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Ancient Water Systems
Federal Water Policy
Local & Regional Water
Water Regs
Wicked Waters
100

What river system(s) were subject to the Code of Hammurabi?

Tigris/Euphrates

100

Which of the following is considered nonpoint source pollution as defined in the Clean Water Act?

  • Industrial wastewater
  • Agricultural runoff from farm fields
  • Runoff from feedlots with 1,000 or more livestock
  • Wastewater treatment facilities

Agricultural runoff from farm fields

100

Which local/regional water agency was deemed "un-suable" by the Iowa Supreme Court?

Drainage Districts

100

Which of the following water quality parameters is NOT related to the concentration of dissolved oxygen in water?

  • Sediment content
  • Temperature
  • Algae content
  • Bacteria concentration

Bacteria concentration

100
Name three states included in the Colorado Compact.

Upper Basin:

Colorado: 3.9

Utah: 1.7

Wyoming: 1.0

New Mexico: 0.85

Lower Basin:

Nevada: 0.3

Arizona: 2.85

California: 4.4

International Allocation: Mexico: 1.5


200

Which of the following was not considered an element of Justinian Code regarding water resource management?

  • Negotiating with neighbors prior to aqueduct construction
  • Public fishing access/rights on shoreline
  • Water treatment for secondary sewage removal
  • Defining water as a common resources

Water treatment for secondary sewage removal

200

Which federal agency maintains authority for determining/permitting land use activities that include draining and filling wetlands?

US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

200

Which of the following has the potential to pollute WOTUS either by natural OR man-made phenomena?

  • Introduction of PCBs
  • Erosion & sedimentation
  • BOD from sanitary sewage
  • Heavy metals from industry

Erosion & sedimentation

200

Which of the following is NOT a rationale for dam construction on a water body?

  • Recreation
  • Flood control
  • Wastewater treatment
  • Irrigation
  • Water Supply

Wastewater treatment

200

What are two key factors related to Texas water concerns for the next 25 years?

  • Population expected to double by 2050
  • Water supply to reduce by ~20%
  • ~85% of states population will not have adequate water supply by 2060


300

Which of the following states continues to include Pueblo Water Rights within its regulatory and resource management system?

  • Idaho
  • Ohio
  • California
  • Oregon


California

300

Which of the following is not considered a "designated use" for WOTUS?

  • Drinking
  • Fishing
  • Ecologic integrity
  • Swimming
  • Recreating
  • Child’s Play

Ecologic integrity

300

Which of the following cities is more likely to experience unusual patterns of drought in the future?

  • Phoenix
  • Portland
  • Atlanta
  • Boston

Atlanta

300

Which of the following has a numerical water quality standard to protect human health? What is that standard?

  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Nitrate
  • Phosphorus
  • Sediment

Nitrate: 10 mg/L 

(Although research suggests potential human health risks from chronic exposure <3 mg/L!)

300

What was the 2015 ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court regarding the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit?

  • Drainage districts have a “limited, targeted role…to facilitate the drainage of farmland in order to make it more productive.”
  • It is for the Iowa Legislature, not the courts, to change that result.


400

What term in Justinian Code defines "property rights" and includes terms related to water withdrawals for agriculture and livestock management?

Servitutiones of Immovables

400

Give an example of two entities not directly subject to federal water regulations, but likely have their own laws and policies independent of the CWA?

  • Indian/Native Reservations
  • Military installations
  • National parks
  • National Forests
  • National Monuments
  • Wildlife Refuges
400
Which multi-party governing body has the capacity to organize, seek grant funds and implement community-wide watershed improvement activities, but not levee taxes or fees to raise funds in Iowa?

Watershed Management Authorities (WMAs)

400

Which of the following is an unintended consequence of dam construction on large water bodies?

  • Physical impoundment of water
  • Sediment deposition above a constructed dam
  • Displacement of people living and working in lowland areas
  • Transformation of habitat from a river to lake-based system

Transformation of habitat from a river to lake-based system

400

Which dam in 2014 was at the risk of serving as a weapon of mass destruction? What was the threat?

  • Mosul Dam - Iraq
  • Occupation by Islamic State
  • Threat of flooding/killing 1.47 million people
  • Possibly reaching Baghdad after flooding Mosul


500

When considering Appropriative Water Rights, what does "prior approprioation" policy refer to?


  • Right of use based on historical use and priority
  • Any lapse and the right is lost (use it or lose it!)
  • Some irrigators continue to use water even though they lose money, in hope they can use it later
  • Unnecessary drainage of aquifer simply to avoid losing future access


500

Describe THREE key details regarding groundwater protection policies in the US?

  • No federal policy exists as a jurisdictional authority
  • Administrative boundaries do not align with physical aquifer locations
  • Outstanding legal questions exist regarding who owns/has access to what water
  • Withdrawals from influent streams can dramatically alter surface water hydrology (Straight River)
  • Well-to-well interference across state lines can lead to geopolitical challenges
  • Artesian pressure variability can lead to water scarcity issues


500

Provide two examples of "beneficial use" for water resources within an Appropriative water management authority.

  • Irrigation
  • Mining
  • Industrial application
  • Stock watering
  • Domestic & municipal use
500

Which type of water management policy/system is reflected by the following conditions?

  • Water use anywhere; diversions encouraged
  • Rights belong to person
  • Use-it-or-lose-it
  • Right limited to a specific quantity
  • Users get 'all-or-nothing’ depending on availability
  • Beneficial use policies


Appropriative Water Policy

500

What are THREE key details related to the Tri-State Water Wars of the Southeastern US?

•Tri-State Water Negotiations: Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) and Appalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) basins

•The ACF Basin: 19,500 square miles, 3 states

•Buford Dam: Lake Lanier (50 miles upstream of Atlanta)

•Allocation issues are creeping eastward as climate changes

•Chronic drought effects in areas historically well saturated

•Food production, population pressures exceeding water supply capacities

•Issues of upstream holdings, downstream scarcity