Assess Water Use Research Articles

Modeling a game to shift peak water demands: WaterTime leaderboard

Residential water demands vary with a diurnal pattern, and peak hour demands lead to inefficiencies in the operation and management of urban water distribution systems. Peak hourly demands generate significant costs due to the energy requirements of producing and pumping large volumes of potable water. High peak demands also require large investments in infrastructure expansion to support urban growth and economic development. This research develops an agent-based model to assess a demand-side management strategy that shifts high hourly demands. This research envisions a gamification system that rewards players through a leaderboard for shifting water end uses for laundry, irrigation, and bathing from on-peak to off-peak periods. Gamification of demand shifting behaviors is enabled through advanced metering infrastructure, which measures hourly or sub-hourly demands at the account level, and can be analyzed to assess water use behaviors. This research develops an Agent-based Modeling approach based on the Opinion Dynamics theory to calculate the changing opinion of household agents toward shifting water demands, based on utility broadcasts, observations of neighbor water use, social media, and participation in a leaderboard. The model is applied for eight months of hourly demand data collected through smart meters at a participating utility. Results show that a high level of participation in the leaderboard increases the adoption rate of customers shifting the time of specific end uses and may account for up to a 37 % reduction of the peak volume. The diurnal curve is flattened as consumers shift water use from on-peak to off-peak hours. The Agent-Based Model - Opinion Dynamics approach can assist water utilities in designing and evaluating gamification approaches that mitigate peak demands to support water infrastructure management.

Assessing the impacts of climate change on agriculture and water systems via coupled human-hydrological modeling

Understanding the intricate relationship between farmers’ water usage and its hydrological effects is crucial for developing adaptable water policies. However, conducting such an analysis proves challenging due to the lack of appropriate modeling tools that comprehensively integrate water policies, water utilization, and hydrological processes. To address this challenge, this study introduces an innovative socio-hydrological framework to investigate the interplay between farmer actions and water resources. This framework integrates an agent-based model, which is based on the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory, linked with a distributed hydrological model (SWAT-MODFLOW) to capture farmer behaviors. The modeling framework is applied to the Mahabad River Basin to assess water use and hydrological impacts. To assess the framework's ability, Nash–Sutcliffe (NS) efficiency and the coefficient of determination (R2) are computed for simulating runoff, while Mean Absolute Residual Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are computed for simulating groundwater head. Results demonstrate the acceptable performance of the proposed model, with NS = 0.61, R2 = 0.69, MAE = 1.16, and RMSE = 1.92. Moreover, this study integrates climate change data from the 6th IPCC report to evaluate the model's responsiveness to altering climate conditions. Findings suggest that farmers facing economic challenges tend to opt for high-profit crops to ameliorate their financial situation. So, without policy changes, climate change will reduce crop yield, farmer income, and water storage. Furthermore, the study evaluates enhancing irrigation efficiency and groundwater extraction restrictions to mitigate climate change effects. Enhancing irrigation efficiency annually conserves 38.39 MCM, boosts crop yields by 6 %, elevates farmer incomes, and encourages a shift toward low-water-consuming crops, contributing to regional groundwater sustainability. Overall, the results of this study can enhance our comprehension of the impact of human activities on hydrological cycles, offering valuable insights for water managers.

Mine Water Use in Kazakhstan: Data Issues, Risks, and Regulations

Kazakhstan experiences medium-high water stress, intensified by the rapid expansion of mining operations. Due to the scarcity of public data on water use in Kazakhstan’s mining, we use a case study to make inferences about industry-level water use. Specifically, we apply the ICMM water accounting framework and assess water use at one of Kazakhstan’s new copper mines. We find that this mine has managed to achieve a high level of water reuse and minimal impact on water quality. Yet, the company has a relatively high share of water entrained in waste and a high rate of increase in freshwater withdrawals. Our estimates suggest that the operation of this mine has resulted in a 1.5% increase in withdrawals of Kazakhstan’s extractive industries. Considering that during the last decade, the number of mining companies increased by 50%, we can conclude that the cumulative water impacts of mining in Kazakhstan have been substantial. The forthcoming uptake of critical minerals production may further strain Kazakhstan’s water resources. Thus, the rapidly increasing mine water use and rising risks due to climate change and the sharing of water with neighboring countries call for urgent strengthening of Kazakhstan’s water governance and institutions.

Hungry herbivores and thirsty plants: Browsing wildlife shape savanna tree transpiration independently of water use strategies

Abstract Plant transpiration is a key component of the hydrological cycle that moves water from the soil through plants to the atmosphere and is largely determined by environmental conditions. The challenges of highly variable climatic conditions and water scarcity in the semi‐arid savannas of southern Africa drive trees to exhibit different water use strategies. An additional challenge for savanna trees arises from the browsing of large mammals, and its potential impact on transpiration has largely been overlooked. To assess water use strategies and the impact of browsing on transpiration in three common savanna woody species (Colophospermum mopane, Catophractes alexandri, Senegalia mellifera), we conducted an extensive field experiment in a wildlife reserve in Namibia. We established a browsing gradient ranging from 0% to 100% leaf removal to disentangle complex relationships, and we measured sap flow representing whole‐tree transpiration, stomatal conductance as a proxy for leaf level transpiration, and environmental factors including soil moisture, solar radiation, air temperature and air humidity. We discovered a unimodal relationship between browsing intensity and sap flow, consistent across all species, and peaking at low to moderate browsing levels equivalent to approximately 30% leaf removal. This universal pattern is remarkable since we found water use strategies to differ among species: Colophospermum mopane and C. alexandri exhibit a water‐saving behaviour to reduce water loss under unfavourable conditions while S. mellifera demonstrates water‐spending characteristics. The deviation from a negative linear effect of browsing does not meet the functional expectation when browsing is translated into a simple leaf area reduction. Instead, it can be attributed to stomatal adjustments that partially compensate for transpiratory surface loss. We propose that this conceptual mechanism can be generalised to other woody species and various ecosystems. In addition, common transpiration models relying solely on leaf area indices and abiotic factors can be improved by including a non‐linear relationship to reproduce the effect of browsing accurately. Our findings highlight the role of herbivores in shaping the connection between the Earth's spheres and improve our understanding of ecohydrological and vegetation dynamics in Southern African savannas. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

The Connection between Phuket’s Water Supply and the Hotel Sector’s Water Use for Assessment of Tourism Carrying Capacity

For tourism development in areas where there are frequent problems with water shortage, it is important to assess water use potential from a geographic perspective. This study investigated the relationship between water use in the hotel sector and the amount of available water in Phuket for tourism carrying capacity assessment. Geographic information system (GIS) was applied to support spatial analysis. The studied hotels were in the size required to conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA), totaling 178 hotels. There would be a total water use of 24,275 m3/day and 40,457 m3/day in the low and high seasons, respectively. In terms of annual water use, in the cases of lowest, normal, and highest possible consumption, there would be water consumption amounts of 8,860,021 m3/year, 11,303,606 m3/year, and 14,766,699 m3/year, respectively. From evaluating the capacity to support tourists in terms of water adequacy in Phuket Province, our results reveal that the amount of water in the province is insufficient to meet the needs of tourists. This is because the number of tourists coming to travel each year is ordinarily more than 10 million people, and there is a plan to accommodate 12 million tourists in 2023, but the amount of water that the province can procure is sufficient to support a maximum of not more than 8,986,600 tourists per year only if the water that EIA hotels store and produce themselves is included. This amount of water is still insufficient for the targeted number of tourists and other sectors, and the province’s water demand is likely to increase. In this regard, Phuket should hastily prepare a plan and measures to increase the amount of available water within the province.

Ecosystem accounting for water resources at the catchment scale, a case study for the Peloponnisos, Greece

The System of Environmental-Economic Accounts - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA) has become the world’s leading natural capital accounting system. It provides a valuable decision-making tool for spatial planning and integrated development. SEEA implementation is a current key challenge for European Union (EU) Member States (MS), mainly due to high requirements on budget, technical capacity, and data, varying between countries. Within this frame, the objective of this paper is to demonstrate how the SEEA framework can be applied to analyse water ecosystems at river basin scale, building exclusively upon the officially registered, standardized national and EU datasets. We test how water resources can be accounted for using SEEA EA, with an additional component assessing water use based on SEEA Water. Within the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), two reporting cycles of river basin management plans have been completed for water ecosystems, providing spatial and temporal datasets. This material together with numerous data available at EU and national levels, water-relevant databases and repositories, resulting from MS reporting obligations, are tested and utilised for water accounting. The Alfeios river basin in Western Peloponnisos Greece serves as the case study area for compiling extent accounts, condition accounts, and supply and use accounts for provisioning water ecosystem services (drinking and irrigation water) for the periods 2009–2015 and 2015–2021 (the two WFD reporting cycles). It is demonstrated that readily available EU datasets can support the initial mapping and compiling of water ecosystem accounts at local scale, as applied in Greece, and therefore potentially also in other EU countries with fragmented data scattered in various administrative services and authorities with overlapping responsibilities on water resources. It is also concluded that future WFD reporting cycles and revisions of the river basin management plans could be better structured to enable a more direct connection of the collected data to ecosystem accounts.

Оценка водопользования северных регионов России по критериям устойчивого развития

Progress toward achieving SDG 6 ("Clean Water and Sanitation") is monitored by means of thirteen global indicators. However, insufficient data from countries, including Russia, underscore the need to assess regional water supply as well as its effective and sustainable use. This study aims to comparatively assess water use in northern regions based on UN-defined sustainable development criteria, utilizing information from Rosstat, The National Information Agency "Natural Resources", and the FAO's Global Information System for the period from 2007 to 2020. The study is based on statistical and comparative analyses, the Decoupling Diamond model, and sustainability window (SuWi) analysis. Its findings indicate high water availability across all regions, aligning with the "low water stress" category under SDG 6.4.2 (threshold ≤25%). The Falkenmark water index shows that water availability doesn't hinder economic growth in northern regions. Regional variations in water use across industries are discussed, which impact productivity (SDG indicator 6.4.1) and water intake intensity (water capacity of GRP). Water use productivity highlights the efficiency of recycled water, reducing intake and increasing productivity. Regions with low intake intensity (below 1.4 m3/thousand rubles, which is the target according to the Water Strategy) and high water capacity of the gross product were identified. Using the Decoupling Diamond model, the study assessed economic growth as a function of water use. The sustainability window method revealed environmental constraints on economic growth related to water use in northern regions. These results offer insights into water use in Arctic regions in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and Water Strategy implementation. They are essential considerations for regional development programs.

Evapotranspiration partitioning based on underlying conductance in a complex tree-grass orchard ecosystem in the humid area of southern China

Partitioning of evapotranspiration (ET) into its components (vegetation transpiration (T), soil evaporation (ESoil) and evaporation from intercepted water (Ei)) in agroforestry systems can provide valuable assessments of plant water use. However, it is still challenging to quantify the contributions of different vegetation elements to T, especially when the underlying surface is complex, consisting of trees and heterogeneous grass. Based on the water-carbon coupling theory and flux conservation hypothesis, an ET partitioning method was proposed to partition total ET into T from the tree (TTree) and understory grass (TGrass), and ESoil in a humid region tree-grass orchard ecosystem during three growing seasons (from mid-March to end-October) of 2018–2020. The results demonstrated that the partitioned TTree and understory evapotranspiration (ETun=TGrrass+ESoil) agreed well with the values measured by the heat-pulse sap flow sensors (R2 of 0.744, and RMSE of 0.379 mm d–1) and micro-lysimeters (R2 of 0.650 and RMSE of 0.545 mm d–1). The derived underlying transpiration (TGs=TTree+TGrass) was strongly consistent with Zhou's underlying water use efficiency approach (R2 of 0.939 and RMSE of 0.382 mm d–1). The estimated TGs was 536, 433 and 383 mm during the three growing seasons, resulting in a higher TGs/ET ratio of 0.74 ± 0.03 (±standard deviation). Among them, TGrass contributed to 0.32 ± 0.05 ET, while the contribution was 0.42 ± 0.02 for TTree. Esoil and residual evaporation (including Ei and estimated error) accounted for a small ET proportion, with the value of 0.13 ± 0.02 and 0.14 ± 0.01, respectively. The partitioned ET components (TTree/ET, TGs/ET and ESoil/ET) were well controlled by variations of atmospheric evaporation demand and vegetation factors, but were little affected by soil water content. Increased tree leaf area limited TGrass due to shading effects, however, TGrass tended to contribute more transpiration water under a higher atmospheric evaporation environment. The findings of this study enhance the knowledge about the contributions of individual ET components on total ET in a complex tree-grass ecosystem, and provide further insights on plant-plant interactions in terms of water use strategies and orchard water management.

Assessment of Water Use across different Wards in Minna Town, Niger State, Nigeria

Water is an important resource on the surface of the earth. Some areas however have low supply and consumption of water than the others. In some cities across the world, water scarcity has become a serious challenge which residents undergo on daily basis. Therefore, this study investigated water consumption across different wards in Minna Town, Niger State, Nigeria. The study used multistage cluster sampling methods of different wards where 400 questionnaires were administered and interviews conducted. The result showed that most residents in Minna Town used the water supply for domestic purposes than industrial and agriculture purposes. Kpakungu (17.8%) had the highest domestic use of water. However, Limawa B, Soje and Kpakungu with 12.5% each were the three wards with the highest rates of industrial water consumption. Nasarawa B (29%) and Soje (15%) had the highest consumption of water supply for agricultural purposes. It was found that high density areas had the highest consumption rate of water and the Chanchaga Water Board could not adequately supply the required quantities of water for Minna residents. Therefore, the study has recommended that the government and city planners should improve water supply, develop and enforce a good water management framework that will meet the water needs of Minna residents without further delay.

Satellite-based assessment of water use and leaf area efficiencies of dryland conifer forests along an aridity gradient

Dryland forests worldwide are increasingly threatened by drought stress due to climate change. Understanding the relationships between forest structure and function is essential for managing dryland forests to adapt to these changes. We investigated the structure-function relationships in four dryland conifer forests distributed along a semiarid to subhumid climatic aridity gradient. Forest structure was represented by leaf area index (LAI) and function by gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and the derived efficiencies of water use (WUE = GPP/ET) and leaf area (LAE = GPP/LAI). Estimates of GPP and ET were based on the observed relationships between high-resolution vegetation indices from VENμS and Sentinel-2A satellites and flux data from three eddy covariance towers in the study regions between November 2015 to October 2018. The red-edge-based MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) from VENμS and Sentinel-2A showed strong correlations to flux tower GPP and ET measurements for the three sites (R2cal > 0.91, R2val > 0.84). Using our approach, we showed that as LAI decreased with decreasing aridity index (AI) (i.e., dryer conditions), estimated GPP and ET decreased (R2 > 0.8 to LAI), while WUE (R2 = 0.68 to LAI) and LAE increased. The observed global-scale patterns are associated with a variety of forest vegetation characteristics, at the local scale, such as tree species composition and density. However, our results point towards a canopy-level mechanism, where the ecosystem-LAI and resultant proportion of sun-exposed vs. shaded leaves are primary determinants of WUE and LAE along the studied climatic aridity gradient. This work demonstrates the importance of high-resolution (spatially and spectrally) remote sensing data conjugated with flux tower data for monitoring dryland forests and understanding the intricate structure-function interactions in their response to drying conditions.

Input–Output Global Hybrid Analysis of Agricultural Primary Production (IO-GHAAPP) Database

In many regions of the world, water consumption exceeds the limits of sustainable water use. A commonly used method to examine the relationship between global water consumption and production is input–output analysis. However, between approximately 70% and 90% of freshwater consumption occurs in agricultural primary production, which is often represented by only a small percentage of the total number of sectors in input–output databases. As a result, water-related assessments based on input–output analysis are limited in their accuracy and substance. In addition, the assessment of the impact of water consumption is usually carried out at the national level, which can further contribute to the imprecision of the results. Therefore, the primary objective of this work was to develop an approach to better assess water use and its impacts in input–output analysis. In order to achieve this objective, a novel approach was adopted by integrating a global spatial model of agricultural primary production (MapSPAM) into an existing input–output database via prorating. In addition, the utilisation of MapSPAM allowed the calculation of water environmental extensions with unprecedented accuracy. The resulting Input–Output Global Hybrid Analysis of Agricultural Primary Production (IO-GHAAPP) approach includes (1) a novel input–output database and (2) novel environmental extensions for freshwater consumption and scarcity. The IO-GHAAPP database consists of 150 categories and 164 regions, resulting in a total of 24,600 region–category combinations. Forty-two of the categories are dedicated to agricultural primary production (28%). In comparison, the source input–output data consist of 120 categories and 164 regions, resulting in a total of 19,680 region–category combinations, of which 14 are dedicated to agricultural primary production (12%). The Python code and IO-GHAAPP database are openly available via Zenodo. The IO-GHAAPP approach is presented in a comparative analysis of agricultural primary production, along with the associated water consumption and water footprint, at both the global level and for the United States and India. Both countries are among the most important in the world in terms of agricultural primary production as well as associated water consumption and water scarcity. Furthermore, the IO-GHAAPP approach is applied in a simple case study of Germany, which stands in contrast as one of the largest importers of agricultural primary production on a global scale. The results show that the IO-GHAAPP approach adds a valuable layer of information to the disaggregated input–output data, allowing crop-specific analyses to be carried out that would otherwise not be possible, e.g., for specific leguminous or beverage crops. The results are relevant to practitioners of input–output analysis who are concerned with the impacts of agricultural primary production and who need highly resolved data, as well as to policy-makers who rely on such studies. The demonstrated IO-GHAAPP approach could be extended to other externalities relevant to agricultural primary production, such as land use, soil degradation or pollution.

Assessing water use and reuse options - a holistic analysis of a Model City, coupling dynamic system modelling with Life Cycle Assessment

ABSTRACT A dynamic model, fed with time-variant inputs, of the entire water urban system, coupled with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC), was developed and applied to perform water balance analysis and to assess the environmental and economic aspects of water reuse. Six scenarios using different water sources potable water, rainwater, greywater, and treated wastewater were compared for a future Model City under typical Israeli conditions. The integrated dynamic simulation-LCA-LCC approach considers demands for several water resources and their availability, contains several feedback loops in the water system, and can be applied to any case study. Finally, the combined simulation-LCA-LCC was embedded into an optimisation framework. Results indicate that using treated greywater or treated wastewater for non-potable uses were the most economical scenarios. Business-as-usual scenario, where all urban water functions use potable water, displays the largest negative environmental impacts in all categories compared to using alternative water sources.

System Dynamics-based Carbon Footprint Assessment of Industrial Water and Energy Use

Investigating links between water, energy, and carbon emissions requires more attention on the path toward economic prosperity. This study aims to develop a framework for modeling water-energy-carbon interdependencies by considering the nonlinear relationships in their dynamic feedback processes. The main contribution of this research is the quantification of the carbon footprint of industrial water use through the development of an Industrial Water-Energy-Carbon (I-WEC) nexus model. It is a system dynamics model that is developed with a scenario-driven framework. The GDP as a representative of economic growth is assessed. The proposed methodology is tested on the Netherlands' industrial sector as a pilot due to the relatively good data structure. Based on policy-based complementary scenarios, the results show a 3% increase in total water use by 2030. Energy use and carbon emissions will fall as much as 10% and 25% that year, respectively. It is concluded that the industrial GDP share could be maintained with a 0.76% loss, which is close to the 0.5% loss projected by authorities. This study presents a unique approach that can be used in other regions.

Effects of Agricultural Large‐And Medium‐Sized Reservoirs on Hydrologic Processes in the Arid Shiyang River Basin, Northwest China

AbstractAgricultural large and medium‐sized reservoirs in arid regions increase the water stresses within local hydrologic systems, adding to pressures on aquatic ecosystems and also threatening the sustainability of water resources. Yet, there is limited research concerning how agricultural reservoirs affect the hydrology of inland river basins, which has hampered a comprehensive assessment of sustainable water use in these systems. We explore the use of stable isotopes of water to evaluate the effects of agricultural reservoirs on hydrology and the sustainable use of water in the arid Shiyang River basin. Results show that agricultural large‐ and medium‐sized reservoirs in this arid region alter local isotopic hydrologic patterns increasing water‐body evaporation and enriching the isotopic composition of water near the reservoir. As a result, evaporation losses of reservoir water can be as high as 30.7% in downstream desert reservoirs. Reservoir water also exchanges with surrounding groundwater and contributes 22% to local precipitation due to reservoir evaporation. Detailed studies of individual reservoirs show that the isotopic composition is most enriched at the surface of the reservoir and then gradually depletes toward the bottom. The cumulative effect of multiple large and medium sized reservoirs profoundly alters hydrologic processes in inland river basins, leading to an evaporation‐led water loss in these systems.

Water use strategy of Carex cinerascens and its response to water condition changes in Poyang Lake Wetland, China

Water is a key factor in maintaining plant growth and determining plant species distribution. Studying the water use strategies of plants under different water conditions is of great significance for understanding the wetland vegetation patterns and performing ecological regulation of wetlands. The present study aims to quantify the contribution rates of potential water sources to Carex cinerascens in the Poyang Lake Wetland using stable isotope techniques and to assess water use efficiency (WUE) and water niche breadth to reveal the water use strategy of C. cinerascens and its response to water condition changes. The results showed that soil water in the 0–20 cm soil layer replaced lake water, becoming the main source of water for C. cinerascens during the growing season as a result of the decrease in the lake water levels and the change in soil water contents. The contribution rates of soil water in the 0–20 cm soil layer to the development of C. cinerascens in the 12-, 13-, and 14-m elevation zones increased by 31.4, 11.0, and 21.1 %, respectively. In addition, the contribution rate of soil water from the 20–40 cm soil layer was lower than that from the 0–20 cm soil layer, while rainwater exhibited the lowest contribution rates to the development of C. cinerascens. The aboveground parts exhibited higher WUE values than those of belowground parts at the growth stage, except in the 14-m elevation zone, and lower WUE values than those of the belowground parts at the maturation and wilting stages of C. cinerascens. According to the calculated Levins index, the water niche breadths of C. cinerascens were reduced and increased under abundant and insufficient water amounts, respectively. C. cinerascens adjusted the water source, WUE, and water niche breadth during the entire growing season to adapt to changing water conditions in the Poyang Lake Wetland, thereby reflecting the strong adjustability and adaptability of C. cinerascens. This study provides further insights into the relationships between wetland vegetation and hydrological changes, as well as a scientific basis for wetland ecological and hydrological regulation and vegetation restoration in the Poyang Lake Wetland.

Water Use Efficiency and Economic Evaluation of the Hydroponic versus Conventional Cultivation Systems for Green Fodder Production in Saudi Arabia

The current study is aimed to assess water use efficiency and evaluate economic viability of hydroponic and conventional production of barley green fodder by keeping in view the water scarcity challenges in Saudi Arabia. A hydroponic system and open field experimental plot was used to evaluate the water use efficiency for different irrigation regimes. Economic indicators for both production systems are estimated and compared to accomplish economic assessment. Estimated indicators include returns from inputs and net profit; benefit-cost ratio; break-even levels of prices, production, and yield; returns over variable cost; and returns on investment. Results indicated that the yield of barley green fodder produced under hydroponic conditions overtopped the yield under conventional cultivation. Under hydroponic and conventional conditions, WUE was decreased with increasing the harvesting date. However, WUE for the hydroponic technique was much higher than the conventional one. The returns and net profits supported the conventional cultivation methods, where lower dry matter content coupled with higher fixed and variable costs incurred by the hydroponic technique outweighed returns leading to economic loss. Cost-benefit ratios, returns over investment, and break-even prices and yield suggested that growing barley fodder under the hydroponic technique is economically not suitable for small-scale farming. However, regarding water conservation, hydroponic barley cultivation showed superiority over conventional field cultivation. Further research on the adoption of hydroponic fodder cultivation is highly recommended for water-scarce arid regions, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Assessment of water use in the regions of Russia by water supply, efficiency, and sustainable development criteria

Introduction. The 2018-2028 period is proclaimed to be an international Water for Sustainable Development Decade for Action in order to focus more attentionon the SDGs as a part of the Agenda for Sustainable Development. Global trends to lower fresh water consumption rate, as well as unbiased evaluation of the 2020 Russian Federation Water Strategy determine the relevance of the efficient and sustainable development of water use in the country’s regions.Purpose. The article refers to the criteria of water availability, efficiency, and sustainable development and compares the water use in federal districts.Materials and Methods. The authors examined the data of Rosstat and the NIA-Prirоda. The data characterize water use and the economy in federal districts in 2007–2020. The study exploited the methods of statistical and comparative analysis, decoupling analysis based on the Diamond Decoupling model.Results.The assessment of water availability by a water withdrawal share in renewable water resources (water stress index) shows a low level of water pressure in all districts. Unlike the Falkenmark index, specific water supply reveals no water tension factor holding back the economy growth. The study identifies a trend towards lower absolute and specific indicators of water intake and use. The changes in the structure of total water consumption are in line with the principles of rational use of resources. The study finds the indicators of productivity (in accordance with SDG 6.4.1) and intensity (GRP water intensity) of water intake, which are significantly affected by the development of circulating systems increasing the efficiency of water use. The article notes that in some regions, the target indicator of the Water Strategy was not reached due to a high decrease rate in water intake intensity. Decoupling analysis revealed a strong decoupling of economic growth from the use of water resources in all federal districts.Conclusion. The criteria for reasonable, efficient and sustainable development, which supplement the integral indicator of the gross water capacity, have been developed and tested. This helps reveal that federal districts are highly differentiated by their water supply and the nature of water use. New findings should be taken into account when planning water management activities and may be useful in updating the 2035 Water Strategy of the Russian Federation.

Efficiency assessment of water resources management and use by simplified indicators

Purpose. Development of simplified indicators for assessment of the effectiveness of local water flow management and use in reservoirs and ponds. Methodology. The methods of integral assessment by specific indicators that characterize the operational parameters of the reservoir are used. Analytical formulas for calculating specific indicators are applied, their values are in the range from -1.0 to +1.0, which greatly simplifies the perception of the received information. Findings. General characteristic of the artificial water objects of the study is given. Coefficients of operational parameters of reservoirs and regulation of local surface flow have been determined. Specific and integral indicators of the management effectiveness assessment of local surface water resources have been established. A formula for calculating the comparative total risk indicator and a conventional distribution scale are proposed, according to them the effectiveness of local water resources management within administrative units or river basins is evaluated for the elements of the sample taken for the study. The ratio of parameters of the total area of the territory occupied by ponds (44%) to the area occupied by reservoirs (56%) was determined, according to which the ponds will retain only 25% of the total volume of water resources. For almost all studied elements of the sample, the value of the average depth is less than 2 meters, and the volume is up to 1 × 106 m3. Thereby, most reservoirs act as evaporation ponds, which leads to the deterioration of the water resources quality. The determined coefficients of local surface flow regulation for 9 out of 11 administrative regions of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine range from 0.22 to 1.36, which is a significant excess of the permissible norms of modular coefficients for 95% coverage within 0.050.25. For Kherson (2.14) and Odesa (6.45) regions, this parameter exceeds the requirements of the Water Code of Ukraine by many times (with a norm of 0.05 and 0.2, respectively). Originality. Specific integral indicators of local water flow regulation and characteristics of operational parameters of reservoirs on the territory of the administrative regions of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine are proposed and determined. A point assessment of the impact of artificial water bodies on the surrounding natural environment is provided, which substantiates and emphasizes the conclusions regarding the irrationality of water use and the further exploitation of such a significant number of artificial water bodies, in particular small ponds. Practical value. Specific indicators of the effectiveness of the management and use of local water flow held in the ponds and reservoirs of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine simplify the perception of the received information and shorten the time of making management and water protection decisions.

Water and productivity accounting using WA+ framework for sustainable water resources management: Case study of northwestern Iran

An exhaustive evaluation of water resources is a prerequisite for evidence-informed planning and implementing sustainable management strategies. However, the lack of sufficient information on water supply and consumption, alongside the technical limitations on comprehensive accounting for inter-relations and interactions between the subsystems, has resulted in decisions with often long-lasting outcomes and undesirable consequences. Water accounting is a tool for systematic acquisition, analysis, and reporting of water-related information to fill the existing knowledge gap on water flows and fluxes. In this study, Water Accounting Plus (WA+) framework is applied to the western region of Lake Urmia, a dying hyper-saline lake, to assess water use and crop water productivity (CWP) from 2010 to 2016. Remotely sensed information along with a distributed hydrological model (SPHY) is used to fill the information gap on water resources and inform effective policy actions. Our analysis reveals that the agricultural sector is neither productive nor efficient while there is a considerable scope to ameliorate water productivity and beneficial water use by adopting proper water management practices. Average CWP values for wheat, sugarbeet, vineyard, and apple vary between 0.38 and 0.55, 5.1–5.6, 1.5–1.7 and 1.9–2.3 (kg/m3), respectively while storage changes show consistent depletion, especially during dry year, up to 117 MCM. The results indicate that a 40% reduction in blue water use is achievable to supply additional water to revive Lake Urmia. This study highlights the importance of water accounting and information flow for decision-makers, practitioners, and farming communities to define practical targets and enhance productivity in water-scarce regions.

Blue and gray water footprint of some Hungarian milking parlors

Abstract Unpredictable weather conditions urge us to find sustainable water management solutions. This research gives examples for dairy farmers on how to assess water use, calculate water footprint (WF), and find water-saving opportunities. Three large-scale Hungarian dairy farms were selected to assess water use and WF based on characteristics that answer to this research's hypothesis: there is a correlation between milking technology and WF. The WF of feeding was excluded from this research. In a farm using a parallel milking system (Farmpl), the amount of service water, and thus the footprint of blue water, was the highest, more than twice at the polygon (Farmpoly) or robotic (Farmrob) milking parlor service water. The milking robot was less advantageous in water use than polygon milking. The gray water footprint was the most unfavorable for Farmrob. If blue, green, and gray WFs are clarified within a farm, it will be easier to investigate the water uses of dairy farms and assess the ratio of each water category. These data can serve as the basis for dairy farmers dealing with Holstein Friesian cattle for assessment of their water management. The novelty of this research is that no study has investigated the relationship between milking technology and WF.