Potential Water Resources Research Articles

Groundwater vulnerability in karst area Pucung Village, Eromoko, Wonogiri District

Climate change has a negative impact on the reduction of groundwater resource potential in the Gunungsewu Karst Area, in terms of quantity, quality and continuity. This impact is felt by the people of Pucung Village who use water found in underground rivers and springs to meet their daily domestic water needs. The potential of water resources in the area is very vulnerable to a decrease in quality and quantity related to changes in the carrying capacity and capacity of the karst area as a result of climate change. This study aims to assess the groundwater vulnerability zone and the condition of the water catchment area in the karts area of Pucung Village, Eromoko District, Wonogiri Regency, Indonesia.The research method used is the EPIK method which is applied to the Geographical Information System (GIS). Research variables include (a) Epikarst; (b) Protective Cover; (c) infiltration conditions, and (d) karst network. The four variables obtained from the interpretation of remote sensing images, topographical maps, geological maps and field surveys were analyzed using scoring techniques. The results showed (1) 875.15 hectare or 88% of the area in Pucung Village is in a zone that is very vulnerable and susceptible to contamination of Groundwater; (2) agricultural activities in the water catchment area have the potential to contaminate of groundwater in the study area.

Scaling and Corrosion Potential in Drinking Water Distribution Systems of Meshginshahr City, Iran Using Langelier Saturation Index and Ryznar Stability Index

Corrosion and scaling is one of the major and daily problems in the operation of water facilities and causes problems such as water loss, shortening the life of the facility, creating holes in the pipes, clogging, and pressure loss in the water supply network. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the corrosion and scaling potential of drinking water supply sources in Meshginshahr. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted during the two seasons (summer and winter) in 2019. A total of 20 samples which were obtained by averaging 100 samples, were analyzed to determine the corrosion and scaling potential of water resources using Langelier and Ryznar indices in Meshginshahr. The results showed that the annual average of Langelier and Ryznar indices were -1.34 and 10.03, respectively, and the sources of drinking water supply in Meshginshahr were in corrosion and scaling state. Comparison of indicators and results obtained from this study showed that Meshginshahr water has corrosive properties, so it is necessary to constantly study the water supply sources of city and try for adjusting the pH and control other factors affecting corrosion, including concentrations of chloride, dissolved oxygen, and sulfate.

МЕТОДОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ПОДХОДЫ К ОЦЕНКЕ ВОЗДЕЙСТВИЯ ПРИРОДНЫХ И АНТРОПОГЕННЫХ ФАКТОРОВ НА РЕЧНЫЕ ГЕОСИСТЕМЫ

Introduction. The increasing shortage of water resources in the Republic of Crimea, due to water supplies from the external water source being shut off, emphasized the need to rationally use the existing water resource potential, which in turn requires a balance between the water users’ interests and maintaining a favorable environmental situation in the peninsula’s watercourses. Although in Russian and global practice there is a whole range of approaches to assessing the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on the state of river geosystems, not all of them are applicable to solving the indicated problem. Methods. By testing integrated techniques, methods and models for assessing the impact of human activity on the stability of river natural and engineering systems (using the Zuya River as an example), we selected the most appropriate approach to develop viable solutions in water management. Results. By comparing the possibilities of using the scoring index method to assess the stability and vulnerability of watercourses to changes in physical and geographical as well as hydrological parameters and water quality, and methodology for the integrated assessment of the geoecological state of water resources of small rivers and the system model “Minor River Basin”, we revealed that only with the use of the latter it is possible not only to assess the real situation but also identify the reasons that impede the rational use of the peninsula’s watercourses. Conclusion. When developing decisions related to water management in the Republic of Crimea, the use of a suitable methodological approach to assessing the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on the stability of river geosystems will make it possible to avoid mistakes when choosing measures and prioritizing actions aimed at the rational use of the existing water resource potential.

Hydrogeology of Mangsri Cave, Gunungsewu Karst Area, Java Island, Indonesia

The Gunungsewu karst area is not only known for its unique landscape but also its recurring drought events. To meet the water supply, the local population utilizes several water potentials, namely doline pond, spring, and underground river. This study was designed to analyze the hydrogeological conditions of Mbangsri Cave, following its accidental discovery by the community at the end of 2018. The hydrogeological analysis was conducted by geological surveys, which consisted of rocks collection and structural measurements, cave mapping, and recharge area delineation based on remote sensing images acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles. The results showed that Mbangsri Cave, in the hydrogeological perspective, had low water resources potential. It is believed to be the result of (1) relatively small catchment area, (2) a fault in the southern part of Mbangsri Cave, creating a small groundwater basin, and (3) the thin epikarst layer, limiting the water storage.

Prospects for the formation of effective ecological and economic systems of water usage

The article deals with defining the essence, methods and techniques of the research of ecological and economic problems of water usage, assessments of water and resource potential as to the region. The subject of this study is the environmental and economic problems of water supply. The object that is determined in the article is the water resource and eco-economic potential of Volyn region. The purpose of the study is the ecological and economic assessment the prospects of water supply, socio-economic development of the region. In accordance with the purpose, the following tasks are set and solved in the study: analyzing current state of ecological and economic water supply of the region; taking into account the water factor in the forecasts of economic development of the region; solving the ways of eco-economic problems of water supply to the territories. Modern problems such as rational usage, protection and reproduction of water resources are considered. Changes in the ecological and economic systems of water usage in the Volyn region in the market conditions are analyzed. The issue of protection, complex usage and restoration the balance of environment is considered. It is the leading point in the ecological, economic, political and social life not only of peculiar countries, but also of the entire continents. Under the influence of economic activity, natural landscapes are changed. Progressive pollution of human habitat has led to a deterioration in quality of life, negatively affected demographic characteristics. The ecological aspect of VGK development provides a set of measures to ensure the protection of water resources and rational usage of water; increasing safety when it comes to usage of chemicals; solving the problem of waste. Based on results of the conducted research we can conclude that, the great importance of water resources in the development of the national economy not only of Volyn region, but the country as a whole is extremely important. The problem of balanced environmentally safe water usage and dynamic development of the water complex of Ukraine is critical. The nature and types of usage of natural waters are highly diverse and multifaceted. Water is used almost in all areas of the economy and aspects of human life. The extreme importance of such natural resource as a water and its transformation into a factor determining the development of society, resulted to the problem of rational use and protection of the aquatic environment. The main directions of solving ecological and economic problems of water supply of the territories are offered.

Freshwater availability status across countries for human and ecosystem needs

Water demand is expected to continue rising to support growing population, particularly in water-stressed countries and regions. Amid competitive water needs for agricultural, domestic, and industrial sectors, water allocations for environmental requirements are critical to ensure the sustainability of the ecosystems. This study takes stock of water availability trends per capita across countries and proposes a water scarcity indicator to quantify the amount of water available for agricultural, domestic, and industrial activities after the needs of freshwater ecosystems (environmental flow requirements, EFR) are ideally fulfilled. The study reveals that by 2050, 87 out of 180 countries will have annual renewable water resources (ARWR) per capita below 1700 m3/year. The number of countries with absolute water scarcity – ARWR per capita below 500 m3/year is projected to increase from 25 in 2015 to 45 by 2050. Population growth is projected to cause a sharp decline in water availability in many low-income and lower-middle-income countries, while economic development will push water use upwards, making the water supply gap more complicated and challenging to address. After the Middle East and North Africa region, Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to become the next hotspot of water scarcity along with several countries from Asia. In response, water-scarce countries need to promote water conservation, water recycling, and reuse; ensure sustainable water resources augmentation via harnessing the potential of unconventional water resources; support productivity enhancement of underperforming land and water resources; and address challenges beyond technical solutions. Pertinent political agenda and associated public policies, supportive institutions, institutional collaborations, and skilled professionals would be the key to ensure sufficient water supply for human use and ecosystems.

Isotope-geochemical assessment of thermal waters and their impact on surrounding potable water resources in the Tapi valley geothermal area, Maharashtra, India

Isotope-geochemical assessment of thermal waters and their impact on surrounding potable water resources in the Tapi valley geothermal area, Maharashtra, India

Design, evaluation, and optimization of an efficient solar-based multi-generation system with an energy storage option for Iran’s summer peak demand

In summer, the coastal areas of southern Iran suffer from the freshwater shortage and electricity instability. Meanwhile, this region benefits from the high intensity of solar radiation and the huge potential of brackish water resources. Hence, this paper designs a novel cooling, power and pure water trigeneration system for application in this area to mitigate its energy and water crisis. The proposed system is composed of a solar-based Goswami power and cooling production cycle and a multistage flash seawater desalination process. Moreover, a molten salt heating energy storage unit is used to prove its steady operation under uncertain sunlight condition. A comprehensive parametric study is provided to evaluate the system performance by changing the key variables. The numerical results demonstrate that increasing the pressure ratio from 6 to18 causes 3.3% leads to an increase in system efficiencies and minimum total products cost experiences at the pressure ratio of 12.6. Additionally, as the superheating degree increases from 0 to 10 K, the energy efficiency decreases but the exergy efficiency increases. When the ammonia concentration at the rectifier exit is increased from 0.965 to 0.995, the energy efficiency increases 5%, the exergy efficiency has a decreasing trend from 28% to 25.9%, and the minimum total products cost is 131.2 $/GJ. Furthermore, the exergy efficiency gains its maximum, the energy efficiency has a minimum value, and the total products cost grows with higher values of the minimum approach temperature. Finally, the system is optimized under four different scenarios to identify its best operating condition in each condition: three single-objective and one multi-objective optimization cases. The results of the multi-objective optimization are trade-offs between the ones for single-objective optimization cases. In this case, the net power of 12 MW, cooling capacity of 15.74 kW, and the freshwater of 4.72 kg/s are attainable.

Development of riverine hydrokinetic energy systems in Colombia and other world regions: a review of case studies

At a global level, hydrokinetic power has been considered as a renewable energy source, and it has become an attractive alternative for the rural electrification of non-interconnected areas with the presence of water resources. Aspects such as the low rural electrification rate, the increase in energy demand, the decrease in fossil reserves and the climate change, are some of the factors that have driven the use of this technology for the electricity production. The aim of this work is to give a review of the hydrokinetic energy potential of water resources, the requirements and impacts of the implementation of hydrokinetic technology in different countries, and the current development in the Colombian case. At present, it can be observed that the implementation of this technology in different regions of the world, especially in Colombia, has several challenges and barriers, including gaps in knowledge, information and data, such as well as limitations of water resources and infrastructure, finally, impacting on a low adoption of this technology. On the other hand, publications on studies of implementation and potential of hydrokinetic technology have been increasing over time, indicating that this topic has been gaining interest despite the challenges.

Study of Rainfall and Water Discharge Spatial Variability Using Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis Method in Bondowoso Regency

The difference in rainfall intensity affects the hydrological cycle as a process that greatly determines the amount of water discharge. Thus, in water resources management, it is important to determine the distribution pattern of rainfall and discharge. By studying the characteristics of rainfall distribution patterns and water discharge, the potential of water resources can be illustrated well. This study uses the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis method to examine spatial variability of rainfall intensity and water discharge in Bondowoso Regency. Rainfall and discharge data are collected from 35 rain stations and 227 weirs in 2008 until 2018. This study produces monthly average rainfall distribution values between 190 mm / month with monthly average discharge between 7300lt/sec/month. Meanwhile, the obtained average annual rainfall distribution values are between 2300 mm/year with annual average discharge values between 105000 lt/sec/month. The spatial distribution map using IDW method produces information on the potential of water resources as follow: the higher the height of a place, the higher the average monthly rainfall, while the lower the height of a place, the higher the average monthly discharge. As for the obtained correlation value between rainfall and discharge is R² = 0.665.

Strategy for marine ecotourism development based on natural resource management: Case study in Kotania Bay, Western Seram District, Maluku, Indonesia

Abstract. Lelloltery H, Rumanta M, Kunda RM. 2021. Strategy for marine ecotourism development based on natural resource management: Case study in Kotania Bay, Western Seram District, Maluku. Nusantara Bioscience 13: 91-99. The study aimed to identify the potential for marine ecotourism in Kotania Bay, and formulated strategies and priorities for developing marine ecotourism in Kotania Bay. Data collection on ecological potential consisted of mangrove and fauna vegetation using the line transect method, while coastal and marine resources included coral reefs and reef fish using the Line Intercept Transect (LIT) method. Development strategies and priorities used the SWOT and AHP methods. The results showed that the potential of coastal natural resources around the Kotania Bay consisted of 12 mangrove species belonging to7 families with species diversity index 1.76, and dominated by Rhizophora mucronata and Bruguiera cylindrica. The bird species were 33 species belonging to 23 families, with several endemic species such as Philemon subcorniculatus, Eulipoa wallacei, Birgus latro, and Pteropus melanopogon. Potential marine water resources consisted of 45 coral species belonging to 23 genera and 14 families with 10-12 life-forms. The diversity of reef fish species was quite abundant consisting of 129 species from 60 genera and 22 families. The sand beach on Marsegu island is a tourist destination that is demanded by the tourists. SWOT analysis showed that the potential of coastal and marine natural resources in Kotania Bay is very likely to be developed as marine ecotourism.

Analysing Trends and Spatio-Temporal Variability of Precipitation in the Main Central Rift Valley Lakes Basin, Ethiopia

This study aims to investigate trends and spatiotemporal variability of precipitation during the period of 1980-2015 in the Main Central Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes Basin. Mann-Kendall (MK) and Sen’s Slope (SS) estimation were used to detect the trends and magnitudes respectively. The Inverse Distance Weighting method was employed for spatial interpolations. The results revealed that the rainfalls had experienced less concentrated and highly variable in the central rift floor. The trend analysis showed that out of 21 stations, 4 stations (Koshe, Bulbula, Kofole and Shashamane) in annual; six stations (Koshe, Bulbula, Tora, Wulberg, Wondogenet, and Shashamane) in spring; and only one station (Shashamane) in summer showed significantly decreasing trends with -4.5 to -15.59 mm/year range. All stations in spring rainfall revealed no positive trends. Conversely, in both annual and summer rainfall statistically significant increasing trends exhibited for Ejersalelle and Adamitulu with 6.4 to 7.94mm/year range. In monthly time scales, the significant decreasing and increasing trends were also investigated for a few stations. Increasing trends could lead to an increase in potential for water resources whereas variability and decreasing trends could boost over-exploitation of water resources. This study would be provided useful information for management of water resources in the study area.

Water Quality and Financial Analysis of a System Combining Rainwater and Greywater in a House

This study aimed to evaluate the installation of a system that combines rainwater to wash clothes and greywater to flush toilets in a house located in Florianópolis, southern Brazil. The evaluation consisted of determining the potable water savings, performing a financial analysis, and verifying the possibility of using rainwater and reusing greywater according to the local legislation. The reduction in potable water consumption was determined by comparing the monthly water and sewage bill, before and after installing the system, combining rainwater and greywater. The financial analysis was performed considering the financial benefits, operational costs, costs for installing the system, and local water tariffs. After installing the system, there was a decrease of 38.0% in the monthly potable water consumption, which represents a decrease of 7.00 m3 in the monthly potable water consumption. The payback periods for the old and new water tariffs were equivalent to, respectively, ten years and seven months, and eight years and five months. Both rainwater and greywater had parameters with concentrations higher than the limits established by the legislation. Therefore, the rainwater had to go through a device for discarding the first flush and needed disinfection; and the greywater needed to go through a treatment process. The results indicated that the system combining rainwater and greywater shows significant potential for potable water savings, which can be a good alternative to the preservation of potable water resources. It is important to note that current studies on rainwater use and greywater reuse are mainly related to non-potable purposes, but it was shown herein that rainwater can be used for washing clothes.

Sustainable water treatment technologies: a review.

The sustainability concept is emerged to maintain and strengthen “the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The adaptive capacities of the world population can be strengthened by eradication of poverty and provision of healthy living conditions which takes the priority. This can be achieved by provision of education and basic infrastructure to the people, worldwide. Availability of high quality drinking water and assurance of hygienic safety is one of the most basic needs of any community, and subsequently a precondition of sustainable development of rural or municipal areas. Decentralized water management should be seriously taken into account in the present scenario of extremely varying climatic changes affecting the potential water resources of the world. Also the energy requirement of centralized water supply schemes is fueling the energy scarcity. Therefore, effective utilization of ground water resources can be the intelligent step the towards achieving sustainable living conditions. Additionally, the water demand in the agricultural industry has become an important concern, considering that more than 70% of freshwater is used for crop irrigation. Desalination is considered a promising solution for water production challenges, but the sustainability of the same needs a detailed study. The treatment of waste water is another necessary criteria to satisfy the basic demands of good quality water for human life and industrial use. In the present review, different methods of water treatment technologies are studied, to assess their contribution towards sustainable development. Water treatment technologies for drinking purpose, waste water purification and desalination were deliberated and the effectiveness of each in attaining sustainable habitat has been portrayed in this review. It was observed that sustainable technologies for water treatment can be a better solution to face the water scarcity challenges in the world as they are self-reliable while compared to other methods.
 Keywords— Sustainability, Ground water, Desalination, Waste water, Biochar.

Water resource potential at Sekaran Village, Bojonegoro Regency, Indonesia

Water is an essential element for agriculture, including fodder cultivation. The fodder production for School of the Community Farming (SPR) was planned to be located at Sekaran Village, Bojonegoro Regency, Indonesia. Sekaran Village always has water shortage particularly during the dry season. Sekaran Village is located in East Java and the river discharge was low. The study was conducted to evaluate the quantitative potential of water resources from both surface and groundwater. The surface water potential was analyzed based on discharge measurement at the river and rainfall potential at the village. According to river discharge and rainfall potential, several small reservoirs could designed to collect rain water during the wet season and the location for planned reservoir was also examined. Furthermore, the groundwater potential was assessed based on a geoelectrical survey at 20 points of measurements within the study area. The discharge of the river was 1.43 L/sec and of the spring was 0.62 L/sec. The results showed that the groundwater potential was low with only less than 1 L/sec. However, this could be maximized by constructing shallow wells. To choose the reservoir and wells locations, aerial mapping was conducted to portray the topography. The research result could be used by the farmers to design their agricultural activities including developing SPR.

Historical and projected precipitation extremes over Pare watershed in Arunachal Pradesh, India

The aim of this paper is to understand the historical and future climate change situation using 15 extreme precipitation indices in the Pare watershed of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Historical period (1981–2019) and future period (2021–2050) precipitation data are used to compute extreme precipitation indices in RClimDex software. The Pare watershed was divided into 13 subwatersheds; however, the results of the study showed no significant spatial variation. This study found that majority of the precipitation extreme indices are showing decreasing trends during the historical period and most of them are statistically insignificant at 95% confidence level. Only three indices such as SDII, CWD and MRI are found significant at 0.05 level in the Pare watershed. Though not significant, the annual precipitation amount in the Pare watershed was found decreasing at the rate of 3.3 mm per year during the study period. The trend analysis over the whole watershed indicated significant decreasing trends for CWD and MRI while indicating significant increasing trend for SDII. The representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 projected the extreme precipitation indices in a very similar way. The results of the trend analysis under RCP 8.5 showed significant decreasing trend only at SW10 for the index-moderate rainfall index (MRI). Various cases of RX1DAY and RX5DAY not falling during the months of monsoon were observed in both the historical and future periods. The percentage departures of the monsoon from its annual total had increased in RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios as compared to the historical periods. The results of this climatic investigation suggest that the precipitation regime in the study area had been accompanied and also expected by overall reduction in precipitation amount, milder rainfall events, reduction in monsoon (June–September) rainfall and drier climatic conditions. With the prevalent historical scenario and future projected scenarios of the extreme precipitation indices, the water resource potential in the study area is expected to be greatly reduced, for which the authors seek the attention of various stakeholders in water and allied sectors to come together and discuss on the construction of water conservation structures so that agricultural activities can be expanded and remain sustainable.

Land suitability and surface water resources potential for irrigation in Becho Plain, upper Awash basin, Ethiopia*

AbstractIn this study, an assessment of the land and surface water resources potential of the Becho Plain was conducted. Land suitability for irrigated agriculture was evaluated by considering the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) criteria. The land suitability parameters such as soil properties, slope, land use and land cover were used to identify the suitable irrigable land. The analytical hierarchy process was employed to obtain parameter weights, and later the weighted overlay analysis in the geographic information system was employed to obtain the overall suitability of land resources for irrigation. The surface water availability and amount were evaluated by using the calibrated Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The water requirement of dominant crops was estimated following the FAO procedure and compared with the available water. Nearly 70% of the land area is identified as suitable for surface irrigation, while the remaining 30% of the land area is restricted for irrigation development. The water supply and demand analysis revealed that there is sufficient water available in the Becho Plain for irrigation development. The physically possible irrigation area and diversion sites were also identified. The Becho Plain has ample land and water resources for irrigation development. However, future developments shall also consider downstream water use to implement sustainable irrigation development.

Utilization of sewage sludge derived magnetized geopolymeric adsorbent for geogenic arsenic removal: A sustainable groundwater in-situ treatment perspective

Highly compressible sewage sludge (SS) derived geopolymer was magnetized with impregnation of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs), and these newly developed and characterized adsorbents were tested in a batch mode for the sorptive removal of metalloid arsenic (As) from a significant potable water resource (groundwater). Various sorption experiments were performed under variable pH (4.0–9.0), magnetized geopolymer dosages (0.1–3 g L−1), contact time (0–180 min), initial As concentrations (10–100 μg L−1) and co–existing anions to develop a critical understanding of the optimal experimental requirements and to assess the sorption kinetics and isotherms. Magnetized geopolymer had better monolayer sorption capacity (∼51.6 μg g−1, after 3 h) for As(V) than only geopolymer (∼9.81 μg g−1, after 3 h) at near neutral pH (∼6.0). The sorption process onto magnetized geopolymer was facilitated by intraparticle diffusion as well as surface complexation mechanisms and was best explained by the pseudo second order kinetic model (R2 ≥ 0.95) and Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models (R2 ≥ 0.90). The exhausted composite adsorbent was sufficiently regenerated up to five sorption–desorption–regeneration cycles using 0.1 M NaOH. Further, it also displayed an excellent As(V) removal capacity from the cocktail mixture of the common geogenic anions and their antagonistic effect follows the order of: NO3− < Cl− < SO42− < F− < PO43−. The proposed waste derived sustainable composite material was proved to be a promising sorbent for economic As(V) removal under simulated complex environmental conditions.

Economic and environmental sustainability of the optimal water resources application for coastal and inland regions

Global water security threatens human health and urbanization, forcing communities to seek ways to tackle water stress problems. Alternative water resources including seawater, desalinated seawater, reclaimed wastewater and desalinated wastewater effluent can replace conventional surface freshwater. Considering alternative water resources, one problem facing policymakers is which one is the most feasible to use under their water and geographical conditions. This study aims to tackle this problem by analyzing the global sensitivity of key influential factors among water and geographic characteristics, assessing water supply systems for coastal and inland regions from both economic and environmental perspectives. The analyzed influential factors are effective population density, population served, daily water demand per capita, water demand of toilet flushing, distance to seaside, and water import distance. The global sensitivity analysis approach is utilized to evaluate the sensitivity index of the influential parameters with respect to each impact category. The analysis demonstrates that the most sensitive influential factors are effective population density and distance to the ocean. By further considering the conditions for extensively applying potential water resources, the analysis illustrates that seawater toilet flushing (SWTF) is the most environmentally friendly option even in areas far away from the seaside with relatively low population density. However, SWTF is only economical in coastal areas with density above 17 000 persons/km2. Wastewater effluent desalination is cheaper for other coastal regions with a lower population density and for inland regions.

An enterprise control assessment case study of the energy–water nexus for the ISO New England system

The generation mix of Independent System Operator in New England (ISO-NE) is fundamentally changing. Nuclear, coal, and oil generation facilities are retiring and are replaced with natural gas, solar, and wind generation. Variable renewable energy resources (VREs) such as solar and wind present multiple operational challenges that require new and innovative ways to manage and control the grid. This paper studies how water supply systems (water and wastewater treatment), and water-dependent electricity generating resources (hydro, and thermal power plants) can be operated flexibly to enhance the reliability of the grid. The study’s methodology employs the novel Electric Power Enterprise Control System (EPECS) simulator to study power systems operation, and the System-Level Generic Model (SGEM) to study water consumption and withdrawals. This work considers six potential 2040 scenarios for the ISO-NE energy–water nexus (EWN). It presents a holistic analysis that quantifies grid imbalances, normal operating reserves, energy market production costs, and water withdrawals and consumption. For scenarios with high amounts of VREs, the study shows great potential of water resources to enhance grid flexibility through improvements in load-following (up to 12.66%), and ramping (up to 18.35%) reserves. Flexible operation also results in up to 10.90% reduction in the total time VREs are curtailed. Additionally, flexible operation reduces water withdrawals by up to 25.58%, water consumption by up to 5.30%, and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 3.46%. In general, this work provides significant insights into how to jointly control the water and energy supply systems to aid in their synergistic integration.