Exploring the Effects of Climate Change on Urban Wastewater Infrastructure in New Zealand
​Marissa Espinoza – Undergraduate- UNR

Wastewater systems in urban areas of New Zealand are becoming increasingly harder to manage due to impacts resulting from climate change. With average temperatures predicted to increase by up to 1.4°C by 2030, New Zealand is expected to see sea level rise as well as precipitation pattern changes that bring more intense erosion, flooding, and droughts. These changes will increase the frequency of damage to sewer pipes and pumps and overall decrease the capacity and efficiency of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Additionally, more issues within wastewater treatment can cause compounding effects that will also speed up climate change, creating a positive feedback loop. This increased strain on wastewater treatment systems can cause many issues across many areas, including environmental, public health, economic, and even social and cultural domains. Adaptations to urban wastewater systems, especially old or poorly maintained infrastructure, are needed to prevent future disasters and mitigate the adverse effects that overloading WWTPs will have on daily life. Additionally, changing the way policymakers base their decisions will make implementing solutions easier and prevent other problems from arising. This can be done by bringing climate issues to the forefront and prioritizing education on climate change and the impacts it has on the environment and communities alike.

A Drop in the Ocean of Sand and Salt
Nicole Kelling – Undergraduate - UNR​

The Kingdom of Bahrain suffers from water scarcity, exploitation of groundwater, and the lack of freshwater resources, which has led to increased use of desalination plants. These facilities, placed along the coastal waters of the island, pump seawater in from the Persian Gulf, treat the water so it becomes less saline, and discharge the brine, or waste, back into the sea. The hypersaline brine increases the salinity and temperature of the coastal waters, decreasing marine biodiversity and degrading habitats. The deteriorating water quality contributes to the dwindling numbers of fish caught by local fishermen, leading some to abandon their fishing efforts altogether. Further research on the health effects of drinking desalinated water from the Gulf still needs to be done, with some studies linking exposure to demineralized water with a carcinogenic effect. The large facilities also contribute to the poor air quality of the area because they release pollutants, including nitrous oxides, along with the emissions of greenhouse gases due to being powered by fossil fuels. A range of possible solutions to these issues have faced significant challenges in moving forward due to legal constraints, high costs, and limited access to the technology required for their implementation. This paper will look at how difficult it can be to find freshwater in a sea of sand and salt and what you may have to give up in the process.

The Hydrosocial Cycle of Mexico City: An Analysis on Subsidence and Environmental Injustice
Kalvin Max Kimbro – Undergraduate - UNR​

Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, is still experiencing serious water management issues in terms of water quality, equitable distribution of water resources, and flooding. These problems disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities in the city, representing a major environmental injustice concern that is actively affecting millions of people. An outline of the hydrosocial cycle of the city is incomplete without focusing on the role that subsidence plays in perpetuating the inequalities that are entrenched in the water management system. Analyzing the formation and development of Mexico City from Tenochtitlan and Lake Texcoco reveals the processes responsible for groundwater overexploitation that has led to large-scale subsidence of the Valley of Mexico. This provides valuable insight into the systemic processes driving the environmental injustice felt in the poorer Eastern and Southeastern parts of the city. Moving forward, proposed solutions that fail to address these foundational issues could contribute to furthering the disproportionate benefits experienced by wealthier communities, and reinforce a process where low-income families are paying more for an increasingly insecure supply of water of diminished quality. As dependency on external water sources keeps increasing, and subsidence continues to damage water infrastructure, the water management situation in Mexico City seems increasingly less sustainable.

How did the 2011 Japanese tsunami affect the indoor environment and living conditions in the flooded homes of its inhabitants?
Arthur Parker – Undergraduate - NSU​

​​The Japanese tsunami of 2011 devastated the seaside cities of the Tohoku district of their Pacific coast in Japan. Tsunamis are a series of powerful ocean waves caused by the shifting of tectoni plates under the ocean floor. When a tsunami strikes land, it causes extreme flooding that damages infracstructue, homes, and the environment and can have difficult results that are difficult to recover from. The importance of this paper is to highlight the health conditons  caused by this natrual disaster. The interior of buildings and homes were severely devastated as the environmental conditions suffered extensive damage. Persistent dampness, mold growth, foul odors, and pests, were commonly recorded within a week after the aftermath of the Tsunami. For at least a year, mold growth was more often in the flood damaged homes. About 80 percent of homes in the area had recorded these effects. Within 6 months there were multiple reports of contaminated health problems due to continued mold growth compared to residents who did not live in a flood-damaged home. 
This paper summarizes the situations that residents were placed in during this time and the continuous and rising health related problems that had to be endured. Through continued effort, residents did not find themselves in a better situation. This paper is to spread awareness of the devastation that had occurred for residents and the strategies that took place to aid them.