The Role of Temperature, Wind Speed, and Precipitation on the Abundance of Culex Species and West Nile Virus Infection Rate in Rural West-Central Illinois.

While most research on West Nile virus (WNV) and its main vector, the Culex mosquito, has been conducted in laboratory or urban settings, studies with field-caught mosquitoes in rural areas, such as west-central Illinois, are lacking. The objective of this research was to investigate key abiotic factors using macroclimate data, including temperature, precipitation, and wind speed, to determine their influence on field-caught mosquito abundance in 4 rural counties in Illinois from 2014 to 2016. Additionally, the relationship between minimum infection rate (MIR) and thermal time was examined. Using gravid traps at 15 sites, Culex mosquitoes were collected twice a week. A total of 5,255 adult female Culex mosquitoes (Cx. pipiens, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and Cx. restuans) were collected in 2014; 9,138 in 2015; and 5,702 in 2016. Regression models were developed based on outcomes of relationships between field-caught mosquitoes and abiotic factors. Precipitation and thermal time had the most significant relationship with mosquito abundance (r2 = 0.993 and r2 = 0.993, respectively), while wind speed was less (r2 = 0.714). The greatest number of Culex and the highest annual MIR were observed in 2015, which was also the driest of the 3 sampling seasons. Mosquito abundance was observed to increase with warmer degree days and MIR was found to increase with abundance in mosquitoes. These models can be used for other mosquito surveillance and monitoring studies in various climate types and environments.

Distribution of Invasive Aedes Mosquitoes in West-Central Illinois, 2014-18: Record Updates for Aedes japonicus and Ae. albopictus.

A comprehensive surveillance of Aedes mosquitoes in west-central Illinois has not been conducted in recent years, resulting in incomplete distribution records for several Illinois counties. As of 2014, out of 102 Illinois counties, active populations of Ae. japonicus had been confirmed in 15 counties, and Ae. albopictus confirmed in 34 counties. The Miller laboratory at Western Illinois University (WIU) began the WIU Vector Biology Initiative (WIU-VBI) in 2014 to address the lack of mosquito surveillance in west-central Illinois. Through this effort, the presence of Ae. japonicus was confirmed for the 1st time in Fulton, Hancock, and Schuyler counties, IL, from 2014 to 2018. Actively breeding populations were confirmed in Cass, Fulton, McDonough, and Schuyler counties, IL. Additionally, Ae. albopictus was observed for the 1st time in Cass, Fulton, Hancock, McDonough, and Schuyler counties, IL, in 2016 and 2017, with active breeding populations in Cass and McDonough counties, IL.

A New Record of Uranotaenia sapphirina and Aedes japonicus in Lee and Ogle Counties, Illinois.

Mosquito surveillance was conducted in Nachusa Grasslands Preserve located in north central Illinois in May through October during 2018 and 2019. In the Lee and Ogle counties, Illinois, boundaries of the preserve, 3 Uranotaenia sapphirina and 3 Aedes japonicus were collected and documented over the 2 field seasons in wetland and stream habitats. While Ur. sapphirina has been reported in nearby states, this is the first record in Lee County and on the preserve. Aedes japonicus has previously been recorded in Lee County; however, this is the first observance of this species within Ogle County and on the preserve.

Mine drainage: Remediation technology and resource recovery.

Drainage from current and historic mining operations remains a persistent environmental problem. Numerous research and development efforts were made in 2019 with a goal to minimize the impact of mine drainage on the environment, while other research endeavors addressed the mine drainage issue from a different perspective, where mine drainage was considered a resource for water and valuable products, such as metals, sulfuric acid, and rare earth elements. Thus, this review has two main sections: (a) focusing on research efforts in mine drainage remediation technology, and (b) emphasizing advances in resource recovery from mine drainage. The first section covers traditional and emerging passive and active treatment technologies. The second section summarizes resource recovery efforts using various technologies, such as selective precipitation, membrane process, and biological systems. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Significant progress continued to be made in the management of mine drainage and related issues. Recent remediation technology advances in mine drainage were presented. Technologies focusing on resource recovery from mine drainage were reviewed.

Post-reclamation water quality trend in a Mid-Appalachian watershed of abandoned mine lands.

Abandoned mine land (AML) is one of the legacies of historic mining activities, causing a wide range of environmental problems worldwide. A stream monitoring study was conducted for a period of 7 years to evaluate the water quality trend in a Mid-Appalachian watershed, which was heavily impacted by past coal mining and subsequently reclaimed by reforestation and revegetation. GIS tools and multivariate statistical analyses were applied to characterize land cover, to assess temporal trends of the stream conditions, and to examine the linkages between water quality and land cover. In the entire watershed, 15.8% of the land was designated as AML reclaimed by reforestation (4.9%) and revegetation (10.8%). Statistic analysis revealed sub-watersheds with similar land cover (i.e. percentage of reclaimed AML) had similar water quality and all tested water quality variables were significantly related to land cover. Based on the assessment of water quality, acid mine drainage was still the dominant factor leading to the overall poor water quality (low pH, high sulfate and metals) in the watershed after reclamation was completed more than 20 years ago. Nevertheless, statistically significant improvement trends were observed for the mine drainage-related water quality variables (except pH) in the reclaimed AML watershed. The lack of pH improvement in the watershed might be related to metal precipitation and poor buffering capacity of the impacted streams. Furthermore, water quality improvement was more evident in the sub-watersheds which were heavily impacted by past mining activities and reclaimed by reforestation, indicating good reclamation practice had positive impact on water quality over time.

Effects of highway construction on stream water quality and macroinvertebrate condition in a mid-atlantic highlands watershed, USA.

Refining best management practices (BMPs) for future highway construction depends on a comprehensive understanding of environmental impacts from current construction methods. Based on a before-after-control impact (BACI) experimental design, long-term stream monitoring (1997-2006) was conducted at upstream (as control, n = 3) and downstream (as impact, n = 6) sites in the Lost River watershed of the Mid-Atlantic Highlands region, West Virginia. Monitoring data were analyzed to assess impacts of during and after highway construction on 15 water quality parameters and macroinvertebrate condition using the West Virginia stream condition index (WVSCI). Principal components analysis (PCA) identified regional primary water quality variances, and paired t tests and time series analysis detected seven highway construction-impacted water quality parameters which were mainly associated with the second principal component. In particular, impacts on turbidity, total suspended solids, and total iron during construction, impacts on chloride and sulfate during and after construction, and impacts on acidity and nitrate after construction were observed at the downstream sites. The construction had statistically significant impacts on macroinvertebrate index scores (i.e., WVSCI) after construction, but did not change the overall good biological condition. Implementing BMPs that address those construction-impacted water quality parameters can be an effective mitigation strategy for future highway construction in this highlands region.

Phosphorus removal by acid mine drainage sludge from secondary effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge, a waste product from coal mine water treatment, was used in this study as an adsorbent to develop a cost-effective treatment approach to phosphorus removal from municipal secondary effluents. Batch tests were carried out to study the effects of pH, temperature, concentration, and contact time for phosphorus removal from wastewater. Batch tests were followed by continuous flow tests using a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Adsorption of orthophosphate onto AMD sludge particles followed the Freundlich isotherm model with an adsorption capacity ranging from 9.89 to 31.97 mg/g when the final effluent concentration increased from 0.21 to 13.61 mg P/L. P adsorption was found to be a rather rapid process and neutral or acidic pH enhanced phosphorus removal. Based on a thermodynamic assessment, P adsorption by AMD sludge was found to be endothermic; consequently, an increase in temperature could also favor phosphorus adsorption. Results from batch tests showed that leaching of metals common to AMD sludges was not likely to be a major issue of concern over the typical pH range (6-8) of secondary wastewater effluents. CSTR tests with three types of water (synthetic wastewater, river water, and municipal secondary effluent) illustrated that P adsorption by AMD sludge was relatively independent of the presence of other ionic species. In treating municipal secondary effluent, a phosphorus removal efficiency in excess of 98% was obtained. Results of this study indicated that it was very promising to utilize AMD sludge for phosphorus removal from secondary effluents and may be relevant to future efforts focused on the control of eutrophication in surface waters.