Alternative Water Management Strategies Research Articles

Rural and Urban Difference in the Acceptance of Alternative Water Management Strategies: Case Study of Idaho Residents

Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states in the US. The stressors of population growth and climate change are increasing the strain on its water resources, emphasizing the need for water management strategies. Public support, however, can vary by a range of factors, including geography. This study aims to assess the rural and urban distinctions of support for water resource management. In 2014, 401 people from Idaho’s general public responded to an online survey, with 375 of the respondents georeferenced into three groups: urban areas; urban clusters (small towns); and rural. The responses showed similarities in support among the groups; however, there were some notable differences. Water conservation received the most support for all groups, but there was a significant difference around land use regulations. The majority of respondents supported land use regulations, with urban clusters having the highest level of support. These findings can assist water managers throughout the United States with respect to recognizing public preferences in different geographies of residence.

Quality Testing of Raw and Filtered Grey-water Emerging from Kitchen Sink: A Case Study

The limited freshwater supplies in arid regions have created alternative water management strategies. Data indicates that grey-water generation varies from 39-85% in various countries. Grey-water treatment and reuse can be a helpful nonpotable water source for toilet draining, watering gardens, car and floor washing, etc. Treated grey-water should be clean, hygienic, environment-friendly and cost-effective. The goal of this research is (i) to test the parameters of raw grey-water (ii) create a filter bed (iii) test parameters of treated grey-water (iv) Compare the parameters of raw and treated grey-water (v) describe the area of use.

The Effects of Climate Change on Aquatic Ecosystems in Relation to Human Health

This review paper aimed to summarize the climate change impacts on water sources and their relation with human and ecosystem health and evaluate better management strategies. In aquatic environments, climate change causes alteration of biodiversity and species distribution, changes in the duration of biological functions, decreasing productivities, alteration in food web structures, as well as triggering the invasion of various species, and variation in the presence, abundance, and concentrations of various co-stressors. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the surface water temperature in the oceans has risen by about 1°C. Consequently, human well-being is directly and indirectly affected by these alterations. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 3.5 million people die from water-related diseases each year. It is projected that the number of water-related diseases will increase due to the effects of climate change. To cope with these problems, alternative water management strategies should be developed to have resilient water systems in terms of both ecological and technological perspectives. Thus, water management requires the cooperation of many sectors including citizens, institutions, public and private sectors, etc. within a multi-stakeholder approach.

Multi-Objective Water Planning in a Poor Water Data Region: Aragvi River Basin

Water resources planning in regions with sufficient data continuity and quality is complex, but in regions with poor water data, the task is further complicated. In this paper, we share our experience developing a multi-objective technical assessment of water resources in a region with scarce water data. This research is an example of collaborative modeling in which stakeholders were involved during the modeling process to create a model using the Shared Vision collaborative strategy for water planning in the Aragvi River Basin in the country of Georgia. We developed a regional water planning model suitable for evaluating water supply and water demand interaction as well as current and alternative water management strategies. Remarks from scenario development enlightened the need for water efficiency and conservation activities as currently the system is not entirely reliable, and its reliability is expected to decline with population growth and increased hydropower demands. This research is a strong foundation for future water-related projects in the region.

Participatory and Integrated Modelling under Contentious Water Use in Semiarid Basins

Addressing modern water management challenges requires the integration of physical, environmental and socio-economic aspects, including diverse stakeholders’ values, interests and goals. Early stakeholder involvement increases the likelihood of acceptance and legitimacy of potential solutions to these challenges. Participatory modelling allows stakeholders to co-design solutions, thus facilitating knowledge co-construction/social learning. In this work, we combine integrated modelling and participatory modelling to develop and deploy a digital platform supporting decision-making for water management in a semiarid basin under contentious water use. The purpose of this tool is exploring “on-the-fly” alternative water management strategies and potential policy pathways with stakeholders. We first co-designed specific water management strategies/impact indicators and collected local knowledge about farmers’ behaviour regarding groundwater regulation. Second, we coupled a node–link water balance model, a groundwater model and an agent-based model in a digital platform (SimCopiapo) for scenario exploration. This was done with constant input from key stakeholders through a participatory process. Our results suggest that reductions of groundwater demand (40%) alone are not sufficient to capture stakeholders’ interests and steer the system towards sustainable water use, and thus a portfolio of management strategies including exchanges of water rights, improvements to hydraulic infrastructure and robust enforcement policies is required. The establishment of an efficient enforcement policy to monitor compliance on caps imposed on groundwater use and sanction those breaching this regulation is required to trigger the minimum momentum for policy acceptance. Finally, the participatory modelling process led to the definition of a diverse collection of strategies/impact indicators, which are reflections of the stakeholders’ interests. This indicates that not only the final product—i.e., SimCopiapo—is of value but also the process leading to its creation.

Effects of Water Management Strategies and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Rice Yield Cultivated on Histosols

Rice cultivation in a continuous flooding system is common practice. However, due to the scarcity of continuous irrigation alternate water management strategies are being explored for rice cultivation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of alternative water management strategies and nitrogen fertilizer on rice yield grown on highly organic (histosol) soils.

Water Rights Analysis Package Modeling System

The water rights analysis package simulates surface water development, allocation, management, and use and performs reliability and frequency analyses of simulation results. The computer modeling system facilitates assessments of hydrologic and institutional water availability and reliability in satisfying requirements for reservoir storage, water supply diversions, environmental instream flows, and hydroelectric energy generation. Reservoir system operations for flood control can be simulated. Capabilities are also provided for tracking salinity concentrations. Basin-wide impacts of water resources development projects and management practices are modeled. The modeling system is generalized for application anywhere, with input datasets being developed for particular river systems of concern. The water availability modeling system maintained by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and routinely applied by the professional water management community consists of the water rights analysis package and simulation input datasets for all of the river basins of Texas. Model-users modify the input datasets as appropriate to evaluate alternative water use scenarios, development projects, and management strategies of interest. This paper explores concepts and methodologies incorporated in the water rights analysis package and other comparable modeling systems, implementation of water availability modeling in Texas, and contributions to effective water management.

An empirically based simulation model to inform flow management for endangered species conservation

Increasing water demand, water development, and ongoing climate change have driven extensive changes to the hydrology, geomorphology and biology of arid-land rivers globally, driving an increasing need to understand how annual hydrologic conditions affect the distribution and abundance of imperiled desert fish populations. We analyzed the relationship between annual hydrologic conditions and the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) in the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, USA, using hurdle models to predict both presence and density as a function of integrated annual hydrologic metrics. Both presence and density were positively related to spring high flow magnitude and duration and negatively related to summer drying, as indicated by an integrated flow metric. Simulations suggest hydrologic conditions near the wettest observed in the data set would be required to meet recovery goals in a single year in all reaches. We demonstrate how the models developed herein can be used to examine alternative water management strategies, including strategies that may currently be socially and logistically infeasible to implement, to identify strategies minimizing trade-offs between conservation and other management goals.

Removal of steroid hormone micropollutants from water using a membrane composite of UF with permeate side adsorption

A novel way of removing micropollutants – especially steroid hormones – from water has been developed in Germany at the Institute for Advanced Membrane Technology (IAMT) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). As this article shows, it is based on the combination of a polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and activated carbon. The two resulting separation processes work independently and can be tuned separately, depending on the quality of the water to be treated. Whilst meeting the ambitious requirements for steroid hormone removal, it also has the potential to fulfil the needs of alternative water management strategies.

Learning to Manage Common Resources: Stakeholders Playing a Serious Game See Increased Interdependence in Groundwater Basin Management

This paper reports an empirical evaluation of a new serious game created to foster learning about collaborative management of common pool resources. Stakeholders (n = 41) involved in the implementation of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act were recruited to play a new serious game designed to illustrate how alternative water management strategies, including pumping restrictions and simple trading schemes, affect supply. In the game, a group of six players set in a groundwater basin area enact the allocation, needs, and use of water in rounds representing annual seasons. Pre-post surveys found that the gameplay increased perceived interdependence among stakeholders, and optimism about the groundwater management process. Qualitative feedback suggested that participants gained new insights into the nature of common pool resources and the needs of other stakeholders. Serious games may be useful in fostering attitudes, such as interdependence needed for successful collaborative planning and governance.

Blue and Grey Water Footprints of Dairy Farms in Kuwait

In Kuwait, dairy farming faces challenges due to its significant water demands. The current study assessed seasonal patterns of water use to estimate the blue water footprint (WF) and grey WF per kg of fat protein corrected milk (FPCM) for confined dairy farming systems in Kuwait. Blue and grey WFs were evaluated using data from three operational farms. The average blue WF (L·kg-1 FPCM) was estimated to be 54.5 ± 4.0 L·kg-1 in summer and 19.2 ± 0.8 L·kg-1 in winter. The average grey WF (generated from milk house wastewater) was assessed on bimonthly basis and determined based on its phosphate (PO4) concentration (82.2 ± 14.3 mg·L-1) which is the most limiting factor to be 23.0 ± 9.0 L·kg-1 FPCM d-1. The outcomes indicate that enhancing the performance of dairy cows and adopting alternative water management strategies can play a role in minimizing the impacts of confined dairy farming systems in Kuwait on water quality and quantity.

Evaluating Tradeoffs in the Response of Sora (Porzana carolina) and Waterfowl to the Timing of Early Autumn Wetland Inundation

Wetland loss has increased the importance of multi-species management in remaining wetlands, which provide habitat for a multitude of wetland-dependent species. Many public wetlands across the mid-latitude United States are managed as moist soil impoundments with emphasis on migratory waterfowl. However, how the timing of these water management decisions affects rails is still uncertain. Wetland managers identified this as an area of uncertainty regarding timing of alternative water management strategies to benefit waterfowl and rails, which was addressed through a 3-year management experiment. Sora (Porzana carolina) and waterfowl were surveyed on 10 public wetland properties in Missouri, USA from 2014-2016, and their responses to early autumn inundation of managed palustrine wetlands were compared. A total of 558 Sora surveys detected 5,755 birds (20.6 birds/survey ± 30.8 SD), and 1,304 waterfowl surveys detected 1,411,779 birds (15,686.4 birds/survey ± 23,933.9 SD). Sora responded positively (birds/ha) to inundation of moist soil impoundments earlier in autumn migration (August). The top model for Sora included treatment, year and region of Missouri. There was no difference in waterfowl abundance between early or late inundation. Inundating wetlands earlier in autumn migration can provide habitat for migrating Sora without negative effects on waterfowl use of those wetlands, and wetland managers can incorporate this into their decision-making framework.

Treatment and effective utilization of greywater

Sustainable management aims at the governance of natural resources to meet the needs of future generations. The limited resources of freshwater in arid regions have led to the development of alternative water management strategies. To meet the future challenges of water scarcity, an attempt has been made in this study to utilize treated greywater obtained by gravity-governed filtration technique and disinfection for domestic usage. The study addresses the possibilities of groundwater recharge with the treated greywater. The method focuses on a gravity-governed flow through a column containing activated carbon, sand and gravel. The greywater used for the treatment contains a mixture of equal proportions of water collected from three different sources such as kitchen sink, shower and washing machine in Fahaheel, Salmiya and Farwaniya areas of Kuwait. The study concluded that for a volume of 1167 cm3 filtration media used, the designed column was 34% effective for first 1100 mL of greywater. Later, the column was regenerated by washing with distilled water and the regenerated column still proved to be effective with a removal efficiency of 26% for next 600 mL of greywater. The quality of the treated greywater was assessed in terms of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters as per the standard methods to check the suitability for domestic purposes. The results obtained were also compared with the groundwater quality of Kuwait group and Dammam aquifers, and it was inferred to be at par with their quality. The TDS of treated greywater has been reduced from 4910 to 1508 mg/L, which is also lower than the TDS in groundwater of both the aquifers, and pH was reduced from 10.29 to 7.94. The present study proved its efficiency equally to other existing methods, and the efficiency of removal for some of the analyzed parameters was measured as 23%, 95%, 52%, 88%, 100% and 100% for pH, color, TDS, turbidity, total coliform and E. coli, respectively. Hence, the study is simple and cost-effective approach that can be adopted for the treatment and reused greywater for domestic and agriculture and also for recharging the aquifers to prevent saltwater intrusion along the coastal aquifers.

Hydroclimate Variability in Snow-Fed River Systems: Local Water Managers’ Perspectives on Adapting to the New Normal

AbstractBetween water years 2012 and 2017, the Truckee–Carson river system in the western United States experienced both historic-low and record-high Sierra Nevada snowpack, anomalously warm temperatures, and winter and spring flooding. As part of an ongoing collaborative modeling research program in the river system, researchers conduct annual interviews with key local water managers to characterize local climate adaptation strategies and implementation barriers, and identify science information needs to prioritize ongoing research activities. This article presents new findings from a third wave of interviews conducted with the same water managers following the historic 2017 wet year. Comparison of these data suggests that managers increased their adaptation efforts described during previous consecutive drought years (2015 and 2016). In 2017, comparatively fewer managers described climate uncertainty as an implementation barrier, exemplifying recent hydroclimate variability as the “new normal” climate for which they should plan. An assessment of recent conditions reveals that recent water years bound historical observations and are consistent with estimated paleoclimate extremes in terms of magnitude, but not persistence, of both dry and wet conditions. Comparison to projected future climate conditions affirms managers’ perspectives that increased hydroclimate variability, inclusive of drought and flood extremes, defines the new normal climate anticipated for the region. To support long-term adaptation planning, managers requested that researchers prioritize simulations of alternative water management strategies that account for nonstationary climate patterns and quantify implications system-wide. This article illustrates how interdisciplinary research that integrates local knowledge with applied climate science research can support adaptive water management in snow-fed river systems.

Mapping the energy footprint of produced water management in New Mexico

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) and horizontal drilling have revolutionized the fossil fuel industry by enabling production from unconventional oil and gas (UOG) reserves. However, UOG development requires large volumes of water, and subsequent oil and gas production from both conventional and unconventional wells generate large volumes of produced water (PW). While PW is usually considered a waste product, its reuse may lessen demand for freshwater supplies, reduce costs for transportation and disposal, and reduce the risks for injection-induced seismicity. Whether this water is disposed of or treated and reused, both methods require significant amounts of energy. The objective of this study was to identify the primary energy demands of alternative water management strategies, and to characterize and quantify their geographic variability in four oil and gas producing basins in New Mexico using a single year of production. Results illustrate the importance of each component of each produced water management strategy in determining its total energy footprint. Based on 2015 production and water use data, the energy to extract fresh groundwater for hydraulic fracturing (34 GWh-th yr−1.) exceeds the energy that would be required if the same volume of PW were treated chemically (19 GWh-th yr−1.). In addition, the energy required to transport fresh water and dispose of PW (167 GWh-th yr−1.) is far greater than that required to move treated PW (8 GWh-th yr−1.) to a point of reuse. Furthermore, transportation distances, which contribute significantly to the total energy footprint of a given management strategy, are underestimated by nearly 50% state-wide. This indicates that reuse may be an even more energy efficient way to manage PW, even with energy-intensive treatment strategies like electrocoagulation. Reuse of PW for HF is not only more energy efficient than conventional management techniques, it also reduces both demand for scarce fresh water resources and use of disposal wells. By evaluating components of each management strategy individually, this work illustrates how the energy footprint of regional PW management can be reduced. The advent of UOG recovery in the last decade highlights the need to understand existing water management in the industry, identify opportunities and strategies for improvement, and recognize that these dynamics are likely to change into the future.

Temporal Variability and Trends of Rainfall and Streamflow in Tana River Basin, Kenya

This study investigated temporal variabilities and trends of rainfall and discharges in Tana River Basin in Kenya using Mann–Kendall non-parametric test. Monthly rainfall data from ten stations spanning from 1967 to 2016 and daily streamflow data time series of observations from 1941 to 2016 (75 years) were analyzed with the aim of capturing and detecting multiannual and seasonal variabilities and monotonic trends. The results for the datasets suggested that the streamflow is largely dependent on increasing rainfall at the highlands. The rainfall trends seemed to have been influenced by altitudinal factors. The coefficient of variation of the ten rainfall stations ranged from 12% to 17% but 70% of rainfall stations showed negative monotonic trends and 30% show significant trends. The streamflow showed statistically significant upward monotonic trend and seasonal variability indicating a substantial change in the streamflow regime. Although the increasing trend of the streamflow during this period may not pose future risks and vulnerability of energy and irrigated agricultural production systems across the basin, variability observed indicates the need for enhanced alternative water management strategies during the low flow seasons. The trends and time series data indicate the potential evidence of climate and land use change and their impacts on the availability of water and sustainability of ecology and energy and agricultural production systems across the basin. Variability and trends of rainfall and streamflow are useful for planning studies, hydrological modeling and climate change impacts assessment within Tana River Basin.

A geospatially-enabled web tool for urban water demand forecasting and assessment of alternative urban water management strategies

This study develops and demonstrates the Integrated Urban Water Model (IUWM) for forecasting urban water demand with options to assess effects of water conservation and reuse. While water and energy balance drive hydrologic, storage and recycling simulations on a daily timestep, social and infrastructural processes are resolved by spatially distributed parameters. IUWM is deployed as an online tool with geographical information system (GIS) interfaces, enhancing its ease of use and applicability at building to municipal scales. The performance of the model at varying spatial scales was evaluated with extensive water metering data for the City of Fort Collins, Colorado. The calibrated model provided very good estimates of demands at individual block group as well as the municipal service area. The capacity of IUWM for the assessment of the spatiotemporal variability of water consumption and effects of water demand management strategies under climate and urban growth scenarios is discussed.

Analysis of Possible Actions to Manage the Longitudinal Changes of Water Salinity in a Tidal River

In previous studies we have ascertained that inflows and seawater intrusion in the Shatt al-Arab River (SAR) are two key physical factors behind fluctuating and sharply escalating salinities observed in recent years. Such levels require a series of countermeasures and investigative studies to translate physical factors into a salinity dynamics model to understand the problem and its impact as these factors vary in location, time and quantity. A one-dimensional hydrodynamic and salt intrusion numerical model was applied to simulate the complex salinity regime in the SAR based on hourly time-series data for the year 2014. The model was used to analyse the impact of different management scenarios on salinity under different conditions. The results show a high correlation between seawater intrusion and river discharge. Increased use of water upstream and local water withdrawals along the SAR will increase seawater intrusion and salinity concentrations. Improving the quantity and quality of the upstream freshwater sources could reduce salinity levels. Discharging the drainage water into the river could be used to counteract the salt intrusion, considering that its location affects both the salinity distribution and extent. A scenario analysis based on a numerical model constructed for the longitudinal salinity variation associated with different sources in a tidal regime, can efficiently screen alternative water management strategies.

Delayed permanent water rice production systems do not improve the recovery of 15 N-urea compared to continuously flooded systems

Crop recovery of nitrogen (N) fertiliser in flooded rice systems is low relative to fertiliser N recoveries in aerobic crops, and the N losses have environmental consequences. Recent water shortages across the globe have seen a move towards alternative water management strategies such as delayed permanent water (DPW, also known as delayed flood). To investigate whether N fertiliser regimes used in DPW systems result in greater recovery of N fertiliser than traditional continuously flooded (CF) rice systems, we conducted a multi-N rate field trial using 15N-labelled urea. Around 27% of the 15N-labelled fertiliser was recovered in aboveground biomass at maturity, regardless of water regime or N fertiliser rate, and approximately 20% recovered in the soil to 300 mm depth. Plants in the CF system accumulated more total N at each rate of applied N fertiliser than plants in the DPW system due to greater exploitation of native soil N reserves, presumably because the earlier application of N fertiliser in the CF systems led to greater early growth and higher crop N demand. The greater crop biomass production as a result of higher N uptake in the CF system did not increase grain yields above those observed in the DPW system, likely due to cold weather damage. In the following season at the same site, a single N rate (150 kg N ha−1) trial found no significant differences in crop N uptake, biomass yields, grain yields or 15N-labelled urea recovery in DPW, CF and drill sown-CF (DS-CF) treatments. However, owing to higher 15N fertiliser recovery in the 0–100 mm soil horizon, total plant + soil recovery of 15N was significantly higher in the CF treatment (63%) than the DS-CF and DPW treatments (around 50% recoveries). The loss of 40–50% of the applied N (presumably as NH3 or N2) in both seasons regardless of watering regime suggests that new fertiliser N management strategies beyond optimising the rate and timing of urea application are needed, particularly in light of increasing N fertiliser prices.

A Multi-Objective Approach to Evaluate the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Alternative Water and Nutrient Management Strategies in Africa

African agriculture is one of the less productive of the world because of low use of available water resources and of limited fertilizer input. A large increase in agricultural production is needed to meet increasing food requirements of the growing population of Africa, augmenting the risk of environmental pollution. In order to limit this risk adoption of sustainable irrigation and fertilization practices is required. The efficiency of these practices depends on numerous and conflicting objectives which lead to a complex multi-objective decision process. In this work we quantified the trade-offs among the agricultural gross margins and nitrates pollution for the major African crops. Based on an integrated biophysical model and a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, we estimated optimal solutions (Pareto front) among both objectives to identify efficient irrigation and fertilization management patterns in several African countries. This analysis pointed out how the increase of farmer benefit is always related to a higher amount of nitrates losses. Knowledge of these sets of solutions helps decision-makers to choose optimum alternative strategies specifically tailored to each country. The multi-objective analysis indicates that in most of African countries farmers can significantly increase their income while preserving at the same time environment by adopting efficient fertilization and irrigation strategies.