Clayton Apalategui – Undergraduate – Environmental Science
Hydroelectric Power and the California State Water Project
This poster addresses the California State Water Project (CSWP) and its role in hydroelectric power generation within California. It will also address the intra-state importation of electric power that California employs. The CSWP is a series of interconnected reservoirs, rivers, canals, tunnels, and pumping/generating plants. The CSWP provides sixty-five hundred gigawatts of hydroelectric power throughout the state on average, it is however the largest consumer of electric power itself with a consumption of fifty-one hundred gigawatts of power annually on average. Power generated by the CSWP is sold to various power utilities throughout the state that are members of California Independent System Operator (CAISO) market. The power output and consumption of the CSWP varies year by year depending on the relative amount of precipitation that the basins of the CSWP collect. Hydroelectric power generation is emission free, however thirty-five percent of the power needed to run the hydroelectric system is still supplied from fossil fuel resources. The California Department of Water Resources is working towards providing one-hundred percent emission free power generation by 2045. Due to California’s vast demand for electricity, California has consistently been the largest importer of electricity out of all fifty states. Between 2013 and 2017 California imported an average of ninety million megawatts of energy yearly. Hydro electric power in conjunction with other renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind have become increasingly important resources for the state to reach its ambitious goals of zero-emission power generation in the future.
Chloe Dodge – Undergraduate – Environmental Science and Ecohydrology
Effective Treatment and Reuse of Urban Greywater to Reduce Water Scarcity in Kuwait
Water plays an important role in the development and stability of society, especially in water stressed regions such as the Middle East. With water scarcity becoming an increasingly common challenge faced by people around the world, developing effective techniques to reduce our freshwater consumption is critical to solving the issue of water resource scarcity. Reducing water stress and protecting water quality in arid regions could be achieved by investing in water management techniques that are based on the principles of a circular economy, which includes keeping products in use through a closed-loop system and reducing the production of waste and pollution. Historically, water management strategies in Kuwait have focused on the extraction
and desalination of brackish groundwater for economic development, resulting in declining aquifer levels and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Here, I explore two methods of urban greywater treatment and some potential uses of this recycled water to reduce water scarcity in Kuwait. Gravity driven particle filtration and biological treatment systems are two ways in which greywater can be treated and then used for agriculture, landscaping, and toilet flushing. Focus on developing effective greywater treatment systems will help water-scarce countries around the world face the increase in water scarcity that will be brought on by the changing climate, increase in global population, and continued economic development. Water is our most important natural resource and implementing sustainable water resource management systems will be vital to the continued development and stability of society.
and desalination of brackish groundwater for economic development, resulting in declining aquifer levels and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Here, I explore two methods of urban greywater treatment and some potential uses of this recycled water to reduce water scarcity in Kuwait. Gravity driven particle filtration and biological treatment systems are two ways in which greywater can be treated and then used for agriculture, landscaping, and toilet flushing. Focus on developing effective greywater treatment systems will help water-scarce countries around the world face the increase in water scarcity that will be brought on by the changing climate, increase in global population, and continued economic development. Water is our most important natural resource and implementing sustainable water resource management systems will be vital to the continued development and stability of society.
Jacqueline Keating – Undergraduate – Environmental Science with an emphasis on Natural Resources Planning and Management
Land Subsidence in the City of Bangkok, Thailand
The city of Bangkok is sinking 3 cm a year and could be under water as soon as the year 2030. This is the result of climate change, excessive groundwater pumping, and ineffective stormwater management. Excessive groundwater pumping from deep wells since the 1950s has resulted in significant disturbance in the groundwater flow beneath the city of Bangkok. In an urban setting, an increase in impervious surfaces results in a significant increase in stormwater run-off. The hydrological processes of surface water run-off become unnatural and damaged due to these impervious surfaces, with less water infiltrating into the ground. Modern water management practices can help minimize the damage to these hydrological processes. I propose three possible Management improvements to minimize land subsidence in Bangkok: invest in pervious city parks that are capable of water storage during precipitation events, recharge the ground water, and invest in stormwater storage facilities. To mitigate the issue of stormwater runoff, Bangkok has focused on drainage improvements in the form of retention ponds and large-scale rainwater. The plan for installation of underground drainage facilities has also been gaining momentum. These facilities would exist under impervious surfaces such as roads and would help to mitigate floods and stormwater run-off. Although we focus on Bangkok, land subsidence is an issue that occurs all over the globe and continues to accelerate. The sinking city of Bangkok must take extreme action in the form of modern water management practices in order to slow the process of land subsidence.
Benjamin Khoh – Undergraduate – Environmental Science
Parks for Preparedness: Dual-Use Flood Infrastructure in Las Vegas, Nevada
Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. Whether they come from a hurricane washing over the Gulf Coast, or a supercell thunderstorm over the Great Plains, no one can ignore flooding. And, as projections stand, climate change is on track to increase the intensity of sudden rain events, so discovering new strategies to mitigate the effects of flooding is important in urban planning. One city that is not normally considered to be susceptible to flooding is the desert metropolis of Las Vegas, Nevada. Although Las Vegas receives a negligible four inches of rain per year, most of that comes from sudden and intense rain events during the summer months. Due to the lack of infiltration, heavy precipitation can create disastrous flash floods that can catch citizens off guard. This is where flood infrastructure, which includes storm drains, washes, and other diversions, comes into play. Las Vegas has developed both infrastructure and other non-structural approaches to keep the maleffects of flooding to a minimum. In this poster, I examine flood infrastructure that also serves the dual-purpose as a recreational facility, such as detention basins that also serve as parks, and compare such infrastructure to that of Portland, Oregon’s, a city who was an early adopter of dual-use floodworks. In doing so, the goal is to identify better approaches to flash flood mitigation, all while improving access to urban recreational facilities.