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In the new ecohydrology major at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), students learn about the relationships between hydrologic mechanisms and ecological patterns and processes in watersheds and aquatic systems. The curriculum provides students with the option of meeting the requirements for federal positions as a hydrologist (GS 1315) and is designed to provide physical scientists with a strong secondary emphasis in ecology. This paper describes the development of this novel undergraduate degree in ecohydrology and some of the challenges involved in its development and implementation. (Contains 2 tables.)

Abstract: Between 1997 and 2002, 16 cases of acute childhood leukemia were diagnosed in children who either lived in Churchill County, Nevada at the time of diagnosis or had lived in the county before their diagnosis. The cases were characterized as a cluster of like illnesses and the probability of having such a cluster occur by chance was estimated to be very small (approximately one in 2.33×108). This suggested that the cluster could be linked to one or more physical, limnological, chemical, or biological agents. This review discusses the setting in which the cluster took place, the epidemiological investigations carried out by the Nevada Bureau of Health Protection Services, the National Center for Environmental Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and subsequent investigations supported by a special allocation of federal funds through the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Region IX office in San Francisco, CA. This review is meant as background for the papers in this special issue that report results from multi- and interdisciplinary research into environmental and biological factors potentially related to the Churchill County leukemia cluster. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In parts of the western United States groundwater used for drinking water contains high concentrations of metals, including arsenic. In a rural county in Nevada, USA, we measured concentrations of arsenic and tungsten and the proportion of arsenic occurring in trivalent form (As(III)) in tap water samples from private domestic wells in 307 households. The proportion of arsenic occurring as As(III) ranged from 0 to 100% (ave. 21%, median 1%). Tungsten concentrations ranged from 0 to 610 μmg l-1 (ave. 26 μmg l-1, median 2 μmg l-1). Among 253 respondents who consumed water: (a) 177/253 (70%) of tap water samples contained more than 10 μmg l-1 total inorganic arsenic (ave. 66 μmg l-1, median 20 μmg l-1); (b) As(III) occurred as a small proportion of total arsenic in most samples (ave. 22%, median 3%); and (c) tungsten occurred in concentrations ranging from below the detection limit (3 μmg l-1) to a maximum of 610 μmg l-1 (ave. 30 μmg l-1, median 3 μmg l-1). Log10 concentrations of tungsten and total arsenic in consumed water were positively correlated (log10[W] = 20.400 + 0.703(log10[AsT]), p = 0.000+, adj. r² = 0.53). This suggests that householders in this area were likely to be exposed to both metals simultaneously, given that 253/307 of the respondents (82%) reported consuming tap water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk of water contamination by fecal bacteria may be increased if a watershed includes areas where feces accumulate as a result of specific land uses, such as areas where owners frequently exercise dogs. This study examined the effects of a year-round dog exercise area in the Burke Creek Recreational Area (BCRA) in the arid alpine environment of Stateline, Nevada. Burke Creek drains a small, high relief watershed, flows through a sedimentation basin in the BCRA, and enters Lake Tahoe. Over the coarse of 14 months, we analyzed water samples from the creek for Escherichia coli and collected feces from plots to estimate fecal accumulation. We found that accumulation was highly localized within the study area, amounting to approximately 100.1 lbs (45.5 kg) of dry matter in 14 months. Statistical analysis indicated, however, that fecal bacteria in water decreased as the stream flowed through the area, presumably due to effects of the sedimentation basin, wetlands, and die-off of E. coli in feces from exposure to environmental stresses. These results are useful for managing heavily used sites and understanding the effects of this type of land use on water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is well known to the public in Lahontan Valley in rural Nevada, USA, that local aquifers produce water with varied, but sometimes very high concentrations of arsenic (>4 ppm). As a result, many residents of the area have installed household reverse-osmosis (RO) systems to produce drinking water. We examined performance of RO systems and factors associated with arsenic removal efficiency in 59 households in Lahontan Valley. The sampling results indicated that RO systems removed an average of 80.2% of arsenic from well water. In 18 of the 59 households, arsenic concentrations exceeded 10 ppb in treated water, with a maximum in treated water of 180 ppb. In 3 of the 59 households, RO treatment had little effect on specific conductance, indicating that the RO system was not working properly. Two main factors lead to arsenic levels in treated water exceeding drinking-water standards in the study area. First, arsenic concentrations were high enough in some Lahontan Valley wells that arsenic levels exceeded 10 ppb even though RO treatment removed more than 95% of the arsenic. Second, trivalent As+3 was the dominant arsenic species in approximately 15% of the wells, which significantly reduced treatment efficiency. Measurements of specific conductance indicated that efficiency in reducing arsenic levels did not always correlate with reductions in total dissolved solids. As a consequence, improvements in taste of the water or simple measurements of specific conductance made by technicians to test RO systems can mislead the public into assuming the water meets safety standards. Actual measurements of treated water are necessary to assure that household RO systems are reducing arsenic concentrations to safe levels, particularly in areas where groundwater has high arsenic concentrations or where As+3 is the dominant species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Churchill County, Nevada, has approximately 23,000 residents, among whom an estimated 13,500 relied on private wells for water supply in 2002. This study examined exposure to arsenic in water supplies among residents with private domestic wells and factors related to householder choice to consume tap water. It compared opinions and concerns about water quality with consumption habits and observed concentrations from tap water samples. The results from 351 households indicated that a majority (75 percent) of respondents consumed tap water and that a minority (38 percent) applied treatment. Approximately 66 percent of those who consumed tap water were exposed to concentrations of arsenic that exceeded 10 ppb. Water consumption was related to application of treatment. Among 98 respondents who were not at all concerned about the health effects of aqueous arsenic, 59 (60 percent) reported consuming tap water with concentrations of arsenic exceeding 10 ppb. Conversely, among 86 respondents who were highly concerned about arsenic, 33 (37 percent) consumed tap water with concentrations of arsenic exceeding 10 ppb. Results from a national sampling effort showed that 620 of 5,304 private wells sampled (11.7 percent) had arsenic concentrations above 10 ppb. The paradox of awareness of arsenic in water supplies coupled with consumption of aqueous arsenic in concentrations greater than 10 ppb may be common in other parts of the nation. Enhanced educational efforts, especially related to tap water sampling and explanations of efficacy of available treatment, may be useful means of reducing exposure through private water supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many rural areas domestic drinking water needs are met by a mixture of public water supplies and private water supplies. Private supplies are not subject to the regulations and management requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Amendments to the SDWA recently lowered the standard for arsenic from 50 to 10 ppb in public water supplies (effective in 2006). Churchill County, Nevada, has approximately 25,000 residents. Slightly more than half (13,500) rely on private domestic wells for water supply. Ample data and media publicity about high arsenic concentrations in water supplies and a federally led investigation of a Ieukaemia cluster suggested that residents of the county would be aware that arsenic concentrations in private wells were highly likely to exceed the 10 ppb standard. A survey carried out in 2002 showed that a majority of respondents (72%) consumed water from private wells and among them a minority (38%) applied treatment. Maximum, median and minimum concentrations of arsenic from all samples (n = 351) were 2,100, 26 and <3 ppb, respectively. Seventy-four per cent of all samples exceeded 10 ppb. A majority (87%) of those who applied treatment consumed tap water. The relatively low rate of application of treatment suggested that these rural residents did not recognize that consumption could have associated health risks. However, those who applied treatment were ∼0.3 times as likely to be consuming water with > 10 ppb arsenic than those who consumed water that was not treated. in areas where concentrations of arsenic have been demonstrated to be high, it may be important to conduct a focused educational effort for private well owners to ensure that they take the steps needed to assess and reduce risks associated with contaminants found in tap water, including arsenic. An educational effort could include promoting sampling efforts to determine the magnitude of arsenic concentrations, explaining the risk associated with arsenic consumption and providing information about choices for home treatment systems that are likely to be effective in removing arsenic. This may be especially important in rural areas where adverse health effects are not evident to local populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 regulates water quality in public drinking water supply systems but does not pertain to private domestic wells, often found in rural areas throughout the country. The recent decision to tighten the drinking water standard for arsenic from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb may therefore affect some households in rural communities, but may not directly reduce health risks for those on private wells. The article reports results from a survey conducted in a U.S. arsenic hot spot, the rural area of Churchill County, Nevada. This area has elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater. We find that a significant proportion of households on private wells are consuming drinking water with arsenic levels that pose a health risk. The decision to treat tap water for those on private wells in this area is modeled, and the predicted probability of treatment is used to help explain drinking water consumption. This probability represents behaviors relating to the household's perception of risk.