tent and positively with sand content. {Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 1996, 15(5), 691-95)
POLICY Water marketing A common proposal to halt environmental destruction and water waste in the western U.S. has been to market water as a commodity. E. Freyfogle contends that water markets cannot instigate efficient water use or protect ecosystems. Unlike tangible commodities like steel, water cannot be traded from one location to another without affecting communityspecific elements like nutrient distribution and plants. Public acceptance of water as a simple commodity ignores its important ecological and aesthetic values, he claims. He instead argues that long-term water resource conservation in the West can occur only if planned water use benefits the entire community and the ecosystem. {Environmental Law 1996, 26(1), 27-51)
Endangered species As currently enforced, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has done little to bring endangered species back from the brink of extinction, often only delaying rather than preventing extinction. E Cheever proposed improving recovery plans to create a more biologically effective ESA. Recovery plans would establish goals and outline methods for affording the 1526 endangered and threatened species a good chance at long-term survival. Such recovery plans could be enforced through indirect means such as court orders and habitat conservation plans. (Ecology Law Quarterly 1996, 23(1), 1-78).
SURFACE WATER Peroxide fluctuations Peroxide in surface waters can change decomposition rates of organic compounds and change the availability of trace metals. R. Herrmann studied daily hydrogen peroxide variations at several depths in five New Zealand lakes. Peroxide concentrations were highest in the mid-afternoon when solar irradiance
was greatest. Concentrations were more evenly distributed in time and space in oligotrophic lakes, which Herrmann attributed to lower dissolved organic carbon concentrations and higher turnover. Rainfall originating in tropical and subtropical regions was found to be a significant peroxide source, whereas dry deposition and groundwater were insignificant sources. Results suggest that peroxide concentrations in surface waters may increase with global climate change, especially with increased ultraviolet irradiance. (Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 1996, 15(5), 65262)
WASTEWATER Whole-effluent testing Most industrial wastewater discharge permits require whole-effluent toxicity testing. D. R. Grothe and D. E. Johnson studied the interference of bacterial contaminants on this test method. Despite decreased levels of toxicants in a discharge, the researchers observed unacceptably high mortalities of test organisms, fathead minnows and Ceriodaphnia, and irregular dose-response curves. Results indicate that the test organisms were fouled by extensive growth of filamentous bacteria; in some cases, the test organisms were actually enmeshed in the filamentous growth. Filtering and ultraviolet irradiation of samples eliminated the problem in this case. However, regulatory acceptance of such protocol deviations would depend on the toxicants involved. (Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 1996, 15(5), 761-64)
Contributors to Research Watch are Brian Eitzer, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Conn.; Stephen Geiger, Remediation Technologies, Inc., King of Prussia, Pa.; Vincent Hand, Miami University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Oxford, Ohio; Richard Hurst, CHEMPET Research Corp., Moorpark, Calif; Louis Kovach, Ecolife Associates, Wilmington, Del; Raewyn Town, the Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Margaret Whittaker, NSF International, Ann Arbor, Mich.
3 2 6 A • VOL. 30, NO. 8, 1996 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS
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