%0 Book %A National Research Council %T The Missouri River Ecosystem: Exploring the Prospects for Recovery %@ 978-0-309-08314-0 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10277/the-missouri-river-ecosystem-exploring-the-prospects-for-recovery %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10277/the-missouri-river-ecosystem-exploring-the-prospects-for-recovery %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Earth Sciences %P 188 %X The Missouri River Ecosystem: Exploring the Prospects for Recovery resulted from a study conducted at the request of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The nation's longest river, the Missouri River and its floodplain ecosystem experienced substantial environmental and hydrologic changes during the twentieth century. The context of Missouri River dam and reservoir system management is marked by sharp differences between stakeholders regarding the river's proper management regime. The management agencies have been challenged to determine the appropriate balance between these competing interests. This Water Science and Technology Board report reviews the ecological state of the river and floodplain ecosystem, scientific research of the ecosystem, and the prospects for implementing an adaptive management approach, all with a view toward helping move beyond ongoing scientific and other differences. The report notes that continued ecological degradation of the ecosystem is certain unless some portion of pre-settlement river flows and processes were restored. The report also includes recommendations to enhance scientific knowledge through carefully planned and monitored river management actions and the enactment of a Missouri River Protection and Recovery Act. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Opportunities to Improve the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program %@ 978-0-309-08305-8 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10267/opportunities-to-improve-the-us-geological-survey-national-water-quality-assessment-program %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10267/opportunities-to-improve-the-us-geological-survey-national-water-quality-assessment-program %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 252 %X The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established the National Water Quality Assesment (NAWQA) program in 1985 to assess water quality conditions and trends in representative river basins and aquifers across the United States. With this report, the NRC's Water Science and Technology Board has provided advice to USGS regarding NAWQA five separate times as the program evolved from an unfunded concept to a mature and nationally--recognized program in 2002. This report assesses the program's development and representative accomplishments to date and makes recommendations on opportunities to improve NAWQA as it begins its second decade of nationwide monitoring. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Riparian Areas: Functions and Strategies for Management %@ 978-0-309-08295-2 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10327/riparian-areas-functions-and-strategies-for-management %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10327/riparian-areas-functions-and-strategies-for-management %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 448 %X The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that wetlands be protected from degradation because of their important ecological functions including maintenance of high water quality and provision of fish and wildlife habitat. However, this protection generally does not encompass riparian areas—the lands bordering rivers and lakes—even though they often provide the same functions as wetlands. Growing recognition of the similarities in wetland and riparian area functioning and the differences in their legal protection led the NRC in 1999 to undertake a study of riparian areas, which has culminated in Riparian Areas: Functioning and Strategies for Management. The report is intended to heighten awareness of riparian areas commensurate with their ecological and societal values. The primary conclusion is that, because riparian areas perform a disproportionate number of biological and physical functions on a unit area basis, restoration of riparian functions along America’s waterbodies should be a national goal. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Privatization of Water Services in the United States: An Assessment of Issues and Experience %@ 978-0-309-07444-5 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10135/privatization-of-water-services-in-the-united-states-an-assessment %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10135/privatization-of-water-services-in-the-united-states-an-assessment %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 158 %X In the quest to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of water and wastewater services, many communities in the United States are exploring the potential advantages of privatization of those services. Unlike other utility services, local governments have generally assumed responsibility for providing water services. Privatization of such services can include the outright sale of system assets, or various forms of public-private partnerships—from the simple provision of supplies and services, to private design construction and operation of treatment plants and distribution systems. Many factors are contributing to the growing interest in the privatization of water services. Higher operating costs, more stringent federal water quality and waste effluent standards, greater customer demands for quality and reliability, and an aging water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure are all challenging municipalities that may be short of funds or technical capabilities. For municipalities with limited capacities to meet these challenges, privatization can be a viable alternative. Privatization of Water Services evaluates the fiscal and policy implications of privatization, scenarios in which privatization works best, and the efficiencies that may be gained by contracting with private water utilities.