Integrated Water Resources Management

Integrated Water Resources Management

edited by Miguel A. Mariño & Slobodan P. Simonovic

IAHS Publication no. 272 (published December 2001)intheIAHSSeriesofProceedingsandReports

ISBN 1-901502-71-6; 442 + xiv pp.; price £65.00

Over the last two decades the way in which we manage water and related natural resources in different regions of the world has changed fundamentally. The organizational models that have worked well for over a hundred years no longer exist, yet the models that will replace them are still in the process of being defined; we are in a period of major transition. This volume is an outcome of the International Symposium on Integrated Water Resources Management (held at Davis, California, April 2000), which aimed to provide additional insight in the current thinking, and a forum for exchange of experience.

The 61 papers demonstrate that there is a need for much better coordination and planning based on a strong knowledge base. Small independent experiments need to be replaced by strategic programmes with well-defined targets and objectives, backed by technical expertise, good management and relevant research at all scales. One of the most exciting developments is the growing commitment from a wide range of stakeholders to a new framework for water resources management based on the principle of integrated watershed management, described in general terms as “a form of coordinated management of land and water resources within a region, with the objectives of preventing land degradation, protecting the quality of the freshwater resource, protecting biodiversity, and continuing sustainable use, within a context which includes genuine community/government partnerships and recognition of socio-economic objectives”.

However, based on the lessons of the last two decades, integrated watershed management as a process must mature significantly in order to make real progress: (a) there must be a much stronger scientific base for complex water resource management projects;
(b) considerable improvement is required in our capacity to predict the results of our actions; (c) continuous monitoring and evaluation is a necessary condition for reaching adaptive solutions; and (d) the process must be well informed and inclusive.

Contents

Water Resource Planning and Management

Conjunctive Surface Water–Groundwater Management

Surface Water Management

Flood Modelling

Ecosystem Management

______

Integrated Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium held at Davis, California, April2000).
IAHS Publ. no. 272, 2001, pp. 19–24.

Decision making in multi-party regional water conflicts

A. ADAMS

Tampa Bay Water, 2535 Landmark Drive, Suite 211, Clearwater, Florida 33761, USA

e-mail:

Abstract Regional multi-party water conflicts, such as (in the USA) California’s Bay Delta and Colorado’s South Platte River, are difficult to resolve due to complexities and conflicting interests. This paper describes a decision model for resolving multi-party regional water conflicts such as those based on the processes evident in three case studies that have been evaluated in depth. The two-tier model links non-technical factors with evaluation of technical alternatives. Case methods were used to verify and refine the model by analysing factors that led to successful and failed decision processes in the three water conflicts studied; detailed case histories of each were compiled in the research effort. An extensive review of original documents resulted in new and detailed case histories that were used to verify the model. The study found that necessary and sufficient conditions for success are: (a) that implementation of consensus decisions requires a binding mechanism; (b) collaborative player relationships must be the only relationship type for consensus processes to be successful; and (c) problems must be clearly defined and goals or expectations must be agreed upon by decision makers.

______

Integrated Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium held at Davis, California, April2000).
IAHS Publ. no. 272, 2001, pp. 229–235.

Quantifying the water resources benefits of integrated reservoir planning

A. J. ADELOYE & M. MONTASERI

Department of Civil and Offshore Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK

e-mail:

Abstract Water resource benefits of integrated reservoir planning were evaluated using data from Iran and England. The results showed that for a given yield, integrated reservoir planning could result in a saving of at least 6% in required capacity when compared with the aggregated storage from analysing reservoirs as stand-alone systems. This saving in capacity has implications for other processes associated with reservoir construction such as evaporation fluxes, which were also found to be less for an integrated system.

______

Integrated Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium held at Davis, California, April2000).
IAHS Publ. no. 272, 2001, pp. 213–218.

Water resources management in developing countries: a case study from Kuwait

A. AKBER, E. AL-AWADI & H. GHONEIM

Water Resources Division, Hydrology Department, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, POBox 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait

e-mail:

Abstract As a result of its location in an extremely arid region, Kuwait is making every effort to utilize its natural groundwater resources in a rational manner. However, a number of concerns related to the groundwater of Kuwait have underscored the need for seeking alternative sources of water. Concerns over the potential for groundwater pollution as a consequence of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the water table rise in the residential areas of Kuwait City and suburbs, and the overexploitation of the groundwater and associated salinity problems in the major farming areas of Kuwait, have prompted the government to investigate the possibility of utilizing other non-traditional sources of water. Wastewater is an important source of usable water from which Kuwait can benefit markedly. As more residential areas are connected to the sewage system, it is expected that larger quantities of wastewater will be available for treatment and further re-use in various sectors. Despite its potential as an important source of water, the use of wastewater in Kuwait is currently limited to the agricultural sector.

______

Integrated Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium held at Davis, California, April2000).
IAHS Publ. no. 272, 2001, pp. 305–310.

Strategic application of flood modelling for infrastructure planning and impact assessment

D. ALKEMA, A. CAVALLIN & M. DE AMICIS

Dipartimento di scienze dell’ ambiente e del territorio, University of Milano - Bicocca, Italy

e-mail:

Abstract This paper discusses the application of flood models for infrastructure planning and impact assessment. Flood modelling can be used to forecast how large embanked structures affect the propagation characteristics of floodwaters during a flooding event. Change in these characteristics will alter the risk of the flood to the structure itself and to the surrounding environment. Flood modelling can thus be included in the environmental impact assessment that is usually required for these projects. Once it is clear that a new project will alter the flood propagation characteristics—and thus the flood impact—flood models can be used to help design the layout of the structure to minimize negative impact and to optimize the positive effects. The preliminary results of a case study near Trento (Italy) are presented as an example of the potential of strategic application of flood models.

______

Integrated Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium held at Davis, California, April2000).
IAHS Publ. no. 272, 2001, pp. 387–392.

Use of a catchmentreservoir system as a method for aquatic ecosystem restoration

ELENA ASABINA

Russian Research Institute for Water Resources Management, RosNIIVKH, Mira str. 23, Ekaterinburg 620049, Russia

e-mail:

Abstract Substance runoff from a catchment is evaluated in terms of the ecological conditions of a reservoir, not in terms of human demands. A river catchment is represented as a combination of diverse landscapes each with uniform conditions for runoff formation. This paper discusses the main methodological approaches to the catchment–reservoir system used to restore the reservoir ecosystem with the aim of improving its water quality.

______

Integrated Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium held at Davis, California, April2000).
IAHS Publ. no. 272, 2001, pp. 431–437.

The water and salt budget of an irrigated plot in an oasis in southern Tunisia

BRAHIM ASKRI, RACHIDA BOUHLILA

Laboratoire d’Hydraulique, Ecole Nation d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, BP 37 le Belvédère, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia

e-mail:

JEAN OLIVIER JOB

Centre Régional de l’Eau et de l’Environnement, ESIB, Université St Joseph, BP 1514, Beyrouth, Liban

Abstract This study focuses on the water flow of a 1.5-ha irrigated plot in the Segdoud oasis, southern Tunisia, with the aim of analysing the processes causing salinization of soil and water. The flow processes, including infiltration, capillary rise, artificial drainage, underground flow and evapotranspiration, are simulated using the conceptual and distributed model MAPIRA. Model predictions were compared with detailed measurements of piezometric levels made during a 134-day period following different successive irrigations. Calibration results show that the model is able to reproduce the observed response of the groundwater, which corresponds to the water table. However, a difference between measurements and calculations can be explained by uncertainties in the estimation of irrigation water quantity. For validation, calculated and measured water table depths are compared, i.e. for approximately two months. Results show that the model is unable to take into account a rapid piezometric variation due to over-irrigation of the plots situated at a higher altitude.

______

Integrated Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium held at Davis, California, April2000).
IAHS Publ. no. 272, 2001, pp. 393–399.

Two-dimensional fish habitat modelling for assessing instream flow requirements

BARNEY AUSTIN & MARK WENTZEL

Environmental Section, Texas Water Development Board, 1700 North Congress Avenue, PO Box 13231, Austin, Texas 78711-3231, USA

e-mail:

AbstractThe impact of abstracting or retaining water on the environmental quality of a river is difficult to quantify. Any change to the natural flow regime for hydroelectric power generation, water supply or irrigation may result in a change in the habitat available to fish species. An innovative way of collecting data necessary to create and calibrate a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model is presented in this paper. A GIS is used to combine the information gained from the hydrodynamic model with specific information on fish habitat preference. Results, in the form of habitat-duration curves for fish species, are presented for a study of the Guadalupe River.

______

Integrated Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium held at Davis, California, April2000).
IAHS Publ. no. 272, 2001, pp. 263–268.

Large-scale hydropower system optimization

MARIO T. L. BARROS, JOAO E. G. LOPES

Department of Hydraulics and Sanitary Engineering, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

e-mail:

SHU-LI YANG & WILLIAM W.-G. YEH

Department of Civil and Environment Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA

Abstract A nonlinear monthly optimization model is developed for the management and operations of a large-scale hydropower system and applied to the Parana subsystem of the Brazilian hydropower system. The weighted composite objective function of the model consists of the minimization of the loss of the stored potential energy and the minimization of the sum of the squares of storage deviations from the targets. The formulated model was first linearized by replacing the energy production function and the tailrace water level variation by their corresponding average values, and solved by linear programming. Secondly, the nonlinear model was solved by MINOS. A comparative analysis was made of the results of the linearized and nonlinear models. The results show that the difference between the two models is insignificant in terms of the total energy production, but they differ in their release policies. Thus, it is concluded that the linearized model is suitable for long-term planning, e.g. for system capacity expansion studies, or it can be used to explore various design parameters in connection with feasibility studies. When checked against the historical operational record for the Paranapamena subsystem, the nonlinear model shows superior performance. The nonlinear model is particularly suited for setting up guidelines for real-time operation with frequent updating.