A sensitive areas plan has been developed for inland South Florida, a region with considerable natural resources at risk and significant oil production, storage, and transport. The plan consists of several Web-based tools and a sensitive-areas geographic information system (GIS). Each component of the plan is briefly described below, and several examples are provided. The Web and GIS tools currently are under review by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region IV and other project participants. Future plans include distributing the plan on compact disk (CD) and over the Internet. The digital format of the sensitive areas plan, and its future availability on CD and the Internet, should enhance the distribution and use of the information by spill planners and responders, making it easier to transport, access, and update. The sensitive areas plan for inland South Florida should serve as a useful model for developing inland plans in EPA Region IV and elsewhere, and should assist spill planning and response efforts in sensitive inland environments in South Florida and elsewhere.
While there has been research on rainwater quality and quantity from green roofs and some conventional roof systems, there does not appear to be any significant study regarding the quality of rainwater harvested from selected white membrane roof systems and subsequently treated for potable use in an urban, institutional setting. A new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Canada Gold facility on the campus of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada offered an excellent opportunity to analyze the quality of rainwater from different roof assemblies. Field research was undertaken on the evaluation of three white roof membranes: modified bitumen finish ply, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO); and their effects on the runoff water quality were studied. An analysis of the quality of runoff was performed from each of these three membranes and compared with Ontario provincial drinking water standards. This paper provides the results of runoff quality testing on these membranes and their suitability for future institutional green building applications.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.