Department Information

Community-Randomized Intervention Trial with UV Disinfection for Estimating the Risk of Pediatric Illness from Municipal Groundwater Consumption.

The primary objective of this study is to estimate the attributable risk for acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) and febrile illness (FI) for children who drink municipal water in communities that use chlorinated or unchlorinated groundwater.  Health risk will be partitioned into separate components for source water and water distribution systems.  A secondary objective is to determine if there is an association between the drinking water concentration of viruses on the EPA Contaminate Candidate List and community rates of AGI and FI.

 

Development of Renewable Microbial Polyesters for Cost Effective and Energy- Efficient Wood-Plastic Composites.

This study advances an environmentally benign manufacturing process that utilizes biologically derived thermoplastics (e.g., PHA) with natural fibers to produce a natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite (NFRTC).  The research is predicated on the concept that an EBM process utilizing biologically derived raw materials must integrate raw material production directly into the manufacturing process. The proposed process integrates the NFRTC manufacturing process with PHA-rich biomass derived from industrial wastewater treatment (WWT) facilities.  The specific objectives of the proposed study are: (1) determine prerequisite nutrient (e.g., carbon) and environmental operating conditions within a WWT facility; (2) characterize the respective microbial population that can synthesize PHA using selected molecular techniques; and (3) manufacture NFRTC's utilizing PHA-rich biomass from various sources.

 

Lab scale system for the production of PHA from various wastewater sources.

 

 Natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite (NFRTC) produced from wastewater.

 
The Role of Contaminants, within the Context of Multiple Stressors, in the Collapse of Striped Bass Population in the San Francisco Estuary and its Watershed

The factors, and associated interactions, contributing to the decline of pelagic fish (e.g. Striped Bass) in the Bay-Delta is complicated and multifaceted.  The overall goal of this research project is to assess the significance of contaminants relative to other factors in the observed decline in the striped bass population.  Findings from this study will be used, in part, to further refine and modify a conceptual model.  The specific objectives of the proposed research are to obtain field measures of the health status and potential impacts of contaminants on the health status of larval, juvenile, and adult female striped bass collected from selected locations in the Bay Delta using morphometric, histopathological, otolith (aging, growth and microgeochemical analyses) and biochemical metrics.

  

Disease susceptibility of hatchery-reared yearling Snake River Chinook salmon with different migration histories in the Columbia River

Various methods have been developed to mitigate the effects of dams on juvenile salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) migrating to the Pacific Ocean through the Columbia River Basin. The objective of this study is to assess the health of hatchery-reared yearling Snake River Chinook salmon relative to dam-bypass history and transportation (barging).  In addition, we will isolate and subsequently evaluate the potential impact of the dams on the lower Snake River on the health of emigrant salmon.  The health of outmigrants will be assessed in terms of the difference in the incidence of mortality among fish, categorically grouped into no-bypass, bypass, and transportation life-histories, in response to challenge with the pathogenic marine bacterium Listonella anguillarum during seawater holding. In-river fish outmigrants will be released in the tailrace of Ice Harbor and Lower Granite Dams. This study will provide critical information for implementing management and control practices as part of the US Army Corps of Engineers' obligations under the Endangered Species Act.

 

Preliminary assessment of the impact of copper in runoff on population numbers of salmonids in the Bay-Delta watershed.

This study involves the evaluation of the in-stream health effects of copper runoff on natural salmonid populations.  Data will be organized, integrated, and interpreted using Geographical Information Systems (GIS).  Information gathered in this study will assist ongoing efforts in Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) associated with BMP (Best Management Practice) evaluation and surface water characteristic studies.  In addition, findings from this study will provide a preliminary evaluation of the effort (if any) that Caltrans will have to place in the near future to address anticipated changes in ambient water quality criteria.