Estimating Current and Future Groundwater Resources of the Maldives

The water resources of the atolls of the Republic of Maldives are under continual threat from climatic and anthropogenic stresses, including land surface pollution, increasing population, drought, and sea‐level rise (SLR). These threats are particularly acute for groundwater resources due to the small land surface area and low elevation of each island. In this study, the groundwater resources, in terms of freshwater lens thickness, total volume of fresh groundwater, and safe yield are estimated for the 52 most populous islands of the Maldives for current conditions and for the year 2030, with the latter accounting for projected SLR and associated shoreline recession. An algebraic model, designed in previous studies to estimate the lens thickness of atoll islands, is expanded in this study to also estimate volume of groundwater. Results indicate that average current lens thickness, groundwater volume, and per capita safe yield are approximately 4.6 m, 1,300 million liters, and 300 l/day, and that these values will decrease by approximately 10, 11, and 34%, respectively, by the year 2030. Based on results, it is demonstrated that groundwater, in terms of quantity, is a viable source of water for the islands of the Maldives both now and in coming decades, particularly for islands with large surface area and low population. Study results can provide water resource managers and government officials with valuable data for consideration in water security measures.     

FRESH-WATER LENS FORMATION IN AN UNCONFINED BARRIER-ISLAND AQUIFER1

ABSTRACT: Cone-penetrometer testing and computer modeling were utilized to investigate factors controlling fresh-water lens formation at Grand Isle, Louisiana. Measurements of tip resistance, sleeve friction, and electrical conductivity were recorded with depth to permit classification of sediment type and to determine thickness of the fresh-water lens and transition zone. Cone-penetrometer testing provided virtually continuous determinations of change in sediment type and ground-water salinity at a resolution rarely achieved using conventional drilling and water sampling techniques. Three sand bodies are present, each separated by a clay layer. The fresh-water lens is thinner in the center of the island than on the flanks. Fresh-water lens thickness is limited by a clay layer which prohibits downward movement of significant volumes fresh water. The transition zone from fresh water to salt water varies in thickness, being thinnest near the Gulf of Mexico and thickest where silt and clay interfinger with the upper sand. Both the thickness of the fresh-water lens and the shape of the transition zone differ from that predicted by theoretical models. Calibration of STJTRA, a variable-density solute-transport model, indicates that permeability variations are the dominant control on formation of the fresh-water lens.     

GROUNDWATER ZONING IN WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT1

In today's society the planned management of groundwater resources has played an increasingly greater role. One means of insuring the protection of groundwater quantity and quality is a regional zoning of groundwater resources. Regional zoning means to classify a given region with regard to hydrogeological characteristics and to evaluate and determine the possible use of each zone. The necessary assumption is the appropriate knowledge of geological structure (compiled in a geological map) and of hydrogeological conditions (compiled in a hydrogeological map). The basis for subdivision is a hydrogeological unit distinguished and delineated on the basis of lithological, stratigraphical, structural, and hydrogeological characteristics. It should have its own distinct hydrological system. The hydrogeological region is the basic unit. Regions may be grouped into larger units: hydrogeological provinces and realms. The subdivision of regions into hydrogeological zones, or subzones when applicable, forms the basis for a groundwater development plan.     

WATER REUSE FROM SEWAGE EFFLUENT BY IRRIGATION: A PERSPECTIVE FOR HAWAII1

ABSTRACT: Surrounded by an ocean, the Hawaiian Islands are limited in their natural fresh water resources. The major readily developable potable sources are the high quality ground water sources which serve both domestic uses and sugarcane irrigation although irrigation water does not require as high a quality as drinking water. The increasing overall fresh water requirements for the island of Oahu will outstrip the potential yield of fresh ground water sources, as developed by present technology, by the year 2000 according to Honolulu Board of Water Supply projections. There are water shortage regions on other islands. Water reuse from sewage effluent for irrigation will augment natural water resources, furnish supplemental or alternative fertilizer, and reduce ocean water pollution and the costs of engineering systems. In cooperative field testing from 1971 to 1975, it was demonstrated that effluent can be applied as supplemental water for furrow irrigation of sugarcane without detriment to ground water quality and sugar yield. Studies are in progress to test different dilutions of effluent and its use with chemical ripeners to improve crop yield. Sugarcane plantations on Oahu, Maui, and Kauai are in various stages of water reuse by effluent irrigation. Reuse is presently practiced for irrigation of golf courses and is being planned for forage crops in Hawaii.     

GROUND WATER HYDRAULICS CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING LANDFILLS1

ABSTRACT: Landfill siting and design guidelines or regulations differ from state to state. Most include hydrogeological criteria, referring to hydraulic conductivities, aquifers, ground water flow patterns, contaminant travel times, and distance between landfill and sensitive targets for contaminants, etc. However, almost all of the existing hydrogeological guidelines are incomplete, inconsistent, or both. The aquitard between landfill and regional aquifer frequently offers less resistance to leachate migration than compliance with regulations may suggest. Residence times of leachate, that makes it through the landfill liner, is often overestimated. Monitoring wells in the regional aquifer are unreliable detectors of local leaks in a landfill. If a landfill does leak, costly aquifer restoration is called for. For traditional landfill designs, ground water monitoring considerations suggest the siting over homogeneous sand and gravel aquifers, rather than over complex till environments. An alternative landfill design criterion is suggested, which is based on a negative hydraulic gradient underneath the landfill. This design guarantees ground water protection, simplifies landfill monitoring, and generally enhances the landfill economy.     

Water resources issues of small island developing states

The water resources of most small island developing states (SIDS) are often very limited and require special consideration to ensure that they are developed and managed in a sustainable manner. Many small islands, typically located in the humid tropics, have no surface water resources and rely on limited groundwater resources in the form of thin freshwater lenses. The exposed location of small islands makes them particularly vulnerable to natural disasters such as cyclones, floods and droughts. Pollution from population centres and from agricultural and other activities is an increasing problem. This article provides an overview of the water resources of small islands, and the main problems and issues related to water resources. Some suggested solutions, based on practical experiences, are offered for water resource assessment and monitoring programmes, and water resource development. Water resource policy, planning and management issues are also addressed, and suggested approaches for resolving some of the major water resource problems presented.     

The Water Poverty Index: An application in the Indian context

For developing countries, the proportion of households covered by improved water resources is conventionally used to assess the water stress situation. However, in a developing country like India with a high population growth rate, water demand and supply are considerably mismatched. An agro-based economy with large variations in socio-economic conditions and changing rainfall patterns across the states imposes greater challenge on water resources. Therefore, there is a need to assess the water situation across the country in a holistic manner. This paper proposes application of the Water Poverty Index as a comprehensive policy tool to assess actual water-stress situation across 20 major states in India. This index covers important socio-economic parameters such as access, capacity, use and environment in addition to water resources of each state. The results and findings are expected to be of use to policymakers and implementing agencies. In view of policy formulation, a state performing well on a Water Poverty Index component can act as a benchmark for another state.     

STATE WATER PLANNING: A FORUM FOR PROACTWELY RESOLVING WATER POLICY DISPUTES1

ABSTRACT: In the arid West, the development and implementation of water policy often results in disputes among water users, resource managers, and policy makers. Although significant attempts have been made to improve public involvement and dispute resolution in water resources planning, the traditional planning process has not historically played this role for a variety of reasons. Water resources planning can become a forum for proactively resolving water policy disputes by employing the principles of environmental dispute resolution. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of collaborative, consensus-building planning processes in resolving water policy disputes. The Montana State Water Plan is evaluated as an example of such a process, and a model state water planning process is outlined.     

Institutions for Interstate Water Resources Management1

Abstract:  This paper evaluates alternative approaches to management of interstate water resources in the United States (U.S.), including interstate compacts, interstate associations, federal‐state partnerships, and federal‐interstate compacts. These governance structures provide alternatives to traditional federalism or U.S. Supreme Court litigation for addressing problems that transcend political boundaries and functional responsibilities. Interstate compacts can provide a forum for ongoing collaboration and are popular mechanisms for allocating water rights among the states. Federal‐interstate compacts, such as the Delaware River Basin Compact and federal‐state partnerships, such as the National Estuary Program, are also effective and complementary approaches to managing water resources. However, all of these approaches can only make modest improvements in managing water resources given the complicated and fragmented nature of our federalist system of government.     

油气田开发水资源高效利用探

在油气田开发过程中,尤其是干旱缺水地区,处理好生产用水与产出废水之间的关系是油气田企业可持续发展的重要问题。油气田开发水资源高效利用的最终目的是减少淡水的消耗量,主要体现在新鲜水的合理使用及产出废水的回收再利用两个方面。提出应以产出废水为生产水源,研发适合其水质特征的工作液体系,实现产出废水"免处理"再利用;建立油气田开发水管理体系,根据水的不同用途,科学调配新鲜水和产出废水,实现水资源的高效利用。     

A MATRIX AND ACCOMPANYING CLASSIFICATIONS FOR IDENTIFYING WATER RESEARCH PROBLEMS AND NEEDS1

ABSTRACT: A matrix was developed of problems with the functional use of water resources (rows) and functions served by water resources research (columns). A classification of water problems and a classification of research fields also were developed to accompany the matrix. The matrix and classification schemes were used when preparing the five-year research and development plan of the Water Resources Center of The Ohio State University. They were used: (1) to classify each research project that had been supported by the Water Resources Center from 1965 through 1980, (2) to guide interviews with personnel of federal and state agencies and university faculty who assisted in defining Ohio's water research needs, (3) to organize responses received during these interviews, and (4) to arrive at a selected list of ten problems with the functional use of Ohio's water resources that were prioritized based upon opinions received from water-related officials throughout the state. Other matrices and classification schemes are reviewed that were revised and expanded upon when formulating the ones used in Ohio. Suggestions are given regarding further development of the functional matrix and accompanying classifications as well as their use in administration of the cooperative federal-state water resources research program and other federal water resources research programs.     

A Conflict-Resolution Model for the Conjunctive Use of Surface and Groundwater Resources that Considers Water-Quality Issues: A Case Study

The conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources is one alternative for optimal use of available water resources in arid and semiarid regions. The optimization models proposed for conjunctive water allocation are often complicated, nonlinear, and computationally intensive, especially when different stakeholders are involved that have conflicting interests. In this article, a new conflict-resolution methodology developed for the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources using Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and Young Conflict-Resolution Theory (YCRT) is presented. The proposed model is applied to the Tehran aquifer in the Tehran metropolitan area of Iran. Stakeholders in the study area have conflicting interests related to water supply with acceptable quality, pumping costs, groundwater quality, and groundwater table fluctuations. In the proposed methodology, MODFLOW and MT3D groundwater quantity and quality simulation models are linked with the NSGA-II optimization model to develop Pareto fronts among the objectives. The best solutions on the Pareto fronts are then selected using YCRT. The results of the proposed model show the significance of applying an integrated conflict-resolution approach to conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources in the study area.     

A METHODOLOGY FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION ANALYSIS IN A STATE WATER RESOURCES PLANNING STUDY1

ABSTRACT: The paper presents a methodology for outdoor recreation analysis in a comprehensive State water resources planning study. This methodology applies to determination of recreation participation desires among the population, allocation of those desires to areas of potential resources within which they must be satisfied, comparison of the areal potential resources against the allocated desires to identify areas having recreational resource deficits or needs, and exploration of alternative solutions to the identified needs. Major elements discussed are: market area, inflow-outflow, resource desire determination and projection, resource desire allocation, facility inventory, resource desire-resource analysis and alternative solutions to identified needs of water-oriented outdoor recreation.     

MANAGING THE NATION'S WATER IN A CHANGING CLIMATE1

ABSTRACT: Among the many concerns associated with global climate change, the potential effects on water resources are frequently cited as the most worrisome. In contrast, those who manage water resources do not rate climatic change among their top planning and operational concerns. The difference in these views can be associated with how water managers operate their systems and the types of stresses, and the operative time horizons, that affect the Nation's water resources infrastructure. Climate, or more precisely weather, is an important variable in the management of water resources at daily to monthly time scales because water resources systems generally are operated on a daily basis. At decadal to centennial time scales, though, climate is much less important because (1) forecasts, particularly of regional precipitation, are extremely uncertain over such time periods, and (2) the magnitude of effects due to changes in climate on water resources is small relative to changes in other variables such as population, technology, economics, and environmental regulation. Thus, water management agencies find it difficult to justify changing design features or operating rules on the basis of simulated climatic change at the present time, especially given that reservoir-design criteria incorporate considerable buffering capacity for extreme meteorological and hydro-logical events.     

Susceptibility indexing method for irrigation water management planning: applications to K. Menderes river basin, Turkey

A susceptibility indexing method was developed based on vulnerability and quality indices. The contamination susceptibility index (SI) at a given location was calculated by taking the product of the vulnerability index (VI) and the quality index (QI): SI = VI × QI. This method incorporates both hydrogeological and hydrochemical data for a comprehensive index mapping. The DRASTIC index methodology was used for the hydrogeological data evaluations. The quality index calculation procedure based on a water quality classification scheme was introduced to evaluate hydrochemical data. The suggested susceptibility indexing method was applied to the Küçük Menderes river basin located in western Turkey. The susceptibility index map shows both hydrogeological and hydrochemical data related to the contamination problem including areas that should be taken into consideration during water management planning. The index map indicates that the most susceptible groundwater is located along the river channel between Kiraz and Tire towns, in the Selçuk area and along the Fertek stream channel to the north of Torbal? town. The results indicate that the incorporation of both hydrogeological and hydrochemical datasets enables more realistic evaluations than those of an individual dataset to estimate the groundwater contamination susceptibility of an aquifer. The numerical procedure applied could be extended further by including other parameters such as retardation, potential contaminant sources, etc. that affect the water quality in a given basin.     

COOPERATION IN WATER RESOURCES PROGRAMS: ALASKA'S EXAMPLE1

ABSTRACT: Alaska possesses a diversity and magnitude of water resources unmatched in any other state. With over 15% of the area of the whole United States, and 40% of the nation's total fresh water supply, but an extreme lack of basic hydrologic and climatologic data, cooperation among agencies and individuals concerned with evaluating, planning, and carrying out water resources programs is essential. Toward this end, the Inter-Agency Technical Committee for Alaska (IATCA) was established under charter from the Water Resources Council. Representation in IATCA includes virtually all Federal, State, and academic entities in Alaska having an interest in the water resources of the State. Existence of IATCA has permitted or facilitated numerous Alaskan water resources programs. Several are described briefly in this paper: A flood warning network in the Chena River basin; establishment of the Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed in Central Alaska; preparation and periodic updating of the “Ten-Year Plan for Water Resources Data Acquisition”; current planning for an integrated “real-time reporting network” for hydrometeorological data within the State; and a framework for implementation of the Alaskan phase of the National Water Resources Assessment, currently in the initial phases. Accomplishments to date testify that it is indeed possible to “get it all together” in the broad field of “Water Resources” in the largest of our 50 states.     

World water dynamics: global modeling of water resources

The growing scarcity of fresh and clean water is among the most important issues facing civilization in the 21st century. Despite the growing attention to a chronic, pernicious crisis in world's water resources our ability to correctly assess and predict global water availability, use and balance is still quite limited. An attempt is documented here in modeling global world water resources using system dynamics approach. Water resources sector (quantity and quality) is integrated with five sectors that drive industrial growth: population; agriculture; economy; nonrenewable resources; and persistent pollution. WorldWater model is developed on the basis of the last version of World3 model. Simulations of world water dynamics with WorldWater indicate that there is a strong relationship between the world water resources and future industrial growth of the world. It is also shown that the water pollution is the most important future water issue on the global level.     

Understanding behaviour to inform water supply management in developed nations – A review of literature, conceptual model and research agenda

Water is a scarce resource in many parts of the developed world. Two solutions are possible to address water scarcity: conservation of existing resources, or the further production of water from new sources e.g. through recycling of wastewater or desalination of seawater. However, the main hurdle to implementation of many of these solutions is often viewed as a lack of public willingness to adopt these alternative water behaviours. Research in this area is therefore crucial. Yet, and possibly due to the interdisciplinary nature of such research, there is currently no comprehensive overview of what has been done before. This study fills this gap by (1) choosing a general consumer behaviour perspective as a starting point, (2) developing a conceptual model of research required in the area of water-related public acceptance studies, (3) identifying eight key water-related behaviours which require future research attention, and (4) reviewing which areas of the conceptual model have been investigated in the past by conducting an extensive literature review of water-related social science research.The review established that the majority of work which has been conducted is located at the cross-roads of personal characteristics and behavioural intentions. Significant gaps exist in relation to researching the adoption of a wide range of demand-side water behaviours. This indicates a dominance of supply-side solutions in social-research exploration. The review identifies a number of research needs including: the exploration of actual adoption of water-related behaviours (rather than behavioural intentions); and to widen the scope of water behaviour enquiry to include more demand-side solutions. Given the increasing scarcity of water in many areas of the world, addressing these identified gaps will be of significant importance. Thus our model informs the social-research agenda for water policy.     

新型城镇化所存在的资源环境问题及对策初探

新型城镇化是我国城镇化发展的必然选择,是我国城镇化健康发展的根本保证。土地资源、水资源、能源等和生态环境是城镇发展的基础和根本保障。城镇化的快速发展导致一系列资源环境问题,因而,城镇化与资源环境有着密切的关系。本文从我国新型城镇化的发展背景、内涵出发,从水资源、土地资源、能源、环境容量几个方面深入探讨了我国新型城镇化所存在的资源环境问题,并在此基础上提出对策,这对于促进新型城镇化的健康发展和我国资源环境的可持续发展均具有重要的学术价值与实践意义。     

城市化对水源系统的影响--以南京市为例

随着城市化进程的推进,人类对自然的干扰日益加剧,城市水源系统也因此受到影响,带来了诸如地表水质恶化、地面蒸散发减少、径流系数增大、地下水质变差和地面沉降等一系列问题.城市化发展通过影响水量平衡中的一个或多个因子,进而影响到整个水源系统.通过对南京市域多年水质、降水量等数据的分析可见,南京自城市化发展以来,地表水质下降明显、降水量和暴雨频率有增大的趋势、地下水也受到较大程度污染.为尽可能减轻城市化带来的负面影响,保护、恢复和重建城市水源系统是南京城市可持续发展的一个重要课题,应建立健全城市湿地有效保护机制,建立市区雨污分流和有效的雨水收集机制,尽可能地实现中水回用.在秦淮河的治理中,应在减少源头污染的同时,利用水体的自然净化能力,生态治污.