Interim report on the progress of an inventory of artesian wells in Florida: leading to the enforcement of sections 370.051 - 370.54, Florida statues

One of the causes of lower artesian pressure, water waste and aquifer contamination is the misuse and insufficient care of artesian wells. In 1953, Senate Bill No. 57, entitled "An Act to Protect and Control the Artesian Waters of the State" (see Appendix) became a law. This law was passed through the efforts exerted by leading members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, who understood the need for a wise and controlled expenditure of our most valuable natural resource. The State Geologist and his authorized representatives were designated by this law to enforce this conservation measure; however, no financial provision was included for the 1953-55 biennium. The proposed program of the Florida Geological Survey for this biennium did not include the funds nor provide any full-time personnel for the enforcement of this statute. As a result, little actual work was accomplished during these two years, although much time was given to planning and discussion of the problem. Realizing that this program could provide additional basic data needed in the analysis of the water-supply problem, the State Geologist sought and was granted by the 1955 Legislature adequate funds with which to activate the first phase of the enforcement of Florida Statute No. 370.051-054. Enumerated below is a summary of the progress made on this investigation as outlined previously: 1. Data have been collected on 967 wildly flowing wells in 22 counties. 2. Chloride determinations have been run on 850 of the 967 wells. 3. Of the 967 wells, 554 have chlorides in excess of the 250 ppm, the upper limit assigned by the State Board of Health for public consumption. 4. Water escapes at the rate of 37, 762 gallons per minute from these 967 wells. This amounts to 54, 377, 280 gallons per day. The investigation is incomplete at this time; therefore, no final conclusions can be reached. However, from data already collected, the following recommendations are proposed: 1. That the present inventory of wildly flowing wells be completed for the entire State. 2. That the current inventory of wildly flowing wells be expanded at the conclusion of the present inventory to include all flowing wells. 3. That a complete statewide inventory program be established and conducted in cooperation with the Ground Water Branchof the U.S. Geological Survey. 4. That the enforcement functions as set down in Sections 370.051/.054, Florida Statutes, be separated from the program to collect water-resource data and that these functions be given to the Water Resources Department, if such is created (to be recommended by the Water Resources Study Commission in a water policy law presented to the 1957 Legislature). 5. That the research phase (well inventory) of the program remain under the direction of the Florida Geological Survey. (PDF contains 204 pages.)

The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2005

Executive Summary: For over three decades, scientists have been documenting the decline of coral reef ecosystems, amid increasing recognition of their value in supporting high biological diversity and their many benefits to human society. Coral reef ecosystems are recognized for their benefits on many levels, such as supporting economies by nurturing fisheries and providing for recreational and tourism opportunities, providing substances useful for medical purposes, performing essential ecosystem services that protect against coastal erosion, and provid-ing a diversity of other, more intangible contributions to many cultures. In the past decade, the increased awareness regarding coral reefs has prompted action by governmental and non-governmental organizations, including increased funding from the U.S. Congress for conservation of these important ecosystems and creation of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) to coordinate activities and implement conservation measures [Presidential Executive Order 13089]. Numerous partnerships forged among Federal agencies and state, local, non-governmental, academic and private partners support activities that range from basic science to systematic monitoring of ecosystem com-ponents and are conducted by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, and the private sector. This report shares the results of many of these efforts in the framework of a broad assessment of the condition of coral reef ecosystems across 14 U.S. jurisdictions and Pacific Freely Associated States. This report relies heavily on quantitative, spatially-explicit data that has been collected in the recent past and comparisons with historical data, where possible. The success of this effort can be attributed to the dedication of over 160 report contributors who comprised the expert writing teams for each jurisdiction. The content of the report chapters are the result of their considerable collaborative efforts. The writing teams, which were organized by jurisdiction and comprised of experts from numerous research and management institutions, were provided a basic chapter outline and a length limit, but the content of each chapter was left entirely to their discretion. Each jurisdictional chapter in the report is structured to: 1) describe how each of the primary threats identified in the National Coral Reef Action Strategy (NCRAS) has manifested in the jurisdiction; 2) introduce ongoing monitoring and assessment activities relative to three major categories of inquiry – water quality, benthic habitats, and associated biological communities – and provide summary results in a data-rich format; and 3) highlight recent management activities that promote conservation of coral reef ecosystems.

Assessment of some physico-chemical parameters of River Ogun (Abeokuta, Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria) in comparison with national and international standards

This study assessed the physico-chemical quality of River Ogun, Abeokuta, Ogun state, Southwestern Nigeria. Four locations were chosen spatially along the water course to reflect a consideration of all possible human activities that are capable of changing the quality of river water. The water samples were collected monthly for seven consecutive months (December 2011 – June 2012) at the four sampling stations. pH, air temperature (℃), water temperature (℃), conductivity (µs/cm) and total dissolved solids (mg/L) were conducted in-situ with the use of HANNA Combo pH and EC multi meter Hi 98129 and Mercury-in-glass thermometer while dissolved oxygen (mg/L), nitrate (mg/L), phosphate (mg/L), alkalinity (mg/L) and hardness (mg/L) were determined ex-situ using standard methods. Results showed that dissolved oxygen, hydrogen ion concentration, total hardness and nitrate were above the maximum permissible limit of National Administration for Food, Drugs and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), European Union (EU) and World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water during certain months of the study period. Results also showed that water temperature and conductivity were within the permissible limits of all the standards excluding FEPA. However, total dissolved solids and alkalinity were within the permissible limits of all the standards. Adejuwon and Adelakun, (2012) also reported similar findings on Rivers Lala, Yobo and Agodo in Ewekoro local government area of Ogun state, Nigeria. Since most of the parameters measured were above the maximum permissible limits of the national and international standards, it can be concluded that the water is unfit for domestic uses, drinking and aquacultural purposes and therefore needs to be treated if it is to be used at all. The low dissolved oxygen values for the first four months was too low i.e. < 5 mg/L. This is most likely as a result of the amount of effluents discharged into the river. To prevent mass extinction of aquatic organisms due to anoxic conditions, proper regulations should be implemented to reduce the organic load the river receives.

Production efficiency in catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Burchell, 1822 in Cross River State , Nigeria

In the study, the production efficiency of catfish in Cross River State was determined. Data was obtained from 120 fish farmers were randomly selected from Cross River Agricultural Zones, using a multistage random sampling technique. Multiple regression analysis model was the main tool of data analysis where different functions were tried. The results indicated that Cobb-Douglass production function had the best fit in explaining the relationship between output of catfish and inputs used, the coefficient of multiple determinant (R2 = 0.61) indicates that sixtyone percent of the variability in output of catfish is explained by the independent variables. The results also indicate that farmers’ educational level positively influence their level of efficiency in catfish production in the study area. The F-value of 16.427 indicates the overall significance of the model at 1 percent level, indicating that there is a significant linear relationship between the independent variables taken together and the yield of catfish produced in Cross River State. The marginal value products of fish pond size (farm size), labour and feed (diet) were N67.50, N 178.13 and N 728.00 respectively, while allocative efficiency for (farm size), labour and feed (diet) were (0.09 over utilized, 2.85 under utilized and 0.99 over utilized), respectively, there existed allocative in-efficiency, there is a high potential for catfish farmers to increase their yields and income. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that fish farmers should expand fish farms, improving on production efficiency and adopting new technologies. Regular awareness campaign about new technologies in fish farming should be embarked by extension agents to make fish farmers know the importance of adopting new technologies. KEYWORDS: Production efficiency, Catfish, Cobb-Douglass, Production function, Cross River State