INTERNATIONAL DECADE ON DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION1

ABSTRACT: The UN conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT) held in June 1976 at Vancouver, Canada, concluded that nearly two-thirds of the population of the developing world lacked access to safe drinking water and that a larger proportion lacked the means for hygienic human waste disposal. The conference urged governments to give priority to these two areas in their developement process. In March 1977, the UN Water Conference, held at Mar del Plata, Argentina, called for establishing the 1980's as the Decade for Drinking Water and Sanitation. The goal would be to bring clean water and sanitation to all peoples in the world by 1990. Since March 1979, four separate UN bodies have passed resolutions supporting the Decade and calling on all governments to support the Decade's goals. The U.S. Government, other OECD member states, and the private sector must combine to make this Decade a success.     

Influencing resourceful behaviours

This special issue is drawn from the Resource Recovery Forum's Conference ‘Influencing Resourceful Behaviours’ held November 2011. Five papers have been selected which represent the key themes from the conference which aimed to share research and understanding on how to encourage citizens to become more sustainable in their waste and resource use behaviours.     

THE WESTERN WATER COMMISSION: WATERSHED MANAGEMENT RECEIVES THE AVI'ENTION OF A NEW GENERATION1

ABSTRACT: Our nation periodically reviews national water policy and considers its directions for the future. The most recent examination was directed at the western United States and the role of the federal agencies in meeting its needs. The West is no longer the frontier, but rather contains vibrant cities and booming centers of international trade, as well as tourism, mineral, and oil and gas development, agricultural, and other development. In this changing environment, federal water policies need to consider the long term sustainability of the West, provide justice to Indian tribes, protect the rivers and ecosystems on which natural systems depend, balance the needs of newcomers with those of agricultural users and communities, and meet a myriad of other demands. The Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission has just concluded its review of these issues and issued its report. Key among the recommendations is the need to coordinate federal agencies at the basin and watershed level and make government more responsive to local needs, but within a framework that includes national mandates. The Commission's recommendations are presented here, along with some of the issues that surrounded the operations of the Commission.     

POSSIBLE DIVERSION OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER WATER TO TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO1

ABSTRACT .A summary is presented of remarks made at a conference held at Louisiana Tech University on the possibility of diverting some of the Mississippi River water to Texas and New Mexico. The Texas Water Plan which has initiated the diversion possibility is discussed and particular reference is made to the activities of the federal and state agencies directly responsible for determining various aspects of the diversion study. These agencies include the Texas Water Development Board, Texas Water Quality Board, Louisiana Department of Public Works, State Engineer's Office of New Mexico, Mississippi River Commission, and the Bureau of Reclamation.     

OBJECTIVES AND CONSTRAINTS IN FEDERAL WATER RESOURCES PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: The Water Resources Council's Principles and Standards stipulate that plans should be formulated to meet national, regional, state, and local needs or problems. It is not clear, however, how appropriate consideration can be given to both national objectives (NED and EQ) and local needs and problems. Two methods of incorporating national objectives and local problem solving into water resources planning are examined. They are plan formulation primarily in pursuit of national objectives, and plan formulation to solve local problems, but constrained by national objectives. The first of these methods is the approach which is becoming increasingly explicit in the development and elaboration of the Water Resources Council's Principles and Standards. The analysis indicates that the Water Resources Council's approach is neither the most practical nor the most desirable of the two methods examined. It creates unnecessary difficulties and fails to achieve its purpose. Plan formulation to solve local problems, but constrained by national objectives not only describes what field planners actually do, but is also more practial and more desirable.     

THE NATIONAL WATER COMMISSION REVISITED1

ABSTRACT: In 1973 the National Water Commission concluded its five-year study of national water policy by issuing a massive report containing over 200 recommendations for improvements in the way the Nation deals with its water resources. The Carter Administration is now engaged in another water policy review which incorporates many of the policies espoused by the National Water Commission. In this paper, presented at the 13th American Water Resources Conference in Tucson in November of 1977, the author describes the work of the National Water Commission and the actions taken on its recommendations.     

China's water scarcity

China has been facing increasingly severe water scarcity, especially in the northern part of the country. China's water scarcity is characterized by insufficient local water resources as well as reduced water quality due to increasing pollution, both of which have caused serious impacts on society and the environment. Three factors contribute to China's water scarcity: uneven spatial distribution of water resources; rapid economic development and urbanization with a large and growing population; and poor water resource management. While it is nearly impossible to adjust the first two factors, improving water resource management represents a cost-effective option that can alleviate China's vulnerability to the issue. Improving water resource management is a long-term task requiring a holistic approach with constant effort. Water right institutions, market-based approaches, and capacity building should be the government's top priority to address the water scarcity issue.     

试析《水法》下的水资源统一管理

水是关系社会可持续发展的重要资源,但是我国水管理的弊端造成水资源状况不容乐观。针对这一情况,2002年《水法》的修改重点之一是加强了水资源统一管理。本文从统一管理的必要性出发,分析了《水法》有关水资源统一管理的规定,并指出了有待完善之处。     

A Critical Review of Citizens' Juries: How Useful are they in Facilitating Public Participation in the EU Water Framework Directive?

Citizens' juries (CJs) are recommended as one approach that might be used to encourage the active involvement of interested parties in the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). In this light the paper critically reviews the citizens' jury method in the context of water resource management. It examines three strategic challenges of representation, accountability and the role of experts, and issues of scale related to geography, institutions and time. Innovative adaptations of the CJ approach and other deliberative methods are explored as means to address these challenges. The review concludes by arguing that CJs will only be suitable for use in implementation of the WFD if such adaptations are further developed and used to tailor the CJ approach to the particular needs of water resource management in different circumstances.     

建立节水型社会，保证国民经济可持续发展

我国是人口大国,人均水资源拥有量居世界１０９ 位,是贫水大国。缺水是制约国民经济可持续发展的重要因素。因此,建立包括节水型农业,节水型工业、节水型城市的节水型社会应作为长期基本国策。充分利用现代科技和传统适用技术,大幅度提高水资源的综合利用率,以保证国民经济可持续发展。     

WATER QUALITY MONITORING: WHERE'S THE BEEF?1

ABSTRACT: Water quality monitoring, as a function of society's efforts to manage the environment, is the contact mechanism that management and the public has with the actual water quality in the environment. Water quality monitoring has been studied extensively for many years to ensure that it produces information about water quality conditions. Current efforts to reduce government spending will have negative impacts on those government functions deemed to be non-responsive to the needs of the public. How well does water quality monitoring inform taxpayers about the status and trends in water quality conditions in the United States? This paper reviews a number of past efforts to “improve” water quality monitoring, discusses barriers to such improvement, and suggests ways that monitoring can be made more accountable for the information it should be producing for public understanding of water quality conditions. In particular, the need for standardization in data analysis and reporting of information to the public, is highlighted.     

中国西南地区的水资源管理

水资源是本世纪的危机资源.中国的水资源相对贫乏,而且空间分布极不平衡,南多北少,西南地区水资源量约占全国水资源总量的46%.加强该地区的水资源管理,对解决我国的水资源危机具有重大的战略意义.在市场经济条件下,只有将国家宏观调控与市场调节结合起来,充分发挥行政和经济两种手段的作用,才能实现对水资源的有效管理.     

THE CONTINUING EVOLUTION OF AN AUSTRALIAN WATER RESOURCES POLICY1

ABSTRACT: Australia's extremely limited water resources highlight the need for policy guidelines for management. During the 1970s, there was the gradual evolution of a national water resources policy, facilitated by a nationally agreed statement of objectives and culminating in a federal policy statement presented in 1979. However, the Australian constitution gives major responsibility for water resources to the states. Further, the federal policy statement seems to assume that each state has a water resources policy and that it accords with the nationally agreed objectives. This is not the case, and the practical management of Australia's water resources falls short of the principles set out in the policy document. The River Murray, the nation's major water resource, provides ample evidence of this fact. With very limited water resources, Australia urgently needs to reduce the disparity between principle and practice in their management.     

资源环境承载力研究方法综述

资源环境承载力是区域发展战略决策的基础,对指导区域可持续发展和服务国家战略需求具有重要意义。本文系统梳理了资源环境承载力评价从土地资源承载力向水资源承载力、环境承载力和生态承载力发展,再到近年来以土地开发强度为特征,以及基于供给能力的资源环境承载力评价兴起的历程。资源环境承载力评价从单一资源走向各类主要自然资源、环境要素及综合要素的承载力评价,研究方法不断完善。但目前资源环境承载力研究仍存在更多地关注承载的极限容量,对发展容量的关注不足;缺乏具有普适性、可推广的资源环境承载力评价理论及方法体系等问题,其研究仍面临严峻的挑战。未来资源环境承载力研究仍需在承载力从极限容量向发展容量转变,形成具有广泛指导意义的资源环境承载力评价方法体系,强化以空间开发利用为特征的资源环境承载力评价等方面的研究,以此深化资源环境承载力理论及实践应用研究,为区域可持续发展及服务国家战略提供支撑。     

水生态环境保护回顾与展望：从污染防治到三水统筹

水生态环境保护事关美丽中国目标的实现。本文阐释了我国从水污染防治向水环境、水生态、水资源“三水”统筹转变的新时代水生态环境保护内涵，从国内视角梳理我国水污染防治实践取得的成效，识别美丽中国水生态环境保护面临的制约性问题，首次在全国层面与欧美发达国家的水环境质量、水生态保护和水资源保障情况进行国际对标分析，提出以水生态系统保护目标为指引、以流域生态环境空间管控为基础、以“三水”统筹系统治理为路径、以治理体系和治理能力现代化为保障的水生态环境保护战略建议。     

水资源的可持续开发与利用

水是一切生物生存环境的最重要支撑,只有可持续地开发利用水资源,才能创造一个可持续发展的社会和生存环境。针对日趋严重的淡水资源危机,本文以水资源的可持续存在为基础,从整体的角度出发,而不是就水论水,探讨了可持续开发、利用水资源的五个途径:经济向生态效益型转向、可持续开发水资源、建立水资源核算体系、建立水资源政策分析机制、人人参与水资源管理,从而实现环境完整性、经济效率和平衡三个基本目标。     

NEW APPROACHES TO COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING IN CANADA1

ABSTRACT. In 1970, the Canadian Federal Government passed the Canada Water Act which provides for a co-operative federal-provincial approach to water resource management. The purpose of this paper is to outline our definition of comprehensive planning and the approach being taken under the new legislation. Two basic premises underly the definition. They are that resource management consists of an array of problems and that the prime function of planning is to provide information for decision making. The definition of comprehensive planning is embodied in a general statement and a set of principles. The principles define the approach that should be taken to provide adequate information for decision making in today's complex environment. A brief resume of the jurisdictions for water management in Canada leads to a discussion of a joint federal-provincial comprehensive study of the Qu'Appelle River Basin in Southern Saskatchewan. The basin and the study are described briefly. This is followed by an outline of the economic and social considerations which are being incorporated into the comprehensive planning study for the basin.     

Water Prism: A Tool to Assess Water Availability Risk and Investigate Water Management Strategies

Water availability risk is a local issue best understood with watershed‐scale quantification of both withdrawal and consumptive demands in the context of available supply. Collectively, all water use sectors must identify, understand, and respond to this risk. A highly visual and computationally robust decision support tool, Water Prism, quantitatively explores mitigation responses to water risk on both a facility‐level and basin‐aggregated basis. Water Prism examines a basin water balance for a 40‐ to 60‐year planning horizon, distinguishes among water use sectors, and accounts for ecosystem water needs. The 2012 Texas State Water Plan was used to apply Water Prism to the Big Cypress‐Sulphur Basin (Texas). The case study showed Water Prism to be an accurate and convenient tool to provide fine‐scale understanding of water use in the context of available supply, evaluate multi‐sector combinations of conservation strategies, and quantify the effects of future demands and water availability. Analyses demonstrated water availability risks for rivers and reservoirs can vary within a basin and must be calculated independently, simulation of water balance conditions can help illuminate potential impacts of increasing demands, and scenario simulations can be used to evaluate relative conservation efficacy of different water resource management strategies for each sector. Based on case study findings, Water Prism can serve as a useful assessment tool for regional water planners.     

Developing adaptive capacity within groundwater abstraction management systems

Groundwater is a key resource for global agricultural production but is vulnerable to a changing climate. Given significant uncertainty about future impacts, bottom-up approaches for developing adaptive capacity are a more appropriate paradigm than seeking optimal adaptation strategies that assume a high ability to predict future risks or outcomes. This paper analyses the groundwater management practices adopted at multiple scales in East Anglia, UK, to identify wider lessons for developing adaptive capacity within groundwater management. Key elements are (1) horizontal and vertical integration within resource management; (2) making better use of water resources, at all scales, which vary in space and time; (3) embedding adaptation at multiple scales (from farm to national) within an adaptive management framework which allows strategies and management decisions to be updated in the light of changing understanding or conditions; (4) facilitating the ongoing formation through collective action of local Water Abstractor Groups; (5) promoting efficient use of scarce water resources by these groups, so as to increase their power to negotiate over possible short-term license restrictions; (6) controlling abstractions within a sustainable resource management framework, whether at national (regulatory) or at local (Abstractor Group) scales, that takes account of environmental water needs; and (7) reducing non-climate pressures which have the potential to further reduce the availability of usable groundwater.