Water-resources reconnaissance of Île de la Gonâve,Haiti

Île de la Gonâve is a 750-km² island off the coast of Haiti. The depth to the water table ranges from less than 30 m in the Eocene and Upper Miocene limestones to over 60 m in the 300-m-thick Quaternary limestone. Annual precipitation ranges from 800–1,400 mm. Most precipitation is lost through evapotranspiration and there is virtually no surface water. Roughly estimated from chloride mass balance, about 4% of the precipitation recharges the karst aquifer. Cave pools and springs are a common source for water. Hand-dug wells provide water in coastal areas. Few productive wells have been drilled deeper than 60 m. Reconnaissance field analyses indicate that groundwater in the interior is a calcium-bicarbonate type, whereas water at the coast is a sodium-chloride type that exceeds World Health Organization recommended values for sodium and chloride. Tests for the presence of hydrogen sulfide-producing bacteria were negative in most drilled wells, but positive in cave pools, hand-dug wells, and most springs, indicating bacterial contamination of most water sources. Because of the difficulties in obtaining freshwater, the 110,000 inhabitants use an average of only 7 L per person per day.

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Resumen La Isla de la Gonavê, cercana a la costa de Haití, tiene 750 km². La profundidad al nivel freático está comprendida entre menos de 30 m para las calcitas del Eoceno y Mioceno Superior y más de 60 m en el acuífero de calcitas cuaternarias, el cual posee 300 m de espesor. La precipitación anual varía entre 800–1.400 mm, si bien la mayor parte se pierde por evapotranspiración y prácticamente no hay aguas superficiales. Según un balance de masas de cloruros, alrededor del 4% de la precipitación recarga el acuífero kárstico. Las cavidades y manantiales son una fuente habitual de agua. Los pozos excavados proporcionan agua en las áreas costeras. Pocos pozos productivos se han perforado a más de 60 m. El reconocimiento de los análisis de campo indica que las aguas subterráneas son de tipo bicarbonatado-cálcico en el interior, mientras que es de tipo clorurado-sódico en la costa, donde se sobrepasan las concentraciones recomendadas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud para sodio y cloruro. Los ensayos efectuados para detectar la presencia de bacterias productoras de sulfuro de hidrógeno resultaron negativos en la mayoría de los pozos perforados, pero fueron positivos en la muchos manantiales explotados y en todos los manantiales, cavidades y pozos excavados, hecho que indica la contaminación bacteriana de la mayor parte de fuentes de agua. Debido a las dificultades para obtener agua dulce, los 110.000 habitantes utilizan una media de sólo 7 L por persona al día.

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Résumé LÎle de la Gonâve est une île de 750 km² au large de la côte dHaïti. La profondeur de la nappe varie entre moins de 30 m dans les calcaires de lÉocène et du Miocène supérieur à plus de 60 m dans les calcaires quaternaires épais de 300 m. Les précipitations annuelles sont comprises entre 800–1.400 mm. La plus grande partie des précipitations est perdue par évapotranspiration et il ny a pratiquement pas deau de surface. Le bilan de masse des chlorures permet destimer à 4% des précipitations le montant de la recharge de laquifère karstique. Des bassins dans les grottes et des sources sont la source deau courante. Des puits creusés à la main fournissent de leau dans les zones côtières. Quelques puits productifs ont été forés dépassant 60 m de profondeur. Lanalyse des reconnaissances de terrain indique que les eaux souterraines à lintérieur de lîle sont de faciès bicarbonaté calcique, tandis que leau près de la côte a un faciès chloruré sodique dépassant les valeurs recommandées par lOMS pour le sodium et les chlorures. Des tests pour la présence de bactéries productrices dhydrogène sulfuré se sont révélés négatifs dans la plupart des forages, mais positifs dans la plupart des sources captées et tous les autres sources, bassins de grottes et puits creusés à la main, ce qui indique une contamination bactérienne de la plupart des sources deau. Du fait des difficultés pour sapprovisionner en eau douce, les 110.000 habitants utilisent en moyenne seulement 7 L par personne et par jour.

     

Development from within: an evaluative research on economic development strategies

Research on the practice of adopting local economic development (LED) strategies is important to understand our local world as it is and what it might be made to be as a place for community. This article on economic development strategies (EDS) highlights the results from a survey of 82 small communities representing the Yukon Territory and ten provinces in Canada. The purpose was to evaluate the positive and additive effects of past local action and community initiatives so as to understand the variation in the adoption of local economic development strategies of Canada’s small towns and local municipalities. Using a questionnaire as instrument for data collection, the study employed hierarchical regression analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) as method for factor extraction and composite assessment on the effects of adopting EDS for community. The PCA solution was applied to evaluate the structure of correlation between the community characteristics as control variables in the baseline model for regression analysis and the past local action and community initiatives as independent variables. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that local initiatives have significant and additive effects on the adoption of EDS by small communities. The study findings offer some insights into some perspectives of ‘development from within’ to mean the local economic development practice in Canadian communities.     

Potential for offsetting diamond mine carbon emissions through mineral carbonation of processed kimberlite: an assessment of De Beers mine sites in South Africa and Canada

De Beers kimberlite mine operations in South Africa (Venetia and Voorspoed) and Canada (Gahcho Kué, Victor, and Snap Lake) have the potential to sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂) through weathering of kimberlite mine tailings, which can store carbon in secondary carbonate minerals (mineral carbonation). Carbonation of ca. 4.7 to 24.0 wt% (average = 13.8 wt%) of annual processed kimberlite production could offset 100% of each mine site’s carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions. Minerals of particular interest for reactivity with atmospheric or waste CO₂ from energy production include serpentine minerals, olivine (forsterite), brucite, and smectite. The most abundant minerals, such as serpentine polymorphs, provide the bulk of the carbonation potential. However, the detection of minor amounts of highly reactive brucite in tailings from Victor, as well as the likely presence of brucite at Venetia, Gahcho Kué, and Snap Lake, is also important for the mineral carbonation potential of the mine sites.