State Water Policy Research Articles

Exploitation of Agricultural Groundwater for Urban Areas

Ground water is the most accessed source of water for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Significant social and economic repercussions could result from a declining water table and the depletion of groundwater resources that are economically accessible. Domestic water supply is given top emphasis in both National and State water policy formulation. Recently, there has been a rise in water transfers to satisfy the needs of the industrial and residential sectors. With the success of the state water supply, many are heralding groundwater transfer as the quickest, least expensive and most environmentally benign solution to large cities water supply and reliability problem. In order to satisfy urban domestic and industrial water demand, the majority of water transfers concentrate on buying water from farmers who are prepared to sell it to them. The present study was undertaken mainly to study the impacts of economic and environmental gains and losses related to the groundwater transfer in Tiruppur district. Without doubts groundwater transfer from agriculture to industrial uses would benefit individual sellers, buyers and the Nation as whole. The adverse direct economic impact in groundwater selling or water transferring areas to total revenue in agriculture was Rs. 54.32 lakhs per every crop season. Scarcity of water resulted in shifting of irrigated agriculture to rainfed agriculture and labour intensive to labour less intensive crops. The total employment lost per hectare of land was 198.33 man-days. Secondly, another adverse indirect economic and environmental impact of water transfer is discharge of large quantum of industrial effluent water. Moreover, there is indirect economic and environmental impact on effluent receiving areas due to highly polluted industrial effluent discharge into open lands and river/streams could cause a Rs. 22,296 net personal income loss for every hectare of land. At larger perspective impacts of groundwater transfer could be considered insignificant.

Freshwater Mussels, Ecosystem Services, and Clean Water Regulation in Minnesota: Formulating an Effective Conservation Strategy

Freshwater mussels are threatened with extirpation in North America. They are a sentinel species for ecosystem function and contribute towards many ecosystem services. As mussels require clean water to survive, and since conserving ecosystem services is implicit in the federal Clean Water Act, incorporating mussel conservation into state water policies could serve multiple conservation goals. In this paper we conduct a comprehensive critical review of three topics related to freshwater mussels: their contribution to ecosystem services, their links with water quality, and threats to their survival from water pollutants and extent of protection available from regulation. In so doing, we identify gaps between the water quality requirements of mussels and the protection provided by current water regulation to help inform clean water and conservation goals in Minnesota. We find freshwater mussels to be generally sensitive to a wide variety of pollutants, and particularly to nutrients such as total nitrogen and total phosphorus and to major ions such as chloride. In addition, we find that current state water quality standards may not be sufficiently protective of mussels. We formulate a framework for determining an effective conservation strategy for mussels in Minnesota based on ecological and economic criteria to ensure adequate conservation at a reasonable cost.

THE HYDROPOWER IN UKRAINE: ORGANIZATIONAL AND ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS OF STIMULATING THE GREEN ENEGRY DEVELOPMENT AND RATIONAL USE OF HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL

The article focuses on the research of hydropower in Ukraine: its current state, problems, possible ways to solve them and prospects for development. The relevance of this research refers to the importance of a comprehensive study of hydropower in Ukraine as the main component of green energy, as well as the potential for the development of hydropower in the conditions of the future post-war rebuilding of Ukraine. The main research goal is to define a complex of organizational and economic instruments to stimulate the development of hydropower in Ukraine and to ensure the rational use of hydropower potential. The core research methods are analysis, comparison, systematic approach, dialectical method, methods of abstraction and concretization, mathematical and statistical methods, etc. The terminological content of the concept and peculiarities of use and protection of water resources are characterized. The growth of their scarcity for household and agro-industrial needs of Ukraine is shown. The peculiarities of the development of hydropower as a branch of energy, which provides a principle of operation based on the use of water energy, have been studied. Weak and strong points, opportunities, and threats to the development of hydropower have been identified. The main prospects for the development of the hydropower industry in Ukraine are analyzed. All possible aspects of development are divided into two groups: effective environmental management of water bodies and cost-effective environmental use of hydropower potential. Each of these areas is analyzed in the context of state policy and water policy of the largest representative of the hydropower industry. The main recommendations for the development of hydropower in Ukraine are offered, aimed at solving the problems of water management and economically justified environmental use of the hydropower potential of Ukraine.

ORGANIZATION OF SURFACE WATER MONITORING IN SUMY REGION

The article presents an analysis of water monitoring organization in the Sumy region. The reform of water resources management has placed the main burden on the implementation of the state water policy and ensuring the proper ecological condition of the water basin at the regional level of management. The European approach in the field of water resources management pays attention to water monitoring, which is an integral part of the state system of environmental monitoring in Ukraine. An analysis of implementation the basin principle in the region had been conducted. There are two sub-basins in the region: Desna Sub-Basin and Middle Dnieper Sub-Basin. Within the Desna sub-basin 121 massifs of surface waters have been identified, within the middle Dnieper sub-basin 230 massifs have been identified. The analysis of monitoring data on the state of surface waters, on the organization of monitoring of transboundary watercourses is carried out. The study found that farms have a significant impact on the condition of rivers. Due to the aggravation of the political situation, monitoring of transboundary watercourses is carried out only on the territory of Ukraine. The beginning of the introduction of a new approach to monitoring in Sumy region lays the foundations for the accumulation, systematization of data on the state of surface water bodies with the subsequent possibility of analyzing the existing situation with effective management decisions to achieve "good" ecological status of river basins.

Right to clean water: a case study of Gomati River in Tripura, India from techno-socio-legal perspectives

Water pollution is considered to be a major health hazard and about 80% of the diseases occurring worldwide are due to the contamination of water. Water pollution especially caused by microbial agents is again considered to be a leading problem in the developing countries. The study emphasises the significance of applying the test of water quality which indicates total effects of pollution on the surface water and gives a simple explanation of the monitoring data. Samples for the study were collected from four different locations of the river Gomati that flows through the north-east Indian State of Tripura and Bangladesh. The river is considered to be the only biggest source of water for the inhabitants living both on the Indian side as well as on Bangladesh side. The samples were tested for certain significant water quality parameters to assess the likely pollution in the river. Abnormalities were mostly observed in the values of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and turbidity in samples as they were found quite high when compared with standards. Dissolved oxygen (DO) level in samples which is considered to be significant for the very survival of aquatic life was also found not satisfactory. The results of pH analysis further indicated that water mostly has become alkaline. Relevant cause and effect analogy of the obtained results was established. Existing constitutional and statutory provisions to protect and improve water sources have been found lacking enforcement in letter and spirit in the State of Tripura. The study broadly suggests formulation of the specific State Water Policy vis-a-vis the existing National Water Policy and implementation thereof with stakeholders’ participation.

Fracking, farming, and water

Several studies note the large quantity of water used to hydraulically fracture oil and gas wells. We quantify this water use and its effects on water use for irrigating crops. For nine western states in 2017, water use in fracking represented 1.7 percent of water use in irrigation overall, but up to 55 percent in the Bakken shale of North Dakota, 28 percent in Oklahoma shale regions, and 12 percent in the Eagle Ford shale of Texas. However, in counties where the percentage of water use for fracking relative to irrigation is large, it is primarily because such counties have had minimal historical irrigation. We analyze the effect of state water policies governing the transfer of water from farming to fracking on water withdrawals for the two sectors. In North Dakota, which allowed farmers to forego irrigating and sell water to energy firms, each acre-foot of water used in fracking displaced about 1.1 acre feet from irrigation, thereby avoiding an increase in total withdrawals. Weaker evidence suggests an increase in irrigation in Oklahoma and Texas. Because of the lack of displacement in Texas and Oklahoma, concerns that fracking contributes to excess withdrawals in the present time may be warranted.

Arenas públicas, atores sociais e saber técnico na formulação de políticas ambientais

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar como um processo de política pública está imbuído de elementos que se conectam a uma dinâmica nacional e/ou internacional. Utilizando nos do programa Águas de Sergipe, avaliamos o conjunto de fatores que resultaram na constituição do programa, a exemplo das arenas públicas, dos atores sociais e da expertise. Para isso, foi catalogado e analisado todo o aparato burocrático referente à Política de Recursos Hídricos do Estado e à criação do referido programa, bem como foram realizadas entrevistas semi estruturadas com técnicos que fizeram parte do processo e representantes do Banco Mundial. Concluímos que os elementos dessa política pública se conectam ao referencial nacional de sustentabilidade, embora esta seja resultado de várias discussões geridas pelo Estado em conjunto com o Banco Mundial em arenas públicas propícias, com baixa participação da sociedade civil. Igualmente, o saber técnico e a expertise na área consistiram no principal recurso acionado.

On the Strategy of Integrated Water Resources Management in Kazakhstan

The article outlines the concept and presents some proposals for the implementation of the integrated water resources management strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The purpose of the article is to analyze the strategy of integrated water resources management in Kazakhstan. In particular, the principles for achieving a qualitatively new state of the water sector, the main components of the state water policy at the current stage, the main mechanisms for its implementation and the stages of implementation are indicated. The novelty of this article lies in the fact that the integrated water resources management at the current stage has been analyzed, and it will be interesting for other countries.

India’s National Water Policy: ‘feel good’ document, nothing more

ABSTRACTThree versions of the National Water Policy (NWP) have failed to make any perceptible difference in improving water management in India. The excuse that water is a state subject and thus central government cannot do much is not valid. States have always been a party to the formulation of the NWP. They have the freedom to modify the NWP to suit their individual requirements. Many states have adopted a state water policy. Even such state-level policies have failed to make any significant impact in improving their water management practices. Neither the NWP nor the state water policies have made any impact on practice. Reasons for the NWP basically being a paper exercise are many, including lofty drafting and policy prescriptions that are divorced from reality; lack of courage at the Water Ministry to take a firm stand on any of the provisions at either the drafting or the implementation stages; the practice of keeping specialists away from policies; and the dominance of generalists who have neither a demonstrable understanding of the complexities of the water sector nor a long-term commitment to it.

Planning for Idaho’s waterscapes: A review of historical drivers and outlook for the next 50 years

Water availability and use are increasingly critical factors determining the resilience and vulnerability of communities in the Western United States (US). Historical water availability and use in the state of Idaho is synthesized by considering the biophysical drivers of climate and surface runoff alongside human drivers of land-use, hydrologic engineering and state water management and policies. Idaho has not experienced chronic water scarcity in the last half century, particularly in comparison to neighboring states to the south. An outlook of water availability and use in Idaho for the next half century is developed that accounts for projected changes in population and climate. The magnitude of annual runoff is not expected to change substantially across much of Idaho, yet the timing of surface water availability is likely to change due to earlier snowmelt and reduced summer surface water availability. We posit that Idaho is well positioned to make institutional and policy decisions that secure its own water resources in the face of changing environmental conditions and resource-based water demands.

Deficit Irrigation Management of Maize in the High Plains Aquifer Region: A Review

AbstractIrrigated agriculture is a major economic contributor of the High Plains Region and it primarily relies on the High Plains Aquifer as a source of water. Over time, areas of the High Plains Aquifer have experienced drawdowns limiting its ability to supply sufficient water to sustain fully irrigated crop production. This among other reasons, including variable climatic factors and differences in state water policy, has resulted in some areas adopting and practicing deficit irrigation management. Considerable research has been conducted across the High Plains Aquifer region to identify locally appropriate deficit irrigation strategies. This review summarizes and discusses research conducted in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, and Texas, as well as highlights areas for future research. Editor's note: This paper is part of the featured series on Optimizing Ogallala Aquifer Water Use to Sustain Food Systems. See the February 2019 issue for the introduction and background to the series.

Mapping Fifty Years of Changes in Maine’s Water Quality Classifications

Passage of the 1972 U.S. Clean Water Act (CWA) resulted in significant improvements in water quality of the nation’s freshwater systems. Maine is unique in making progress on water quality regulation through establishment of water quality classification levels that continue into the present. Starting in 1953, Maine implemented a water classification system for its surface water systems. These classification levels established minimum water quality criteria for establishing discharge requirements. Until recently, changes in classification levels were only represented in the text of state water quality standards legislation and agency regulations. This study employed geographic information systems to track changes in Maine’s water classification over a fifty-year period. Our study represents one of the few spatial and temporal visualizations of water improvements as reflected in water quality classification levels. Visualization of the changes conveys the compelling story of the impact of increasingly stringent federal and state water policy coupled with advances in water treatment technologies stemming from a growing public awareness of the value of improved water quality. This study allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the policy implications of water quality improvements and can inform analyses of the social and ecological dimensions of progress in river restoration.

Історичний нарис політико-правового формування публічного управління у галузі водного господарства України за часів Гетьманської доби (середина XVIІ ст. – друга половина XVIІІ ст.)

Проаналізована нормативно-правова база часів Гетьманщини в частині регулювання використання вод. З’ясовані законодавчо регламентовані тогочасні напрями державної водної політики. Визначене коло відповідальних осіб за її формування та реалізацію. Сформульовані чинники, які знижували ефективність реалізації досліджуваної державної політики.

From Fragmented to Joint Responsibilities: Barriers and Opportunities for Adaptive Water Quality Governance in California’s Urban-Agricultural Interface

California is facing a critical water supply and water quality crisis, necessitating a clear shift in the way water resources are managed. This study assesses the effectiveness of water law and policy in the urban-agricultural interface, where the two discharge into common waterways but have different regulatory requirements. A case study from one of California’s most productive agricultural regions, the Salinas Valley, explores the complexities and inadequacies of current water law in the interface, as well as promising integrated water management schemes. The article’s findings are based on archival research, extensive document review and 15 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. Findings suggest that local, state and federal water policy is severely fragmented, providing little incentive for the multitude of water entities to collaborate on multi-benefit projects and resulting in unsuccessful water quality improvements. There is a strong need for a more integrated policy approach that bridges different types of dischargers (agricultural and urban), water quality and water quantity issues and also incorporates land uses into policy decision making.

Recognition of Barkandji Water Rights in Australian Settler-Colonial Water Regimes

The passage of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) brought with it much anticipation—though in reality, quite limited means—for recognizing and protecting Aboriginal peoples’ rights to land and water across Australia. A further decade passed before national and State water policy acknowledged Aboriginal water rights and interests. In 2015, the native title rights of the Barkandji Aboriginal People in the Australian State of New South Wales (NSW) were recognized after an eighteen-year legal case. This legal recognition represents a significant outcome for the Barkandji People because water and, more specifically, the Darling River, or Barka, is central to their existence. However, the Barkandji confront ongoing struggles to have their common law rights recognized and accommodated within Australian water governance regimes. Informed by literature relating to the politics of recognition, we examine the outcomes of government attempts at Indigenous recognition through four Australian water regimes: national water policy; native title law; NSW water legislation; and NSW water allocation planning. Drawing from the Barkandji’s experiences in engaging with water regimes, we analyze and characterize the outcomes of these recognition attempts broadly as ‘misrecognition’ and ‘non-recognition’, and describe the associated implications for Aboriginal peoples. These manifestations of colonial power relations, whether intended or not, undermine the legitimacy of state water regimes because they fail to generate recognition of, and respect for, Aboriginal water rights and to redress historical legacies of exclusion and discrimination in access to water.

Assessment of interstate virtual water flows embedded in agriculture to mitigate water scarcity in India (1996–2014)

AbstractIndia is the largest global freshwater user despite being highly water scarce. Agriculture is largest consumer of water and is most affected by water scarcity. Water scarcity is a persistent challenge in India, due to a gap in science and policy spheres. Virtual Water (VW) flows concept to mitigate water scarcity is at the science‐policy interface. The paper aims to address the gap in VW research in India by first analyzing the interstate VW‐flows embedded in food grains, and then linking these VW‐flows with the water scarcity situation in the states, and elements of state and national water policies for the postreforms, and recovery periods of India's agriculture. There were net water savings (WS) of 207.5 PL during 1996–2014, indicating sustainable flows at the national level. WS increased from 11.2 TL/yr (1996–2005) to 25931.7 TL/yr (2005–2014), with the increase in interstate movement of food grains, and yield. However, unsustainable flows are seen at subnational scale, as VW‐flows are from highly water‐scarce states in North to highly water‐scarce states in West and South. These flows are causing a concentration of water scarcity in water‐scarce zones/states. Net VW imports were found to be driven by larger population and net VW exports by arable land. Further, the absence of state water policy cripples water management. Therefore, the paper argues that there is a need to rethink policy decisions on agriculture at the national and state level by internalizing water as a factor of production, through VW research.

When wells run dry: Water and tourism in Nicaragua

This article uses a political ecology approach to examine the relationship between tourism and groundwater in southwest Nicaragua. Tourism remains a growing industry; however, adequate provisions of freshwater are necessary to sustain the production and reproduction of tourism and it remains uncertain if groundwater supplies can keep pace with demand. Integrating the findings of groundwater monitoring, geological mapping, and ethnographic and survey research from a representative stretch of Pacific coastline, this paper shows that diminishing recharge and increased groundwater consumption is creating a conflict between stakeholders with various levels of knowledge, power, and access. It concludes that marginalization is attributable to the nexus of a political promotion of tourism, poorly enforced state water policies, insufficient water research, and climatic variability.

Minimizing Disparities and Developing Support by Identifying Differences in Confidence and Knowledge Related to Water Issues

Extension educators face challenges as they strive to keep up with critical issues in their communities, such as those surrounding water. A growing population and a diminishing water supply necessitate that Florida residents become more knowledgeable about water issues. We conducted research to determine how confident both the general public and decision makers are in Florida's water resources and to assess how aware both groups are of the state's water policies. The results revealed significant statistical differences between the two groups in almost every category analyzed. We propose relevant ways to engage in targeted programming that will bridge the gap between the general public and decision makers.

Using Science to Bridge Management and Policy: Terracette Hydrologic Function and Water Quality Best Management Practices in Idaho

On The Ground Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is a leading cause of water quality degradation on 40% of the semiarid lands within the western United States, with sediment from runoff on agricultural lands making up 15%. Managing NPS pollution through best management practices (BMPs) relies on site-specific knowledge and voluntary application. The dominant hydrologic processes in semiarid environments are a product of local climate, vegetation, and soil conditions; therefore, land use and ecosystem resilience invariably hinge on a balance of shifting, and often competing, social and environmental drivers. Our measurements of terracette hydrologic function and existence on more than 159,000 hectares within Idaho enabled an estimate of potential NPS erosion and sediment generation, emphasizing the value of site-specific scientific research for land managers. Our study provides an example of how microtopographic landforms, such as terracettes, are connected with state and federal clean water policy as one exa...

O Comitê da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio São Francisco e a Gestão das Águas: O Conflito Exposto a Partir da Transposição do Rio São Francisco | The São Francisco River Basin Committee and Water Management Conflict Arising from the Transposition of The River

Introduction: The São Francisco River Basin Committee (CBHSF) was set up by presidential decree in 2001 with the aim of achieving decentralized and participatory management of its water. The São Francisco River flows overland for 2700 km from its source in the Serra da Canastra (MG) to its mouth between Sergipe (SE) and Alagoas (AL). The river passes through the states of Bahia (BA), Pernambuco (PE), Goiás (GO) and the Federal District (DF). Central to the discussion in this research on the transposition of the São Francisco River is question of conflict concerning water management in the São Francisco River Basin Committee, making a nonsense of its power to function, contrary to the project, and the Federal Government which initiated the work and approved the budget. Hence, this study aims to analyze water management in the São Francisco river basin from the initiation of the CBHSF in order to understand how approval of the project and implementation of the work ran against the statutory representation of the committee. Methodology and Development: Having a qualitative approach, the study will be divided between theoretical research based on authors who study the topic of water and its transformation into a water resource and the major landowners of the north-east semi-arid zone in the context of transposition; the dynamics and politics of the river basin; as well as the role of the river basin committees in the process of decentralizing Brazilian water management, specifically concerning the São Francisco River and its state and interstate committees. Documentary research will take into account National Water Resources Law 9.433/1997; state water policies; documentary archives of the river basin committees (state and interstate), as well as the agencies participating in the integration project, such as the National Water Agency (ANA), the Integration Ministry (MI), and the Environment Ministry (MMA). Further data will be obtained using the transcripts of semi-structured interviews with presidents of the river basin committees as well as visiting transposition works and attending CBHSF meetings. Final thoughts: The transposition of the São Francisco River demonstrates how the legacy of Brazilian governmental centralization policies holds back the participatory process of the river basin committees, encroaching on their legal and institutional positions as regards water in the north-east semi-arid zone amid the persistence of drought.