state New York of a proposed Environmental 

 Protertion Agency (EPA) formula for determining 

 application rates, and its results will be useful in 

 other regions having similar soil, terrain, and cli- 

 mate. 



Disintegration of DDT 



In New York, a research project has identified 

 the initial processes in the disintegration of the 

 DDT molecule. This will help in answering many 

 questions relating to the environmental effects of 

 this important insecticide and its future applica- 

 tion. 



Effects of Heated Waste on Estuarine 

 Organisms 



Study of the effects of releasing large quantities 

 of heated waste water into a Maryland estuary 

 showed that many important estuarine organisms, 

 including those used as food by young striped 

 bass, and species such as soft shell clams and 

 white perch, suffered mortality when exposed to 

 summer temperatures between 85 and 95 degrees 

 F. Results of the study were used in establishing 

 thermal loading limits in the official Maryland Wa- 

 ter Quality Standards prepared in accordance with 

 the Water Quality Act of 1965. 



Improvement of Effluents From Oil Refineries 



In Oklahoma, the first-year results of a study on 

 toxic compounds in oil refinery effluents and their 

 effects on aquatic biota were already being used in 

 1971 by oil refineries in the improvement of their 

 effluent quality. This research is enabling the refin- 

 eries to pinpoint the most lethal fractions of their 

 plant effluents, possibly to the point that minor 

 changes in a single portion of a refining process 

 could make a significant reduction in the environ- 

 mental impact of the refinery waste. 



Reduction of Water Loss by Trees and Shrubs 



A California investigator has worked with the 

 California State Division of Highways to reduce 

 water loss through transpiration from trees, 

 shrubs, and other vegetation planted along the 

 road for ornamental and soil-holding purposes. 

 The research to facilitate development of antitran- 

 spirants has, in some test cases, shown a reduction 

 in water loss of as much as 50 percent. 



Ground-Water Quality Model 



A ground-water quality model developed in Cali- 

 fornia has proved to be a useful planning tool for 

 assessing the effects of alternative water supply 

 and disposal plans on the water in productive aqui- 

 fers. The model has been applied in the Santa 



Clara-Calleguas area in testing alternative water 

 management plans for Ventura County. 



Effects of Highway Salt on Water Quality 



In Maine, the use of excessive amounts of high- 

 way salt was causing loss of trees and contamina- 

 tion of wells. A research project led to the devel- 

 opment of a different spreading technique that 

 accomplishes the desired deicing effect with a re- 

 duction of up to 40 percent in salt usage. A simple, 

 inexpensive metering device now monitors the 

 flow of salt; this device resulted in savings of 

 $500,000 in its first year of use. 



Estimation of Consumptive Use by Crops 



A project in Wyoming resulted in a report esti- 

 mating the consumptive use of water by various 

 crops grown in the State. The findings presented 

 are used by the Wyoming Water Planning Office 

 and by Federal agencies in estimating present and 

 potential water demands during the planning of 

 water resource development. 



Current and Future Research 

 Emphasis 



The five most interesting agency projects involv- 

 ing basic research that are currently in progress 

 include: 



• Fundamental studies of desalination by freez- 

 ing, by the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- 

 nology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. In this 

 project, theoretical and experimental studies 

 are being made on the kinetics and mechan- 

 isms of ice crystallization and of heat and 

 mass transfer in ice crystallizers used in 

 freeze-desalination processes. The project 

 also includes fundamental studies of ice- 

 melting and refrigerant recovery processes. 



• A research program to examine fish behavior 

 in response to hydraulic flow fields and to 

 develop biological design criteria for pro- 

 posed water diversions, by the University of 

 California, Davis, California. Small fish are 

 often killed or injured by entrainment or im- 

 pingement at water diversion facilities. This 

 one-year project is for the examination of the 

 behavior of selected commercial and sport 

 species of fish in various hydraulic fields in 

 flumes under different levels of illumination. 

 Results can be used to establish criteria for 

 further fish protection at facilities in Califor- 

 nia and elsewhere. 



• Aquacultural approaches to waste water nu- 

 trient recycling, by the University of Califor- 



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