Water resource pricing: Policy options

This paper critically examines pricing policy options for water resources and attempts to derive an operationally feasible and socially desirable pricing structure for this important resource. Marginal cost pricing options are studied under different economic and resource conditions, such as inflation, constrained water resources and price distortions in an economy. Options such as pricing of water at its ‘real’ resource value, ‘social’ pricing, and pricing to reflect intangible benefits are also examined.     

A review of criteria for evaluating natural areas

Environmental Management - Methods for evaluating natural areas have evolved in the last couple of decades to assess the importance of natural areas for the purposes of land-use planning,...     

Policy for management of water resources in Greece

The quantities of water are not distributed uniformly in space and time. Greece compared to some other Mediterranean countries is found in advantageous position regarding the availability of water resources. However, there are regions with great in quantity water reserves and others with intense deficiencies. The management of water resources in Greece is concentrated in the systematic spatiotemporal monitoring and forecast of two basic multidimensional parameters, the availability of water resources and the water demand, as well as, in the implementation of necessary measures for the satisfaction of needs, regarding the fields of economy and environment. This work describes and analyses the existing status of water resources in Greece, as well as, the framework of applied policy. Furthermore, measures and actions for the management of water resources are proposed.     

我国西部地区水资源问题与对策

我国西部地区水资源短缺、水土流失等问题严重制约了该地区的经济发展。如何合理开发利用有限的水资源,促进西部地区的可持续发展已成为当务之急。本文分析了西部地区的水资源现状,并提出旨在促进西部地区水资源可持续利用的对策。     

An Integrated Model of Public Contact Planning for Conservation Management

/ Public contact is a vital component of any program to manage natural resources. A well-planned public contact program uses a variety of strategies to create a sympathetic and environmentally aware public and to meet specific management-related objectives. A methodology is proposed that can be applied to planning public contact at any level, from media design for a specific project to corporate strategies for communication. The methodology integrates management-driven, client-driven and resource-driven planning to provide the connections essential to effective communication.KEY WORDS: Planning; Public contact; Interpretation; Conservation; Management     

Ten Key Questions About the Management of Water in the Yellow River Basin

Water is scarce in many regions of the world, clean water is difficult to find in most developing countries, there are conflicts between irrigation needs and urban demands, and there is wide debate over appropriate means of resolving these problems. Similarly, in China, there is limited understanding of the ways in which people, groups, and institutions contribute to, are affected by, and respond to changes in water quantity and quality. We use the example of the Yellow River basin to argue that these social, managerial, and policy dimensions of the present water problems are significant and overshadow the physical ones. Despite this, they receive relatively little attention in the research agenda, particularly of the lead agencies in the management of the Yellow River basin. To this end, we ask ten research questions needed to address the policy needs of water management in the basin, split into two groups of five. The first five relate to the importance of water in this basin and the changes that have affected water problems and will continue to do so. The second five questions represent an attempt to explore possible solutions to these problems.     

Integrated Water Resources Management: From general principles to its implementation by the state. The case of Burkina Faso

In 2000, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) as the main advocate of the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), proposed a definition that is now the reference, despite the ambiguity that persists in its interpretation. At the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, the State representatives committed themselves to launch "plans for integrated water resources management and water efficiency by 2005". Some states immediately honoured this commitment by adopting new national water policies inspired by IWRM principles. Do these implementation plans respond to all the challenges of the IWRM? Or have these states simply reorganized their water resource policies to give an impression of conforming to the framework? In response to these questions, we present a history of IWRM and its conflicting interpretations followed by a case study of reforms enacted in Burkina Faso, to highlight some problems which are inherent to IWRM and how IWRM was transposed on a national scale.     

Use of Soil and Water Protection Practices Among Farmers in Three Midwest Watersheds

Data were collected from 1011 farmers in three Midwestern watersheds (Ohio, Iowa, and Minnesota) to assess factors that influence the use of conservation production systems at the farm level. The “vested interests” perspective used to guide the investigation was derived from elements of social learning and social exchange theories. Respondents were asked to indicate their frequency of use for 18 agricultural production practices that could be adopted on Midwestern farms at the time of the study. Responses to the 18 items were summed to form a composite variable, termed “conservation production index,” for use as the dependent variable in multivariate analysis. Eleven independent variables were identified from the theory as likely predictors of conservation adoption, including respondents' perceptions about production costs, output and risks, and perceived importance of access to subsidies, technical assistance, and informational/educational programs. Regression analysis was used to assess the performance of the independent variables in explaining variance in the conservation production index. Explained variance in the three regression models ranged from 2% in the Minnesota watershed to 19% in the Ohio watershed. The researchers concluded that the model had limited utility in predicting adoption of conservation production systems within the three study watersheds. Findings are discussed in the context of conservation programs within the three areas.     

Natural Resource Assessment: An Approach to Science Based Planning in National Parks

We conducted a natural resource assessment at two national parks, New River Gorge National River and Shenandoah National Park, to help meet the goals of the Natural Resource Challenge—a program to help strengthen natural resource management at national parks. We met this challenge by synthesizing and interpreting natural resource information for planning purposes and we identified information gaps and natural significance of resources. We identified a variety of natural resources at both parks as being globally and/or nationally significant, including large expanses of unfragmented, mixed-mesophytic forests that qualify for wilderness protection, rare plant communities, diverse assemblages of neotropical migratory birds and salamanders, and outstanding aquatic recreational resources. In addition, these parks function, in part, as ecological reserves for plants in and wildlife. With these significant natural resources in mind, we also developed a suite of natural resource management recommendations in light of increasing threats from within and outside park boundaries. We hope that our approach can provide a blueprint for natural resource conservation at publically owned lands.     

Critical review of Integrated Water Resources Management: Moving beyond polarised discourse

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) emerged as a popular concept in the water sector in the 20th century. From a highly techno-centric approach in the past, it has taken a new turn embracing Habermasian communicative rationality as a place-based nexus for multiple actors to consensually and communicatively integrate decisions in a hydrological unit. The 'how to integrate' approach had remarkable appeal worldwide in promoting authentic participation of all stakeholders. However, critics argue that the domain of water resource management is a political process of contestation and negotiation; the emphasis is on complexities, contextuality, power dynamics and the importance of analysing real world situations. They demonstrate 'how integration cannot be achieved' given the power dynamics in social interactions. These apparently contradictory discourses draw on different theoretical paradigms and polarise the discourse on IWRM, without offering constructive alternatives. To this end, this paper offers an option to complement this polarised discourse by examining 'how integration actually does take place' in a strategic context thereby facilitating consensual decisions to integrate water management for a sustainable future.     

Implementing the Water Framework Directive: Contract Design and the Cost of Measures to Reduce Nitrogen Pollution from Agriculture

The performance of different policy design strategies is a key issue in evaluating programmes for water quality improvement under the Water Framework Directive (60/2000). This issue is emphasised by information asymmetries between regulator and agents. Using an economic model under asymmetric information, the aim of this paper is to compare the cost-effectiveness of selected methods of designing payments to farmers in order to reduce nitrogen pollution in agriculture. A principal-agent model is used, based on profit functions generated through farm-level linear programming. This allows a comparison of flat rate payments and a menu of contracts developed through mechanism design. The model is tested in an area of Emilia Romagna (Italy) in two policy contexts: Agenda 2000 and the 2003 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. The results show that different policy design options lead to differences in policy costs as great as 200–400%, with clear advantages for the menu of contracts. However, different policy scenarios may strongly affect such differences. Hence, the paper calls for greater attention to the interplay between CAP scenarios and water quality measures.     

New federalism and state implementation of the Clean Water Act

An important goal of the Reagan administration has been to shift responsibility for many public programs from the US federal government to the states. This New Federalism seeks to restore a proper balance to the federal system and to ensure an effective working partnership between the states and the federal government. Such a partnership is especially important for many environmental laws because these laws often give states primary responsibility for the control and abatement of pollution.This research examines the extent to which the Reagan administration has succeeded in improving intergovernmental environmental relations in terms of state implementation of the Clean Water Act. Data from a 1985 survey of directors of state water quality control programs are compared with responses to a similar survey that the US General Accounting Office conducted in 1979. The latter survey found considerable dissatisfaction on the part of state directors with the quality of their relations with the US Environmental Protection Agency. Although some improvement can be noted between 1979 and 1985, the Reagan administration's efforts to improve intergovernmental relations appear to have been of limited consequence, to the possible detriment of effective implementation of the Clean Water Act.     

Water Resource Protection in Taiwan: An Evaluation of the Taipei Water Management Commission

/ This study evaluates the institutional capacity and performance of the Taipei Water Management Commission. The commission, which manages the Taipei Water Special Area-one of 95 such areas in Taiwan and the only one managed by a supervisory agency-has established a record of water conservation that suggests its utility as a model for managing other protected water resources areas in Taiwan. However, its present institutional structure limits its ability deliver on its mandate. The study identifies a number of problems related to the commission's current institutional structure that need to be addressed if the commission is to serve as a viable model for managing other protected water resource areas in Taiwan.KEY WORDS: Water resources management; Commissions; Institutional capacity; Taiwan     

Assessing the US Clean Water Act 303(d) listing process for determining impairment of a waterbody

This study evaluated the US Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303(d) listing and delisting processes, based on historical and current federal and state guidelines, to determine whether there are regional differences in water quality assessment criteria used by various states to determine impairment of a waterbody for inclusion in the 303(d) list. A review of almost 50 total maximum daily load (TMDL) and delisting documents revealed that the basis for listing or delisting a waterbody varies considerably and that, in many cases, determination of impairment was based on insufficient water quality information. Historical USEPA guidance on the 303(d) listing and delisting processes has been generally broad, resulting in wide interpretation of the assessment criteria by various states. This has led to unclear or conflicting listing methodologies among states, leading to inconsistencies in impairment determination. Common problems include inconsistent data quality and quantity, differences in frequency of monitoring, variable interpretation of narrative water quality standards, and differences in specificity of implementation and monitoring plans, resulting in significant difference in the basis for listing and delisting waterbodies. In response, several states have taken the initiative to provide much more specific guidance for their internal agencies. Listing and delisting criteria are generally clearer at the state level, but the development of differing state guidance documents has resulted in diversity in the development of the 303(d) lists and in the process of delisting a waterbody. While state guidelines are better able to address local considerations, such as variations in climate, landuse, and water quality objectives, as well as social and economic preferences, the variation in listing criteria has led to inconsistencies across state boundaries in the levels of attainment of national water quality objectives. For stakeholders that participate in the 303(d) listing process within a particular state, these types of discrepancies may not have a significant impact. However, these inconsistencies can lead to confusion for some stakeholders who participate in the process in multiples states, and must deal with differing and sometimes conflicting requirements depending on the location of their facilities.     

基于WebGIS的水环境管理信息发布系统

本文论述了如何运用ARCIMS作为网络地图发布平台,结合先进的ASP技术,建立一个基于Web GIS的水环境管理信息发布系统,以实现水环境信息资源的共享,为水环境管理和水环境决策提供强有力的信息支持。该系统的主要功能是空间与属性数据的编辑与更新,信息的检索与查询,矢量数据的显示、缩放、漫游,缓冲区分析以及专题图制作等。     

沱江水质污染特征及防治对策

本文以沱江水质监测资料为依据,揭示了沱江水质污染特征及其时空变化视律。针对沱江存在的水环境问题,从宏观上提出了防治水质污染的对策。     

Is the National Water Commission an appropriate institutional and governance structure to address the fundamental requirements of the water and irrigation industry in Australia?

The National Water Commission (NWC) and the $2 billion Australian Government Water Fund (the fund) has drawn attention to the need for innovative and adaptive practices for water use. The NWC and the fund, whilst a critical and catalytic step in the recognition of the current water situation in Australia, has thus far neglected to consider the systemic failures of the water, irrigation and related industries that led to this point. The underlying issue of the efficient allocation of water resources can be resolved by the harmonisation of competing demands (economic, social and environmental) and the establishment of governance structures to reduce institutional impediments. The linking of the fund to National Competition Council (NCC) payments is an important consideration in this process. This paper will argue that governance reform and institutional (re)alignment to remedy the impediments to the efficient allocation of water resources needs to be embedded in and linked to national competition policy principles. This paper will consider the NWC in this context with the aim of informing future policy to consider the systemic failures of the water industry and to forge institutional change for the more effective allocation of water.     

Water quality modelling of the river Yamuna (India) using QUAL2E-UNCAS

This paper describes the utility of QUAL2E as a modelling package in the evaluation of a water quality improvement programme. In this study, QUAL2E was applied to determine the pollution loads in the river Yamuna during its course through the national capital territory of Delhi, India. The study aimed at examining the influence of different scenarios on river water quality. Four different pollution scenarios were analysed besides the 'business as usual' situation. The study revealed that it was necessary to treat the discharge from drains to the river Yamuna and diversion of a substantial load to the Agra canal for further treatment was also essential. It was also established through this study that maintaining a flow rate of more than 10 m(3)/s in the river could also help preserve the river's water quality. To clearly display the model outcomes and demarcate polluted zones in the river stretch, model results were interfaced with a Geographical Information System (GIS) to produce cartographic outputs. In addition, uncertainty analysis in the form of first-order error analysis and Monte Carlo analysis was performed, to realise the effect of each model parameter on DO and BOD predictions. The uncertainty analysis gave satisfactory results on simulated data.     

论新疆水资源合理开发利用与水环境保护

根据新疆“三水”资源的形成背景与时空分布特征,提出合理开发利用“三水”资源与水环境保护的积极举措,促使水环境质量与生态环境质量的提高;贯彻开发与节约并举;遵循在开发中保护,在保护中开发的总原则。实施开源节流,确保水资源的永续利用。