ya'an City,China

Rural drinking water safety is a growing concern in China. This study investigated the health risk of pollution of groundwater for the drinking water supply in Mingshan County, Ya＇an City, in Sichuan Province, China, using 46 samples from the years 1991 to 2010. Carcinogenic, non-carcinogenic, and total risks were assessed by the model recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency （U.S. EPA）. Thematic maps of the risks caused by single and multiple factors were generated from inverse distance weighting interpolation （IDW） and the geostatistical analysis functions of ArcGIS. The results show that the carcinogenic risks caused by chemicals in groundwater for drinking water supply are low, within the acceptable interval for risk management. However, non-carcinogenic risks are high and the number of sampling sites with risk values exceeding the standards amounted to 29. Non-carcinogenic risks of Cr6＋, nitrate, fluoride, and Fe at sites 43, 46, 50, 64, 67, and 74 were the sources that caused high total health risk. This study reveals the risk level of groundwater quality and orders of treatment of pollutants, and provides a scientific basis for groundwater management in this area.

Development of Prataculture and Construction of Landscape City Based on the Rule of Water and Soil Ecology

This paper explored the necessity of protecting and using grasslands, grass mountains, grass slopes and grass shallows, the significance of prataculture for the economic transformation and upgrading and urbanization, feasibility, scientificity and naturalness of landscape city construction. It was proposed that pratacultural development, construction of landscape city, agricultural, water conservancy and planning should all follow the laws of water and soil ecology, the relationship between man, water, soil, vegetation and natural environment should be handled properly, ecological balance should be kept, so as to achieve the harmony between man and nature in addition to economic development.

Toward Carbon-Neutral Water Systems:Insights from Global Cities

Many cities have pledged to achieve carbon neutrality.The urban water industry can also contribute its share to a carbon-neutral future.Using a multi-city time-series analysis approach,this study aims to assess the progress and lessons learned from the greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions management of urban water systems in four global cities:Amsterdam,Melbourne,New York City,and Tokyo.These cities are advanced in setting GHG emissions reduction targets and reporting GHG emissions in their water industries.All four cities have reduced the GHG emissions in their water industries,compared with those from more than a decade ago(i.e.,the latest three-year moving averages are 13%–32%lower),although the emissions have“rebounded”multiple times over the years.The emissions reductions were mainly due to various engineering opportunities such as solar and mini-hydro power generation,biogas valorization,sludge digestion and incineration optimization,and aeration system optimization.These cities have recognized the many challenges in reaching carbon-neutrality goals,which include fluctuating water demand and rainfall,more carbon-intensive flood-prevention and water-supply strategies,meeting new air and water quality standards,and revising GHG emissions accounting methods.This study has also shown that it is difficult for the water industry to achieve carbon neutrality on its own.A collaborative approach with other sectors is needed when aiming toward the city’s carbon-neutrality goal.Such an approach involves expanding the usual system boundary of the water industry to externally tap into both engineering and non-engineering opportunities.

Study on Water and Soil Conservation Effects of Grassland Based on Live Vegetation Volume at Various Time Scales

Based on the observation data of rainfall,vegetation,runoff and sediment yield in the experimental plots located in Hetian Town,Changting County of Fujian Province during 2007-2010,the changing characteristics and interrelation of live vegetation volume of grass,rainfall parameters,and water(soil)conservation effect RE(SE)were analyzed at four time scales of rainfall event,month,season,and year.The results showed that with the increase of time scales,the rainfall and vegetation indicators increased or decreased more or less,and the variation range of RE was small,while SEslowly decreased.The mean REchanged by 10%-20% at different time scales,and the observed water conservation effect of the grassland was the best at season scale while the worst at year scale.The soil conservation effect of the grassland was the best at month scale and the worst at season scale.The water conservation effect of the grass was mainly controlled by rainfall factors,including rainfall duration and precipitation at rainfall event scale,and the maximum intensity of precipitation within 30 min at longer time scales.However,the soil conservation effect of the grass was mainly controlled by vegetation factors,including the contribution of the litter on soil surface at rainfall event scale,the interaction of rainfall and vegetation at month and season scales,and the live vegetation volume of the grass at year scale.Consequently,at different time scales,the factors influencing water and soil conservation changed and interacted,and the observed water and soil conservation effects were also different,indicating that the influence of time scales deserves attention in both research and management practices.