Development of a knowledge base to support the consideration of groundwater protection in land-use planning

Abstract

Groundwater is an essential resource for water supply, but it is vulnerable to the potential impacts of contaminant emissions from human activities. It is widely recognized that the effects of human activities on groundwater quality and quantity can be mitigated, in large part, by appropriate land-use planning because it plays a central role in groundwater protection and conservation. However, groundwater-related issues are not commonly considered in the land-use decision-making process. The main objective of this paper was to develop a decision-support system (DSS) to fill the gap between groundwater resources management, territorial development and the land-use institutional framework. To achieve this objective, it was necessary to establish a dialogue with decision makers to identify their needs. Then, by linking human activities and their related contaminants and impacts, it was possible to identify land-use planning actions that could support groundwater protection. This research resulted in a tool named “Base de connaissances—amenagement du territoire et eau souterraine” (BC-ATES) [Knowledge base—Land-use planning and groundwater]. This tool was tested using Microsoft Access. It includes all the information identified as relevant by land-use planners in the decision process regarding groundwater needs.