The World Bank

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Water scarcity affects more than 40% of the global population. Water-related disasters account for 70% of all deaths related to natural disasters. The World Bank helps countries ensure sustainability of water use, build climate resilience and strengthen integrated management.

  • Context & Challenges
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Today, most countries are placing unprecedented pressure on water resources. The global population is growing fast, and estimates show that with current practices, the world will face a 40% shortfall between forecast demand and available supply of water by 2030. Furthermore, chronic water scarcity, hydrological uncertainty, and extreme weather events (floods and droughts) are perceived as some of the biggest threats to global prosperity and stability. Acknowledgment of the role that water scarcity and drought are playing in aggravating fragility and conflict is increasing.

Water Resource Management

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Feeding 10 billion people by 2050 will require a 50% increase in agricultural production , (which consumes 70% of the resource today), and a 15% increase in water withdrawals. Besides this increasing demand, the resource is already scarce in many parts of the world. Estimates indicate that over 40% of the world population live in water scarce areas, and approximately ¼ of world’s GDP is exposed to this challenge. By 2040, an estimated one in four children will live in areas with extreme water shortages . Water security is a major – and often growing –challenge for many countries today.

Climate change will worsen the situation by altering hydrological cycles, making water more unpredictable and increasing the frequency and intensity of floods and droughts. The roughly 1 billion people living in monsoonal basins and the 500 million people living in deltas are especially vulnerable.  Flood damages are estimated around $120 billion per year (only from property damage), and droughts pose, among others, constraints to the rural poor, highly dependent on rainfall variability for subsistence. 

The fragmentation of this resource also constrains water security. There are 276 transboundary basins, shared by 148 countries, which account for 60% of the global freshwater flow. Similarly, 300 aquifers systems are transboundary in nature, with 2.5 billion people worldwide are dependent on groundwater. The challenges of fragmentation are often replicated at the national scale, meaning cooperation is needed to achieve optimal water resources management and development solutions for all riparians. To deal with these complex and interlinked water challenges, countries will need to improve the way they manage their water resources and associated services.

To strengthen water security against this backdrop of increasing demand, water scarcity, growing uncertainty, greater extremes, and fragmentation challenges, clients will need to invest in institutional strengthening, information management, and (natural and man-made) infrastructure development. Institutional tools such as legal and regulatory frameworks, water pricing, and incentives are needed to better allocate, regulate, and conserve water resources. Information systems are needed for resource monitoring, decision making under uncertainty, systems analyses, and hydro-meteorological forecast and warning. Investments in innovative technologies for enhancing productivity, conserving and protecting resources, recycling storm water and wastewater, and developing non-conventional water sources should be explored in addition to seeking opportunities for enhanced water storage, including aquifer recharge and recovery. Ensuring the rapid dissemination and appropriate adaptation or application of these advances will be a key to strengthening global water security.

Last Updated: Oct 05, 2022

The World Bank is committed to assisting countries meet their economic growth and poverty reduction targets based on the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ).  Particularly, water resource management is tackled in SDG 6.5, but other SDGs and targets require water resource management for their achievement.  Accordingly, the Bank has a major interest in helping countries achieve water security through sound and robust water resource management.

Water security is the goal of water resources management . For a rapidly growing and urbanizing global population, against a backdrop of increasing climatic and non-climatic uncertainties, it is not possible to "predict and plan" a single path to water security. To strengthen water security we need to build capacity, adaptability, and resilience for the future planning and management of water resources.

Water Resources Management (WRM) is the process of planning, developing, and managing water resources, in terms of both water quantity and quality, across all water uses. It includes the institutions, infrastructure, incentives, and information systems that support and guide water management. Water resources management seeks to harness the benefits of water by ensuring there is sufficient water of adequate quality for drinking water and sanitation services, food production, energy generation, inland water transport, and water-based recreational, as well as sustaining healthy water-dependent ecosystems and protecting the aesthetic and spiritual values of lakes, rivers, and estuaries. Water resource management also entails managing water-related risks, including floods, drought, and contamination. The complexity of relationships between water and households, economies, and ecosystems, requires integrated management that accounts for the synergies and tradeoffs of water's great number uses and values.

Water security is achieved when water's productive potential is leveraged and its destructive potential is managed . Water security differs from concepts of food security or energy security because the challenge is not only one of securing adequate resource provision – but also of mitigating the hazards that water presents where it is not well managed. Water security reflects the actions that can or have been taken to ensure sustainable water resource use, to deliver reliable water services, and to manage and mitigate water-related risks. Water security suggests a dynamic construct that goes beyond single-issue goals such as water scarcity, pollution, or access to water and sanitation, to think more broadly about societies' expectations, choices, and achievements with respect to water management. It is a dynamic policy goal, which changes as societies' values and economic well-being evolve, and as exposure to and societies' tolerance of water-related risks change. It must contend with issues of equity.

The Water Security and Integrated Water Resources Management Global Solutions Group (GSG) supports the Bank's analytical, advisory, and operational engagements to help clients achieve their goals of water security.  Achieving water security in the context of growing water scarcity, greater unpredictability, degrading water quality and aquatic ecosystems, and more frequent droughts and floods, will require a more integrated and longer-term approach to water management. Key areas of focus will be ensuring sustainability of water resources, building climate resilience, and strengthening integrated management to achieve the Global Practice's (GP) goals and the SDGs. The GSG will work with a multiple GPs and Cross Cutting Solutions Areas (CCSAs) directly through water resources management or multi-sectoral projects and indirectly through agriculture, energy, environment, climate, or urban projects. 

Robust water resource management solutions to complex water issues incorporate cutting-edge knowledge and innovation, which are integrated into water projects to strengthen their impact. New knowledge that draws on the World Bank Group’s global experiences, as well as partner expertise, are filling global knowledge gaps and transforming the design of water investment projects to deliver results. Multi-year, programmatic engagements in strategic areas are designed to make dramatic economic improvements in the long term and improve the livelihoods of millions of the world’s poorest people.

The Water Security Diagnostic Initiative is an analytical framework that can be used to examine the status and trends related to water resources, water services, and water-related risks, including climate change, transboundary waters, and virtual water trade. The framework helps countries determine if and to what extent water-related factors impact people, the economy, and the environment, and determine if and to what extent water-related factors provide opportunities for development and well-being.

The World Bank is proactively working to address new global challenges, by adapting its operations to reach those that most need it today. Working across sectors is ensuring that water considerations are addressed in energy, the environment, agriculture, urban and rural development, and within new global challenges. The Bank also supports transformational engagements and initiatives, which seek to optimize spatial, green, and co-benefits among water and other infrastructure sectors. A large proportion of World Bank-funded water resources management projects include institutional and policy components.

Recent initiatives include:

  • Through the Federal Integrated Water Sector Project (INTERÁGUAS) , Brazil's federal government sought to integrate the water sector by improving coordination among and strengthening the capacity of the sector’s key federal institutions. In an ambitious innovation, the World Bank supported the government by helping to bring together the most important federal water sector agencies while supporting ongoing water reforms and institutional strengthening.
  • The integration of nature-based solutions in the Bank’s water infrastructure projects has helped place a spotlight on the world’s growing infrastructure crisis, driven by climate change and growing populations. Embedding nature-based solutions into project designs can help deliver infrastructure services with greater impact and lower cost, all the while reducing risks from disaster, boosting water security and enhancing climate resilience.
  • The publication of a National Framework for Integrated Urban Water Management in Indonesia , focuses on the potential for IUWM to address the severe and interrelated water security challenges faced by Indonesian cities.
  • The Second Public Employment for Sustainable Agriculture and Water Management Project (PAMP II) supported the Government of Tajikistan in improving water resource management at local, basin and national levels, and in increasing crop yields through improved irrigation management. Key to improved irrigation was rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage infrastructure and support to Water Users Associations, which are community-based organizations linking farmers with irrigation service provider.
  • The Water Management and Development Project in Uganda improved the integration of water resources planning, management and development, as well as access to water and sanitation services in priority urban areas. More than 1.01 million people received access to improved water sources, and 25,000 piped household water connections were rehabilitated from 2012-2018.

With 263 international rivers in the world, support for cooperative transboundary water management can make an important contribution towards improving the efficient and equitable management of water resources. The Bank supports transboundary waters through Multi-Donor Trust Funds (MDTF), knowledge pieces, and its lending portfolio:

  • Central Asia Water & Energy Program ( CAWEP ) is a MDTF administered by the World Bank and financed by the European Commission, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, UK AID, and DFID. The MDTF is building energy and water security by leveraging the benefits of enhanced cooperation in Central Asia, including all five Central Asian countries plus Afghanistan.
  • The Cooperation for International Waters in Africa (CIWA) is a MDTF administered by the World Bank and financed by Denmark, European Commission, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The trust fund finances upstream work in African International Rivers, 75% of which go to four priority basins – Nile, Niger, Volta, and Zambezi.
  •  The South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI) is a MDTF administered by the World Bank and financed by the governments of the United Kingdom, Australia, and Norway in South Asia. The trust fund provides recipient executed grants to initiatives in the major Himalayan River systems – the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra.
  • In the Mekong River Basin, the Bank is supporting riparian states such as Cambodia , the Lao People’s Democratic Republic , and Vietnam in strengthening their integrated water resource management and disaster risk management capacities, cooperating closely with the basin-wide Mekong River Commission.
  • The Bank is also investing in knowledge pieces such as ROTI ( Retooling Operations with Transboundary Impacts ) to identify tools that promote riparian country coordination aimed at mitigating transboundary harm and leveraging benefits of investments in transboundary basins.

The Bank follows an integrated flood management agenda, which includes well-functioning early warning systems, infrastructure, and institutional arrangements for coordinated action to address increased variability and changes to runoff and flooding patterns.  In addition, a new perspective, referred to as an "EPIC Response," is offered to better manage hydro-climatic risks: This perspective looks at floods and droughts not as independent events but rather as different ends of the same hydro-climatic spectrum that are inextricably linked. The EPIC response provides a comprehensive framework to help national governments lead a whole-of-society effort to manage these risks.

Water scarcity is also addressed in:  

  • The Water Scarce Cities Initiative , initially focusing on the Middle East and North Africa ( MENA ) region, seeking to bolster the adoption of integrated approaches to managing water resources and service delivery in water scarce cities as the basis for water security and climate resilience.
  • Small Island States . The challenges and innovations of water management in small island states can be particularly vivid. These countries warrant particular attention not only because they are often neglected, but also because they provide an opportunity to focus on intensive reuse and non-conventional water resources development, which will be increasingly important knowledge for implementation in megacities and extremely water scarce settings. A scoping study is proposed on the state-of-the-art and the Bank’s portfolio.

Sustainable groundwater management is also a priority of the World Bank, and central to water security in many countries.

  • Recognizing that groundwater is being depleted faster than it is replenished in many areas, the World Bank has collaborated with key global partners through years of consultations to develop a framework for groundwater governance. The 2030 Vision and Global Framework for Action represents a bold call for collectively responsible action among governments and the global community to ensure sustainable use of groundwater.

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Sustainable Water Management

WRI’s Water program studies local water data and governance, and shares best practices in order to advance context-driven, meaningful water management.

WRI's Sustainable Water Management is part of Freshwater , and Freshwater . Contact Sara Walker for more details or media inquiries.

What cannot be measured cannot be managed. Poor water management poses major risks to agriculture, industry, and local communities. However, there is a critical lack of information available about local water conditions – making better management difficult. WRI’s Water Program studies local water data and governance, and shares best practices in order to advance context-driven, meaningful water management.

Take our survey here:

  • Mapping Public Water Management Questionnaire  (English)
  • Mapeo de la Gestión del Agua Pública  (Español)

WRI, Pacific Institute, and the CEO Water Mandate are currently working to map public water risk by harmonizing and sharing water risk information among a variety of actors. The first step is to collect information on indicators of water management, and five indicators have been selected as proxies for water management:

  • Access to information on water quantity and quality
  • State of infrastructure
  • Local water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions
  • Existence and enforcement of allocations and caps
  • Local pricing systems

After collecting and compiling, we aim to share our empirical, comparable, and global data in an open-source database that is available to the public and serves diverse stakeholders.

To advance this work, we are seeking partnerships with multinational companies to share non-sensitive data on public water management. Collecting data through multinational companies rapidly amasses water management data – information which is valuable for businesses, investors, NGOs, governments, and governance institutions.

Participating companies can…

  • Rely on a carefully developed, common method to collect data on public water management. The question set and database is designed for company needs and aligns participating companies with the current thought leadership and water management frameworks. This alignment creates concerted effort towards resolving water management issues negatively affecting companies, and standardizes access to information.
  • Extend their field of vision beyond their own facilities, supporting supply chain risk assessments and future siting due diligence.
  • Implement a cost-efficient strategy to build momentum towards improvements in water management, and thereby reduce water related risks in operating sites – by providing open access data to other companies, policy makers, investors, and advocacy groups.

If your company would like to participate in this project, please fill out our questionnaire by March 15, 2021. If you provide primary contact information and full information for at least 10 labeled sites, we will return company-specific information to help you better understand water management in your site areas:

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A successful water management program starts with a comprehensive strategic plan. The process for developing a strategic plan is generally the same for an individual facility or an agency. The plan provides information about current water uses and charts a course for water efficiency improvements, conservation activities, and water-reduction goals. A strategic plan establishes the priorities and helps a site or agency allocate funding for water-efficiency projects that provides the biggest impact. This best management practice (BMP) describes the general steps for creating a water management plan.

Step 1: Set an Overarching Policy and Goals

To develop a comprehensive strategic plan, the facility or agency should set specific water use reduction targets. An agency should coordinate these targets with a federal water-efficiency policy such as Executive Order (E.O.) 13693 or the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The Laws and Requirements website provides a full description of the water-related laws and requirements . The strategic plan should also include senior management support for water efficiency. This can be done in two ways:

  • Provide a written policy statement that ties water efficiency to the long-term operating objective of the facility or organization
  • Provide staff and financial resources to track water use, maintain equipment, and implement cost-effective water use reduction projects.

Step 2: Assess Current Water Uses and Costs

Understanding the current water uses and costs is essential to a comprehensive plan. This step involves collecting water and cost data and determining a baseline that will be used to calculate cost savings and determine overall water reduction potential associated with water-efficiency opportunities. 

At the facility level, this task includes the following substeps:

  • Determine the marginal per-unit cost of water and sewer service
  • Verify the appropriate rate structure is applied
  • Identify services the utility might provide to help manage water efficiently

Utility information should include the following for potable and nonpotable water:

  • Contact information for all water and wastewater utilities
  • Current rate schedules and alternative schedules that are appropriate for a particular use or facility type to ensure the best rate
  • Copies of water and sewer bills for the past two years to identify inaccuracies and ensure the appropriate rate structure is applied
  • Information about rebates or technical assistance from the utilities to help with facility water planning and implementing water-efficiency programs. Energy utilities often offer assistance with water-efficiency programs
  • Contact information for the federal agency or office that pays the water and sewer bills
  • Production information if the facility produces its water or treats its own wastewater, or both

After collecting water use data, take the following substeps:

  • Determine a baseline annual water use for a specific year or an average water use over several years. If monthly data are available, plot the monthly use over time. Is water use increasing, decreasing, or steady? 
  • Try to determine what caused the major trends. Is there a seasonal pattern to water use? This is often the case when irrigation water is used or cooling water demand increases in the summer months. Analyzing the data in this way will help you understand current water use trends.

At the agency level, this step involves collecting detailed water use and cost data and real property inventory from all sites. These data are likely collected at the agency level per the reporting requirements of E.O. 13693. When collecting this information, consider that you need to separately gather data about potable water use and industrial, landscaping, and agricultural water use (primarily nonpotable water) that is associated with reduction targets.

Step 3: Develop a Water Balance

An important step in creating a water management plan is to establish a water balance for the facility or agency. A water balance compares the total water supply baseline (determined in step 2) to water that is used by equipment and applications. 

Estimate Water End Uses

Determining water use at the equipment or application level can be challenging. Most federal facilities have metered data for total water supply but may have limited or no submetering data about component uses. The following five steps outline the process for determining water use at the equipment level:

  • Create an inventory of all water-using activities. Use the the Federal Energy Management Program's BMPs list as a starting place to identify major equipment types. Tap the expertise of others at the facility who have direct knowledge of building mechanical systems and process equipment to generate a complete inventory.
  • Perform a walk-through audit of the facility to identify all significant water-using processes and associated operating characteristics. As part of the walk-through audit, note the operating schedule, flow rate, model number, and condition for each piece of equipment. You can also use a bucket and stopwatch and make a quick, rough estimate of equipment flow rate (e.g., faucets, showerheads, and once-though cooling). During the walk-through, pay particular attention to drain lines that are plumbed to floor drains in building mechanical spaces and utility chases.

Trace these back to the originating equipment to make sure they are accounted for in the water balance.

  • For all water uses in the inventory, obtain any available submetered data to help quantify the particular uses
  • Evaluate any seasonal patterns and compare them to the inventory of uses. Are any uses seasonal, such as cooling tower use or irrigation? The seasonal pattern of water use (peak use) can help quantify these uses
  • Water use from plumbing fixtures (toilets, urinals, faucets, and showerheads) based on the number of occupants and daily use per occupant
  • Cooling tower use based on cooling capacity and load factor (see BMP #10 ) 
  • Irrigation water use based on irrigated area and inches of water applied
  • Operating equipment water use based on water use per cycle and frequency of cycles.

Develop the Water Balance

You can now create a water balance with the quantified water uses by major equipment type. Compare the sum of the end-use water consumption to the total supply. The difference between these two values represents the "losses" in the system (see figure). These losses may be a result of: 

  • Water leaks in the distribution system or equipment
  • Inaccuracies in the engineering estimates used to determine equipment water use 
  • Accounting errors such as poorly calibrated meters or unit conversion problems. If the losses are more than 10% of the total water supply, further investigation is probably warranted to determine the cause of the imbalance. This may include a comprehensive leak detection program (see BMP #3 ).

This process will uncover the high-water-use activities, which will help you prioritize water-saving opportunities.

Step 4: Assess Water Efficiency Opportunities and Economics

Based on the outcome of the water balance, the next step is to find ways to increase water efficiency and reduce water use. Use the FEMP BMPs for water efficiency as a starting point to identify operations and maintenance, retrofit, and replacement options for:

  • Distribution System Audits, Leak Detection, and Repair
  • Water-Efficient Landscaping
  • Water-Efficient Irrigation
  • Toilets and Urinals
  • Faucets and Showerheads
  • Boiler and Steam Systems
  • Single-Pass Cooling Equipment
  • Cooling Tower Management
  • Commercial Kitchen Equipment
  • Laboratory and Medical Equipment
  • Other Water-Intensive Processes
  • Alternative Water Sources

After you identify the water efficiency opportunities, perform an economic analysis to determine if the projects are life cycle cost-effective. In this analysis, use the marginal water and sewer rates identified in step 2. Be sure to also include other related costs, such as energy and operations and maintenance changes, which resulted from the measure. For example, faucet and showerhead retrofits save energy by reducing hot water use.

Use the Building Life Cycle Cost Programs software to determine the economics of energy and water projects. Also, determine the annual escalation rate of the marginal cost of water to escalate water costs in the future. Learn more about water rate escalations across the United States .

Ensure water supply, wastewater, storm water issues, and water efficiency BMPs are taken into account at the earliest stages of planning and design for renovation and new construction. Consider developing equipment specifications that target water-efficient products so they are automatically purchased for retrofits, renovations, and new construction. As an example, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center implemented a product specification for water-efficient plumbing products.

Step 5: Develop an Implementation Plan

After identifying water efficiency projects you want to pursue, build an implementation plan. You may want to use this plan to:

  • Assign teams to be responsible for implementation
  • Prioritize projects based on targeted end uses
  • Project a date for installing efficiency measures
  • Project annual water use based on implemented efficiency projects
  • Identify potential funding sources.

The implementation plan should predict if water goals can be met by the site or agency by implementing cost-effective water-efficiency measures. The plan should also include education and outreach efforts for the building occupants to help reduce water use.

Often, a major hurdle in the planning process is finding funding for projects. See Project Financing and Water Efficiency and ESPCs for ideas about financing mechanisms.

Step 6: Measure Progress

Regularly review the strategic plan to make sure measures are implemented and goals are realistic and are being accomplished. Make sure water use reduction targets are being met to fulfill current federal policies such as E.O. 13693. 

A key element of good water management is tracking water use. Install submeters on water-intensive processes, such as cooling towers and irrigation systems, to help manage these processes better and meet annual reporting requirements. You should assign someone to be responsible for tracking ongoing water use. Continue to plot total water use as new water bills become available. Also plot any available submetered data. Evaluate trends and investigate and resolve any unexpected deviations in water use. Track water use reductions and publicize your success. See Metering in Federal Buildings for more information.

Step 7: Plan for Contingencies

Consider including water emergency and drought contingency plans that describe how your facility or agency will meet minimum water needs during emergency, drought, or other water shortages. Consider assessing the site for future water availability risks that are associated with climate change. At the agency level, this information can be used to target sites that have or may have water availability risks to help prioritize sites for funding water-efficiency projects.

Related Links

  • EPA WaterSense: Managing Water Use
  • National Drought Mitigation Center
  • U.S. Drought Monitor

Book cover

Water Resource Systems Planning and Management pp 1–49 Cite as

Water Resources Planning and Management: An Overview

  • Daniel P. Loucks 3 &
  • Eelco van Beek 4  
  • Open Access
  • First Online: 04 March 2017

174k Accesses

44 Citations

Water resource systems have benefited both people and their economies for many centuries. The services provided by such systems are multiple. Yet in many regions of the world they are not able to meet even basic drinking water and sanitation needs. Nor can many of these water resource systems support and maintain resilient biodiverse ecosystems. Typical causes include inappropriate, inadequate and/or degraded infrastructure, excessive withdrawals of river flows, pollution from industrial and agricultural activities, eutrophication resulting from nutrient loadings, salinization from irrigation return flows, infestations of exotic plant and animals, excessive fish harvesting, flood plain and habitat alteration from development activities, and changes in water and sediment flow regimes.

  • Water Resource
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  • Water Resource Management
  • Integrate Water Resource Management
  • Water Resource System

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1.1 Introduction

Water resource systems have benefited both people and their economies for many centuries. The services provided by such systems are multiple. Yet in many regions of the world they are not able to meet even basic drinking water and sanitation needs. Nor can many of these water resource systems support and maintain resilient biodiverse ecosystems . Typical causes include inappropriate, inadequate and/or degraded infrastructure, excessive withdrawals of river flows, pollution from industrial and agricultural activities, eutrophication resulting from nutrient loadings , salinization from irrigation return flows, infestations of exotic plant and animals, excessive fish harvesting, flood plain and habitat alteration from development activities, and changes in water and sediment flow regimes. The inability of water resource systems to meet the diverse needs for water often reflect failures in planning, management, and decision-making—and at levels broader than water. Planning, developing, and managing water resources to ensure adequate, inexpensive, and sustainable supplies and qualities of water for both humans and natural ecosystems can only succeed if we recognize and address the causal socioeconomic factors, such as inadequate education, corruption, population pressures, and poverty.

Over the centuries, surface and ground waters have been a source of water supply for agricultural, municipal, and industrial consumers. Rivers have provided hydroelectric energy and inexpensive ways of transporting bulk cargo. They have provided people water-based recreational opportunities and have been a source of water for wildlife and their habitats. They have also served as a means of transporting and transforming waste products that are discharged into them. The quantity and quality regimes of streams and rivers have been a major factor in governing the type, health, and biodiversity of riparian and aquatic ecosystems. Floodplains have provided fertile lands for agricultural crop production and relatively flat lands for the siting of roads and railways and commercial and industrial complexes. In addition to the economic benefits that can be derived from rivers and their floodplains, the aesthetic beauty of most natural rivers has made lands adjacent to them attractive sites for residential and recreational development. Rivers and their floodplains have generated, and, if managed properly, can continue to generate, substantial cultural, economic, environmental, and social benefits for their inhabitants.

Human activities undertaken to increase the benefits obtained from rivers and their floodplains may also increase the potential for costs and damages such as when the river is experiencing periods of droughts, floods, and heavy pollution. These costs and damages are physical, economic, environmental, and social. They result because of a mismatch between what humans expect or demand, and what nature offers or supplies. Human activities tend to be based on the “usual or normal” range of river flow conditions. Rare or “extreme” flow conditions outside these normal ranges will continue to occur, and possibly with increasing frequency as climate change experts suggest. River-dependent human activities that cannot adjust to these extreme flow conditions will incur losses.

The planning of human activities involving rivers and their floodplains must consider certain hydrologic facts. One of these facts is that surface water flows and aquifer storage volumes vary over space and time. They are also finite. There are limits to the amounts of water that can be withdrawn from them. There are also limits to the amounts of pollutants that can be discharged into them. Once these limits are exceeded, the concentrations of pollutants in these waters may reduce or even eliminate the benefits that could be obtained from other users of the resource.

Water resources professionals have learned how to plan, design , build, and operate structures that together with nonstructural measures increase the benefits people can obtain from the water resources contained in aquifers, lakes, rivers, and estuaries. However, there is a limit to the services one can expect from these resources. Rivers, estuaries, and coastal zones under stress from over development and overuse cannot reliably meet the expectations of those depending on them. How can these resources best be managed and used? How can this be accomplished in an environment of uncertain and varying supplies and uncertain and increasing demands, and consequently of increasing conflicts among individuals having different interests in their management and use? The central purpose of water resources planning, management, and analysis activities is to address, and if possible answer, these questions. These questions have scientific, technical, political (institutional), and social dimensions. Thus water resources planning processes and products are must.

River basin, estuarine, and coastal zone managers—those responsible for managing the resources in those areas—are expected to manage those resources effectively and efficiently, meeting the demands or expectations of all users, and reconciling divergent needs. This is no small task, especially as demands increase, as the variability of hydrologic and hydraulic processes become more pronounced, and as stakeholder expectations of system performance increase in complexity. The focus or goal is no longer simply to maximize economic net benefits while making sure the distribution of those benefits is equitable. There are also environmental and ecological goals to consider. Rarely are management questions one-dimensional, such as how can we provide, at acceptable costs , more high-quality water to municipalities, industry, or to irrigation areas in the basin. Now added to that question is how would those withdrawals affect the downstream hydrologic water quantity and quality regimes, and in turn the riparian and aquatic ecosystems .

Problems and opportunities change over time. Just as the goals of managing and using water change over time, so do the processes of planning to meet these changing goals. Planning processes evolve not only to meet new demands, expectations , and objectives , but also in response to new perceptions of how to plan and manage more effectively.

This chapter reviews some of the issues requiring water resources planning and management. It provides some context and motivation for the following chapters that outline in more detail our understanding of “how to plan” and “how to manage” and how computer-based programs and models can assist those involved in these activities. Additional information is available in many of the references listed at the end of this chapter.

1.2 Planning and Management Issues: Some Case Studies

Managing water resources certainly requires knowledge of the relevant physical sciences and technology. But at least as important, if not more so, are the multiple institutional, social, or political issues confronting water resources planners and managers. The following brief descriptions of some water resources planning and management studies at various geographic scales illustrate some of these issues.

1.2.1 Kurds Seek Land , Turks Want Water

The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Fig.  1.1 ) created the “Fertile Crescent” where some of the first civilizations emerged. Today their waters are critical resources, politically as well as geographically. In one of the world’s largest public works undertakings, Turkey’s Southeast Anatolia Project includes 13 irrigation and hydropower schemes, and the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric power plants on both the Tigris and the Euphrates. Upon completion, it is expected to provide up to 25% of the country’s electricity.

The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Turkey, northern Syria, and Iraq

Its centerpiece, the Ataturk Dam (Fig.  1.2 ) on the Euphrates River, is already completed. In the lake formed behind the dam, sailing and swimming competitions are being held on a spot where for centuries there was little more than desert (Fig.  1.3 ).

figure 2

Ataturk Dam on the Euphrates River in Turkey (DSI)

figure 3

Water sports on Ataturk Reservoir on the Euphrates River in Turkey (DSI)

When the multireservoir project is completed it is expected to increase the amount of irrigated land in Turkey by 40% and provide up to a quarter of the country’s electric power needs. Planners hope this can improve the standard of living of six million of Turkey’s poorest people, most of the Kurds, and thus undercut the appeal of revolutionary separatism. It will also reduce the amount of water Syria and Iraq believe they need—water that Turkey fears might ultimately be used in anti-Turkish causes.

The region of Turkey where Kurd’s predominate is more or less the same region covered by the Southeast Anatolia Project, encompassing an area about the size of Austria. Giving that region autonomy by placing it under Kurdish self-rule could weaken the central Government’s control over the water resource that it recognizes as a keystone of its future power.

In other ways also, Turkish leaders are using their water as a tool of foreign as well as domestic policy. Among their most ambitious projects considered is a 50-mile undersea pipeline to carry water from Turkey to the parched Turkish enclave on northern Cyprus. The pipeline, if actually built, will carry more water than northern Cyprus can use. Foreign mediators, frustrated by their inability to break the political deadlock on Cyprus, are hoping that the excess water can be sold to the ethnic Greek republic on the southern part of the island as a way of promoting peace.

As everyone knows, the Middle East is currently (2016) witnessing considerable turmoil so who knows the fate of any water resources project in this region, including the one just described in Turkey and the following example in Jordan. One can only hope that the management and use of this scarce resource will lead to more peaceful resolutions of conflicts not only involving water but of other political issues as well.

1.2.2 Sharing the Water of the Jordan River Basin: Is There a Way?

A growing population —approximately 12 million people—and intense economic development in the Jordan River Basin (Fig.  1.4 ) are placing heavy demands on its scarce freshwater resources. This largely arid region receives less than 250 mm of rainfall each year, yet total water use for agricultural and economic activities has been steadily increasing. This plus encroaching urban development have degraded many sources of high-quality water in the region.

The Jordan River between Israel and Jordan

The combined diversions by the riparian water users have changed the river in its lower course into little better than a sewage ditch. From the 1300 million cubic meters (mcm) of water that flowed into the Dead Sea in the 1950s only a small fraction remains at present. In normal years the flow downstream from Lake Tiberias (also called the Sea of Galilee or Lake Kinneret) is some 60 million cubic meters (mcm)—about 10% of the natural discharge in this section. It mostly consists of saline springs and sewage water. These flows are then joined by what remains of the Yarmouk, by some irrigation return flows, and by winter runoff , adding up to an annual total of from 200–300 mcm. Both in quantity and quality this water is unsuitable for irrigation and does not sufficiently supply natural systems either. The salinity of the Jordan River reaches up to 2000 parts per million (ppm) in the lowest section, which renders it unfit for crop irrigation. Only in flood years is fresh water released into the lower Jordan Valley.

One result of this increased pressure on freshwater resources is the deterioration of the region’s wetlands . These wetlands are important for water purification and flood and erosion control. As agricultural activities expand, wetlands are being drained, and rivers, aquifers , lakes, and streams are being polluted with runoff containing fertilizers and pesticides. Reversing these trends by preserving natural ecosystems is essential to the future availability of fresh water in the region.

To ensure that an adequate supply of fresh, high-quality water is available for future generations, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority will have to work together to preserve aquatic ecosystems (White et al. 1999 ). Without these natural ecosystems, it will be difficult and expensive to sustain high-quality water supplies. The role of ecosystems in sustaining water supplies has largely been overlooked in the context of the region’s water supplies. Vegetation controls storm water runoff and filters polluted water , and it reduces erosion and the amount of sediment that makes its way into water supplies. Streams assimilate wastewater, lakes store clean water, and surface waters provide habitat for many plants and animals.

The Jordan River Basin just like most river basins should be evaluated and managed as a whole system, to permit the comprehensive assessment of the effects of water management options on wetlands , lakes, the lower river, and the Dead Sea coasts. Damage to ecosystems and loss of animal and plant species should be weighed against the potential benefits of developing land and creating new water resources. For example, large river-management projects that divert water to dry areas have promoted intensive year-round farming and urban development, but available river water is declining and becoming increasingly polluted. Attempting to meet current demands solely by withdrawing more ground and surface water could result in widespread environmental degradation and depletion of freshwater resources.

There are policies that if implemented could help preserve the capacity of the Jordan River to meet future demands. Most of the options relate to improving the efficiency of water use—that is, they involve conservation and better use of proven technologies. Also being considered are policies that emphasize economic efficiency and reduce overall water use. Charging higher rates for water use in peak periods, and surcharges for excessive use, would encourage conservation. In addition, new sources of fresh water can be obtained by capturing rainfall through rooftop cisterns, catchment systems, and storage ponds. However before such measures are required, one should assess the impact on local aquifer recharge, storage, and withdrawals .

Thus there are alternatives to a steady deterioration of the water resources of the Jordan Basin. They will require coordination and cooperation among all those living in the basin. Will this be possible?

1.2.3 Mending the “Mighty and Muddy” Missouri

Nearly two centuries after an epic expedition through the Western US in search of a northwest river passage to the Pacific Ocean, there is little enchantment left to the Missouri River. Shown in Figs.  1.5 and 1.6 , it has been dammed, diked, and dredged since the 1930s mainly to control floods and float cargo barges. The river nicknamed the “Mighty Missouri” and the “Big Muddy” by its explorers is today neither mighty nor muddy. The conservation group American Rivers perennially lists the Missouri among the USA’s 10 most endangered rivers .

Major river basins in the continental US

The Missouri Basin’s Reservoirs (not to scale) constructed for navigation and flood control

Its wilder upper reaches are losing their cottonwood trees to dam operations and cattle that trample seedlings along the river’s banks. Its vast middle contains multiple dams that hold back floods, generate power, and provide pools for boats and anglers.

Its lower one-third is a narrow canal sometimes called “The Ditch” that is deep enough for commercial towboats. Some of the river’s banks are armored with rock and concrete retaining walls that protect half a million acres of farm fields from flooding. Once those floods produced and maintained marshlands and side streams—habitats for a wide range of wildlife. Without these habitats, many wild species are unable to thrive, and in some cases even survive.

Changes to restore at least some of the Missouri to a more natural state are being implemented. These changes add protection of fish and wildlife habitat to the list of objectives to be achieved by the government agencies managing the Missouri. The needs of wildlife are now as important as other competing interests on the river including navigation and flood control. This is in reaction , in part, to the booming $115 million-a-year outdoor recreation industry. Just how much more emphasis will be given to these back-to-nature goals depends on whether the Missouri River Basin Association, an organization representing eight states and 28 Native American tribes, can reach a compromise with the traditional downstream uses of the river.

1.2.4 The Endangered Salmon

Greater Seattle in the northwestern US state of Washington may be best known around the world for Microsoft, but residents know it for something less flashy: its dwindling stock of wild salmon. The Federal Government has placed seven types of salmon and two types of trout on its list of threatened or endangered species. Saving the fish from extinction could slow land development in one of the fastest growing regions of the U.S.

The Snake and Columbia River reservoirs identified by the Columbia and Snake Rivers Campaign for modification or dismantling to permit salmon passage

Before the Columbia River and its tributaries in NW US were blocked with dozens of dams, about 10–16 million salmon made the annual run back up to their spawning grounds (Fig.  1.7 ). In 1996, a little less than 1 million did. But the economy of the NW depends on the dams and locks that have been built in the Columbia that provide cheap hydropower production and navigation .

For a long time, engineers tried to modify the system so that fish passage would be possible. As shown in Fig.  1.8 b, this included even the use of trucks to transport captured juvenile salmon around dams for release downstream. (It is not clear that the trucks will be there when the fish return to spawn upstream of the dams.) These measures have not worked all that well. Still too many young fish enter the hydropower turbines on their way down the river. Now, as the debate over whether or not to remove some dams takes place, fish are caught and trucked around the turbines. The costs of keeping these salmon alive, if not completely happy, are enormous.

A salmon swimming upstream ( a ) and measures taken to protect young juvenile salmon pass by hydropower dams on their way downstream ( b ) (US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific region)

Over a dozen national and regional environmental organizations have joined together to bring back salmon and steelhead by modifying or partially dismantling five federal dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Partial removal of the four dams on the lower Snake River in Washington State and lowering the reservoir behind John Day dam on the Columbia bordering Oregon and Washington (see Fig.  1.8 ) should help restore over 200 miles of vital river habitat. Running the rivers more like rivers may return salmon and steelhead to harvestable levels of the 1960s before the dams were built.

Dismantling part of the four Lower Snake dams will leave most of each dam whole. Only the dirt bank connecting the dam to the riverbank will be removed. The concrete portion of the dam will remain in place, allowing the river to flow around it. The process is reversible and, the Campaign argues, it will actually save taxpayers money in planned dam maintenance, by eliminating subsidies to shipping industries and agribusinesses, and by ending current salmon recovery measures that are costly. Only partially removing the four Lower Snake River dams and modifying John Day dam will help restore rivers, save salmon, and return balance to the Northwest’s major rivers.

1.2.5 Wetland Preservation: A Groundswell of Support and Criticism

The balmy beach community of Tiger Point near Pensacola, Florida, bordering the Gulf of Mexico, is booming with development. New subdivisions, a Wal-Mart discount retail store and a recreation center dot the landscape.

Most—if not all—of this neighborhood was once a wetland that soaked up rain during downpours. Now, water runs off the parking lots and the roofs and into resident’s living rooms. Some houses get flooded nearly every year.

A federal agency oversees wetland development. Critics say the agency is permitting in this area one of the highest rates of wetland loss in the nation. Obviously local developers wish they did not have to deal with the agency at all. The tension in Tiger Point reflects the debate throughout the US about whether the government is doing enough—or too much—to protect the nation’s environment, and in this case, its wetlands.

Environmentalists and some homeowners value wetlands because they help reduce water pollution and floods, as well as nurture a diverse wildlife population. But many landowners and developers see the open wetlands as prime territory for building houses and businesses, rather than for breeding mosquitoes. They view existing federal wetland rules as onerous, illogical, and expensive.

While some areas such as Tiger Point have residents who want stricter laws to limit wetlands development, others—such as the suburbs around Seattle—have people who long for less strict rules.

Federal regulators had tried to quell the controversy with a solution known as wetlands mitigation. Anyone who destroys a wetland is required to build or expand another wetland somewhere else. Landowners and developers also see mitigation as a way out of the torturous arguments over wetlands. However, studies have shown many artificial marshes do not perform as well as those created by nature (NRC 2001 ). Many of the new, artificial wetlands are what scientists call the “ring around the pond” variety: open water surrounded by cattails. Furthermore, the federal agency issuing permits for wetland replacement do not have the resources to monitor them after they are approved. Developers know this.

1.2.6 Lake Source Cooling: Aid to Environment, or Threat to Lake?

It seems to be an environmentalist’s dream: a cost-effective system that can cool some 10 million square feet of high school and university buildings simply by pumping cold water from the depths of a nearby lake (Fig.  1.9 ). No more chlorofluorocarbons, the refrigerants that can destroy protective ozone in the atmosphere and at a cost substantially smaller than for conventional air conditioners. The lake water is returned to the lake, with a few added calories.

figure 9

The cold deep waters of Lake Cayuga are being used to cool the buildings of a local school and university (Ithaca City Environmental Laboratory)

However, a group of local opponents insists that Cornell University’s $55 million lake-source-cooling plan that replaced its aging air conditioners is actually an environmental threat. They believe it could foster algal blooms. Pointing to 5 years of studies, thousands of pages of data, and more than a dozen permits from local and state agencies, Cornell’s consultants say the system could actually improve conditions in the lake. Yet another benefit, they say, is that the system would reduce Cornell’s contribution to global warming by reducing the need to burn coal to generate electricity.

For the most part, government officials agree. But a small determined coalition of critics from the local community argue over the expected environmental impacts, and over the process that took place in getting the required local, state, and federal permits approved. This is in spite of the fact that the planning process, that took over 5 years, requested and involved the participation of all interested stakeholders (that would participate) from the very beginning. Even the local Sierra Club chapter and biology professors at other universities have endorsed the project. However, in almost every project where the environmental impacts are uncertain, there will be debates among scientists as well as stakeholders. In addition, a significant segment of society distrusts scientists anyway. “This is a major societal problem,” wrote a professor and expert in the dynamics of lakes. “A scientist says X and someone else says Y and you’re got chaos. In reality, we are the problem. Every time we flush our toilets, fertilize our lawns, gardens and fields, or wash our cars we contribute to the nutrient loading of the lake.”

The project has now been operating for over a decade, and so far no adverse environmental effects have been noticed at any of the many monitoring sites.

1.2.7 Managing Water in the Florida Everglades

The Florida Everglades (Fig.  1.10 ) is the largest single wetland in the continental United States. In the mid-1800s it covered a little over nine million acres, but since that time the historical Everglades has been drained and half of the area devoted to agriculture and urban development. The remaining wetland areas have been altered by human disturbances both around and within them. Water has been diverted for human uses, flows have been lowered to protect against floods, nutrient supplies to the wetlands from runoff from agricultural fields and urban areas have increased, and invasions of nonnative or otherwise uncommon plants and animals have out-competed native species. Populations of wading birds (including some endangered species) have declined by 85–90% in the last half-century, and many species of South Florida’s mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and plants are either threatened or endangered.

figure 10

Scenes of the Everglades in southern Florida (South Florida Water Management District)

The present management system of canals, pumps, and levees (Fig.  1.11 ) will not be able to provide adequate water supplies to agricultural and urban areas, or sufficient flood protection , let alone support the natural (but damaged) ecosystems in the remaining wetlands . The system is not sustainable. Problems in the greater Everglades ecosystem relate to both water quality and quantity , including the spatial and temporal distribution of water depths , flows, and flooding durations—called hydroperiods. Issues arise because of variations from the natural/historical hydrologic regime, degraded water quality, and the sprawl from fast-growing urban areas.

figure 11

Pump station on a drainage canal in southern Florida (South Florida Water Management District)

To meet the needs of the burgeoning population and increasing agricultural demands for water, and to begin the restoration of Everglades’ aquatic ecosystem to a more natural regime, an ambitious plan has been developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its local sponsor, the South Florida Water Management District. The proposed Corps plan is estimated to cost over $8 billion. The plan and its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) have received input from many government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, as well as from the public at large.

The plan to restore the Everglades is ambitious and comprehensive, involving change of the current hydrologic regime in the remnant Everglades to one that resembles a more natural one, reestablishment of marshes and wetlands , implementation of agricultural best management practices, enhancements for wildlife and recreation , and provisions for water supply and flood control.

Planning for and implementing the restoration effort requires application of state-of-the-art large systems analysis concepts, hydrological and hydroecological data and models incorporated within decision support systems, integration of social sciences, and monitoring for planning and evaluation of performance in an adaptive management context. These large, complex challenges of the greater Everglades restoration effort demand the most advanced, interdisciplinary, and scientifically sound analysis capabilities that are available. They also require the political will to make compromises and to put up with the lawsuits by anyone possibly disadvantaged by some restoration measure.

Who pays for all this? The taxpayers of Florida and the taxpayers of the U.S.

1.2.8 Restoration of Europe’s Rivers and Seas

1.2.8.1 north and baltic seas.

The North and Baltic Seas (shown in Fig.  1.12 ) are the most densely navigated seas in the world. Besides shipping, military, and recreational uses, an offshore oil industry and telephone cables cover the seabed. The seas are rich and productive with resources that include not only fish but also crucial minerals (in addition to oil) such as gas, sand, and gravel. These resources and activities play major roles in the economies of the surrounding countries.

Europe’s major rivers and seas

Being so intensively used and surrounded by advanced industrialized countries, pollution problems are serious. The main pollution sources include various wastewater outfalls, dumping by ships (of dredged materials, sewage sludge, and chemical wastes) and operational discharges from offshore installations. Deposition of atmospheric pollutants is an additional major source of pollution.

Those parts of the seas at greatest risk from pollution are where the sediments come to rest, where the water replacement is slowest and where nutrient concentrations and biological productivity are highest. A number of warning signals have occurred.

Algal populations have changed in number and species. There have been algal blooms, caused by excessive nutrient discharge from land and atmospheric sources. Species changes show a tendency toward more short-lived species of the opportunistic type and a reduction, sometimes to the point of disappearance, of some mammals and fish species and the sea grass community. Decreases of ray, mackerel, sand eel, and echinoderms due to eutrophication have resulted in reduced plaice, cod, haddock and dab, mollusk and scoter.

The impact of fishing activities is also considerable. Sea mammals, sea birds, and Baltic fish species have been particularly affected by the widespread release of toxins and pollutants accumulate in the sediments and in the food web. Some animals, such as the gray seal and the sea eagle, are threatened with extinction.

Particular concern has been expressed about the Wadden Sea that serves as a nursery for many North Sea species. Toxic PCB contamination, for example, almost caused the disappearance of seals in the 1970s. Also, the 1988 massive seal mortality in the North and Wadden Seas, although caused by a viral disease, is still thought by many to have a link with marine pollution.

Although the North Sea needs radical and lengthy treatment it is probably not a terminal case. Actions are being taken by bordering countries to reduce the discharge of wastes into the sea. A major factor leading to agreements to reduce discharges of wastewaters has been the verification of predictive pollutant circulation models of the sea that identify the impacts of discharges from various sites along the sea boundary.

1.2.8.2 The Rhine

The map of Fig.  1.13 shows the areas of the nine countries that are part of river Rhine basin. In the Dutch area of the Rhine basin, water is partly routed northward through the IJssel and westward through the highly interconnected river systems of the Rhine, Meuse, and Waal.

The Rhine River Basin of Western Europe and its extension in The Netherlands

About 55 million people live in the Rhine River basin and about 20 million of those people drink the river water.

In the mid 1970s, some called the Rhine the most romantic sewer in Europe. In November 1986, a chemical spill degraded much of the upper Rhine’s aquatic ecosystem. This damaging event was reported worldwide. The Rhine was again world news in the first 2 months of 1995, when its water level reached a height that occurs on average once in a century. In the Netherlands, some 200,000 people, 1,400,000 pigs and cows, and 1,000,000 chickens had to be evacuated. During the last 2 months of the same year there was hardly enough water in the Rhine for navigation . It is fair to say these events have focused increased attention on what needs to be done to “restore” and protect the Rhine.

To address just how to restore the Rhine, it is useful to look at what has been happening to the river during the past 150 years. The Rhine was originally a natural watercourse. It is the only river connecting the Alps with the North Sea. To achieve greater economic benefits from the river, it was engineered for navigation, hydropower, water supply, and flood protection . Flood plains now “protected” from floods, provided increased land areas suitable for development. The main stream of the Rhine is now considerably shorter and narrower and deeper than it was originally.

From an economic development point of view, the engineering works implemented in the river and its basin worked. The Rhine basin is now one of the most industrialized regions in the world. The basin is characterized by intensive industrial and agricultural activities. Some 20% of the world’s chemical industry is located in the Rhine River basin. The River is reportedly the busiest shipping waterway in the world, containing long canals with regulated water levels. These canals connect the Rhine and its tributaries with the rivers of almost all the surrounding river basins including the Danube River. This provides water transport to and from the North and Black Seas.

From an environmental and ecological viewpoint, and from the viewpoint of flood control as well, the economic development that has taken place over the past two centuries has not worked perfectly. The concerns growing from the recent toxic spill and floods as from a generally increasing interest by the inhabitants of the basin in environmental and ecosystem restoration and the preservation of natural beauty, has resulted in basin-wide efforts to rehabilitate the basin to a more “living” sustainable entity.

A Rhine Action Programme was created to revive the ecosystem. The goal of that program is the revival of the main stream as the backbone of the ecosystem, particularly for migratory fish, and the protection, maintenance, and the revival of ecologically important areas along the Rhine. The plan, implemented in the 1990s, was given the name “Salmon 2000”. The return of salmon to the Rhine is seen as a symbol of ecological revival. A healthy salmon population will need to swim throughout the river length. This will pose a challenge, as no one pretends that the engineering works that provide navigation and hydropower benefits, but which also inhibit fish passage, are no longer needed or desired.

1.2.8.3 The Danube

The Danube River (shown in Fig.  1.14 ) is in the heartland of Central Europe. Its basin includes to a larger extent the territories of 15 countries. It additionally receives runoff from small catchments located in four other countries. About 90 million people live in the basin. This river encompasses perhaps more political, economic, and social variations than arguably any other river basin in Europe.

The Danube River in Central Europe

The river discharges into the Black Sea. The Danube delta and the banks of the Black Sea have been designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Over half of the Delta has been declared a “wet zone of international significance.” Throughout its length the Danube River provides a vital resource for drainage, communications, transport , power generation, fishing, recreation , and tourism. It is considered to be an ecosystem with irreplaceable environmental values.

More than 40 dams and large barrages plus over 500 smaller reservoirs have been constructed on the main Danube River and its tributaries. Flood control dikes confine most of the length of the main stem of the Danube River and the major tributaries. Over the last 50 years natural alluvial flood plain areas have declined from about 26,000 km 2 to about 6000 km 2 .

There are also significant reaches with river training works and river diversion structures. These structures trap nutrients and sediment in the reservoirs. This causes changes in downstream flow and sediment transport regimes that reduce the ecosystems ’ habitats both longitudinally and transversely, and decrease the efficiency of natural purification processes. Thus while these engineered facilities provide important opportunities for the control and use of the river’s resources, they also illustrate the difficulties of balancing these important economic activities with environmentally sound and sustainable management.

The environmental quality of the Danube River is also under intense pressure from a diverse range of human activities, including point source and nonpoint source agricultural, industrial, and municipal wastes. Because of the poor water quality (sometimes affecting human health) the riparian countries of the Danube river basin have been participating in environmental management activities on regional , national, and local levels for several decades. All Danube countries signed a formal Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River in June 1994. The countries have agreed to take “…all appropriate legal, administrative and technical measures to improve the current environmental and water quality conditions of the Danube River and of the waters in its catchment area and to prevent and reduce as far as possible adverse impacts and changes occurring or likely to be caused.”

1.2.9 Flood Management on the Senegal River

As on many rivers in the tropical developing world, dam constructions on the Senegal (and conventional dam management strategies) can change not only the riverine environment but also the social interactions and economic productivity of farmers, fishers, and herders whose livelihoods depend on the annual flooding of valley bottomlands. Although much of the Senegal River flows through a low rainfall area, the naturally occurring annual flooding supported a rich and biologically diverse ecosystem. Living in a sustainable relationship with their environment, small-land holders farmed sandy uplands during the brief rainy season, and then cultivated the clay plains as floodwaters receded to the main channel of the river. Livestock also benefited from the succession of rain-fed pastures on the uplands and flood-recession pastures on the plains. Fish were abundant. As many as 30,000 tons were caught yearly. Since the early 1970s, small irrigated rice schemes added a fifth element to the production array: rain-fed farming, recession farming, herding, fishing, and irrigation.

Completion of the Diama salt intrusion barrage near the mouth of the river between Senegal and Mauritania and Manantali High Dam more than 1000 km upstream in Mali (Fig.  1.15 ), and the termination of the annual flood have had adverse effects on the environment. Rather than insulating the people from the ravages of drought, the dam release policy can accelerate desertification and intensify food insecurity. Furthermore, anticipation of donor investments in huge irrigation schemes has, in this particular case, lead to the expulsion of non-Arabic-speaking black Mauritanians from their floodplain lands.

Senegal River and its Manantali Reservoir more than 1000 km upstream in Mali

This is a common impact of dam construction: increased hardships of generally politically powerless people in order that urban and industrial sectors may enjoy electricity at reduced costs.

Studies in the Senegal Valley by anthropologists, hydrologists, agronomists, and others suggest that it may be entirely economically feasible to create a controlled annual “artificial flood,” assuring satisfaction of both urban, industrial, and rural demands for the river’s water and supporting groundwater recharge, reforestation, and biodiversity.

Because of these studies, the government of Senegal ended its opposition to an artificial flood, and its development plans for the region are now predicated on its permanence. However, due to the common belief that releasing large quantities of water to create an artificial flood is incompatible with maximum hydropower production, the other members of the three-country consortium managing the dams—Mali and Mauritania—have resisted accepting this policy.

1.2.10 Nile Basin Countries Striving to Share Its Benefits

The Nile River (Fig.  1.16 ) is one of the major rivers of the world, serving millions and giving birth to entire civilizations. It is one of the world’s longest rivers , traversing about 6695 km from the farthest source of its headwaters in Rwanda and Burundi through Lake Victoria, to its delta in Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea. Its basin includes 11 African countries (Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, The Sudan, and Tanzania) and extends for more than 3 million square kilometers which represents about 10% of Africa’s land mass area. The basin includes the Sudd wetland system in South Sudan.

The Nile River Basin

Nile Basin countries are today home to more than 437 million people and of these, 54% (238 million) live within the basin and expect benefits from the management and use of the shared Nile Basin water resources.

Notwithstanding the basin’s natural and environmental endowments and rich cultural history, its people face considerable challenges including persistent poverty with millions living on less than a dollar a day; extreme weather events associated with climate variability and change such as floods and droughts; low access to water and sanitation services; deteriorating water quality ; and very low access rate to modern energy with most countries below 20% access level . The region also has a history of tensions and instability both between states and internal to states.

Cooperative management and development could bring a vast range of benefits including increased hydropower and food production; better access to water for domestic use; improved management of watersheds and reduced environmental degradation; reduced pollution and more control over damage from floods and droughts. Recognizing this the Nile Basin Initiative was created as a regional intergovernmental partnership that seeks to develop the River Nile in a cooperative manner, share substantial socioeconomic benefits, and promote regional peace and security. The partnership includes 10 Member States namely Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, The Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Eritrea participates as an observer. NBI was conceived as a transitional institution until a permanent institution can be created.

The partnership is guided by a Shared Vision: “To achieve sustainable socio-economic development through equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin Water resources.” The shared belief is that countries can achieve better outcomes for all the peoples of the Basin through cooperation rather than competition. It is supported by a “Shared Vision Planning Model” built by experts from all the basin countries. The model is designed to run different scenarios and assess the basin-wide impacts of different management policies and assumptions that any country may wish to perform.

1.2.11 Shrinking Glaciers at Top of the World

As shown in Fig.  1.17 , Tibet lies north of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar, west of China, and south of East Turkistan. The highest and largest plateau on Earth, it stretches some 1500 miles (2400 km) from east to west, and 900 miles (1448 km) north to south, an area equivalent in size to the United States region east of the Mississippi River. The Himalayas form much of its southern boundary, and Tibet’s average altitude is so high—11,000 feet (3350 km) above sea level—that visitors often need weeks to acclimate.

China, India, and Southeast Asia, highlighting the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau serves as the headwaters for many of Asia’s largest rivers, including the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong, Brahmaputra, Salween, and Sutlej, among others. A substantial portion of the world’s population lives in the watersheds of the rivers whose sources lie on the Tibetan Plateau.

Recent studies—including several by the Chinese Academy of Sciences—have documented a host of serious environmental challenges involving the quantity and quality of Tibet’s freshwater reserves, most of them caused by industrial activities. Deforestation has led to large-scale erosion and siltation. Mining, manufacturing, and other human and industrial activities are producing record levels of air and water pollution in Tibet, as well as elsewhere in China (Wong 2013 ). Together, these factors portend future water scarcity that could add to the region’s political volatility.

Most important is that the region’s glaciers are receding at one of the fastest rates anywhere in the world, and in some regions of Tibet by three 3 m per year (IPPC 2007 ). The quickening melting and evaporation is raising serious concerns in scientific and diplomatic communities, in and outside China, about Tibet’s historic capacity to store more freshwater than anyplace on earth, except the North and South Poles. Tibet’s water resources, they say, have become an increasingly crucial strategic political and cultural element that the Chinese are intent on managing and controlling.

1.2.12 China, a Thirsty Nation

Why does China care about the freshwater in Tibet? With more than a quarter of its land classified as desert, China is one of the planet’s most arid regions. Beijing is besieged each spring by raging dust storms born in Inner Mongolia where hundreds of square miles of grasslands are turning to desert each year. In other parts of the nation, say diplomats and economic development specialists, Chinese rivers are either too polluted or too filled with silt to provide all of China’s people with adequate supplies of freshwater.

Chinese authorities have long had their eyes on Tibet’s water resources. They have proposed building dams for hydropower and spending billions of dollars to build a system of canals to tap water from the Himalayan snowmelt and glaciers and transport it hundreds of miles north and east to the country’s farm and industrial regions.

But how long that frozen reservoir will last is in doubt. In attempting to solve its own water crisis, China could potentially create widespread water shortages among its neighbors.

While the political issues involving Tibet are complex, there is no denying that water plays a role in China’s interest in the region. The water of Tibet may prove to be one of its most important resources in the long run—for China, and for much of southern Asia. Figuring out how to sustainably manage that water will be a key to reducing political conflicts and tensions in the region.

1.2.13 Managing Sediment in China’s Yellow River

The scarcity of water is not the only issue China has to address. So is sediment, especially in the Yellow River (Fig.  1.18 ). The Yellow River basin is the cradle of Chinese civilization, with agricultural societies appearing on the banks of the river more than 7000 years ago. The Yellow River originates in the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau and discharges into the Bohai Gulf in the Yellow sea. The basin is traditionally divided into the upper, middle, and lower reaches, which can be described as three down-sloping steps: the Tibetan Plateau, the Loess Plateau, and the alluvial plain. Key management issues are many, but the most visible one is sediment (Figs.  1.19 and 1.20 ).

The Yellow River Basin in China

The high sediment load of the Yellow River is a curse if the sediment deposits on the bed of the channel and reduces its capacity, thereby increasing the risk of flooding. Also, rapid deposition of sediment in reservoirs situated along the river is a problem as it reduces their effectiveness for flood control and water storage.

Another major management issue is the ecosystem health of the river. The relative scarcity of water creates a tension between allocating water for the benefit of river health, and for direct social and economic benefit. Irrigation uses 80% of the water consumed from the river, with the rest supplying industry, and drinking water for cities along the river and outside of the basin (Tianjin, Cangzhou and Qingdao). During the 1980s and 1990s the lower river dried up nearly every year, resulting in lost cereal production, suspension of some industries, and insufficient water supplies for more than 100,000 residents, who had to queue daily for drinking water. As well as costing around RmB40 billion in lost production, there was a serious decline in the ecological health of the river.

The diversity of habitat types and extensive areas of wetlands within the Ramsar-listed Yellow River Delta support at least 265 bird species. The birds, fish, and macroinvertebrates in the delta rely on healthy and diverse vegetation communities, which in turn depend upon on annual freshwater flooding and the associated high sediment loads. Degradation of the ecosystem of the Delta has been documented, especially from the late-1990s, due to increased human activities and a significant decrease in the flow of freshwater to the Delta wetlands. This has led to saltwater intrusion and increased soil salinity. Restoration activities involving the artificial delivery of freshwater to the wetlands began in 2002.

figure 19

Sediment flows in China’s Yellow River. http://yellowriver-china.blogspot.com/2011/09/book-review-on-flood-discharge-and.html

figure 20

Dams can be designed and operated to remove some of the sediment that is trapped in the upstream reservoir

1.2.14 Damming the Mekong (S.E. Asia), the Amazon, and the Congo

The world’s most biodiverse river basins—the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong—are attracting hydropower developers. While hydropower projects address energy needs and offer the potential of a higher standard of living, they also can impact the river’s biodiversity, especially fisheries. The Amazon, Congo, and Mekong basins hold roughly one-third of the world’s freshwater fish species, most of which are not found elsewhere. Currently more than 450 additional dams are planned for these three rivers (see Figs.  1.22 and 1.23 ) (Winemiller et al. 2016 ). Many of the sites most appropriate for hydropower production also are the habitats of many fish species. Given recent escalation of hydropower development in these basins, planning is needed to reduce biodiversity loss , as well as other adverse environmental, social, and economic impacts while meeting the energy needs of the basins.

The Mekong River (Fig.  1.21 ) flows some 4200 km through Southeast Asia to the South China Sea through Tibet, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia. Its “development” has been restricted over the past several decades due to regional conflicts, indeed conflicts that have altered the history of the world. Now that these conflicts are not resulting in military battles (at this writing), investment capital is becoming available to develop the Mekong’s resources for improved fishing, irrigation, flood control, hydroelectric power , tourism, recreation , and navigation . The potential benefits are substantial, but so are the environmental, ecological, and social risks (Orr et al. 2012 ).

The Lower Mekong River Basin including Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam

The economic value of hydroelectric power currently generated from the Mekong brings in welcome income however the environmental impacts are harder to quantify. Today some 60 million people (12 million households) live in the Lower Mekong Basin, and 80% rely directly on the river system for their food and livelihoods. Most of these households would be affected by alterations to fish availability since fish is their main source of dietary protein. The food security impacts on these people due to the existing and proposed dam building and operation in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam remain relatively unexplored. Dam builders have often failed to recognize, or wish to ignore, the crucial role of inland fisheries in meeting food security needs.

During some months of the year the lack of rainfall causes the Mekong to fall dramatically. Salt water may penetrate as much as 500 km inland. In other months the flow can be up to 30 times the low flows, causing the water in the river to back up into wetlands and flood some 12,000 km 2 of forests and paddy fields in the Vietnamese delta region alone. The ecology of a major lake, Tonle Sap, in Cambodia depends on these backed up waters.

While flooding imposes risks on the inhabitants of the Mekong flood plain, there are also distinct advantages. High waters deposit nutrient-rich silts on the low-lying farmlands, thus sparing the farmers from having to transport and spread fertilizers on their fields. Also, shallow lakes and submerged lands provide spawning habitats for about 90% of the fish in the Mekong basin. Fish yield totals over half a million tons annually.

What will happen to the social fabric and to the natural environment if the schemes to build big dams (see Fig.  1.22 a) across the mainstream of the Mekong are implemented? Depending on their design , location, and operation, they could disrupt the current fertility cycles and the habitats and habits of the fish in the river resulting from the natural flow and sediment regimes. Increased erosion downstream from major reservoirs is also a threat. Add to these possible adverse impacts the need to evacuate and resettle thousands of people displaced by the lake behind the dams. How will they be resettled? And how long will it take them to adjust to new farming conditions? And will there even be a Delta? Together with sea level rise and a blockage of Mekong’s sediment to the Delta, its survival as a geologic feature, and as a major source of food, is in doubt.

Lancang/Mekong River where reservoirs are being planned on the river itself ( a ) and on many of its tributaries ( b ). a http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2013/10/wwf-expresses-alarm-over-laos-decision.html , 6/10/13, and b reprinted from Wild and Loucks 2014, with permission. © 2014. American Geophysical Union

There have been suggestions that a proposed dam in Laos could cause deforestation in a wilderness area of some 3000 km 2 . Much of the wildlife, including elephants, big cats, and other rare animals, would have to be protected if they are not to become endangered. Malaria-carrying mosquitoes, liver fluke, and other disease bearers might find ideal breeding grounds in the mud flats of the shallow reservoir. These are among the types of issues that need to be considered now that increased development seems likely.

Similar issues face those who are planning similar hydropower dam developments in the other two most biodiverse river basins in the world—the Amazon and the Congo (Fig.  1.23 ). Clarifying the trade-offs between energy (economic), environmental, and social goals can inform governments and funding institutions as they make their dam siting, design , and operating decisions.

Fish diversity and dam locations in the Amazon and Congo basins. In addition to basin-wide biodiversity summaries ( upper left ), each basin can be divided into ecoregions ( white boundaries ). Approximate number of species ( black numbers ) and the total species richness ( shades of green ) found in ecoregions differ widely (Winemiller et al. 2016 )

Hydropower accounts for more than two-thirds of Brazil’s energy supply, and over 300 new Amazon dams have been proposed. Impacts of these dams would extend beyond direct effects on rivers to include relocation of human populations and expanding deforestation associated with new roads. Scheduled for completion in 2016, Brazil’s Belo Monte hydropower complex was designed with installed capacity of 11,233 MW, ranking it the world’s third largest. But it could also set a record for biodiversity loss owing to selection of a site that is the sole habitat for many species. The Congo has far fewer dams than the Amazon or Mekong, yet most power generated within the basin is from hydropower. Inga Falls, a 14.5-km stretch of the lower Congo that drops 96 m to near sea level, has greater hydropower potential than anywhere else. The Inga I and II dams, constructed in the 1970s and 1980s, currently yield 40% of the 2132-MW installed capacity. Planned additional dams (Inga III and Grand Inga) would harness as much as 83% of the Congo’s annual discharge, with most of the energy to be exported. Grand Inga would divert water and substantially reduce flow for at least 20 km downstream from the falls. Again, many trade-offs involved with dam building, and all calling for comprehensive systems planning and analyses to identify them.

1.3 So, Why Plan, Why Manage?

Water resources planning and management activities are usually motivated, as they were in each of the previous section’s case examples, by the realization that there are problems to solve and/or opportunities to obtain increased benefits by changing the management and use of water and related land resources. These benefits can be measured in many different ways. The best way to do it is often not obvious. Whatever way is proposed may provoke conflict. Hence there is the need for careful study and research, as well as full stakeholder involvement, in the search for the best compromise plan or management policy.

Reducing the frequency and/or severity of the adverse consequences of droughts, floods, and excessive pollution are common goals of many planning and management exercises. Other reasons include the identification and evaluation of alternative measures that may increase the available water supplies, hydropower, improve recreation and/or navigation, and enhance water quality and aquatic ecosystems . Quantitative system performance criteria can help one judge the relative net benefits , however measured, of alternative plans and management policies.

System performance criteria of interest have evolved over time. They have ranged from being primarily focused on safe drinking water just a century ago to multipurpose economic development a half-century ago to goals that now include environmental and ecosystem restoration and protection, aesthetic and recreational experiences, and more recently, sustainability (ASCE 1998 ; GTT 2014 ).

Some of the multiple purposes served by a river can be conflicting. A reservoir used solely for hydropower, or water supply, is better able to meet its objectives when it is full of water. On the other hand, a reservoir used solely for downstream flood control is best left empty so it can store more of the flood flows when they occur. A single reservoir serving all three purposes introduces conflicts over how much water to store in it and discharge from it, i.e., how it should be operated. In basins where diversion demands exceed the available supplies, conflicts will exist over water allocations . Finding the best way to manage, if not resolve, these conflicts are reasons for planning.

1.3.1 Too Little Water

Issues involving inadequate supplies to meet demands can result from too little rain or snow. They can also result from patterns of land and water use. They can result from growing urbanization, the growing needs to meet instream flow requirements, and conflicts over private property and public rights regarding water allocations . Other issues can involve transbasin water transfers and markets, objectives of economic efficiency versus the desire to keep nonefficient activities viable, and demand management measures, including incentives for water reuse and water reuse financing.

Measures to reduce the demand for water in times of supply scarcity should be identified and agreed upon before everyone must cope with an actual water scarcity. The institutional authority to implement drought measures when their designated “triggers”—such as storage volumes in reservoirs—have been met should be established before they are needed. Such management measures may include increased groundwater abstractions to supplement low-surface water flows and storage volumes. Conjunctive use of ground and surface waters can be sustainable as long as the groundwater aquifers are recharged during conditions of high flow and surface storage volumes. Many aquifers are subject to withdrawals exceeding recharge, and hence continued withdrawals from them cannot be sustained.

1.3.2 Too Much Water

Damage due to flooding is a direct result of floodplain development that is incompatible with floods. This is a risk many take, and indeed on average it may result in positive private net benefits, especially when public agencies subsidize these private risk takers who incur losses in times of flooding. In many river basins of developed regions, annual expected flood damages are increasing over time, in spite of increased expenditures in flood damage reduction measures. This is in part due to increased economic development taking place on river flood plains, not only of increased frequencies and magnitudes of floods.

The increased economic value of developments on floodplains often justifies increased development and increased expenditures on flood damage reduction measures. Flood protection works decrease the risks of flood damage, creating an even larger incentive for increased economic development. Then when a flood exceeding the capacity of existing flood protection works occurs, and it will, even more damage results. This cycle of increasing flood damages and costs of protection is a natural result of increasing values of flood plain development. Just what is the appropriate level of risk? It may depend, as Fig.  1.24 illustrates, on the level of flood insurance or subsidy provided when flooding occurs.

The lowest risk of flooding on a floodplain does not always mean the best risk, and what risk is acceptable may depend on the amount of insurance or subsidy provided when flood damage occurs

Flood damages will decrease only if there are restrictions placed on floodplain development. Analyses carried out during planning can help identify the appropriate level of development and flood damage protection works based on the beneficial as well as adverse economic, environmental, and ecological consequences of flood plain development. People are increasingly recognizing the economic as well as environmental and ecological benefits of allowing floodplains to do what they were formed to do—store flood waters when floods occur.

Industrial development and related port development may result in the demand for deeper and wider rivers to allow the operation of larger draft cargo vessels in the river. River channel improvement cannot be detached from functions such as water supply and flood control. Widening and deepening a river channel for shipping purposes may also decrease flood water levels.

1.3.3 Too Polluted

Wastewater discharges by industry and households can have considerable detrimental effects on water quality and hence on public and ecosystem health. Planning and management activities should pay attention to these possible negative consequences of industrial development and the intensive use and subsequent runoff of pesticides and fertilizers in urban as well as in agricultural areas.

Issues regarding the environment and water quality include:

Upstream versus downstream conflicts on meeting water quality standards,

Threats from aquatic nuisance species,

Threats from the chemical, physical, and biological water quality of the watershed’s aquatic resources,

Quality standards for recycled water,

Nonpoint source pollution discharges including sediment from erosion, and

Inadequate groundwater protection, compacts, and concerned institutions.

We still know too little about the environmental and health impacts of many of the wastewater constituents found in river waters. As more is learned about, for example, the harmful effects of heavy metals and dioxins, pharmaceutical products, and micropollutants and nanoparticles in our water supplies, water quality standards, plans and management policies should be adjusted accordingly. The occurrence of major fish kills and algae blooms also point to the need to manage water quality as well as quantity.

1.3.4 Too Expensive

Too many of the world’s population do not have adequate water to meet all of their drinking and sanitation needs. Much of this is not due to the lack of technical options available to provide water to meet those needs. Rather those options are deemed to be too expensive. Doing so is judged to be beyond the ability of those living in poverty to pay and recover the costs of implementing, maintaining, and operating the needed infrastructure. Large national and international aid grants devoted to reducing water stress—demands for clean water exceeding usable supplies—in stressed communities have not been sustainable in the long run where recipients have been unable to pay for the upkeep of whatever water resource systems are developed and provided. If financial aid is to be provided, to be effective it has to address all the root causes of such poverty, not only the need for clean water.

1.3.5 Ecosystem Too Degraded

Aquatic and riparian ecosystems may be subject to a number of threats. The most important ones include habitat loss due to river training and reclamation of floodplains and wetlands for urban and industrial development, poor water quality due to discharges of pesticides, fertilizers and wastewater effluents, and the infestation of aquatic nuisance species.

Exotic aquatic nuisance species can be major threats to the chemical, physical, and biological water quality of a river’s aquatic resources and a major interference with other uses. The destruction and/or loss of the biological integrity of aquatic habitats caused by introduced exotic species is considered by many ecologists to be among the most important problems facing natural aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Biological integrity of natural ecosystems is controlled by habitat quality, water flows or discharges, water quality , and biological interactions including those involving exotic species.

Once exotic species are established, they are usually difficult to manage and nearly impossible to eliminate. This creates a costly burden for current and future generations. The invasion in North America of nonindigenous aquatic nuisance species such as the sea lamprey, zebra mussel, purple loosestrife, European green crab, and various aquatic plant species, for example, has had pronounced economic and ecological consequences for all who use or otherwise benefit from aquatic ecosystems.

Environmental and ecological effectiveness as well as economic efficiency should be a guiding principle in evaluating alternative solutions to problems caused by aquatic nuisance organisms. Funds spent in prevention and early detection and eradication of aquatic nuisance species may reduce the need to spend considerably more funds on management and control once such aquatic nuisance species are well established.

1.3.6 Other Planning and Management Issues

1.3.6.1 navigation.

Dredging river beds is a common practice to keep river channels open for larger draft cargo ships. The use of jetties as a way to increase the flow in the main channel and hence increase bottom scour is a way to reduce the amount of dredging that may be needed, but any modification of the width and depth of a river channel can impact its flood carrying capacity. It can also alter the periodic flooding of the floodplain that in turn can have ecological impacts.

1.3.6.2 River Bank Erosion

Bank erosion can be a serious problem where towns are located close to morphologically active (eroding) rivers. Predictions of changes in river courses due to bank erosion and bank accretion are important inputs to land use planning in river valleys and the choice of locations for bridges, buildings, and hydraulic structures.

1.3.6.3 Reservoir Related Issues

Degradation of the riverbeds upstream of reservoirs may increase the risks of flooding in those areas. Reservoir construction inevitably results in loss of land and forces the evacuation of residents due to impoundment. Reservoirs can be ecological barriers for migrating fish species such as salmon. The water quality in the reservoir may deteriorate and the inflowing sediment may settle and accumulate, reducing the active (useful) water storage capacity of the reservoir and causing more erosion downstream. Other potential problems may include those stemming from stratification , water-related diseases, algae growth , and abrasion of hydropower turbines.

Environmental and morphological impacts downstream of the dam are often due to a changed river hydrograph and decreased sediment load in the water released from the reservoir. Lower sediment concentrations result in higher risks of scouring of downstream riverbeds and consequently a lowering of their elevations. Economic as well as social impacts include the risk of a dam break. Environmental impacts may result from sedimentation control measures (e.g., sediment flushing as shown in Fig.  1.19 ) and reduced oxygen content of the outflowing water.

1.4 System Planning Scales

1.4.1 spatial scales for planning and management.

Watersheds or river basins are usually considered logical regions for water resources planning and management. This makes sense if the impacts of decisions regarding water resources management are contained within the watershed or basin. How land and water are managed in one part of a river basin can impact the land and water in other parts of the basin. For example, the discharge of pollutants or the clearing of forests in the upstream portion of the basin may degrade the quality and increase the variability of the flows and sedimentation downstream. The construction of a dam or weir in the downstream part of a river may block vessels and fish from traveling up- or downstream through the dam site. To maximize the economic and social benefits obtained from the entire basin, and to insure that these benefits and accompanying costs are equitably distributed, planning and management on a basin scale is often undertaken.

While basin boundaries make sense from a hydrologic point of view, they may be inadequate for addressing particular water resources problems that are caused by events taking place outside the basin. What is desired is the highest level of performance, however defined, of the entire physical, social-economic, and administrative water resource system. To the extent that the applicable problems, stakeholders, and administrative boundaries extend outside the river basin, then the physically based “river basin” focus of planning and management should be expanded to include the entire applicable “problem-shed.” Hence consider the term “river basin” used in this book to mean problem-shed when appropriate.

1.4.2 Temporal Scales for Planning and Management

Planning is a continuing iterative process. Water resources plans need to be periodically updated and adapt to new information, new objectives , and updated forecasts of future demands, costs , and benefits. Current decisions should not preclude future generations from options they may want to consider, but otherwise current decisions should be responsive to current needs and opportunities, and have the ability to be adaptable in the future to possible changes in those needs and opportunities.

The number and duration of within-year time periods explicitly considered in the planning process will depend in part on the need to consider the variability of the supplies of and demands for water resources and on the purposes to be served by the water resources. Irrigation planning and summer season water recreation planning may require a greater number of within-year periods during the summer growing and recreation season than might be the case if one were considering only municipal water supply planning, for example. Assessing the impacts of alternatives for conjunctive surface and groundwater management , or for water quantity and quality management, require attention to processes that typically take place on different spatial and temporal scales.

1.5 Planning and Management Approaches

There are two general approaches to planning and management. One is from the top-down, often called command and control. The other is from the bottom-up, often called the grassroots approach. Both approaches, working together, can lead to an integrated plan and management policy.

1.5.1 Top-Down Planning and Management

Over much of the past half-century water resources professionals have been engaged in preparing integrated, multipurpose “master” development plans for many of the world’s river basins. These plans typically consist of a series of reports, complete with numerous appendices, describing all aspects of water resources management and use. In these documents alternative structural and nonstructural management options are identified and evaluated. Based on these evaluations, the preferred plan is recommended.

This master planning exercise has typically been a top-down approach. Professionals have dominated the top-down approach. Using this approach there is typically little if any active participation of interested stakeholders . The approach assumes that one or more institutions have the ability and authority to develop and implement the plan, i.e., to oversee and manage the coordinated development and operation of the basin’s activities impacting the surface and ground waters of the basin. In today’s environment where publics are calling for less government oversight, regulation and control, and increasing participation in planning and management activities, strictly top-down approaches are becoming less desirable or acceptable.

1.5.2 Bottom-Up Planning and Management

Within the past several decades water resources planning and management processes have increasingly involved the active participation of interested stakeholders—those potentially affected by the decision being considered. Plans are being created from the bottom-up rather than top-down through a process of consensus building. Concerned citizens, nongovernmental organizations, as well as professionals in governmental agencies are increasingly working together toward the creation of adaptive comprehensive water management programs, policies, and plans.

Experiences trying to implement plans developed primarily by professionals without significant citizen involvement have shown that even if such plans are technically sound they have little chance of success if they do not take into consideration the concerns and objectives of affected stakeholders . To gain their support, concerned stakeholders must be included in the decision-making process as early as possible. They must become part of the decision-making process, not merely spectators, or even advisors, to it. This will help gain their cooperation and commitment to the plans eventually adopted. Participating stakeholders will consider the resulting plans as their plans as much as someone else’s. They will have a sense of ownership, and as such will strive to make them work. Such adopted plans, if they are to be successfully implemented, must fit within existing legislative, permitting, enforcement, and monitoring programs. Stakeholder participation improves the chance that the system being managed will be sustainable.

Successful planning and management involves motivating all potential stakeholders and sponsors to join and participate in the water resources planning and management process. It will involve building a consensus on goals and objectives and on how to achieve them. Ideally this should occur before addressing conflicting issues so that all involved know each other and are able to work together more effectively. Agreements on goals and objectives and on the organization (or group formed from multiple organizations) that will lead and coordinate the water resources planning and management process should be reached before stakeholders bring their individual priorities or problems to the table. Once the inevitable conflicts become identified, the settling of administrative matters does not get any easier.

Bottom-up planning must strive to achieve a common or “shared” vision among all stakeholders. It must either comply with all applicable laws and regulations, or propose changes to them. It should strive to identify and evaluate multiple alternatives and performance criteria —including sustainability criteria, and yet keep the process from producing a wish list of everything each stakeholder wants. In other words, it must identify trade-offs among conflicting goals or measures of performance, and prioritizing appropriate strategies. It must value and compare, somehow, the intangible and nonmonetary impacts of environmental and ecosystem protection and restoration with other activities whose benefits and costs can be expressed in monetary units. In doing all this, planners should use modern information technology, as available, to improve both the process and product. This technology, however, will not eliminate the need to reach conclusions and make decisions on the basis of incomplete and uncertain data and scientific knowledge.

These process issues emphasize the need to make water resources planning and management as efficient and effective as possible and remain participatory. Many issues will arise in terms of evaluating alternatives and establishing performance criteria (prioritizing issues and possible actions), performing incremental cost analysis, and valuing monetary and nonmonetary benefits. Questions must be answered as to how much data must be collected and with what precision, and what types of modern information technology (e.g., geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, Internet and mobile Internet networks , decision support systems, etc.) can be beneficially used both for analyses as well as communication.

1.5.3 Integrated Water Resources Management

The concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) has been developing over the past several decades. IWRM is the response to the growing pressure on our water resources systems caused by growing populations and socioeconomic developments. Water shortages and deteriorating water quality have forced many countries in the world to reconsider their development policies with respect to the management of their water resources. As a result water resources management (WRM) has been undergoing a change worldwide, moving from a mainly supply-oriented, engineering-biased approach toward a demand-oriented, multisectoral approach, often labeled integrated water resources management.

The concept of IWRM moves away from top-down “water master planning” that usually focuses on water availability and development, and toward “comprehensive water policy planning” that addresses the interaction between different subsectors (Fig.  1.25 ), seeks to establish priorities, considers institutional requirements, and deals with the building of management capacity.

Interactions among the natural, administrative, and socioeconomic water resource subsectors and between them and their environment

Box 1.1 Definition of IWRM

IWRM is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.

(GWP 2000 )

IWRM (Box 1.1) considers the use of the resources in relation to social and economic activities and functions. These determine the need for laws and regulations pertaining to the sustainable and beneficial use of the water resources. Infrastructure together with regulatory measures allows more effective use of the resource including meeting ecosystem needs.

1.5.4 Water Security and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

While IWRM focuses on the process to improve water management (the how), the term “water security” focuses on the output (the what). The World Economic Forum has identified Water Security as one of the biggest global economic development issues. Water Security is defined by UN-Water ( 2013 ) as

the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.

Attempts are being made to identify the many dimensions of water security and to quantify them (van Beek and Arriens 2014 ; ADB 2016 ). In 2015 the UN adopted the Sustainable Development Goals 2015–2030 that specify specific targets for various goals such as the provision of water for drinking and sanitation, water productivity in agriculture , industry and energy, environment, and reduction of floods and droughts. It is expected that many countries will expect their water managers to use the SDGs as objectives in water resources planning. This means that our planning and management proposals need to be able to quantify the impacts of possible plans and policies in terms of the SDG targets.

1.5.5 Planning and Management Aspects

1.5.5.1 technical.

Technical aspects of planning include hydrologic assessments. Hydrologic assessments identify and characterize the properties of, and interactions among, the resources in the basin or region. This includes the land, the rainfall, the runoff , the stream and river flows, and the groundwater .

Existing watershed land use and land cover, and future changes in this use and cover, result in part from existing and future changes in regional population and economy. Planning involves predicting changes in land use/covers and economic activities at watershed and river basin levels. These will influence the amount of runoff , and the concentrations of sediment and other quality constituents (organic wastes, nutrients, pesticides, etc.) in the runoff resulting from any given pattern of rainfall over the land area. These predictions will help planners estimate the quantities and qualities of flows throughout a watershed or basin, associated with any land use and water management policy. This in turn provides the basis for predicting the type and health of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the basin. All of this may impact the economic development of the region, which is what, in part, determines the future demands for changes in land use and land cover.

Technical aspects also include the estimation of the costs and benefits of any measures taken to manage the basin’s water resources. These measures might include:

Engineering structures for making better use of scarce water.

Canals and water-lifting devices.

Dams and storage reservoirs that can retain excess water from periods of high flow for use during the periods of low flow. By storage of floodwater they may also reduce flood damage below the reservoir.

Open channels that may take the form of a canal, flume, tunnel, or partly filled pipe.

Pressure conduits.

Diversion structures, ditches, pipes, checks, flow dividers, and other engineering facilities necessary for the effective operation of irrigation and drainage systems.

Municipal and industrial water intakes, including water purification plants and transmission facilities.

Sewerage and industrial wastewater treatment plants, including waste collection and ultimate disposal facilities.

Hydroelectric power storage, run-of-river, or pumped storage plants.

River channel regulation works, bank stabilization, navigation dams and barrages, navigation locks, and other engineering facilities for improving a river for navigation.

Levees and floodwalls for confining flows within predetermined channels.

Not only must the planning process identify and evaluate alternative management strategies involving structural and nonstructural measures that will incur costs and bring benefits, but it must also identify and evaluate alternative time schedules for implementing those measures. The planning of development over time involving interdependent projects, uncertain future supplies and demands as well as costs, benefits, and interest (discount) rates is part of all water resources planning and management processes.

With increasing emphasis placed on ecosystem preservation and enhancement, planning must include ecologic impact assessments. The mix of soil types and depths and land covers together with the hydrological quantity and quality flow and storage regimes in rivers, lakes, wetlands , and aquifers all impact the riparian and aquatic ecology of the basin. Water managers are being asked to consider ways of improving or restoring ecosystems by, for example, reducing the

destruction and/or loss of the biological integrity of aquatic habitats caused by introduced exotic species or changes in flow and sediment patterns due to upstream reservoir operation .

decline in number and extent of wetlands and the adverse impacts to wetlands of proposed land and water development projects.

conflicts between the needs of people for water supply, recreational, energy, flood control, and navigation infrastructure and the needs of ecological communities, including endangered species.

And indeed there are and will continue to be conflicts among alternative objectives and purposes of water management. Planners and managers must identify the trade-offs among environmental, ecologic, economic, and social impacts, however measured, and the management alternatives that balance these often-conflicting interests .

1.5.5.2 Financial and Economic

The overriding financial component of any planning process is to make sure that the recommended plans and projects will be able to pay for themselves. Revenues are needed to recover construction costs, if any, and to maintain, repair, and operate any infrastructure designed to manage the basin’s water resources. This may require cost-recovery policies that involve pricing the outputs of projects. Recognizing water as an economic good does not always mean that full costs should be charged. Poor people have the right to safe water and how this is to be achieved should be taken into account. Yet beneficiaries should be expected to pay at least something for the added benefits they get. Planning must identify equitable cost and risk-sharing policies and improved approaches to risk/cost management.

Financial viability is often viewed as a constraint that must be satisfied. It is not viewed as an objective whose maximization could result in a reduction in economic efficiency, equity , or other nonmonetary objectives . In many developing countries a distinction is made between the recovery of investment costs and the recovery of O&M costs. Recovery of O&M costs is a minimum condition for a sustainable project. Without that, it is likely that the performance of the project will deteriorate over time.

Many past failures in water resources management are attributable to the fact that water—its quantity, reliability , quality, pressure, location—has been and still is viewed as a free good. Prices paid for irrigation and drinking water are in many countries well below the full cost of the infrastructure and personnel needed to provide that water, which comprises the capital charges involved, the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, the opportunity cost , economic and environmental externalities (see GWP 2000 ). Charging for water at less than full cost means that the government, society, and/or environment “subsidizes” water use and leads to an inefficient use of the resource.

1.5.5.3 Institutional and Governance

The first condition for the successful implementation of plans and policies is to have an enabling environment. There must exist national, provincial, and local policies, legislation and institutions that make it possible for the desired decisions to be taken and implemented. The role of the government is crucial. The reasons for governmental involvement are manifold:

Water is a resource beyond property rights: it cannot be “owned” by private persons. Water rights can be given to persons or companies, but only the rights to use the water and not to own it. Conflicts between users automatically turn up at the table of the final owner of the resource—the government.

Water is a resource that often requires large investments to develop, treat, store, distribute, and use, and then to collect, treat, and dispose or reuse. Examples are multipurpose reservoirs and the construction of dykes along coasts and rivers. The required investments are large and typically can only be made by governments or state-owned companies.

Water is a medium that can easily transfer external effects. The use of water by one activity often has negative effects on other water using activities (externalities). The obvious example is the discharge of wastewater into a river may save the discharger money but it may have negative effects on downstream users requiring cleaner water.

Only the government can address many of these issues and hence “good governance” is necessary for good water management. An insufficient institutional setting and the lack of a sound economic base are the main causes of water resources development project failure , not technical inadequacy of design and construction. This is also the reason why at present much attention is given to institutional developments and governance in both developed and developing regions and countries.

In Europe, various types of water agencies are operational (e.g., the Agence de l’Eau in France and the water companies in England), each having advantages and disadvantages. The Water Framework Directive of the European Union requires that water management be carried out at the scale of a river basin, particularly when this involves transboundary management. It is very likely that this will result in a shift in responsibilities of the institutions involved and the establishment of new institutions. In other parts of the world experiments are being carried out with various types of river basin organizations, combining local, regional, and sometimes national governments.

1.5.5.4 Models for Impact Prediction and Evaluation

Planning processes have undergone a significant transformation over the past five decades, mainly due to the continuing development of improved computational technology. Planning today is heavily dependent on the use of computer-based impact prediction models. Such models are used to assist in the identification and evaluation of alternative ways of meeting various planning and management objectives. They provide an efficient way of using spatial and temporal data in an effort to predict the interaction and impacts, over space and time, of various river basin components under alternative designs and operating policies.

Many of the systems analysis approaches and models discussed in the following chapters of this book have been, and continue to be, central to the planning and management process. Their usefulness is directly dependent on the quality of the data and models being used. Models can assist planning and management at different levels of detail. Some models are used for preliminary screening of alternative plans and policies, and as such do not require major data collection efforts. Screening models can also be used to estimate how significant certain data and assumptions are to the decisions being considered, and hence can help guide additional data collection activities. At the other end of the planning and management spectrum, much more detailed models can be used for engineering design . These more complex models are more data demanding, and typically require higher levels of expertise for their proper use.

The integration of modeling technology into the social and political components of the planning and management processes in a way that enhances those processes continues to be the main challenge of those who develop planning and management models . Efforts to build and apply interactive generic modeling programs or “shells” into which interested stakeholders can “draw in” their system, enter their data and operating rules at the level of detail desired, simulate it, and discover the effect of alternative assumptions and operating rules, has in many cases helped to create a common or shared understanding among these stakeholders . Getting stakeholders involved in developing and experimenting with their own interactive data-driven models has been an effective way of building a consensus—a shared vision.

1.5.5.5 Models for Shared Vision or Consensus Building

Participatory planning involves conflict management. Each stakeholder or interest group has its objectives, interests, and agendas. Some of these may be in conflict. The planning and management process is one of negotiation and compromise. This takes time but from it can come decisions that have the best chance of being considered the right decisions by most participants. Models can assist in this process of reaching a common understanding and agreement among different stakeholders. This has a greater chance of happening if the stakeholders themselves are involved in the modeling process.

Involving stakeholders in collaborative model building accomplishes a number of things. It gives them a feeling of ownership. They will have a much better understanding of just what their model can do and what it cannot do. If they are involved in model building, they will know the assumptions built into their model.

Being involved in a modeling exercise is a way to understand better the impacts of various assumptions one must make when developing and running models. While there may be no agreement on the best of various assumptions to make, stakeholders can learn which of those assumptions matter and which do not. In addition, the involvement of stakeholders in the process of model development will create discussions that will lead toward a better understanding of everyone’s interests and concerns. Though such model building exercises, it is just possible those involved will reach not only a better understanding of everyone’s concerns, but also a common or “shared” vision of at least how their system (as represented by their model, of course) works.

1.5.5.6 Models for Adaptive Management

Recent emphasis has shifted from structural engineering solutions to more nonstructural alternatives , especially for environmental and ecosystem restoration. Part of this shift reflects the desire to keep more options open for future generations. It reflects the desire to be adaptive to new information and to respond to surprises—impacts not forecasted. As we learn more about how river basins, estuaries, and coastal zones work, and how humans can better manage those resources, we do not want to regret what we have done in the past that may preclude this adaptation.

In some situations, it may be desirable to create a “rolling” plan—one based on the results of an optimization or simulation model of a particular water resource system that can be updated at any time. This permits responses to resource management and regulatory questions when they are asked, not just at times when new planning and management exercises take place. While this appears to be desirable, will planning and management organizations have the financing and support to maintain and update the modeling software used to estimate various impacts, collect and analyze new data, and maintain the expertise, all of which are necessary for continuous planning (rolling plans)?

1.6 Planning and Management Characteristics

1.6.1 integrated policies and development plans.

Clearly, a portion of any water resources planning and management study report should contain a discussion of the particular site-specific water resource management issues and options. Another part of the report might include a prioritized list of strategies for addressing existing problems and available development or management opportunities in the basin.

Recent emphasis has shifted from structural engineering solutions to more nonstructural alternatives , especially for environmental and ecosystem restoration. Part of this shift reflects the desire to keep more options open for future generations. It reflects the desire to be adaptive to new information and to respond to surprises—impacts not forecasted. As we learn more about how river basins, estuaries, and coastal zones work, and how humans can better manage their water resources, we do not want to be regretting what we have done in the past that may preclude this adaptation.

Consideration also needs to be given to improving the quality of the water resources planning and management review process and focusing on outcomes themselves rather than output measures. One of the outcomes should be an increased understanding of some of the relationships between various human activities and the hydrology and ecology of the basin, estuary, or coastal zone. Models developed for predicting the economic as well as ecologic interactions and impacts due to changes in land and water management and use could be used to address questions such as:

What are the hydrologic, ecologic, and economic consequences of clustering or dispersing human land uses such as urban and commercial developments and large residential areas? Similarly, what are the consequences of concentrated versus dispersed patterns of reserve lands, stream buffers, and forestland?

What are the costs and ecological benefits of a conservation strategy based on near-stream measures (e.g., riparian buffers) versus near-source (e.g., upland/site edge) measures? What is the relative cost of forgone upland development versus forgone valley or riparian development? Do costs strongly limit the use of stream buffer zones as mitigating for agriculture , residential, and urban developments?

Should large intensive developments be best located in upland or valley areas? Does the answer differ depending on economic, environmental, or aquatic ecosystem perspectives? From the same perspectives, is the most efficient and desirable landscape highly fragmented or highly zoned with centers of economic activity?

To what extent can riparian conservation and enhancement mitigate upland human land use effects? How do the costs of upland controls compare with the costs of riparian mitigation measures?

What are the economic and environmental quality trade-offs associated with different areas of different classes of land use such as commercial/urban, residential, agriculture , and forest?

Can adverse effects on hydrology, aquatic ecology, and water quality of urban areas be better mitigated with upstream or downstream management approaches ? Can land controls like stream buffers be used at reasonable cost within urban areas, and if so, how effective are they?

Is there a threshold size for residential/commercial areas that yield marked ecological effects?

What are the ecological states at the landscape scale that once attained become irreversible with reasonable mitigation measures? For example, once stream segments in an urban setting become highly altered by direct and indirect effects (e.g., channel bank protection and straightening and urban runoff), can they be restored with feasible changes in urban land use or mitigation measures?

Mitigating flood risk by minimizing floodplain developments coincides with conservation of aquatic life in streams. What are the economic costs of this type of risk avoidance?

What are the economic limitations and ecologic benefits of having light residential zones between waterways and commercial, urban, or agriculture lands?

What are the economic development decisions that are irreversible on the landscape? For example, once land is used for commercial development, it is normally too costly to return it to agricultural land. This would identify limits on planning and management for conservation and development.

What are the associated ecological and economic impacts of the trend in residential, commercial and forests lands replacing agricultural lands?

The answers to these and similar questions may well differ in different regions. However, if we can address them on a regional scale, i.e., in multiple river basins, we just might begin to understand and predict better the interactions among economy, environment ecology, and people as a function of how we manage and use its land and water. This in turn may help us better manage and use our land and water resources for the betterment of all—now and on into the future.

1.6.2 Sustainability

Sustainable water resource systems are those designed and managed to best serve people living in the future as well as those of us living today. The actions that we as a society take now to satisfy our own needs and desires should not only depend on what those actions will do for us but also on how they will affect our descendants. This consideration of the long-term impacts on future generations of actions taken now is the essence of sustainable development. While the word “sustainability ” can mean different things to different people, it always includes a consideration of the welfare of those living in the future. While the debate over a more precise definition of sustainability will continue, and questions over just what it is that should be sustained may remain unanswered, this should not delay progress toward achieving water resource systems that we judge best serves those of us living today as well as our children and their children living in the future.

The concept of environmental and ecological sustainability has largely resulted from a growing concern about the long-run health of our planet. There is increasing evidence that our present resource use and management activities and actions, even at local levels , can significantly affect the welfare of those living within much larger regions in the future. Water resource management problems at a river basin level are rarely purely technical and of interest only to those living within the individual river basins where those problems exist. They are increasingly related to broader societal structures, demands, and goals.

What would future generations like us to do for them? We do not know, but we can guess. As uncertain as these guesses will be, we should take them into account as we act to satisfy our own immediate needs, demands, and desires. There may be trade-offs between what we wish to do for ourselves in our current generation versus what we think future generations might wish us to do for them. These trade-offs , if any, between what present and future generations would like should be considered. Once identified, or at least estimated, just what decisions to make should be debated and decided in the political arena. There is no scientific theory to help us identify which trade-offs, if any, are optimal .

The inclusion of sustainability criteria along with the more common economic, environmental, ecological, and social criteria used to evaluate alternative water resources development and management strategies may identify a need to change how we commonly develop and use our water resources. We need to consider the impacts of change itself. Change over time is certain; just what it will be is uncertain. These changes will impact the physical, biological, and social dimensions of water resource systems. An essential aspect in the planning, design and management of sustainable systems is the anticipation of change. This includes change due to geomorphologic processes, to aging of infrastructure, to shifts in demands or desires of a changing society, and even due to increased variability of water supplies, possibly because of a changing climate. Change is an essential feature of sustainable water resources development and management.

Sustainable water resource systems are those designed and operated in ways that make them more adaptive, robust , and resilient to an uncertain and changing future. Sustainable water resource systems must be capable of effectively functioning under conditions of changing supplies, management objectives, and demands. Sustainable systems, like any others, may fail, but when they fail they must be capable of recovering and operating properly without undue costs.

In the face of certain changes, but with uncertain impacts, an evolving and adaptive strategy for water resources development, management, and use is a necessary condition of sustainable development. Conversely, inflexibility in the face of new information and new objectives and new social and political environments is an indication of reduced system sustainability. Adaptive management is a process of adjusting management actions and directions, as appropriate, in light of new information on the current and likely future condition of our total environment and on our progress toward meeting our goals and objectives. Water resources development and management decisions can be viewed as experiments, subject to modification—but with goals clearly in mind. Adaptive management recognizes the limitations of current knowledge and experience and that we learn by experimenting. It helps us move toward meeting our changing goals over time in the face of this incomplete knowledge and uncertainty. It accepts the fact that there is a continual need to review and revise management approaches because of the changing as well as uncertain nature of our socioeconomic and natural environments.

Changing the social and institutional components of water resource systems are often the most challenging because they involve changing the way individuals think and act. Any process involving change will require that we change our institutions—the rules under which we as a society function. Individuals are primarily responsible for, and adaptive to, changing political and social situations. Sustainability requires that public and private institutions also change over time in ways that are responsive to the needs of individuals and society.

Given the uncertainty of what future generations will want, and the economic, environmental, and ecological problems they will face, a guiding principle for the achievement of sustainable water resource systems is to provide options that allow future generations to alter such systems. One of the best ways to do this is to interfere as little as possible with the proper functioning of natural life cycles within river basins, estuaries, and coastal zones . Throughout the water resource system planning and management process, it is important to identify all the beneficial and adverse ecological, economic, environmental, and social effects—especially the long-term effects—associated with any proposed planning and management project.

1.7 Meeting the Planning and Management Challenges—A Summary

Planning (the formulation of development and management plans and policies) is an important and often indispensable means to support and improve operational management. Planning provides an opportunity to:

assess the current state of the water resources and the conflicts and priorities over their use, formulate visions, set goals and targets , and thus orient operational management,

provide a framework for organizing policy relevant research and public participation,

increase the legitimacy, public acceptance of, or even support for how the resources are to be allocated or controlled, especially in times of stress, and

facilitate the interaction, discussion, and coordination among managers and stakeholders, and generate a common point of reference—a management plan or policy.

Many of the concerns and issues being addressed by water resources planners and managers today are similar to those faced by planners and managers in the past. But some are different. Most of the new ones are the result of two trends: (1) a growing concern for the sustainability of natural ecosystems and (2) an increased recognition for the need of the bottom-up “grassroots” participatory approach to planning, managing, and decision-making.

Today planners work for economic development and prosperity as they did in the past, keeping in mind environmental impacts and goals as they have done in the past, but now recognizing ecological impacts and values as well. Water resources management may still be focused on controlling and mitigating the adverse impacts of floods and droughts and water pollution, on producing hydropower, on developing irrigation, on controlling erosion and sediment, and on promoting navigation , but only as these and similar activities are compatible with healthy ecosystems. Natural ecosystems generally benefit from the variability of natural hydrologic regimes. Other users prefer less variability. Much of our engineering infrastructure is operated so as to reduce hydrologic variability . Today water resource systems are increasing, required to provide rather than reduce hydrologic (and accompanying sediment load) variability. Reservoir operators, for example, can modify their water release policies to increase this variability. Farmers and land use developers must minimize rather than encourage land-disturbing activities. Floodplains may need to get wet occasionally. Rivers and streams may need to meander and fish species requiring habitats along the full length of rivers to complete their life cycles must have access to those habitats. Clearly these ecological objectives, added to all the other economic and environmental ones, can only compound the conflicts and issues with respect to land and water management and use.

So, how can we manage all this conflict and uncertainty? We know that water resources planning and management should be founded on sound science, efficient public program administration, and broad participation of stakeholders . Yet obtaining each of these three conditions is a difficult challenge. While the natural and social sciences can help us predict the economic, environmental, and ecological impacts of alternative decisions, those predictions are never certain. In addition, these sciences offer no help in determining the best decision to make in the face of multiple conflicting goals held by multiple stakeholders—goals that have changed, and no doubt will continue to change. Water resources planning and management and decision-making are not as easy as “we professionals can tell you what to do. All you need is the will to do it.” Very often it is not clear what should be done. Professionals administering the science, often from public agencies, nongovernmental organizations, or even from universities, are merely among all the stakeholders having an interest in and contributing to the management of water.

Each governmental agency, consulting firm, environmental interest group, and citizen typically has its own limitations, authorities, expertise and conflicts with other people, agencies and organizations, all tending to detract from achieving a fully integrated approach to water resources planning and management. But just because of this, the participation and contributions of all these stakeholders are needed. They must come together in a partnership if indeed an integrated approach to water resources planning and management is to be achieved and sustained. All views must be heard, considered, and acted upon by all involved in the water resources planning and management process.

Water resources planning and management is not simply the application and implementation of science. It is creating a social environment that gets all of us who should be involved, from the beginning, in a continuing planning process. This process is one of

educating ourselves about how our systems work and function,

identifying existing or potential options and opportunities for enhancement and resource development and use,

resolving the inevitable problems and conflicts that will result over who gets what and when and who pays who for what and when,

making and implementing decisions, and finally of

monitoring the impacts of those decisions.

This process is repeated as surprises or new opportunities or new knowledge dictates.

Successful water resources planning and management requires the active participation of all community institutions involved in economic development and resource management. How can this begin at the local stakeholder level? How does anyone get others interested in preventing problems before those problems are apparent, or especially before “unacceptable” solutions are offered to deal with them? And how do you deal with the inevitable group or groups of stakeholders who see it in their best interest not to participate in the planning process, but to just criticize it from the outside? Who is in a position at the local level to provide that leadership and needed financial support? In some regions, nongovernmental institutions have been instrumental in initiating and coordinating this process at local grassroot levels .

Water resources planning and management processes should identify a vision that guides development and operational activities in the affected region. Planning and management processes should

recognize and address the goals and expectations of the region’s stakeholders,

identify and respond to the region’s water-related problems,

function effectively within the region’s legal/institutional frameworks,

accommodate both short- and long-term issues,

generate a diverse menu of alternatives ,

integrate the biotic and abiotic parts of the basin,

take into account the allocation of water for all needs, including those of natural systems,

be stakeholder-driven,

take a global perspective,

be flexible and adaptable,

drive regulatory processes, not be driven by them,

be the basis for policy making,

foster coordination among planning partners and consistency among related plans,

be accommodating of multiple objectives,

be a synthesizer, recognize and deal with conflicts, and

produce recommendations that can be implemented.

All too often integrated planning processes are hampered by the separation of planning, management and implementing authorities, turf-protection attitudes, shortsighted focusing of efforts, lack of objectivity on the part of planners, and inadequate funding. These deficiencies need addressing if integrated holistic planning and management is to be more than just something to write about.

Effective water resources planning and management is a challenge today, and will be an increasing challenge into the foreseeable future. This book introduces some of the tools that are being used to meet these challenges. We consider it only a first step toward becoming an accomplished planner or manager.

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How would you define “Integrated Water Resources Management” and what distinguishes it from “Sustainable Water Resources Management”?

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Comment on the common practice of governments giving aid to those in drought or flood areas without any incentives to alter land use management practices in anticipation of the next drought or flood.

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Identify and briefly describe the six greatest rivers in the world.

Identify some of the major water resource management issues in the region where you live. What management alternatives might effectively reduce some of the problems or provide additional economic, environmental, or social benefits.

Describe some water resource systems consisting of various interdependent natural, physical, and social components. What are the inputs to the systems and what are their outputs? How did you decide what to include in the system and what not to include?

Sustainability is a concept applied to renewable resource management. In your words define what that means and how it can be used in a changing and uncertain environment both with respect to water supplies and demands. Over what space and timescales is it applicable, and how can one decide whether or not some plan or management policy will be sustainable? How does this concept relate to the adaptive management concept?

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Loucks, D.P., van Beek, E. (2017). Water Resources Planning and Management: An Overview. In: Water Resource Systems Planning and Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44234-1_1

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Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

Water is a key driver of economic and social development while it also has a basic function in maintaining the integrity of the natural environment. However water is only one of a number of vital natural resources and it is imperative that water issues are not considered in isolation.

Managers, whether in the government or private sectors, have to make difficult decisions on water allocation. More and more they have to apportion diminishing supplies between ever-increasing demands. Drivers such as demographic and climatic changes further increase the stress on water resources. The traditional fragmented approach is no longer viable and a more holistic approach to water management is essential.

This is the rationale for the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach that has now been accepted internationally as the way forward for efficient, equitable and sustainable development and management of the world's limited water resources and for coping with conflicting demands.

Stages in IWRM planning and implementation Graph

Stages in IWRM planning and implementation

There are great differences in water availability from region to region - from the extremes of deserts to tropical forests. In addition there is variability of supply through time as a result both of seasonal variation and inter-annual variation. All too often the magnitude of variability and the timing and duration of periods of high and low supply are not predictable; this equates to unreliability of the resource which poses great challenges to water managers in particular and to societies as a whole. Most developed countries have, in large measure, artificially overcome natural variability by supply-side infrastructure to assure reliable supply and reduce risks, albeit at high cost and often with negative impacts on the environment and sometimes on human health and livelihoods. Many less developed countries, and some developed countries, are now finding that supply-side solutions alone are not adequate to address the ever increasing demands from demographic, economic and climatic pressures; waste-water treatment, water recycling and demand management measures are being introduced to counter the challenges of inadequate supply.

In addition to problems of water quantity there are also problems of water quality. Pollution of water sources is posing major problems for water users as well as for maintaining natural ecosystems.

In many regions the availability of water in both quantity and quality is being severely affected by climate variability and climate change, with more or less precipitation in different regions and more extreme weather events. In many regions, too, demand is increasing as a result of population growth and other demographic changes (in particular urbanization) and agricultural and industrial expansion following changes in consumption and production patterns. As a result some regions are now in a perpetual state of demand outstripping supply and in many more regions that is the case at critical times of the year or in years of low water availability.

  • Status Report on Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency Plans. UN-Water. 2008
  • Roadmapping for Advancing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Processes. UN-Water, GWP. 2007

What is "IWRM"?

IWRM is an empirical concept which was built up from the on-the-ground experience of practitioners. Although many parts of the concept have been around for several decades - in fact since the first global water conference in Mar del Plata in 1977 - it was not until after Agenda 21 and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 1992 in Rio that the concept was made the object of extensive discussions as to what it means in practice. The Global Water Partnership's definition of IWRM is widely accepted. It states: 'IWRM is a process which promotes the co-ordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.'

Source Integrated Water Resources Management in Action. WWAP, DHI Water Policy, UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment. 2009

UN initiatives that are helping to raise the issue...

  • UN-Water Task Force on Indicators, Monitoring and Reporting (2008-2010) In 2006 a Task Force on IWRM was created by UN-Water, with members drawn from UN-Water agencies and from partner organizations. In May 2008, the Task Force on IWRM completed its mandate when it presented the 'Status Report on Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency Plans' at the sixteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. In 2008, UN-Water combined the Task Force on IWRM and the Task Force on Monitoring to establish the Task Force on Indicators, Monitoring and Reporting.

To know more

Integrated Water Resources Management in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. European Union Water Initiative National Policy Dialogues progress report 2013.

IWRM at the river basin level

Introduction to the IWRM guidelines at river basin level

Cases from the regions

Roadmaps for water management in West Africa. Case studies from The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone. Development of IWRM Plans

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>> UN Documentation Centre on Water and Sanitation The UN Water Library provides access to water and sanitation related publications produced by the United Nations system. This virtual library is currently available in English and in Spanish but publications are accessible in different languages where available.-->

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"In the next twenty years, the world will need at least 50 per cent more food, 45 per cent more energy, 30 per cent more water and many millions of new jobs. Our challenge at Rio+20 and beyond is to take a holistic, integrated approach to these linked challenges ­ driving at the interrelations such that solutions to one problem translate into progress on all." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the occasion of International Mother Day, 22 April 2012

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International Water Resources Association

IWRA is excited to be collaborating with K-water (the Korea Water Resources Corporation) and water experts from around the world on the new Smart Water Management (SWM) Project.

What is smart water management.

Smart Water Management (SWM) uses Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and real-time data and responses as an integral part of the solution for water management challenges. SWM is becoming an area of increasing interest as governments from around the world integrate smart principles into their urban, regional and national strategies. The potential application of smart systems in water management is wide and includes solutions for water quality, water quantity, efficient irrigation, leaks, pressure and flow, floods, droughts and much more.

By applying SWM infrastructure such as sensors, smart meters, monitors, GIS and satellite mapping, and other data sharing tools to water management, real-time solutions can be implemented and broader networks can work together to reduce current water management challenges.

The Smart Water Management Project

To support the continued growth of SWM, IWRA is partnering with K-water (the Korea Water Resources Corporation) to better understand and promote the benefits of SWM solutions through the SWM Project. The main output of this collaboration will be the Smart Water Management Case Studies Report, which aims to promote the continued implementation of SWM by sharing the knowledge and insights gained by exemplary SWM projects from around the world.

Objectives of the SWM Project

• Promote the use of SWM for current water challenges • Showcase and provide insights from exemplary cases of SWM from around the world • Support future SWM projects by highlighting the enablers and barriers for SWM to decision makers • Identify the contribution SWM can offer in achieving the SDGs

Who is involved?

IWRA has received SWM case studies from over 25 countries from around the world as part of this project, and is currently finalising the selection of case studies for the Report. IWRA and K-water will work with the case studies leaders, and other experts interested in SWM to create the SWM Case Studies Report over the next year. While we are in the final stages of case study selection, IWRA is always interested in hearing about new SWM projects, and so encourage you to share your SWM stories with us at: [email protected]

project on water management

SWM Task Force

The Association was glad to launch the debut of IWRA’s Smart Water Management Task Force in 2017. With an open call for panellists, IWRA sought experts from around the world to join its SWM Task Force, to make a meaningful contribution to SWM through the SWM Project with K-water. The SWM Task Force is made up of selected IWRA members, supported by its Executive Board and Secretariat. Panellists will have the opportunity to:

  • Contribute to the new joint Smart Water Management Project, by reviewing and providing advice on exemplary SWM case studies currently being developed by water experts from 10 countries around the world.
  • Provide their input on the analysis of the cases to enable IWRA to share insights to the broader water community on how SWM can assist with resolving current water challenges and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals both effectively and efficiently.
  • Interact and create meaningful networks and relationships among IWRA members within their professional discipline, as well as to contribute to projects and initiatives that otherwise would be inaccessible for individual professionals in the field

As Smart Water Management is an immerging field, we were delighted to receive such interest in the project and the SWM Task Force from experts in a range of related water fields, with 22 applicants representing 12 countries from around the world, from both developing and more developed regions. These experts will bring their knowledge and skills in water resources management, technology, engineering, planning and policy to strengthen the Smart Water Management Project and share insights into this new and exciting field.

The following list includes the names of IWRA’s SWM Task Force Panellists: Henning Bjornlund, Sinafekesh Girma, Neil Grigg, Shaofeng Jia, Blanca Jiménez Cisneros, Paul Omondi Agwanda, Fernando Ortiz Westendarp, Mary Trudeau and Muhammad Wajid Ijaz. 

More information on the Panellists [expand]

  • Henning Bjornlund (Australia) – Research Professor of Water Policy and Management at the University of South Australia. Henning is also a board member of IWRA and the chair of its Science, Technology and Publication Committee. He is representing that committee on the Task Force. For the last four years he has focused his research on improving the productivity and profitability of small-scale irrigators in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania by introducing Agricultural Innovation Platforms and simple to use tools to monitor soil moisture and nutrients. This work will continue for the next four years. His past research has focused on analysing water markets and their operations, impact and design in Australia and wider water sharing policies in Alberta, Canada.
  • Sinafekesh Girma (Ethiopia) – Civil Engineer, currently completing a graduate degree in Integrated Water Resource management at the University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, Germany. She is a DAAD full scholarship holder in perusing her graduate studies. Sinafekesh has a Civil Engineering degree from Addis Ababa Institute of technology and has been working on Rainwater harvesting systems in dry areas of Kenya with Africa Water Bank and WASH project in a refugee camp with Norwegian Church Aid in Ethiopia. She is interested in SWM to broaden water management knowledge and contribute to the successful implementation of the project.
  • Neil Grigg (United States) – Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University. His teaching and research focus on water resources, infrastructure and utilities, especially on management and governance issues. He studies smart water systems as applied by sensors and decision logic to water infrastructure systems. He has also been Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources and Director of the Division of Environmental Management for North Carolina, as well as director of the state water institute. His recent books include Integrated Water Resources Management (Macmillan); Infrastructure Finance: The Business of Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future; and the Water Business: From the Global Environment to Your Tap (Wiley).
  • Shaofeng Jia (China) – Deputy Director of the Centre for Water Resources Research, China & Professor at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Science. His research of water resources management includes assessment under changing environments, planning, economics, institutions and governance. He has consulted for the Ministry of China Government, the World Bank, the World Resources Institute, Conservation International, the Nature Conservancy and other domestic and international organisations. His other roles include Chair of the Department of Water Resources Research, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Vice Chair of Special Committee for Water Resources, the Hydraulic Engineering Society of China, Board Member of China Society of Territory Economists, Editorial Board Member of Water International and Journal of Economics of Water Resources. He has authored more than 200 papers and 8 books.
  • Blanca Jiménez Cisneros – Director, Water Sciences and Secretary, International Hydrological Program-IHP, UNESCO. Blanca is an Environmental Engineer with a Master and PhD degree in water management. Her fields of expertise include climate change, urban water and environmental sciences. She has 35 years in academia (as a full professor of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM), government and international organisations. She currently has 192 research and innovation projects under her responsibility and has received several honours and awards including the Mexican National Science and Arts Prize in Technology and Design (2009), the Global Water Award granted by the International Water Association (IWA) (2010) and in 2017 was elected as the best environmental engineer in Mexico. She has over 487 publications in scientific journals, books and conferences has been an author of Mexican and international standards and patents on water.
  • Paul Omondi Agwanda (Kenya) – Former Manager for Asset Development and Management at the Lake Victoria South Water Services Board, Kenya for 10 years. He is a Civil Engineer with over 10 years’ experience in planning and development of water supply and sanitation infrastructure and technical assistance programs. Currently, he pursues Master in Water Resources Development and Management at Sungkyunkwan University, in South Korea. His focus and interest include Ubiquitous Urban Water Management, Smart Water Grid Planning and Integrated Water Resource Management for sustainable urban settlements. He brings on board to the Task Force practical experience in water supply environment in developing countries coupled with an academic research perspective.
  • Fernando Ortiz Westendarp (Mexico) – Project Manager Professional (PMP) and Civil Engineer with over 25 years of experience in water and wastewater projects in the USA, México and Central America. He holds a graduate degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin and is currently a Program Manager at the North American Development Bank. In his current capacity he has been involved in innovative initiatives such as Energy Efficiency, Results Measurement and Project Impact Assessment, Green Infrastructure, Process Mapping and Risk Assessment, among others. He has ample experience advising water utilities on technical, financial and management strategies and has recently been involved in an ambitious effort in Northern México developing a group collaboration strategy to improve water utilities management practices through capacity building in energy efficiency.
  • Mary Trudeau (Canada) – Director of Envirings Incorporated, a private sector consultancy providing policy and program advice on a range of water and climate adaptation issues to government and non-government organizations. She is an experienced urban water infrastructure manager and professional engineer in Ontario, Canada. She earned a PhD researching urban hydrology and associations with aquatic biodiversity decline. She is passionate about building capacity to meet the growing challenges for a sustainable future and sees smart water management as one of the ways to deploy human resources and ingenuity to this purpose.
  • Muhammad Wajid Ijaz (Pakistan) – Environmental Protection Agency, Pakistan since 2011. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in environmental engineering at U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water and has various technical publications at his credit. Muhammad holds an M.Sc. degree in Water Resources Engineering from Center of Excellence in Water Resources Engineering, Lahore with a background in agricultural engineering. Recently, he has developed a multi-sensor based framework for the integrated assessment of landscape evolution under regulated fluvial regimes and its turn effect over hydrogeomorphology and water quality of the Indus Delta system. He also takes part in outreach activities from the platform of Society of Water Managers, Youth Parliament of Pakistan, Radio Pakistan and special writings in the national newspapers.

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Water Management Plans and Best Practices at EPA

Through a combination of strategic planning, project execution and conservation efforts, EPA has been able to reduce water intensity over the past several years.

EPA Water Management Plans

Water management plans help individual facilities set long- and short-term water conservation goals. EPA currently has 20 signed water management plans.

Learn more about EPA’s water management plans .

Top 10 Water Management Techniques

Following are the top 10 water best management practices that EPA has implemented to reduce water use at facilities throughout the agency.

  • Meter/Measure/Manage
  • Optimize Cooling Towers
  • Replace Restroom Fixtures
  • Eliminate Single-Pass Cooling
  • Use Water-Smart Landscaping and Irrigation
  • Reduce Steam Sterilizer Tempering Water Use
  • Reuse Laboratory Culture Water
  • Control Reverse Osmosis System Operation
  • Recover Rainwater
  • Recover Air Handler Condensate

1. Meter/Measure/Manage

Metering and measuring facility water use help to analyze saving opportunities. This also assures the equipment is run correctly and maintained properly to help prevent water waste from leaks or malfunctioning mechanical equipment.

Photo of a cooling tower

A cooling tower at EPA’s Environmental Science Center in Fort Meade, Maryland

2. Optimize Cooling Towers

Cooling towers provide air conditioning for laboratories and are large consumers of water. Cooling tower operations can be optimized by carefully controlling the ratio of water discharged (blowdown) to water evaporated. The ratio of evaporation to blowdown is called the cycle of concentration. For maximum water efficiency, cooling towers should be operated at six or more cycles of concentration. Metering water put into and discharged from the cooling tower ensures the cooling tower is operating properly and can help identify leaks or other malfunctions.

  • The Environmental Science Center  in Fort Meade, Maryland, saved 530,000 gallons of water by reducing its cooling tower blowdown.

3. Replace Restroom Fixtures

The U.S. Department of Energy established federal water-efficiency standards in the 1990s. Prior to that, most EPA facilities had inefficient sanitary fixtures. For example, toilets used 3.5 gallons per flush (gpf). Nearly all EPA laboratories have since installed water-efficient fixtures, many of which have earned EPA’s WaterSense ® label for efficiency and performance. These include:

  • New toilets with flow rates of 1.28 or 1.6 gpf.
  • WaterSense labeled urinals flushing at 0.5 gpf or less.
  • WaterSense labeled showerheads flowing at 2.0 gallons per minute (gpm) or less.

Faucet aerators flowing at 0.5 gpm, well below the 2.2 gpm federal standard, have also been installed in most laboratories.

4. Eliminate Single-Pass Cooling

Single-pass cooling circulates a continuous flow of water just once through the system for cooling purposes before it goes down the drain. EPA strives to eliminate single-pass cooling in its laboratories. Instead, facilities have air-cooled or recirculating chilled water systems.

  • The National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, replaced its single-pass cooling system with a recirculated chilled water loop. This cut water use 80 percent, saving the laboratory 24.8 million gallons of water annually.

5. Use Water-Smart Landscaping and Irrigation

Planting native and drought-tolerant plant species minimizes the need for supplemental irrigation. Landscape water use can also be reduced 10 to 20 percent by having an irrigation water audit. EPA selects audit professionals certified through a WaterSense labeled program. WaterSense labeled weather-based irrigation controllers or soil moisture sensors are used to water only when plants need it.

6. Control Steam Sterilizer Water

Steam sterilizers use cooling water to temper steam condensate discharge from the sterilizer to the laboratory drain. Many older sterilizers discharge a continuous flow of tempering water to the drain, even when it is not needed. EPA has retrofitted sterilizers with a tempering water control kit or replaced old steam sterilizers with models that only apply tempering water when needed.

  • The Pacific Ecological Systems Division Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, installed tempering water control valves on its sterilizers. This has saved approximately 1.5 million gallons of water annually.

7. Reuse Laboratory Culture Water

Aerial photo of EPA’s Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division Laboratory and the coast of Lake Superior

EPA’s Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division Laboratory pumps water from Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota.

Several EPA laboratories require water for aquatic culture research. In some cases, culture water is pumped into laboratory specimen tanks from local bodies of water, such as lakes or bays. It is then discharged into the sewer or treated and returned to the body of water.

  • The  EPA’s Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division Laboratory in Duluth, Minnesota, uses approximately 35 to 40 gallons per minute of Lake Superior water for its laboratory research.

8. Control Reverse Osmosis System Operation

Up to 10 percent of a laboratory’s water consumption can be related to the multi-step process of generating deionized (DI) purified water through reverse osmosis (RO). Water savings can be achieved by carefully regulating purified water generation rates to meet laboratory demand and making sure that systems are sized accordingly.

  • EPA's Environmental Science Center in Fort Meade, Maryland, saves approximately 1.5 million gallons of water by reducing DI/RO system operation from 24 hours per day to 12 hours per day.

9. Recover Rainwater

Schematic of a rooftop rainwater recovery system superimposed on EPA’s laboratory

View a larger version of this image . A rooftop rainwater recovery system at EPA’s Region 7 Science and Technology Center in Kansas City, Kansas

Recovery systems capture rainwater from the roof and redirect it to a storage tank. This water is used for flushing toilets, supplying cooling towers and irrigating the landscape.

  • The Region 7 Science and Technology Center in Kansas City, Kansas, has incorporated a state-of-the-art rooftop rainwater recovery system that has the potential to save the laboratory more than 300,000 gallons of water per year.

10. Recover Air Handler Condensate

Air conditioning units produce condensate water from the cooling coils. Many EPA laboratories are capturing this water for use as cooling tower make-up water.

  • The Region 4 Laboratory Services and Applied Science Division Laboratory  in Athens, Georgia, captures 400,000 gallons of condensate from three rooftop air handlers and routes it to the facility cooling tower.

For more information on water-saving best practices, please see the resources available from:

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  • EPA WaterSense at Work: Best Management Practices for Commercial and Institutional Facilities
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IoT-based Water Management System: Benefits & Solutions

Smart Water Management Using IoT

Could you imagine two-thirds of the world’s population experiencing water scarcity by 2025? In response to this inevitable issue, IoT water management emerged as a viable solution. It aims to optimize water infrastructure, reduce pollution, and promote effective resource usage.

Companies worldwide increasingly invest in smart water management, pushing this market from $14.3 billion in 2021 to $53.6 billion in 2031. Businesses leverage IoT sensors and IoT devices to monitor their water distribution networks, facilitating the preservation of resources.

Today, WebbyLab will go into a smart water management system using IoT and its benefits in greater detail. We’ll show the real-life applications of such solutions , using our projects like the 2Smart Standalone automation platform as an example.

project on water management

The user interface of the 2Smart Standalone automation platform.

What is IoT Smart Water Management?

IoT-based water management system is a process of planning, allocating, and monitoring water resources and maintaining related equipment like pipes and pumps through IoT hardware and software.

IoT-enabled water management systems use sensors , controllers , meters, and other devices connected to mobile, web apps, and data processing and analysis tools . All this creates a platform for efficient water supply management, freshwater quality checking, pollution detection, and more.

How does a smart water management system work? IoT devices and sensors attached to the pipes and pumps collect real-time data on water temperature, level, flow, etc. Then, they transmit this data via the Internet to a cloud server for further processing and analysis . The insights obtained contribute to proper water resources management and equipment maintenance.

Main Benefits of IoT Water Management Systems

The Internet of Things in smart water management works well for various stakeholders, including businesses, governments, and consumers. It facilitates sustainability and efficiency and provides valuable insights into water resources and associated equipment. Other benefits of IoT-powered smart water management systems for agriculture are as follows:

Real-Time Water Consumption Analysis

IoT water management systems leverage numerous sensors that collect real-time insights on how resources are used. These devices transmit the gathered data to the user’s application online . This information empowers analysis of consumption patterns and encourages more rational water consumption.

Reduced Equipment Maintenance Expenses

The water industry involves various equipment and machinery that has to be maintained. By attaching IoT devices to storage tanks, pipes, pumps, treatment plants , and other assets, companies can reduce maintenance expenses with constant monitoring and automation techniques .

Transparency and Better Communication Among Stakeholders

IoT in the water supply chain will make all processes transparent by collecting real-time information. All stakeholders can view that data, mitigating misunderstandings, improving performance, and making better business decisions.

Remote Monitoring

Industrial IoT monitoring systems connected to the water supply chain allow stakeholders to manage their equipment and water networks remotely. Like WebbyLab’s 2Smart Standalone, combined with the 2Smart Cloud platform , enables monitoring the water system from anywhere there is the Internet.

Kostiantyn Oliynyk

Helped dozens of startups create effective IOT products.

Automation and Optimized Human Resources Use

Internet of Things water management solutions allow businesses to automate numerous procedures that require manual intervention. The scope of automated processes varies by industry , but some may include automatic water supply or dynamic pricing based on water resources used.

Reduced Risks

IoT devices for water management systems allow for data collection and analysis , which enables businesses to forecast issues and respond to them instantly. For example, they can use IoT systems to check water quality and identify contamination before it becomes hazardous.

IoT Solutions in Water Management Systems

There are various use cases of IoT water management solutions.  Let’s consider the main ones.

Smart Irrigation

These IoT-based systems enable on-demand irrigation . They leverage sensors that check soil temperature and humidity, analyze weather forecasts , consider the watering calendar, and suggest the perfect irrigation strategy based on the collected data. Our 2Smart Standalone platform supports smart irrigation features , achieving the best plant health and yields.

Water System Integrity

Other solutions in IoT smart water management include sensors that track damage in pipes and other assets. They help prevent leakages and water resource waste. There are plenty of such devices on the market, and Strips Drip by Sensative water leak and temperature sensor is one of them.

Smart Water Monitoring

Smart water monitoring systems include the water system integrity and irrigation features mentioned above. They also involve sensors for determining water quality, telemetry devices, tools for tracking rainwater, etc. All this enables water monitoring and subsequent effective decision-making based on the collected data. Our 2Smart Standalone solution is an example of such a system, as its architecture allows for connecting various water monitoring sensors via any protocol .

Smart Water Management

A smart water management system using IoT technology includes various water monitoring devices and sensors combined with advanced data analytics tools. These can be smart metering, user dashboards, and custom solutions for water management automation. For example, 2Smart Standalone enables the creation of limitless automation scenarios like smart irrigation , leakage detection, or support of the required water condition parameters.

Adjusting the greenhouse settings through a mobile app

Managing the greenhouse parameters via a mobile app.

Use Cases of Smart Water Management Systems Using IoT

Applying IoT water management solutions in many sectors – from agriculture to urban management. Let’s look at some real-life examples of these technologies .

Rain and Stormwater Management

IoT sensors placed in stormwater drains and sewer systems monitor water flow rates and quality. Based on the collected data, it’s possible to optimize drainage systems and prevent flooding during heavy rainfall.

Alternatively, stormwater management systems can help protect watersheds from pollution and control stormwater release. That’s what smart pond technology in Baltimore does. This solution uses AWS cloud-based tech to manage rainwater and leverages real-time weather forecasts and data from the pond itself to adjust water release accordingly.

Water Treatment Plants

IoT in water treatment plants streamlines water purification processes. Sensors measuring water quality parameters like turbidity, pH, and pollutant levels help plant operators ensure that runoff meets regulatory standards. Companies like Veolia provide water treatment solutions that use IoT.

Flood Management

Deploying water level sensors in flood-prone areas, rivers, and drainage systems can help detect floods. Combined with ML algorithms that analyze historical weather and sensor data, authorities can predict natural disasters and react timely. The Dutch Flood Protection Programme is a decent example of leveraging IoT and other innovations for flood defense.

Greenhouses and Agriculture

Implementing smart watering of plants in greenhouses or agricultural facilities on a scheduled basis, guided by soil quality sensor data, helps to improve crop cultivation and conserve water resources. This approach also facilitates timely fertilization by analyzing water composition and delivering nutrients to plants and soil as necessary. A smart greenhouse that WebbyLab deployed based on the 2Smart Standalone automation system offers even more than that — it monitors heating, ventilation, and lighting as well.

WebbyLab Can Help with IoT-based Smart Water Management Solutions

WebbyLab has been building IoT apps and devices since 2011. During this time, we delivered many IoT-based water management systems like 2Smart Standalone , IoT solutions for HVAC like SmartHeat , and IoT energy management solutions like MyBox . All of this with the help of the Internet of Things.

Our company can handle smart water management using IoT project of any complexity. We strictly follow our client’s requirements to achieve the best results.

Using 2Smart Standalone for Smart Water Management

Our 2Smart Standalone is an all-in-one home and industrial automation platform . You can use it to perform various tasks in IoT-enabled smart water management, owing to its flexible architecture that enables connecting any IoT sensors and devices.

Connecting various IoT devices and sensors to the 2Smart Standalone platform

Connecting various IoT devices and sensors to the 2Smart Standalone platform.

This platform supports numerous custom automation scenarios and models , some of which may include the following:

  • Monitoring water quality
  • Supervising the infrastructure and equipment
  • Sending notifications if the system parameters are outside the configured limits, e.g., deteriorated water quality, leakage detection
  • Enabling smart irrigation based on soil state, weather forecast, and irrigation calendar
  • Maintaining the necessary parameters of the water’s state in a habitable artificial reservoir

On top of that, 2Smart Standalone is a scalable solution, so it may help to maintain one or multiple sites simultaneously. The system operator, in turn, can effortlessly view and manage necessary parameters through the configurable dashboard. All historical data is stored in the database, which an operator can access through the Grafana web app.

You can also find more IoT projects in our portfolio .

Learn more about how we engage and what our experts can do for your business

Written by:

Kostiantyn Oliynyk

Head of IoT at Webbylab

Kostiantyn started his career in IT at Webbylab, where he quickly grew from the position of a tester to the role of a manager and business analyst. When the company’s management decided to develop the IoT direction, Kostia became one of its key figures.

IoT devices for water management and sensors help collect real-time data on the water supply system. The insights gathered can then be applied for more efficient use of resources and process automation.

It leverages advanced IoT sensors attached to the equipment. Thus, IoT-powered systems allow for the fast transmission of data, helping businesses mitigate risks associated with water pollution and generally make more effective decisions on water management.

An IoT intelligent water management system for irrigation typically leverages soil moisture, rain, water flow, and weather sensors.

Such a system helps determine and adjust water levels remotely and detect leakages. It’s beneficial since it requires less manual labor, saves costs, and sends notifications if some parameters are not within the normal range.

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Smart Water Management with IoT: Key Application Areas

smart water management using iot

It’s easier to understand climate change when you experience challenges yourself. Consider unpredictable water supply, worsening water scarcity, and water pollution. Whether you’re an agricultural firm or city administration, all these affect you. And if you’re looking to become more efficient and boost your green credentials , you might not know where to turn.

This is where smart water management using IoT could make all the difference.

Among the many benefits of IoT technology, it helps keep water quality high. Smart sensors can provide peace of mind that equipment like pumps and pipelines is highly functional, and with IoT services , you can dispose of wastewater safely and in line with regulations.

Let's take a closer look at the most common real-world examples that illustrate the impressive advantages of smart water management systems.

Smart City Water Management

City administrators need to keep a close eye on water supply, consumption, and equipment. With IoT, the whole water supply chain can become more transparent and easier to control.

With the help of sensors, a smart city water management system can enable you to collect real-time data—information that helps you visualize water distribution across the network. Residents with smart meters can make more informed decisions as a result, leading to a more sustainable city overall .

Water waste and disrupted water supply chains are a drain on the city’s budget. IoT can help you watch the health of water equipment and detect problems, like leaks in pipes. This allows operators to receive alerts and start fixing issues immediately. In the meantime, AI predictions allow you to nip problems in the bud by preventing failures before they cause severe incidents. With AI, city administrators can also watch the watershed and predict which areas are likely to flood, information that will help local authorities warn residents, manage traffic, and keep the city on its feet.

smart water management

Real-World Example: Smart Irrigation of City Parks

Cartagena, a city in Columbia, has smart irrigation in its municipal parks and gardens. The solution calculates the amount of water each area needs depending on the state of the soil, weather forecast, and irrigation calendar. If something goes wrong, such as a leak, the authorities are alerted right away and they’re even shown the location.

Main benefits

  • Better transparency in water management
  • Fewer incidents
  • Enhanced control over the water supply
  • Saved city budget
  • Improved city sustainability

Water Quality Management System

Watching the quality of water that comes into our houses is crucial. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs may contain contaminants that are dangerous to us, and the increasing world population combined with urbanization has also worsened water quality. In our changing world, IoT can help monitor and analyze distributed water and ensure it complies with regulatory standards.

A water quality management system using IoT can deal with quality issues effectively. You only need to consider a simple comparison to appreciate the difference: Without IoT, water samples need to be collected and analyzed manually. This process is costly and time-consuming because it requires large equipment and an expensive workforce. In contrast, IoT sensors can measure a variety of parameters like temperature and turbidity. Operators receive regular data from multiple samples, enabling them to remotely perform quality control on water reserves.

Real-Life Example: Watching the Quality of River Water

A solution from Ericsson and AT&T monitors water quality for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, where four million citizens get drinking water from the Chattahoochee River. IoT helps authorities check the quality of water, while sensors measure its conductivity, turbidity, temperature, and thermometry.

  • Increased water quality
  • Saved budget on manual analysis of water samples
  • Smaller workforce involved
  • Remote quality control
  • Compliance with regulatory requirements

BA-cta

Water Level Monitoring and Dam Management

Dams bring water to livestock and irrigation and supply many industries. They also play a pivotal role in flood control and can assist river navigation, so it’s crucial that dams and reservoirs function properly and their water levels are safe. The trouble is that traditional monitoring methods are time-consuming and complex.

Water level monitoring and management of dams using IoT can improve this, using ultrasonic, vibration, and pressure sensors to help monitor dam function. With pressure sensors, in particular, you can detect leaks in pipes and receive instant alerts. Predictive technologies ensure dam operators get early warnings and are able to keep watch over water availability in each reservoir. This may be particularly helpful for irrigation.

A smart solution can also give you remote control over the movement of gates, so there’s no need to send staff to the site in severe weather conditions like floods or storms. If the water reaches a certain level, the system can decide to open or close the gate.

Real-Life Example: Smart Dam Monitoring

A ThingsLog level monitoring solution helps dam owners in Bulgaria to manage more than 100 dams in the region. IoT sensors remotely watch water levels at each dam site. The system sends instant alerts if flooding is possible. With smart capabilities, there’s no need to send staff to measure water levels on site. The system even has pre-programmed formulas that replace manual calculations.

  • Real-time water level monitoring
  • Better dam functionality
  • Enhanced dam reliability
  • Faster decision-making
  • Saved time and resources
  • No human involvement

Smart Water Management for Agriculture

The world population has exploded in recent decades, and more people mean more food. But that’s not the only thing that’s new. Food consumption patterns have also changed, leading to increased global crop production that requires savvy water usage. Water scarcity can negatively affect yields as much as water oversupply. IoT is helping to make this process more efficient and smart than ever before.

A smart water management system for agriculture using IoT can improve crop fields providing farmers with the oversight they need to avoid water waste. Sensors monitor multiple parameters, like temperature, humidity, and soil moisture to calculate how much water crops need. These sensors are connected to the field and sprinkler in sprinkler irrigation systems, and farmers receive regular updates on their smartphones.

With AI on board, you can plan agricultural activities wisely and in advance. Crop water management using IoT helps farmers use less water to grow the same amount of crops. The technology also enables them to use less fertilizer, save energy on pumping less water, and save time and money on labor. IoT solutions also make it possible to see the water level in tanks.

Real-Life Example: Smart Irrigation Management

The Galileo System from Galcon aids and optimizes irrigation in open farmlands and greenhouses. An open-field version has about 200 irrigation programs. Farmers can watch up to 50 main irrigation lines, change flow intensity, and schedule their activities. What’s more, the software shows a realistic picture of the watered field.

  • Boosted productivity of agricultural activities
  • Better quality of products
  • Prevented water waste
  • More efficient use of water, fertilizer, and energy
  • Automated activities
  • Optimized farm labor

Perspectives

With such expansive and varied use cases, the potential of smart water technologies is clear to see. We also have optimistic estimates on the global smart water management market value which is developing rapidly.

The global smart water management market

Some of the key factors driving this market include new laws and regulations on reduced water consumption that aim to meet sustainability objectives. Water-related standards, in particular, ensure local authorities and water suppliers provide safe and high-quality water. For example, the Safe Drinking Water Act sets the standards for drinking water quality in the US. IoT technology will help companies comply with this and many other regulations while achieving sustainability goals.

IoT smart water management brings transparency and optimized control to the whole water supply chain, helping industries and cities use healthy water efficiently and follow regulations. With IoT capabilities, you can even collect and recycle wastewater.

If you need a trusted consultant to assist you in optimizing water production, distribution, and consumption, Softeq is here to help. We have unrivaled expertise in hardware design, software, and embedded system developments, all under one roof.

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  • Water Management

You know that there is a scarcity of water, but do you know how to save water? What is Water Management? Why is it necessary to save water? Let’s find out more about Water Management.

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Introduction.

Water management is the activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of  water resources. Water is a basic necessity. No living creature can live without water. There’s a scarcity of water. To avoid this scarcity, water is saved and managed efficiently.

Water Management

Ways to Save Water

Some of the ways to save water are as follows :

  • Rainwater harvesting:  It is a method of collection and storage of rainwater into natural reservoirs or tanks or the infiltration of surface water into subsurface aquifers.
  • Groundwater harvesting:  Groundwater harvesting is a method to save water placed under the ground to control the groundwater flow in an aquifer and to raise the water table.
  • Drip irrigation:  Drip irrigation is a type of irrigation which that saves water and fertilizer by dripping water slowly to the roots of various crops, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. This saves more water than the traditional watering method.
  • Rainwater harvesting:  Rainwater harvesting is the accumulation and deposition of rainwater for reuse on-site, rather than allowing it to run off. Here, rainwater is stored for further use.
  • Water-wise habits:  There are various wise habits to conserve water. Like during washing clothes we can utilize wise techniques to save water. Fixing leaky taps. Keeping the tap closed while brushing, taking a quick shower instead of long baths are a few examples of saving water.

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Questions For You

Q1. Water harvesting is done by ____________ processes.

  • Groundwater
  • Option a and option b
  • None of the above

Sol. The correct answer is the option ‘c’. Water harvesting means storing rain where it falls or storing the runoff in your own village or town. And taking measures to keep that water clean by not allowing polluting activities to take place in our locality.

  • Bawri was the traditional way of collecting water.
  • With time the bawris fell into disuse and garbage started piling in these reservoirs.
  • Because of the acute water shortage, people in these areas have had to rethink. The bawris are being revived
  • All of the above.

The correct answer is the option ”d”. All of the following is true. Bawri was the traditional way of collecting water.  with time the bawris fell into disuse and garbage started piling in these reservoirs. Because of the acute water shortage, people in these areas have had to rethink. The bawris are being revived.

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Smart Water Management with IoT: Key Solutions and Benefits

IoT Smart Water Management

In the era of global digitalization, water scarcity, and poor water quality remain pressing issues in many regions of the world. These problems, combined with the need to wisely use existing water resources, are prompting the development and implementation of smart water management solutions.

In 2022, the smart water management market size was around $15.6 billion. With a projected CAGR of 11.5% from 2023 to 2032, this figure is expected to exceed $45 billion by 2032.

iot smart water management

In this article, we’d like to explain the peculiarities of such solutions and their role in the modern world. 

What are smart water management systems?

The concept of water management presupposes the implementation of a complex of measures for controlling water quality and organizing the efficient use of water resources. A smart water management system is based on the combination of IoT, AI, and big data technologies that help achieve the set goals by gathering and processing real-time data related to water distribution. 

A smart water management system is typically built to cover such processes and activities as developing, planning, and monitoring the use of water resources in various sectors, including manufacturing, farming, agriculture, urban infrastructure, etc.

Thanks to such solutions, farmers, businesses, and utility operators have the possibility to measure, evaluate, and track not only the way water is distributed but also the water quality. As a result, such monitoring can also help to timely detect water pollution and address tech issues that can lead to water waste.

How does a water management system work?

Smart water management has become possible to a greater extent thanks to progress in the IoT (Internet of Things) sphere. Water monitoring is performed with the help of multiple sensors and microcontrollers, including but not limited to flow, ultrasonic, salinity, temperature, conductivity, pressure, humidity, and luminosity sensors. These devices should be installed on pumps and pipes for measuring various parameters that can provide valuable insights into water quality, water distribution, water pollution,  and other important aspects.

For example, by getting the most relevant information about water levels and flow, authorities can be able to efficiently react to any dangerous changes detected.

All the data gathered by sensors and any message alerts generated by them are further transmitted to a cloud server over the Internet. On the server, the data should be processed and analyzed. Today, quite often developers apply AI tools that can detect patterns in the accumulated data, define any deviations from the norm, as well as make accurate predictions. After that, the processed data becomes available to employees of the relevant authorities or companies.

Smart water management benefits

Using IoT in water management brings a wide range of advantages and new opportunities.

  • Real-time water consumption analysis. Sensors can capture precise data and send it to the user’s dashboard. This information can be used to detect patterns in water consumption and to analyze water use in separate regions.
  • Remote monitoring. With the help of IoT solutions, water authorities can execute high-quality monitoring and make the best use of their human resources.
  • Predictive maintenance . Failures in the water supply chain or technical problems like pipe breaks can lead to financial losses and other serious consequences. But smart water systems can track factors that indicate the technical state of the equipment. If there is a deviation in patterns, relevant authorities and organizations will receive a notification and be able to address the problem in a timely way.
  • Feasibility of using water resources. Thanks to smart water management systems, it is possible to track when and how water is used and control its consumption. This point is especially relevant in farming, where smart irrigation tools are widely applied. 

Types of IoT-powered water management solutions

Achievements in the tech sphere allow developers to deliver smart water systems of different kinds and different levels of complexity. It’s challenging to enumerate all the existing types of such systems, but let’s focus at least on the most commonly applied ones.

Types of 
IoT-powered water management solutions

Smart water metering solutions

Smart water meters help measure water usage in real-time and send this information from consumers to providers. Such solutions not only facilitate water management but also increase the accuracy of billing.  

River water quality monitoring

These tools are intended for tracking water quality, especially in those rivers that serve as sources of drinking water. Smart sensors usually measure water’s temperature, turbidity, and portability.

Smart dam monitoring

Such systems are used to observe the water level in all sections of a dam. If the system detects any deviations from the norm, an alert will be automatically sent to the authorities.

Smart irrigation systems

These solutions are typically used in agriculture and can be a separate element of smart farming systems. Thanks to smart irrigation, farmers can optimize how they use water resources and avoid overuse. Sensors can estimate the soil moisture level and adjust the schedule of watering based on the results. Moreover, water quality can be also an important factor for the outcomes of farming activities and its monitoring will play a crucial role in overall productivity increase. 

Smart water leak detectors

Very often, water losses caused by fittings issues and pipe leakage stay unnoticed for quite a long time. This results in further damage to pipes and interruptions in the water supply. Thanks to IoT sensors, any issues of this kind can be detected in a timely way, which helps eliminate the possibility of more serious consequences.

Smart water resource control solutions

City administrators have to control water supply, equipment, and consumption. Technologies such as IoT can increase the visibility and transparency of the water supply chain. IoT sensors make it possible to get access to real-time data and advanced analytics, which can become a solid foundation for critical decisions.

Challenges in implementing smart water management

Creating a smart water system can help optimize water consumption and address the problem of water scarcity in many regions. Nevertheless, there are complicating factors.

  • Lack of standardization . There are no globally accepted standards used by developers of IoT systems for water management, which leads to issues with the compatibility and integration of tools offered by different vendors.
  • Problems with interoperability. This challenge is related to the previous one. IoT devices that can be used for building a single smart water system may be designed by different companies, meaning that it won’t always be possible to make them seamlessly interact with each other.
  • Limited network reach. When smart devices are installed in locations with a poor signal, such as basements, the system may not be able to ensure data exchange in real time.
  • High installation costs. This is a serious challenge in some regions, especially in developing countries where infrastructure development costs are disproportionately high.

Have an idea for a smart water management solution?

Our IoT development team is always open to new projects and is ready to help you.

The future of smart water management

IoT is a core technology for building water management systems. This technology allows developers to automate processes in the water supply chain and collect relevant and valuable data in real-time. But to maximize the effectiveness of IoT for water management, it’s sensible to use it in combination with other advanced technologies like AI and ML.

Role of AI and ML in smart water management

Thanks to AI and ML algorithms, such systems are able to analyze data from different sources to detect patterns and find areas of water waste or deteriorating water quality. AI-driven tools can help identify risks and prevent water leaks, a very important point for addressing water scarcity. Such systems can constantly monitor water flow and pressure and identify signs of a breakdown.

A smart water management system enriched with AI tools can also eliminate human error and increase the accuracy and reliability of water billing.

Water management solutions in smart cities

Smart water management solutions often become part of wider smart-city projects and are applied to monitoring water quality, irrigating city parks and green zones, controlling billing systems, and tracking the state of good repair in water equipment. 

These uses help to achieve a higher level of transparency in water management, reduce incidents, strengthen control over water resources, optimize city budget allocations, and enhance sustainability. With such weighty benefits, we can assume that investment in IoT-powered water management projects will gradually grow in the future.

Cogniteq’s experience in building IoT water management solutions

The portfolio of our team includes a lot of innovative IoT systems that today are being used by companies and organizations in various business domains. We’ll mention a couple of IoT solutions intended for automating water management.

The first is a flower pot equipped with IoT sensors. This smart pot allows users not only to create a schedule for automated watering but also to ensure optimal conditions for plants. The IoT sensors can monitor soil moisture, water storage level, lighting, and critical air quality factors. Our team was responsible for all the tasks related to realizing this project, including hardware development . We built custom water-level and soil-moisture sensors, as well as circuit boards used to collect the data received from sensors and send it to the cloud.

iot smart water management

The second example is a smart system we created for soil moisture monitoring. This system is one of the applications of IoT in agriculture developed specifically for dry regions. IoT sensors help create a moisture map of the chosen areas and can send signals to the irrigation system, enriched with docking stations.

iot smart water management

Thanks to continuous monitoring of soil moisture, water is delivered only when required. As a result, it’s possible to optimize the use of water resources while ensuring even and efficient irrigation.

Closing word

Smart solutions in managing water resources are gradually moving from the category of innovations to the category of industry standards. IoT has already proven its efficiency in water management. And developers who work with this technology have the important task of finding the most sophisticated and feasible ways of using these solutions in real life.

Thanks to our expertise in delivering high-quality  IoT development services to companies in various industries, we can cope even with the most challenging tasks. That’s why, if you have ideas for a smart water monitoring and management system, don’t hesitate to  contact us and get free estimates.

What is smart water management, and why is it important?

Smart water management involves using modern technologies to collect, share, and analyze data from water networks and equipment. All these efforts are aimed at increasing the sustainability, efficiency, security, and reliability of water systems.

How does smart water management technology work?

A typical smart water system is powered by a collection of sensors and controllers intended to be mounted on pumps or pipes. These elements can constantly track important factors such as water temperature, flow, and level, as well as the quality of water resources.

What are some examples of smart water management systems?

There are various use cases for IoT-powered water management. Some examples are smart irrigation systems installed in city parks and farms, systems for controlling the quality of drinking water, and solutions built for controlling the water level in rivers.

Related articles

The History of IoT

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What is the future of water in your California community?

To ensure a healthy and equitable water future for all, California needs inclusive water planning tools.

What is Coeqwal?

An invitation to communities with diverse water needs to envision the future of California’s water.

Collaborative research that advances science to explore new possibilities for water management.

Accessible, online tools to help us understand how we’ll support critical water needs in a changing climate.

An independent, publicly funded research project.

Winter 2024. Maven’s Notebook reports on COEQWAL , the Collaboratory for Equity in Water Allocation . The two-year project was recently funded by University of California’s Climate Impact Initative.

Why do we need coeqwal?

Insufficient water, diverse demands.

California has one of the largest systems in the world for moving water where and when we need it. However, between agriculture, cities, and the environment, there is not enough water to meet current demands during all years. Who decides how to divide and distribute our limited supply? COEQWAL will explore new ways of managing water to balance competing needs.

Climate change brings more extreme weather to California. We either get less water than we need or more water than we can manage. Rising sea levels push salt water further into the California Delta, putting our water supply at risk. Ecosystems, already in decline, face increasing stress. How can we adapt? COEQWAL will evaluate how our water system will respond to climate change and identify pathways to a sustainable, equitable, and resilient water future.

Climate Change Creates Further Challenges

Everyone needs a voice.

Computer models allow us to explore different possible futures. They help us make informed decisions about who gets water, where and when. But who decides what scenarios to consider? COEQWAL will elevate the voices of those historically excluded from decision making. Using a collaborative modeling approach, COEQWAL will develop scenarios reflecting the values and priorities of diverse community members, and work to ensure that model results are meaningful to the broadest possible audience.

“So much water is moved around California by so many different agencies that maybe only the movers themselves know on any given day whose water is where.”

Joan Didion, The White Album (1979)

How will COEQWAL change water planning?

Canada geese fly above the Sacramento River.

Participation and Collaboration

Through the collaborative development of data, models and tools with diverse partners, the goal of COEQWAL is to broaden participation in water planning. COEQWAL cannot change water planning on its own, nor can it happen overnight. We are building long-term, committed partnerships.

By gathering underrepresented voices, we are developing models to explore new solutions that meet diverse needs. We are committed to sharing data and making tools accessible. In these efforts, we aim to empower all Californians to influence decisions over how water is managed.

project on water management

Exploring New Solutions

In the first phase of our project, COEQWAL will focus on access to safe drinking water for communities dependent on surface water. We will use best available climate predictions to explore Chinook salmon recovery and management of salinity in the Delta .

Sharing Data and Tools

We will develop an easy-to-use data visualization platform to make information interpretable and accessible. Users will be able to see where and when water is delivered for each scenario, and the associated consequences for people, the economy, and the environment. Users will also be able to explore how outcomes vary under alternative scenarios.

project on water management

Our Timeline

COEQWAL launched in the winter of 2023-24. Community engagement activities, including public workshops, will be held in spring 2024. Initial results from water management scenario analyses will be available in winter 2024. Data visualization tools will be released by the end of 2025.

project on water management

Who Is Coeqwal?

COEQWAL is led by researchers from six University of California campuses and California State University Sacramento, working in partnership with scientists from state and federal government agencies, community groups, water districts, and NGOs. The team includes includes engineers, economists, ecologists, landscape architects, planners, social scientists, climate scientists, and data scientists.

This project is funded by a grant through the

University of California

Climate Action Initiative

project on water management

Blueprint for One Water

Related projects.

This project sought to advance the adoption of a One Water approach through the development of a user-friendly blueprint for the practical application of One Water planning. This blueprint is beneficial for utilities across multiple water resource sectors, including water supply, wastewater, reuse, watershed management, stormwater, and energy and resource recovery. The research team summarized case studies and best practices through a stakeholder survey and one-on-one interviews with a group of participating utilities, organized and facilitated a workshop to effectively engage participants, and delivered a clear and comprehensive blueprint for the successful development of an integrated water management (IWM) plan. Published in 2017.

One Water Cycle Poster

project on water management

Water Utilities and Climate Change: A Research Workshop on Effective System Adaptation

This project conducted an integrative research workshop bringing together utility managers, engineers, and planners with climate scientists and urban infrastructure planners to begin mainstreaming climate science into the...

project on water management

Challenges and Practical Approaches to Water Reuse Pricing

Worldwide, water reuse is increasingly being considered as a water supply option. More utilities are seeking a diversified and reliable (e.g., climate-independent) portfolio of water sources, driving them...

project on water management

Framework for Evaluating Alternative Water Supplies: Balancing Cost with Reliability, Resilience, and Sustainability

This project defined the elements of an integrated, reliable, resilient, and sustainable water supply, and integrated these elements into a framework to support water supply planning. The report...

One Water Cities: Development of Guidance Documents and Assessment Metrics

Cities throughout the world are transitioning toward the One Water approach to improve efficiency and reduce costs while addressing climate change impacts, extreme weather event resiliency, social equity...

One Water Program Management: A Knowledge Base and Guidance Manual

The American Society of Civil Engineering's 2021 Report Cards assigned the nation’s drinking water, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure grades of C-, D, and D+, respectively. The need to...

Establishing Industry-Wide Guidance for Water Utility Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories

In light of increasing pressure from the global community to reduce GHG emissions and more frequent extreme climate events, the water sector has begun to align itself with...

New Project Will Revolutionise Industrial Water Management

News | February 9, 2024

New project will revolutionise industrial water management.

A new project which SINTEF is taking part in will look at better ways to deal with industrial wastewater.

Water use in industrial settings has various impacts on the environment, the economy, and society in Europe. One of the main problems in this field is water scarcity, since 40% of European water use goes to industry. This is especially a problem in areas with limited water resources, pollution of water resources, general decrease in water quality, and substantial energy consumption related to water use and treatment.

Despite this, and the additional effects of climate change, industrial wastewater reclamation solutions and initiatives are rare, mostly because water is not priced to reflect its true value or availability. This often discourages industries from investing in urgently needed water reclamation technologies.

The R3VOLUTION project will revolutionise industrial water management in the EU. Titled “A revolutionary approach for maximising process water reuse and resource recovery through a smart, circular and integrated solution”, it will pave the way for sustainable and efficient water and resource consumption. The project will do so by developing key innovations to enable economic, environmental, and operational water reclamation, addressing dissolved materials and energy recovery challenges.

During the project's four-year duration, partners will demonstrate a sustainable resource recovery solution and develop tailored membrane-based treatment trains coupled with waste heat recovery, and a digital process assistant to achieve optimal configuration for different industrial settings. The project will seek to minimise risks in implementation and provide critical support in operation.

To revolutionise industrial water management and generate a significant impact for the EU in the next decade, the R3VOLUTION project includes four pilot-scale demonstration cases that will show the applicability and replicability of solutions in the petrochemical, bio-based chemical, steel, and pulp and paper industry.

SINTEF Energy Research will perform waste-heat recovery assessments of the industrial demo sites and develop and implement waste heat recovery technology at Felix Schoeller's paper mill in Weissenborn, Germany. Project Manager for SINTEF Energy Research is Sigurd Sannan, Research Scientist at the Department of Thermal Energy.

R3VOLUTION is coordinated by the Cetaqua Water Technology Centre, who hosted the kick-off meeting 1-2 February in Barcelona. The project includes 19 partners from 9 different countries.

About R3VOLUTION R3VOLUTION is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement number 101138245. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Source: SINTEF

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  • Water Management

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What do we Understand by Water Management?

As we know that around three-fourths of the earth’s surface is covered with water and around 96.5% of the global water resources come from the oceans and seas only. But the total volume of usable freshwater is around 2.5%  and stored groundwater is 30% only. Many research has shown that by 2026, India, along with many other countries will face a serious scarcity of water. Many regions in our country are already under ‘water stress’. (‘water stress’ happens when the available water falls below 1000 cubic metres per person per day). Let’s discuss some water conservation methods and management.

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What is Water Management?

The activity to control water resources in order to minimise the damage of property and life and also to maximise the efficient use is termed as water management or in simple words It can be termed as the process of planning, developing, and distributing for the optimum use of water resources under defined water policies and regulations.  With the rapid increase in the population of the world to over 6 billion people in the past few years, the use of water has also increased up to 500%. Water is an essential resource for life on earth not only for humans but for plants and animals also, and therefore it must be conserved. In fact, historically also, humans had learned some techniques to conserve the available water resources by building dams, Using Drip irrigation, doing Water harvesting, etc.

What is Water Conservation?

The most common misconception people believe is, water is replenishable and will be around us forever. The reality is, many of them are uneducated about the conservation of water resources. If we do not do something now to conserve water, Our future generations will not be able to have access to pure water. By doing proper planning, water can be supplied to many places regularly in town or city. But many times some amount of water is wasted through leakage of pipe and many other reasons. As we know that proper water management is necessary for water conservation methods. Thus, it is important for CWA authorities to take proper care of these problems while distributing water to our homes.

Most of the rainwater gets wasted even though it is one of the most precious natural resources. Farmers can play an important role in water conservation methods by using suitable techniques like rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation.

Water Conservation and Management

The different methods of water conservation are:

Rainwater Harvesting:

It is the process of collection and storage of rainwater, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from the roof and is redirected to a tank, reservoir, cistern, or natural tanks, etc.

Groundwater Harvesting:  

It is a method for saving water placed under the ground to control the groundwater flow in an aquifer and to raise the water table.

Drip Irrigation:  

It is a type of irrigation that saves water and fertiliser by dripping water slowly to the roots of various crops, either on the soil surface or directly to the root zone, through a network of pipes, tubing, and valves. This process saves more water compared to the traditional watering method.

Dams: 

Dams are simple hydraulic structures that act as a barrier between the source and destination of flowing water. Earlier times, these dams were very small and hand-made while in modern times, new engineering techniques and methods are used to construct large dams.

Water-wise Habits:  

There are various good habits to conserve water for a long time. Some of them are Fixing leaky taps, Keeping the tap closed while brushing, taking a shower of 5 mins instead of long baths are a few examples of saving water.

The Indian practice in old times of cleaning water using brass vessels is well known and still continues. Even today water filter systems made from brass are very common. Older people in India use brass pots in the evening to store water and drink it during the daytime.

As time passes many technological devices are being developed to minimise water wastage, the impact will be greater if each and every individual starts contributing to water conservation by minimising or optimising the use of groundwater for daily work. Today, water management is becoming extremely important. Water management often involves modifying policies, such as drainage levels of groundwater, or allocating water for different purposes.

Ways to Water Management

Water is the most important natural resource. Many factors over the years have resulted in the degradation of natural resources including water bodies. Let us discuss the steps that can be taken for the conservation of water and what can be done on our behalf for the same. The activity of developing, planning, managing and distributing the optimum use of water resources is defined as water resource management.

Through precipitation and evaporation the water cycle maintains hydrological systems which support a variety of Aquatic ecosystems and forms lakes and rivers . Intermediate forms between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are wetlands that contain species of animals and plants that are highly moisture dependent Both security and economic development are placed at risk by poor water management and  water is increasingly becoming a Priority policy issue at the national level.

Rainwater harvesting:

The method of storage and collection of rainwater into reservoirs or natural tanks is known as rainwater harvesting.

Groundwater harvesting: 

A method to save water placed under the ground is groundwater harvesting.

Drip irrigation:

When the irrigation is done through dripping water slowly with the roots of various crops either directly onto the root out onto the soil surface in the method of drip irrigation.

The rainwater is stored in big ponds or other things in the method of rainwater harvesting. This stored water can be reused in the future.

Water-saving habits:  

There are various wise habits to conserve water. Light taking a quick shower instead of long baths, lesser use of water during washing the clothes and fixing leaky taps.

Out of 70% of the Earth's surface water only 3% is freshwater. Of which  only 1%is usable water in lakes, subsoiler aquifers and rivers and 2% is in polar ice caps . Fractions of this can only be utilised at a global level, 70% of water is used for agriculture, about 25% for industry and only 6% for domestic use. This Article’s primary focus is on ways of Water Management. 

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FAQs on Water Management

1. What is the importance of water resources management?

Water management helps in developing efficient irrigation practises for the betterment of agriculture in the country. This precious resource can be saved by proper utilisation of water and our homes too.Water management teaches us to use a limited amount of water whenever required. As for any wastage that occurs every citizen must be kept accountable. Water resources must be preserved for future generations.

2. What causes a serious threat to water bodies?

One of the major issues that are increasing at an alarming rate is that different water bodies like rivers, oceans, lakes, bays, etc are getting polluted due to the population explosion. The amount of Potable water that should be present on the planet is being lost.Water bodies like the groundwater are exploited to the fullest for the vested interests of some people. This will lead to a day when there won’t be any groundwater reservoirs left.

3. What are important steps for water management?

Conservation or water conservation helps to recharge groundwater by reducing consumption and using alternative sources of water. This method includes reuse of greywater and recycling based water, groundwater recharge and rainwater harvesting. The most successful water-saving fixtures are those which operate in the same manner as the fixtures they are replacing such as dual flush toilet systems, shower flow restrictors, low-flow showerheads etc.

4. What is a Greywater system?

Wastewater from non-toilet plumbing systems like showers and baths, washing machines, and hand basins is referred to as Greywater. Because of lower levels of contaminants greywater is easier to recycle and treat than black water. The size of the system by the standard and method treatment in a great water system.Pipes and supply points on the Greywater system must be clearly labelled in order to avoid confusion with the mains drinking water.

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Project Idea | Water Management System

Introduction: Water is one of the most important basic needs for living beings. But with the modernization and development of human lifestyles, consumption of water has been at the peak. The shortage of water has been thus increasing at a very rapid rate. States like Kerala and Chennai which had once ample of water is now running out of it. Wastage of water has been proven to be one of its major cause. Water overflow over an hour and careless draining of freshwater from residential, hospitals, and municipal tanks adds flavor to the shortage of drinking water.

It becomes quite hectic for the conventional tanks to fill up the water judiciously without any wastage of it or nearly impossible to keep a  check on it.

So thereby we switch to the i.o.t project to nearly solve the above-mentioned problems and keep a check on the overflowing of the tank and also keep an eye on the prevention of wastage of electricity on the excess working of the pumps.

Aim of Project: Automation in the pumping system for filling up the water tank. A sensor is placed on the top of the tank which constantly monitors the level of the water being supplied to the tank. As the water reaches the limiting level the water pump is automatically turned off. It also calculates the running time and the power consumed by the motor. The data is thereafter stored in the cloud. The data can be easily fetched to have budget estimation per month. It also notifies the weather conditions, if the weather is predicted to be bad the notification about filling up the tank would come which in response helps up in filling up the tank when there is a power supply.

Components Used:

  • Node MCU: It is a firmware which consists of a WIFI module ESP-8266. It consists of 13 General  Purpose Input-output pins. The four pins from the sensors are connected to the four respective pins of node MCU.  The inbuilt WIFI module provides its room over other microcontrollers.
  • Ultrasonic Sensor: It detects the presence of any obstacles by detecting through the sound waves. The following basically has 4 pins i.e. Ground, Echo, Trig, VCC. The two circular-shaped icons demonstrate transmission and receiving. In our project, the ultrasonic sensor basically judges the water level or measures the distance from the overflow pipe.
  • D.C. Motor/Pump: It draws water with the help of the D.C power supply. The D.C supply provides a controlled suction and is best suited for performing projects.
  • Relay: The relay basically helps in controlling the motor. We use the four-channel relay in this case. It consists of six pins IN1, IN2, IN3, IN4, VCC, and GND. The four channels out of which each contains three openings named NO, C, NC respectively.

Software Used:

  • Adafruit: Adafruit.io is a cloud service. It’s meant primarily for storing and then retrieving data and it displays your data in real-time, online, makes project internet-connected: Control motors, read sensor data, and connect projects to web services like Twitter, RSS feeds, weather services, etc.
  • Arduino IDE: Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board. It has 14 digital input/ output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz quartz crystal, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with an AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.
  • IFTTT: If This Then That, also known as IFTTT. It helps you connect all of your different apps and devices. We can enable your apps and devices to work together to do specific things they couldn’t do otherwise.
  • Blynk: Blynk is a platform that allows quickly build interfaces for controlling and monitoring your hardware projects from your iOS and Android device. We can create a project dashboard and arrange buttons, sliders, graphs, and other widgets onto the screen.

Methodology & Implementations:

  • The follows I.O.T based project facility in saving water.
  • Controlling water flow from the pipe of the water tank with the help of sensors fixed near tank.
  • Budget estimation monthly through saving the time for which the pump was active in a day and sequentially for months.
  • A sensor fixed judges the water level rising to the beam of the tank and instantaneously turns off the pump being full. Groundwater is being saved from being wasted.
  • Cost effective and budget savior as prevention of extra working of the pump.

project on water management

BLOCK DIAGRAM

Water Level in Blynk App:

project on water management

WATER LEVEL IN BLYNK APP

IFTTT Connected to Adafruit for Whether Update:

project on water management

Water Level & Whether Information Results on the Adafruit:

project on water management

Result Analysis: The given system can be controlled from any corner of the world. The pumping system can also be monitored and controlled at any time at any place. Smart automation to overview the deteriorating groundwater level and save it to some extent in houseware as well as in industrial purposes. The electricity crisis of the country can also be met by saving electricity in the working of these pumps.

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Description of the Problem

The city of Moscow is situated on the watershed of the Volga and Oka rivers (the main river of the city is the Moskva, the tributary of the Oka). Unlike many other capitals, potable water is obtained from Volga and Moskva rivers outside of Moscow. The most important water quality problems are associated with contamination of water bodies caused by industrial wastes and sewage plants.

  • to protect the water bodies and provide the Moscow population with clean drinking water and a favourable water environment;
  • to maintain optimum conditions for water utilisation and the quality of surface and groundwaters in compliance with the sanitary and environmental requirements;
  • to protect the water bodies from contamination, littering, and depletion, to eliminate adverse water effects, and to preserve biological diversity of the aqueous ecosystems.

The fundamental acts of the environmental legislation, including water laws of the Russian Federation, comprise: the Law of the Russian Federation "On Protection of the Environment;" Water Code of the Russian Federation; Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation "On Introduction of State Water cadastere of the Russian Federation;" Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation "On Approval of the Regulations of Water Protection Zones of Water Bodies and their Protective Coastal Strips."

The water body qualifies as a source of potable water depending on its safety and the possibility to set up zones and districts of sanitary protection in line with the provisions of State Tandart (GOST) "Sources of Centralised Domestic and Potable Water, Hygienic and Technical Requirements and Rules of Selection Thereof." The requirements for the quality of potable water are laid down in GOST "Potable Water." Apart from the above GOSTs, legislative practice has been widely relying on "Sanitary Standards and Rules" regulating hygienic requirements for the composition and properties of water. Along with the sanitary requirements for bodies of potable and domestic waters, there are those regulating the quality of water in the bodies used for fisheries' purposes.

Data Sources

Control over hydrochemical regime and contamination levels of water bodies in the Moscow region is affected by Moscow Municipal Centre of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. They regulate the hydrological and hydrochemical conditions of the river, hydrobiological parameters, and contamination of the surface water, and the control encompasses the quality of surface water in the Moskva, Volga, and Klyazma water intake areas at fifty-two surveillance sites. In the city of Moscow, control is exercised at three sites at the point of entry in the city, in the estuary of the Yauza river, and at the point where the river leaves the city. The samples are collected every ten days from the Moskva river and every month from the Yauza river. The operational unit conducts monitoring on the Moskva river tributaries and on the city's water bodies prompted by the local communities and municipal entities.

The sanitary and epidemiological service conducts monitoring at six sites on the Moskva river. The monitoring data has been supplied in dynamics since 1937. In recreation zones, water is controlled at twelve sites two times a month from May through September according to twenty-six organic and chemical indicators and four bacterial indicators. The data are reported to the above authority, the Moscow Centre of Sanitary and Epidemiological Control, and to the government of the city of Moscow through their own initiative or by request.

In addition, the water quality of the Moskva is regulary studied in the course of operational complex monitoring of the quality of soils, snow, bottom sediments, and plants conducted by the Institute of Mineralogy, Geochemistry, Crystallography, and Rare-earth elements. This Institute has been examining bottom sediments in the Moskva from its source to the mouth of the river since 1987, covering also the hydrographical system of the Moskva, Volga, Oka, and Klyazma, five Moskva tributaries, and eighty-two water bodies inside the city. The geochemical monitoring is conducted every three to five years.

The quality of potable water is controlled by the operations of the Moscow Centre of Sanitary and Epidemiological Control. The quality of water is assessed based on the requirements of the sanitary standards. Since 1989, the list of constantly monitored indicators has been expanded to include chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, dichlorbrommethane, organophosphorus pesticides, phenol, and a number of metals. Water quality is controlled for the above substances once a month.

The network of underground water monitoring sites consists of 369 observation wells, operated by the department of state underground waters monitoring and hydrogeological forecasts at Geocentre-Roskomnedra.

The state system of underground water monitoring is mainly intended to monitor their levels, temperature and chemistry, and to verify geofiltration and migration models. The in-well observation measures (once every six days) the level and temperature and collects samples for chemical analysis.

Underground water monitoring is conducted in compliance with the State Water Cadastre that accounts for the intake of water in the city in production wells drilled through three acquifers and in deeper water horizons from which come mineral waters and brines.

The Moscow-based structure of the state control corresponds on the whole to the list of territorial bodies charged by the Russian Government Resolution with the state monitoring of the water bodies. The first steps of the automatic system of portable water monitoring are designed by the enterprise "Prima."

Studies of water quality are conducted by geochemical, physico-chemical, and bacteriological explorations in accordance with laboratorial analyses.

The lack of information due to the insufficient number of sections in which water quality is monitored leads to a more extensive use of mathematical methods of water quality assessment (ZAGR or Zerkalo software).

The hydrogeological conditions in the city are further specified using the hierarchy of geofiltration models implemented in the software programmes of GWFS (Groundwater Flow Simulation and Mass) and MTS (Mass Transport Simulation). The software systems simulate filtration of underground waters in the intricate and quasitrichlorine water systems under stationary and non-stationary conditions.

Results and Uses

The Institute of Moscow City Master Plan is one of the key users of information on water. The Institute needs this information to work on such major projects as the Master Plan of water mains, sewage system drainage and treatment of the surface flows, regional planning in the Moscow area, or the Master Plan for the development of Moscow and its region, etc. Solely for the purposes of the territorial complex environmental plan of Moscow, the Institute has systematised over 20,000 water samples collected from 550 observation sections to compile maps of the Volga, Oka, and Moskva waters from the source to the estuary of the rivers. These maps, and in particular the comprehensive water quality maps, are important for town planners and decision makers as they are used for ecological control and for working out the plans of urban development as well as for environmental impact assessment and publicity.

Now four comprehensive maps have been computed using digital methods like hydrochemical and thermal anomalies, forecasting depths of groundwater, contami-nation of water bodies, contamination of bottom sediments, etc.

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Netherlands: EIB and NWB Bank join forces to improve flood protection and surface water quality

  • 14 February 2024
  • Dutch public sector bank NWB Bank and the EIB have signed an agreement to make €400 million available to on-lend to Dutch water authorities.
  • The financing will support local improvements to flood protection and wastewater infrastructure, as well as water level management.
  • The investment is expected to help better protect Dutch citizens from high water, while also improving biodiversity and the quality of local surface waters.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Nederlandse Waterschapsbank (NWB Bank) have signed a €200 million loan agreement to improve flood protection and water quality in the Netherlands. Under its mandate, the EIB can lend up to 50% of the total amount to any single project, with NWB Bank providing the other half. This means that a total of €400 million will be made available for local investment schemes by Dutch water authorities.

NWB Bank will channel the financing to Dutch water authorities to finance small-scale projects primarily focusing on flood protection, wastewater treatment and water level management, for example via improvements to locks and sluices. Under the agreement, the EIB and NWB Bank have agreed on an option to increase the loan size to €400 million, potentially resulting in available funds of €800 million.

CEO of NWB Lidwin van Velden said: “ The Dutch water authorities set the tone when it comes to climate adaptation and mitigation, as well as biodiversity. They are also frontrunners in limiting their own use of energy and sustainably producing it. By providing financing under attractive conditions, we bring the sustainability goals one step closer. ”

The projects are expected to better protect the Netherlands from high water, but also to improve preparedness for the adverse effects of climate change, such as more frequent and prolonged droughts, because water levels can be managed more effectively. Furthermore, improvements to local wastewater treatment are expected to have benefits for public health. The planned interventions will also contribute to local employment during their construction or implementation period.

“Water management is crucial for the Netherlands in overcoming the challenges of climate change. ” said EIB Vice-President Robert de Groot . “As Europe’s climate bank, partnering with the NWB who expertly serves Dutch water authorities is a natural step for the EIB in the field of climate adaptation.”

The projects to be implemented by local water authorities will feed into the Dutch Delta Plan for Biodiversity Restoration ( Deltaplan Biodiversiteitsherstel ), which aims to strengthen biodiversity in the Netherlands by providing good conditions for flora and fauna living in and around the water, as well as high water quality for agriculture, (sport) fishing, recreational boating and swimming. Examples include the creation of nature-friendly banks, the re-meandering of watercourses, the restoration of streams, the construction of fish passages and the ecological implementation of maintenance measures.

Background information

The European Investment Bank (ElB) finances sound investments that contribute to EU policy objectives . EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality.

The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF) , signed a total of €88 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in 2023 . These commitments are expected to mobilise around €320 billion in investment, supporting 400 000 companies and 5.4 million jobs.

All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Accord. The EIB Group does not fund investments in fossil fuels. We are on track to deliver on our commitment to support  €1 trillion in climate and environmental sustainability investment in the decade to 2030 as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap . Over half of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.

Approximately half of the EIB's financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower. This underscores the Bank's commitment to fostering inclusive growth and the convergence of living standards.

Nederlandse Waterschapsbank N.V. (NWB Bank) is a national promotional bank whose shares have been held by Dutch public authorities since it was founded in 1954. The bank primarily serves local and regional authorities (water authorities, municipalities and provinces), as well as institutions that are government guaranteed, such as housing associations and health care institutions. The bank is also active in the field of public-private partnerships and sustainable energy projects. NWB Bank provides its clients with the required financing on the most favourable terms, tailored specifically to the individual client and with a special focus on sustainability. NWB Bank funds its activities on the international capital markets on the back of its AAA/Aaa ratings and is a leading issuer of green and social bonds. As a significant bank, NWB Bank is supervised by the European Central Bank (ECB). 

Related project(s)

Nwb loan for climate and flood protection - mbil.

Multiple beneficiary intermediated loan with the second largest public sector bank in the Netherlands (NWB Bank) to finance small and medium scale projects promoted by the water authorities (SSPAs). Sub-projects will be investments in flood protection and water management.

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North macedonia: eib global supports greening of the financial system through dedicated advisory programme.

EIB Global, the financial arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for activities outside the European Union, has signed a cooperation agreement with the National Bank of North Macedonia under the Greening Financial Systems (GFS) programme . The agreement will enable the provision of advisory services to the National Bank designed to enhance its regulatory and supervisory climate risk management practices, as well as the reporting capacities of the financial sector in the country. These activities will help local banks understand the climate risk exposure of companies in North Macedonia and support their sustainability practices.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: European Union and its bank EIB Global support construction of Vlašić wind farm

EIB Global, the financial arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for activities outside the European Union, has signed a €36 million loan for the construction of a 50 MW wind farm on the high plateau of Vlašić mountain, located about 15 km north-west of the town of Travnik. The loan comes in addition to the €21 million in grants allocated by the European Union in December 2023 through the Western Balkans Investment Fund (WBIF).

Greece: €160 million EIB and CEB financing for vital water irrigation investment helps protect key farming area in Crete

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) have each committed €80 million to support a significant new investment in Crete, which will shield vital agricultural lands in the Platys region from droughts by upgrading the water irrigation network in the area, while at the same time also protecting it against potential flooding.

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To celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, the EIB organises a full week of events to promote exchanges on disability inclusion with staff and expert guests. Diversity is the essence of humanity and a core value of the European Union. As the EU bank, we are committed to promote diversity and inclusion in everything we do.

U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris participates in a political event with reproductive rights groups at the Mayflower Hotel...

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  • Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/vice-president-harris-announces-5-8-billion-for-water-infrastructure-projects-says-clean-water-is-a-right

Vice President Harris announces $5.8 billion for water infrastructure projects, says clean water is a right

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Tuesday that states will share $5.8 billion in federal funds for  water infrastructure projects around the country,  paid for by one of its key legislative victories.

The new round of funding will help pay for projects nationwide, bringing the total awarded to states for water infrastructure improvements to $22 billion. The money comes from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law that President Joe Biden signed in 2021, according to the White House.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who traveled to Pittsburgh to make the announcement, said everyone in the U.S. should be able to have clean water.

READ MORE: Scientists find about a quarter million invisible microplastic particles in a liter of bottled water

“I shouldn’t have to say that, but it does come down to that,” Harris said. “Every person should have a right and the ability to have access to clean water, and it should not matter where you live or how much money you earn or how much money you got in your back pocket,” she said.

Harris said more than $200 million of the new federal funding will go to Pennsylvania, one of several states that will help determine whether Biden is reelected in November. The money will go toward replacing lead pipes and aging water mains and storm drains, she said.

The infrastructure law includes over $50 billion to upgrade America’s water infrastructure and is touted by the Biden administration as the largest investment in clean water in U.S. history.

The White House said Tuesday’s announcement includes $3.2 billion for what’s known as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that can be used for upgrades to water treatment plants, water distribution and piping systems, and lead pipe replacement. It also includes $1 billion for seven major rural water projects and $1 billion in support for Great Lakes drinking water projects.

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project on water management

How demand for lithium batteries could drain America’s water resources

Nation Jan 25

National Academies Press: OpenBook

The Role of Environmental NGOs: Russian Challenges, American Lessons: Proceedings of a Workshop (2001)

Chapter: 14 problems of waste management in the moscow region, problems of waste management in the moscow region.

Department of Natural Resources of the Central Region of Russia

The scientific and technological revolution of the twentieth century has turned the world over, transformed it, and presented humankind with new knowledge and innovative technologies that previously seemed to be fantasies. Man, made in the Creator’s own image, has indeed become in many respects similar to the Creator. Primitive thinking and consumerism as to nature and natural resources seem to be in contrast to this background. Drastic deterioration of the environment has become the other side of the coin that gave the possibility, so pleasant for the average person, to buy practically everything that is needed.

A vivid example of man’s impact as “a geological force” (as Academician V. I. Vernadsky described contemporary mankind) is poisoning of the soil, surface and underground waters, and atmosphere with floods of waste that threaten to sweep over the Earth. Ecosystems of our planet are no longer capable of “digesting” ever-increasing volumes of waste and new synthetic chemicals alien to nature.

One of the most important principles in achieving sustainable development is to limit the appetite of public consumption. A logical corollary of this principle suggests that the notion “waste” or “refuse” should be excluded not only from professional terminology, but also from the minds of people, with “secondary material resources” as a substitute concept for them. In my presentation I would like to dwell on a number of aspects of waste disposal. It is an ecological, economic, and social problem for the Moscow megalopolis in present-day conditions.

PRESENT SITUATION WITH WASTE IN MOSCOW

Tens of thousand of enterprises and research organizations of practically all branches of the economy are amassed over the territory of 100,000 hectares: facilities of energy, chemistry and petrochemistry; metallurgical and machine-building works; and light industrial and food processing plants. Moscow is occupying one of the leading places in the Russian Federation for the level of industrial production. The city is the greatest traffic center and bears a heavy load in a broad spectrum of responsibilities as capital of the State. The burden of technogenesis on the environment of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region is very considerable, and it is caused by all those factors mentioned above. One of the most acute problems is the adverse effect of the huge volumes of industrial and consumer wastes. Industrial waste has a great variety of chemical components.

For the last ten years we witnessed mainly negative trends in industrial production in Moscow due to the economic crisis in the country. In Moscow the largest industrial works came practically to a standstill, and production of manufactured goods declined sharply. At the same time, a comparative analysis in 1998–99 of the indexes of goods and services output and of resource potential showed that the coefficient of the practical use of natural resources per unit of product, which had been by all means rather low in previous years, proceeded gradually to decrease further. At present we have only 25 percent of the industrial output that we had in 1990, but the volume of water intake remains at the same level. Fuel consumption has come down only by 18 percent, and the amassed production waste diminished by only 50 percent. These figures indicate the growing indexes of resource consumption and increases in wastes from industrial production.

Every year about 13 million tons of different kinds of waste are accumulated in Moscow: 42 percent from water preparation and sewage treatment, 25 percent from industry, 13 percent from the construction sector, and 20 percent from the municipal economy.

The main problem of waste management in Moscow city comes from the existing situation whereby a number of sites for recycling and disposal of certain types of industrial waste and facilities for storage of inert industrial and building wastes are situated outside the city in Moscow Region, which is subject to other laws of the Russian Federation. Management of inert industrial and building wastes, which make up the largest part of the general volume of wastes and of solid domestic wastes (SDW), simply means in everyday practice their disposal at 46 sites (polygons) in Moscow Region and at 200 disposal locations that are completely unsuitable from the ecological point of view.

The volume of recycled waste is less than 10–15 percent of the volume that is needed. Only 8 percent of solid domestic refuse is destroyed (by incineration). If we group industrial waste according to risk factor classes, refuse that is not

dangerous makes up 80 percent of the total volume, 4th class low-hazard wastes 14 percent, and 1st-3rd classes of dangerous wastes amount to 3.5 percent. The largest part of the waste is not dangerous—up to 32 percent. Construction refuse, iron and steel scrap, and non-ferrous metal scrap are 15 percent. Paper is 12 percent, and scrap lumber is 4 percent. Metal scrap under the 4th class of risk factor makes up 37 percent; wood, paper, and polymers more than 8 percent; and all-rubber scrap 15 percent. So, most refuse can be successfully recycled and brought back into manufacturing.

This is related to SDW too. The morphological composition of SDW in Moscow is characterized by a high proportion of utilizable waste: 37.6 percent in paper refuse, 35.2 percent in food waste, 10 percent in polymeric materials, 7 percent in glass scrap, and about 5 percent in iron, steel, and non-ferrous metal scrap. The paper portion in commercial wastes amounts to 70 percent of the SDW volume.

A number of programs initiated by the Government of Moscow are underway for the collection and utilization of refuse and for neutralization of industrial and domestic waste. A waste-recycling industry is being developed in the city of Moscow, mostly for manufacturing recycled products and goods. One of the most important ecological problems is the establishment in the region of ecologically safe facilities for the disposal of dangerous wastes of 1st and 2nd class risk factors.

Pre-planned industrial capacities for thermal neutralization of SDW will be able to take 30 percent of domestic waste and dangerous industrial waste. Construction of rubbish-burning works according to the old traditional approach is not worthwhile and should come to an end. Waste-handling stations have been under construction in the city for the last five years. In two years there will be six such stations which will make it possible to reduce the number of garbage trucks from 1,156 to 379 and to reduce the amount of atmospheric pollution they produce. In addition the switch to building stations with capacity of briquetting one ton of waste into a cubic meter will decrease the burden on waste disposal sites and prolong their life span by 4–5 fold. Trash hauling enterprises will also make profit because of lower transportation costs.

Putting into operation waste-segregation complexes (10–12 sites) would reduce volumes of refuse to disposal sites by 40 percent—that is 1,200,000 tons per year. The total volume of burned or recycled SDW would reach 2,770,000 tons a year. A total of 210,000 tons of waste per year would be buried. So, in the course of a five year period, full industrial recycling of SDW could be achieved in practice.

Collection of segregated waste is one of the important elements in effective disposal and utilization of SDW. It facilitates recycling of waste and return of secondary material into the manufacturing process. Future trends in segregation and collection of SDW will demand wide popularization and improvement of the ecological culture and everyday behavior of people.

In recent years the high increase in the number of cars in Moscow has brought about not only higher pollution of the atmosphere, but also an avalanche-like accumulation of refuse from vehicles. Besides littering residential and recreation areas, cars represent a source for toxic pollution of land and reservoirs. At the same time, automobile wastes are a good source for recycled products. In the short-term outlook, Moscow has to resolve the problem of collection and utilization of decommissioned vehicles and automobile wastes with particular emphasis on activities of the private sector. Setting up a system for collection and utilization of bulky domestic waste and electronic equipment refuse is also on the priority list.

In 1999 in Moscow the following volumes of secondary raw materials were produced or used in the city or were recycled: 300,000 tons of construction waste, 296,000 tons of metal scrap, 265 tons of car battery lead, 21,000 tons of glass, 62,500 tons of paper waste, 4,328 tons of oil-bearing waste, and 306 tons of refuse from galvanizing plants.

Such traditional secondary materials as metal scrap and paper waste are not recycled in Moscow but are shipped to other regions of Russia.

The worldwide practice of sorting and recycling industrial and domestic wastes demands the establishment of an industry for secondary recycling. Otherwise segregation of waste becomes ineffective.

There are restraining factors for the development of an effective system of assorted selection, segregation, and use of secondary raw resources, namely lack of sufficient manufacturing capacities and of suitable technologies for secondary recycling.

The problem of utilization of wastes is closely linked with the problem of modernization and sometimes even demands fundamental restructuring of industries. The practical use of equipment for less energy consumption and a smaller volume of wastes and a transition to the use of alternative raw materials are needed. Large enterprises—the main producers of dangerous wastes—are in a difficult financial situation now, which is an impediment for proceeding along these lines.

Private and medium-size enterprises are becoming gradually aware of the economic profitability in rational use of waste. For example, the firm Satory started as a transportation organization specialized in removal of scrap from demolished buildings and those undergoing reconstruction. It now benefits from recycling of waste, having developed an appropriate technology for the dismantling of buildings with segregation of building waste. So, as it has been already mentioned above, the first task for Moscow is to establish a basis for waste recycling.

HOW TO CHANGE THE SITUATION WITH WASTE

Transition to modern technologies in the utilization of wastes requires either sufficient investments or a considerable increase in repayment for waste on the part of the population. Obviously, these two approaches are not likely to be realized in the near future.

The recovery of one ton of SDW with the use of ecologically acceptable technology requires not less than $70–100.

Given the average per capita income in 1999 and the likely increase up to the year of 2005, in 2005 it will be possible to receive from a citizen not more than $14 per year. This means that the cost of technology should not exceed $40 per ton of recycled waste. Unfortunately, this requirement can fit only unsegregated waste disposal at the polygons (taking into account an increase in transportation costs by the year 2005).

Such being the case, it looks like there is only one acceptable solution for Russia to solve the problem of waste in an up-to-date manner: to introduce trade-in value on packaging and on some manufactured articles.

In recent years domestic waste includes more and more beverage containers. Plastic and glass bottles, aluminium cans, and packs like Tetrapak stockpiled at disposal sites will soon reach the same volumes as in western countries. In Canada, for example, this kind of waste amounts to one-third of all domestic waste.

A characteristic feature of this kind of waste is that the packaging for beverages is extremely durable and expensive. Manufactured from polyethylene terephthalate (PTA) and aluminum, it is sometimes more expensive than the beverage it contains.

What are the ways for solving the problem? Practically all of them are well-known, but most will not work in Russia in present conditions. The first problem relates to collection of segregated waste in the urban sector and in the services sector. A number of reasons make this system unrealistic, specifically in large cities. Sorting of waste at waste-briquetting sites and at polygons is possible. But if we take into account the present cost of secondary resources, this system turns out to be economically unprofitable and cannot be widely introduced.

The introduction of deposits on containers for beverages is at present the most acceptable option for Russia. This system turned out to be most effective in a number of countries that have much in common with Russia. In fact this option is not at all new for us. Surely, all people remember the price of beer or kefir bottles. A system of deposit for glass bottles was in operation in the USSR, and waste sites were free from hundreds of millions of glass bottles and jars. We simply need to reinstate this system at present in the new economic conditions according to new types and modes of packaging. Deposits could be introduced also on glass bottles and jars, PTA and other plastic bottles, aluminium cans, and Tetrapak packing.

Let us investigate several non-ecological aspects of this problem, because the ecological impact of secondary recycling of billions of bottles, cans, and packs is quite obvious.

Most of the population in Russia lives below the poverty line. When people buy bottles of vodka, beer, or soft drinks, they will have to pay a deposit value (10–20 kopeks for a bottle). The poorest people will carry the bottles to receiving points. A system of collection of packaging will function by itself. Only receiving points are needed. Millions of rubles that are collected will be redistributed among the poorest people for their benefit, and a social problem of the poor will be solved to a certain extent not by charity, but with normal economic means.

A second point is also well-known. In a market economy one of the most important problems is that of employment. What happens when the trade-in value is introduced?

Thousands of new jobs are created at receiving points and at enterprises that recycle glass, plastics, etc. And we don’t need a single penny from the state budget. More than that, these enterprises will pay taxes and consume products of other branches of industry, thus yielding a return to the budget, not to mention income tax from new jobs.

There is another aspect of the matter. Considerable funding is needed from budgets of local governments, including communal repayments for waste collection and disposal at polygons and incinerators. Reduction of expenses for utilization of waste can be significant support for housing and communal reform in general.

It is practically impossible to evaluate in general an ecological effect when thousands of tons of waste will cease to occupy plots of land near cities as long-term disposal sites. Operation costs of receiving points and transportation costs could be covered by funds obtained from manufacturers and from returned packaging. Besides, when a waste recycling industry develops and becomes profitable, recycling factories will be able to render partial support to receiving points.

Trade-in value can be introduced on all types of packaging except milk products and products for children. It could amount to 15 or 30 kopecks per container, depending on its size. If all plastic bottles with water and beer are sold with trade-in value only in Moscow, the total sum will reach 450 million rubles a year. If we include glass bottles, aluminum cans, and packets, the sum will be one billion rubles. This sum will be redistributed at receiving points among people with scanty means when they receive the money for used packaging and jobs at receiving points and at recycling factories.

The bottleneck of the problem now is the absence in Russia of high technology industries for waste recycling. It can be resolved rather easily. At the first stage, used packaging can be sold as raw material for enterprises, including those overseas. There is unrestricted demand for PTA and aluminum on the part

of foreign firms. When waste collection mechanisms are established, there will be limited investments in this branch of industry.

With regard to the inexhaustible source of free raw material, this recycling industry will become one of the most reliable from the point of view of recoupment of investments. The Government, regional authorities, the population, and of course ecologists should all be interested in having such a law.

The same should be done with sales of cars, tires, and car batteries. Prices of every tire or battery should be higher by 30–50 rubles. These sums of money should be returned back to a buyer or credited when he buys a new tire or a new battery. For sure, such being the case we will not find used batteries thrown about the city dumps. In this case the task is even simpler because there are already a number of facilities for the recycling of tires and batteries.

In fact, a law of trade-in value can change the situation with waste in Russia in a fundamental way. Russian legislation has already been prepared, and the concept of an ecological tax has been introduced in the new Internal Revenue Code. Now it needs to be competently introduced. The outlay for waste recycling has to become a type of ecological tax. To realize this task much work has to be done among the deputies and with the Government. Public ecological organizations, including international ones, should play a leading role.

ACTIVITY OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SPHERE OF WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE MOSCOW REGION

We know examples of the ever increasing role of the general public in the solution of the problem of waste utilization, first of all in those countries that have well-developed democratic institutions. “Fight Against Waste” is one of the popular slogans of public organizations abroad. Public opinion has brought about measures of sanitary cleaning in cities, secured better work by municipal services, shut down hazardous industries, and restricted and prohibited incineration facilities. Nevertheless, the struggle against wastes in the economically developed countries, being a manifestation of an advanced attitude towards the environment, has in the long run brought about a paradoxical result. Transfer of hazardous industries to countries with lower environmental standards and inadequate public support—Russia, as an example—has made the world even more dangerous from the ecological point of view.

Russia has just embarked on the path of formation of environmental public movements by the establishment of nongovernmental organizations. Representatives of nongovernmental organizations from Russia took part in the international gathering in Bonn in March 2000 of nongovernmental organizations that are members of the International Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Elimination Network. A declaration against incineration was adopted in

Bonn by nongovernmental organizations, which called for elaboration of effective alternative technologies for utilization of waste and safe technologies for elimination of existing stockpiles of POP.

Quite a number of environmental organizations are operating now in Moscow. First to be mentioned is the All-Russia Society for the Conservation of Nature, which was established in Soviet times. There are other nongovernmental organizations: Ecosoglasiye, Ecolain, Ecological Union, and the Russian branches of Green Cross and Greenpeace. All these organizations collect and popularize environmental information and organize protest actions against policies of the Government or local administrations on ecological matters. A new political party—Russia’s Movement of the Greens—is being formed.

Laws currently in force in the Russian Federation (“On Protection of the Environment,” “On State Ecological Examination by Experts,” “On Production and Consumption of Waste”) declare the right of the public to participate in environmental examination of projects that are to be implemented, including those on the establishment of facilities for elimination and disposition of waste. Public examinations can be organized by the initiative of citizens and public associations. For example, under the law of Moscow “On Protection of the Rights of Citizens while Implementing Decisions on Construction Projects in Moscow,” public hearings are organized by the city’s boards. Decisions taken by local authorities, at referenda and public meetings, may be the very reason for carrying out public examinations. Such examinations are conducted mainly by commissions, collectives, or ad hoc groups of experts. Members of public examination panels are responsible for the accuracy and validity of their expert evaluations in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. A decision of a public environmental panel has an informative nature as a recommendation, but it becomes legally mandatory after its approval by the appropriate body of the State. Besides, the opinion of the public is taken into account when a project submitted for state environmental review has undergone public examinations and there are supporting materials.

Public environmental examination is supposed to draw the attention of state bodies to a definite site or facility and to disseminate well-grounded information about potential ecological risks. This important facet of public environmental organizations in Moscow and in Russia is very weak. To a large extent, it can be explained by an insufficient level of specific and general knowledge of ecology even on the part of the environmentalists themselves. Lack of knowledge on the part of ordinary citizens and public groups and inadequate information (for various reasons) produce alarm-motivated behavior by those who harm the organization of environmental activity in general and waste management in particular.

There are nevertheless positive examples of public participation in designing policies of local authorities in the waste management sphere.

Speaking about the Moscow region we can point to the very productive work of the Public Ecological Commission attached to the Council of Deputies in Pushchino, in Moscow Oblast.

The population of Pushchino is 21,000. The polygon for solid biological wastes (SBW) has practically exhausted its capacities. In 1996, in order to find a way out, the Administration of the town showed an interest in a proposal made by the Austrian firm FMW to support financially the construction of an electric power station in the vicinity of the town that would operate using both fuel briquettes and SBW of the town. The briquettes would be manufactured in Turkey and would contain 70 percent Austrian industrial waste with added oil sludge. It was also envisaged that during the construction period of the electric power station, 300,000 tons of briquettes would be shipped and stockpiled. The original positive decision was annulled due to an independent evaluation of the project organized by the Public Ecological Commission.

The general public of Puschino put forward a counter proposal before the Administration in order to reduce volumes of SBW disposal at the polygon and to prolong its operation—segregation of SBW (food waste, paper refuse, fabrics, metal, glass, used car batteries). As a result, a new scheme for sanitary measures in the town was worked out in 1998, which on the basis of segregation of waste provided for a considerable decrease in refuse flow to the polygon. Unfortunately, for lack of finances in the town budget, the scheme has not been introduced to the full extent. But in spite of severe shortages of special containers for segregated wastes, a network of receiving points for secondary materials was set up.

One of the pressing tasks for greater public activity is wide popularization of environmental knowledge on waste management, especially among the young generation. There is a very important role for public organizations to play in this domain when enlightenment and education are becoming a primary concern of nongovernmental organizations. Referring again to the example of the Public Ecological Commission in Pushchino, I have to underline that this organization is taking an active part in the enlightenment of the population through organizing exhibitions, placing publications in the press, and spurring school children into action to encourage cleaning of the town by means of environmental contests, seminars, and conferences. Children help the Commission organize mobile receiving points for secondary material. They even prepare announcements and post them around the town calling on the citizens to take valuable amounts of domestic wastes and car batteries to receiving points.

There are other examples of a growing influence of public organizations on the policy of administration in the sphere of waste management in the Moscow region. The Moscow Children’s Ecological Center has worked out the Program “You, He, She and I—All Together Make Moscow Clean,” which is being introduced with the support of the Moscow Government. In the framework of this program, children collect waste paper at schools, and they are taught how to

be careful about the environment and material resources. The storage facilities agreed to support the initiative. They buy waste paper at a special price for school children. Then, the schools spend the earned money for excursions, laboratory equipment, books, and plant greenery.

Another example of an enlightened activity is a project realized in 1999 by the firm Ecoconcord on producing video-clips for TV about the adverse effects of waste incineration and the illegality of unauthorized storage of waste.

The name Ecoconcord speaks for the main purpose of this organization—to achieve mutual understanding between the general public and governmental organizations, to encourage public involvement in decision-making, and to promote the formation of policy bodies that would not let public opinion be ignored.

Proceeding from the global task of integrating the activities of interested parties in lessening adverse waste pollution, public organizations have to cooperate with authorities and not stand against them. Cooperation and consensus between governmental and nongovernmental organizations in working out strategies and tactics in waste management should become a prerequisite in successful realization of state policy in this sphere in the Russian Federation.

An NRC committee was established to work with a Russian counterpart group in conducting a workshop in Moscow on the effectiveness of Russian environmental NGOs in environmental decision-making and prepared proceedings of this workshop, highlighting the successes and difficulties faced by NGOs in Russia and the United States.

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Leadership status for BASF renewed by CDP

  • BASF again rated as one of the world's leading companies
  • Excellent A- ranking for water management and forest and climate protection

The non-profit organization CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) has again ranked BASF as one of the world’s leading companies for its sustainable water management and forest and climate protection measures. BASF received an A- in all three categories.

“I am very pleased that BASF has once again been ranked as a global leader in sustainability by CDP,” said Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE. “This shows that we have already achieved a great deal on our sustainability journey and at the same time reinforces our efforts to continue to pursue our sustainability goals with determination, even in a difficult environment.”

Climate change

BASF once again achieved an A- rating on CDP’s climate list and thus leadership status. BASF has participated in CDP’s program for reporting on data relevant to climate protection since 2004. Among other things, the assessment considers the transparency of emissions reporting, the handling of risks and opportunities arising from climate change, the climate protection strategy and CO 2 reduction measures. BASF has set itself the goal of reducing its CO 2 emissions (scope 1 and scope 2) by 25 percent by 2030 compared with 2018 – while growing production volumes. This corresponds to a reduction of 60 percent based on 1990 as reference year, which is used, for example, by the European Union and Germany for their target setting. By 2030, BASF also wants to reduce its emissions associated with the goods and services the company purchases from its suppliers. BASF aims to reduce its specific Scope 3.1 emissions by 15 percent compared with 2022 across the portfolio. The company aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 (Scopes 1, 2 and 3.1).

After receiving an A rating last year, BASF was awarded an A- this year for water security. A reason for the downgrade is a new CDP guideline that stipulates that companies that manufacture products containing hazardous substances cannot receive an A in the water security category. BASF is introducing sustainable water management at all relevant production sites by 2030. This includes the major Verbund sites and sites in water stress areas. CDP’s assessment takes into account how transparently companies report on their water management activities and how they reduce risks such as water scarcity. CDP also evaluates the extent to which product developments can contribute to sustainable water management for customers of the companies assessed.

As in previous years, BASF was ranked A- for its efforts to protect forests. The assessment is based on detailed insights into the palm value chain and activities with an impact on ecosystems and habitats. Palm kernel oil and its primary derivatives are among the company’s most important renewable raw materials. BASF has once again fulfilled its voluntary commitment to source only RSPO-certified palm oil and palm kernel oil. The company is aware of the importance of protecting forests for the well-being of the environment and society. BASF’s position paper on forest protection sets out the company’s commitment to preserving biodiversity in areas of High Conservation Value such as High Carbon Stock forest areas and peatlands in the procurement of renewable raw materials. BASF reports transparently on these activities in its current Responsible Sourcing Report.

CDP represents more than 740 investors with over $136 trillion in assets. More than 330 companies with $6.4 trillion in purchasing power ask their suppliers to participate in CDP reporting. CDP data is also used in other assessments by leading rating agencies. CDP scores are awarded annually on a scale from A (best result) to D-. Companies that provide no or only insufficient information are marked with F.

Further links:

CDP Ranking:

https://www.basf.com/global/de/investors/sustainable-investments/sustainability-ratings-and-rankings.html

Energy and climate protection:

https://www.basf.com/global/de/who-we-are/sustainability/we-produce-safely-and-efficiently/energy-and-climate-protection.html

https://report.basf.com/2022/en/managements-report/sustainability-along-the-value-chain/safe-and-efficient-production/in-focus-water.html

Forest Protection:

https://www.basf.com/global/de/who-we-are/sustainability/we-produce-safely-and-efficiently/environmental-protection/resources-and-ecosystems/forest-protection.html

https://care360.basf.com/sustainability/responsible-sourcing

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €87.3 billion in 2022. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com .  

Daniela Rechenberger

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Sibanye attains A- rating for water management, climate change disclosures

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Sibanye's nickel operation in Brazil

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14th February 2024

By: Marleny Arnoldi

Deputy Editor Online

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JSE- and NYSE-listed Sibanye-Stillwater has attained an A- rating for its water security and climate change disclosures by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for the 2023 assessment period.

CDP is a global nonprofit organisation that manages the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies and regions. It works with many companies to disclose their environmental impacts, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests.

Sibanye’s water CDP rating improved from B to A- and is notably higher than the average global submissions, which hold a C- rating, the average C- rating for the African region, and the average B- rating for the metallic mineral mining sector.

Additionally, Sibanye’s climate change CDP rating score of ‘A-‘ exceeded the average C- rating of the global submissions, the average B- rating for the African region, and the metallic mineral mining sector’s average C- rating.

CEO Neal Froneman says the company’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 is unwavering. “Our comprehension of the interdependencies between climate change and water security positions us favourably to mitigate risks, aid local communities, and steer actions towards constructing a business that is sustainable and resilient to climate change.”

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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  1. Water management: Current and future challenges and research directions

    Water management: Current and future challenges and research directions William J. Cosgrove, Daniel P. Loucks First published: 20 June 2015 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014WR016869 Citations: 617 Sections PDF Tools Share Abstract Water distinguishes our planet compared to all the others we know about.

  2. WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

    Last Updated: Oct 05, 2022 Additional Resources Water scarcity affects more than 40% of the global population. Water-related disasters account for 70% of all deaths related to natural disasters. The World Bank helps countries ensure sustainability of water use, build climate resilience and strengthen integrated management.

  3. Sustainable Water Management

    The first step is to collect information on indicators of water management, and five indicators have been selected as proxies for water management: Access to information on water quantity and quality State of infrastructure Local water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions Existence and enforcement of allocations and caps Local pricing systems

  4. Developing a Comprehensive Water Management Program

    The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) in coordination with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed the Federal Water Management Planning Manual to provide a resource on how to design a comprehensive water management program.

  5. Best Management Practice #1: Water Management Planning

    Step 1: Set an Overarching Policy and Goals Step 2: Assess Current Water Uses and Costs Step 3: Develop a Water Balance Step 4: Assess Water Efficiency Opportunities and Economics Step 5: Develop an Implementation Plan Step 6: Measure Progress Step 7: Plan for Contingencies National Drought Mitigation Center

  6. Water Resources Planning and Management: An Overview

    The central purpose of water resources planning, management, and analysis activities is to address, and if possible answer, these questions. These questions have scientific, technical, political (institutional), and social dimensions. Thus water resources planning processes and products are must.

  7. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

    Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Water is a key driver of economic and social development while it also has a basic function in maintaining the integrity of the natural environment.

  8. Smart Water Management Project

    The Smart Water Management Project To support the continued growth of SWM, IWRA is partnering with K-water (the Korea Water Resources Corporation) to better understand and promote the benefits of SWM solutions through the SWM Project.

  9. Integrated Water Management and Development Project

    The development objective of the Integrated Water Management and Development Project for Uganda is to improve access to water supply and sanitation services, integrated water resources management, and operational performance of water and sanitation service providers in Project areas. It has four project component.

  10. Water Management Plans and Best Practices at EPA

    Water management plans help individual facilities set long- and short-term water conservation goals. EPA currently has 20 signed water management plans. Learn more about EPA's water management plans. Top 10 Water Management Techniques

  11. Water

    The field of water management is continually changing. Water has been subject to external shocks in the form of climate change and globalization. Water management analysis is subject to disciplinary developments and inter-disciplinary interactions. Are these developments well-documented in the literature? Initial observations in the interdisciplinary literature suggest that results are ...

  12. IoT-based Water Management System: Benefits & Solutions

    IoT-based water management system is a process of planning, allocating, and monitoring water resources and maintaining related equipment like pipes and pumps through IoT hardware and software. IoT-enabled water management systems use sensors, controllers, meters, and other devices connected to mobile, web apps, and data processing and analysis ...

  13. Smart Water Management with IoT: Key Application Areas

    IoT smart water management brings transparency and optimized control to the whole water supply chain, helping industries and cities use healthy water efficiently and follow regulations. With IoT capabilities, you can even collect and recycle wastewater. If you need a trusted consultant to assist you in optimizing water production, distribution ...

  14. WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Projects

    Contacts. For additional information on WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Projects, please contact Ms. Avra Morgan at 303-445-2906 or [email protected]; or contact Ms. Robin Graber at 303-445-2764 or [email protected]. You may complete this form to receive WaterSMART program notification from the Bureau of Reclamation.

  15. Water Management: Introduction, Ways, Concepts, Videos and Examples

    Water management is the activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources. Water is a basic necessity. No living creature can live without water. There's a scarcity of water. To avoid this scarcity, water is saved and managed efficiently. Ways to Save Water Some of the ways to save water are as follows :

  16. Smart Water Management with IoT

    Cogniteq Blog Smart Water Management with IoT: Key Solutions and Benefits August 10, 2023 6 min Smart Water Management with IoT: Key Solutions and Benefits In the era of global digitalization, water scarcity, and poor water quality remain pressing issues in many regions of the world.

  17. - Coeqwal

    What is Coeqwal? An invitation to communities with diverse water needs to envision the future of California's water. Collaborative research that advances science to explore new possibilities for water management. Accessible, online tools to help us understand how we'll support critical water needs in a changing climate.

  18. Blueprint for One Water

    This project sought to advance the adoption of a One Water approach through the development of a user-friendly blueprint for the practical application of One Water planning. This blueprint is beneficial for utilities across multiple water resource sectors, including water supply, wastewater, reuse, watershed management, stormwater, and energy and resource recovery.

  19. New Project Will Revolutionise Industrial Water Management

    The R3VOLUTION project will revolutionise industrial water management in the EU. Titled "A revolutionary approach for maximising process water reuse and resource recovery through a smart, circular and integrated solution", it will pave the way for sustainable and efficient water and resource consumption. The project will do so by developing ...

  20. Water Management

    Water Conservation and Management. It is the process of collection and storage of rainwater, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from the roof and is redirected to a tank, reservoir, cistern, or natural tanks, etc. It is a method for saving water placed under the ground to control the groundwater flow in an aquifer and to ...

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  22. PARETO Website

    The Produced Water Application for Beneficial Reuse, Environmental Impact and Treatment Optimization (PARETO) is specifically designed for produced water management and beneficial reuse.The major deliverable of this project will be an open-source, optimization-based, downloadable and executable produced water decision-support application, PARETO, that can be run by upstream operators ...

  23. Nobel Systems and UzSuvTa'minot Announce Completion of Digital Twin

    This transformative project has been completed, marking a significant milestone in the modernization of Uzbekistan's water management system. In April 2022, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) provided a $430,000 grant to UzSuvTa'minot JSC to conduct the feasibility study, which was completed in December 2023.

  24. Chapter3

    The sanitary and epidemiological service conducts monitoring at six sites on the Moskva river. The monitoring data has been supplied in dynamics since 1937. In recreation zones, water is controlled at twelve sites two times a month from May through September according to twenty-six organic and chemical indicators and four bacterial indicators ...

  25. Netherlands: EIB and NWB Bank join forces to improve flood protection

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Nederlandse Waterschapsbank (NWB Bank) have signed a €200 million loan agreement to improve flood protection and water quality in the Netherlands. Under its mandate, the EIB can lend up to 50% of the total amount to any single project, with NWB Bank providing the other half. This means that a total of €400 million will be made available for local ...

  26. Vice President Harris announces $5.8 billion for water ...

    Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing another $5.8 billion for water infrastructure projects nationwide, paid for by one of the Biden administration's key legislative victories.

  27. Stormwater Management Program

    City of Moscow Stormwater Management Program November 2021 Activity 1. Dry weather outfall assessment, monitoring, and mitigation: Paradise Creek E. coli and nutrient reduction strategy. This project aims to eliminate detect and eliminate any continuous sources of E. coli and/or nutrients which could impact established TMDL target concentrations.

  28. 14 Problems of Waste Management in the Moscow Region

    Besides, the opinion of the public is taken into account when a project submitted for state environmental review has undergone public examinations and there are supporting materials. Public environmental examination is supposed to draw the attention of state bodies to a definite site or facility and to disseminate well-grounded information ...

  29. Leadership status for BASF renewed by CDP

    Excellent A- ranking for water management and forest and climate protection; The non-profit organization CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) has again ranked BASF as one of the world's leading companies for its sustainable water management and forest and climate protection measures. BASF received an A- in all three categories.

  30. Sibanye attains A- rating for water management, climate change disclosures

    JSE- and NYSE-listed Sibanye-Stillwater has attained an A- rating for its water security and climate change disclosures by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for the 2023 assessment period. CDP is a ...