Water Resource Management Agencies Research Articles

Differentiating Enterococcus concentration spatial, temporal, and analytical variability in recreational waters

Monitoring recreational waters for fecal contamination is an important responsibility of water resource management agencies throughout the world, yet fecal indicator bacteria (FIB)-based recreational water quality assessments rarely distinguish between analytical, spatial, and temporal variability. To address this gap in water resources research and management protocol, we compare two methods for quantifying FIB concentration variability at a frequently-used beach on Lake Huron (Michigan, USA). The first method calculates differences between most probable number (MPN) and colony-forming unit (CFU) values derived from conventional analysis procedures. The second method uses the “raw data” from these analysis procedures in a Bayesian hierarchical model to explicitly acknowledge analytical variability and subsequently infer the relative significance of the effect of sampling location and time on in situ FIB concentrations. Results of the Bayesian analysis indicate that in situ FIB concentrations do not vary significantly over small spatial and temporal scales, and that observed differences in MPN and CFU values over these same spatial and temporal scales are due almost entirely to intrinsic variability introduced by laboratory analysis procedures. Our findings underscore potential opportunities for incorporating Bayesian statistical models directly into routine recreational water quality assessments and for advancing the state of the art in methods for protecting humans from waterborne disease.

Analysis of Appropriate Timescales for Water Diversion Permits in Brazil

Agreement on the criteria for granting the right to use water resources between governing bodies represents a significant advance in the process of sharing water use. To aid water resource management agencies in optimizing water use, the impact of using different criteria for permitting water use in the Paracatu river basin, Brazil, was evaluated in this study. The streamflow criteria corresponding to 30% of the annual Q(7,10) (used by the governing body of Minas Gerais), 70% of the annual Q(95) (used by the governing body of the union), 30% of the monthly Q(7,10), and 70% of the monthly Q(95) were evaluated. The use of criteria based on the monthly streamflow allows for better management of water use because it allows for greater utilization of this resource in times when there is high water availability and imposes a more realistic restriction during critical periods. Substitution of the annual Q(7,10) for the monthly Q(7,10) significantly increases the streamflow permitted in some months, for example, from December to May. Use of the criterion of 70% of the annual Q(95) involves a high risk of drought in critical months, while the criterion of 70% of the monthly Q(95) minimizes this risk.

Site length for biological assessment of boatable rivers

AbstractThere is increasing international interest by water resource management agencies worldwide in developing the capacity for quantitative bioassessments of boatable rivers. This interest stems from legal mandates requiring assessments, plus growing recognition of the threats to such systems from multiple and co‐varying stressors (e.g. chemical pollutants, physical habitat alterations, altered flow regimes, channel modifications and alien species). The elevated cost and inefficiencies of jurisdictionally‐ and taxonomically‐segregated assessments is widely recognized, as is the desire to obtain comparable data that can be easily shared among political jurisdictions and ecological regions. The objectives, sampling methods, indicators, site‐scale sampling designs and geographic extent of the resources being sampled differ among programmes, thereby limiting such data exchanges. Our objective in this paper is to review major biological assessment design alternatives for boatable rivers, with special attention given to the sample site length from which data are collected. We suggest that sufficient site length determinations should be based on the survey objectives, the relative heterogeneity of the habitat template, and the quality of data necessary for meeting programmatic data quality objectives. Future sampling effort studies should be designed to allow separate samples of several short sub‐sites at many diverse sites to generate multiple data points for each site. Data from those multiple sub‐sites should be analysed using randomization‐based data evaluation methods. We hope that our recommendations will be useful to the maximum number of institutions, including those with limited funds and a purely local focus, as well as those responsible for sampling at continental geographic extents. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A framework for assessing flood frequency based on climate projection information

Abstract. Flood safety is of the utmost concern for water resources management agencies charged with operating and maintaining reservoir systems. Risk evaluations guide design of infrastructure alterations or lead to potential changes in operations. Changes in climate may change the risk due to floods and therefore decisions to alter infrastructure with a life span of decades or longer may benefit from the use of climate projections as opposed to use of only historical observations. This manuscript presents a set of methods meant to support flood frequency evaluation based on current downscaled climate projections and the potential implications of changing flood risk on how evaluations are made. Methods are demonstrated in four case study basins: the Boise River above Lucky Peak Dam, the San Joaquin River above Friant Dam, the James River above Jamestown Dam, and the Gunnison River above Blue Mesa Dam. The analytical design includes three core elements: (1) a rationale for selecting climate projections to represent available climate projections; (2) generation of runoff projections consistent with climate projections using a process-based hydrologic model and temporal disaggregation of monthly downscaled climate projections into 6-h weather forcings required by the hydrologic model; and (3) analysis of flood frequency distributions based on runoff projection results. In addition to demonstrating the methodology, this paper also presents method choices under each analytical element, and the resulting implications to how flood frequencies are evaluated. The methods used reproduce the antecedent calibration period well. The approach results in a unidirectional shift in modeled flood magnitudes. The comparison between an expanding retrospective (current paradigm for flood frequency estimation) and a lookahead flood frequency approach indicate potential for significant biases in flood frequency estimation.

Trust factors in community–water resource management agency relationships

A number of indicators suggest that trust is becoming a major issue for natural resource managers and planners desiring to maintain or enhance community–agency relationships. Public distrust, especially local community distrust, can have severe implications for the quality and durability of natural resource policy and management decisions. This article addresses the research problem of understanding factors of community trust in a water resources management agency. To describe trust factors in this context, a descriptive, interpretive qualitative case study approach was applied. Specifically the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and key communities nearby or adjacent to water resources managed by the Corps within the Kaskaskia River Watershed in central Illinois were examined. Trust between the communities and the Corps was the focus of analysis. This research is pertinent and practical because planners, managers, engineers, policy makers, and community stakeholders in many natural resources management situations are seeking better ways of working together that produce sustainable agency–community relationships. The findings suggest that local community trust factors relevant to the Corps are complex and critical to understanding the social context of natural resources management in the Kaskaskia River Watershed. The management significance of this research is a series of suggestions for improving relationships between communities, agencies, and agency managers based on the different factors of trust. Both formal and informal mechanisms are available to address important factors of trust.

Climate change or variability? The case of Yellow river as indicated by extreme maximum and minimum air temperature during 1960–2004

The spatial and temporal variability of winter extreme low-temperature events and summer extreme high-temperature events was investigated using daily air temperature series (1960–2004) from 66 sites in the Yellow River basin, China, with the help of Mann–Kendall trend test method. In this study an extreme temperature event is defined by exceeding or falling below various threshold values of daily maximum and daily minimum air temperature: 90th percentile, 95th percentile for the high-temperature events; 10th percentile and 5th percentile for the low-temperature events. The analysis results indicate that: 1) significant upward trend of frequency and intensity of the high-temperature events is found in the stations in the west and north part of the Yellow River basin, but trends in most stations in the middle and lower Yellow River basin are not significant at >95% confidence level; 2) almost the whole Yellow River basin is dominated by the significant downward trend of frequency of the cold events. Stations featured by the increasing winter minimum temperature are also more than those featured by changing summer maximum temperature; and 3) annual warming trend in the Yellow River basin mainly results from the increase in winter minimum temperature. Significant warming in the upper reach of the Yellow River will be likely to threaten the availability of the water resource in the whole basin, which should draw certain concerns from local policy-makers and water resource management agency in the region.

Totalização Volumétrica Indireta de Água Bruta por Combinação Horímetro/Ultra-Som

The need to measure the volumes of bulk water from waters sources and effluents discharged are matters of immediate concern, since both the market and the national institutions involved in the subject are not appropriately prepared for this function. According to Pinto (2003), concerning bulk water intake, the vast majority of meters and techniques found in Brazil to measure discharges and volumes in pressure pipes are meant specifically for use with treated water and are not adequate to measure bulk water. The purpose of this study is to provide information to make it easier to measure volumes and flows at a lower cost, with an adequate level of accuracy, to be used mainly by the water resources management agencies and committees. Thus a study was performed in the field and the laboratory to test the use of an hour-counter in pumping lines with measurement by ultrasound. The results in systems without in-line filters showed an overall accuracy of ±3.9%.. This shows that the use of hour-counters is a technically feasible solution, both as regards costs and technical aspects, considering its low cost and accuracy

CONFLICTING MANAGEMENT GOALS: MANATEES AND INVASIVE COMPETITORS INHIBIT RESTORATION OF A NATIVE MACROPHYTE

Vallisneria americana is a native macrophyte in freshwater and oligohaline ecosystems, often forming meadows that significantly affect ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling and provide structural habitat. Vallisneria has declined in abundance in several Florida lakes, rivers, and estuaries. We conducted an 11‐month field experiment in Kings Bay, Florida, USA, to determine factors that might affect successful transplantation of Vallisneria and to guide potential future restoration efforts by water resource management agencies. To determine the effects of herbivores and other primary producers on Vallisneria production, we conducted a 2 × 2 factorial experiment at three sites in which we allowed or denied: (1) relatively large herbivores (>3 cm) and (2) other primary producers (e.g., Myriophyllum spicatum, Hydrilla verticillata, Lyngbya sp.) access to 1.5 × 1.5‐m transplanted plots of Vallisneria. Within one month, Vallisneria disappeared from 80% of herbivore‐access plots due primarily to consumption by manatees. Vallisneria density was reduced a variable amount (0–50%) in response to competitors, due to site‐specific variation in natural abundance of other primary producers (at two sites, we observed extensive colonization by other primary producers and a strong treatment effect). Most of this competitive effect was attributable to Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum); after pooling Vallisneria density data across sites, we observed a negative exponential relationship between shoot density of Vallisneria and stem density of Myriophyllum for every sampling date. We observed variable recruitment of Vallisneria transplants into larger size classes among sites, but not between treatments, and large, established plants grew at similar rates whether in monospecific or mixed stands, with evidence for reduced mass‐specific growth in dense stands. Hence, a probable mechanism by which Myriophyllum reduces Vallisneria occurs via space limitation, and reduction in Vallisneria densities and/or recruitment and growth of new shoots. We conclude that two different management goals (restoration of Vallisneria and protection of manatees) are in conflict and must be simultaneously considered to devise effective and sustainable ecosystem management scenarios. Due to the highly managed nature of freshwater systems worldwide, the limitations of extrapolating experimental results and the importance of site‐specific pilot experiments should also be recognized.

Considerations for Establishing Nutrient Criteria for Reservoirs

ABSTRACT The recent requirement to establish nutrient criteria for lakes and reservoirs provides the means for water resource management agencies to link watershed influences and water quality responses. Establishing reference conditions, as required for setting realistic criteria, raises a number of questions concerning the potential importance of differences and similarities between lakes and reservoirs. Discussed here are considerations for establishing reservoir nutrient criteria, including linkages between reservoir design, operation and water quality, spatial heterogeneity in water quality conditions, and analytical approaches.

Water and sustainable development

In this paper, it is proposed that water resources should be managed as an integral part of a nation's social and economic development. Water resources managers should broaden their scope of work to include an integrated management approach. Instead of the traditional ‘supply oriented approach’ in which they act in response to ever‐increasing demands for water from different sectors of the economy, water resources management agencies should play a more active role in guiding and stimulating socioeconomic development through more efficient water use. Demand management should be an important tool which should go beyond the improvement of technical efficiencies. Most important is to develop economic and institutional approaches that accept charging for the full costs of the utilization and management of water resources. Implementation of such an approach will require more sectoral integration than is currently the case and will have considerable implications for organizations, staffing, institutional arrangements and corresponding capacity building.

Techniques for integrated water resources management

The course, Decision Support Techniques for Integrated Water Resources Management, is designed mainly for technical managers and staff of water resources management agencies at the international, national, regional, and local water board level, as well as consultants in other professions working in or interested in the field of water resources development, planning, and operation. It will be held in Wageningen, The Netherlands, June 10–15, 1991.The course objective is to promote better understanding and dissemination of techniques to be applied in “real‐world” integrated water resources management. The course offers an introduction to the concepts of decision modeling, plus ample case studies to demonstrate their applicability. It covers decision theory, operations research and simulation methods, as well as certain aspects of law and psychology. Selected multiple objective techniques will be presented, followed by an overview of recent trends in the field. Computer‐based techniques will be demonstrated.

Strategic Use of Technical Information in Urban Instream Flow Plans

A number of cities hope to follow the example of San Antonio, Texas, in developing a viable tourist/retail park near an urban river. While this is an appealing idea, problems are associated with such a task, including the problem of ensuring that water flows through the park. Success in such an important undertaking depends on a three‐part strategy: (1) understanding laws; (2) projecting agency concerns; and (3) using technical information. The authorities vary according to state water law. Understanding the concerns of agencies involves understanding data needs, anticipating resistance to plans, and assessing the roles of supporters and opponents. This paper describes four roles which water resources management agencies commonly assume, addresses issues pertaining to urban instream flow programs, and discusses the agency concerns associated with each role. Because effective use of technical information is required to both address these agency concerns and to explain urban instream flow programs to the general public, recent research on water resource “knowledge holding” is also described. Research suggests that public acceptance of programs intended to preserve water resources is enhanced by the possession of knowledge concerning local water resources—even among those ideologically opposed to such programs.

A SYSTEMS RESOURCES APPROACH TO CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: THE CASE OF THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS1

ABSTRACT: The thesis of this paper is that the citizen participation process provides necessary, but not sufficient conditions to affect substantive change in federal water resource management agencies' planning and decisionmaking. That is, in its present form, the citizen participation process has been observed to occur outside of the normal decision arenas of federal resource management agencies. The paper reviews concepts of citizen participation and defines some theoretical problems inherent with them. Then, a strategy for the structuring of a citizen participation process is proposed. This strategy is based upon the notion that citizen support for federally sponsored programs are essential if such projects are to be implemented. Therefore, an approach which integrates citizen valves with those held by other institutions and the agency is suggested. In conclusion, the relevancy of actively developing and including citizen input to the water resource planning process is illustrated by a discussion of three cases of the Corps of Engineers and Urban Studies planning process, in different metropolitan regions.

Interdisciplinary models of water systems

To evaluate the complex interactions of various types of water systems, a water resource management agency is invariably involved in the preliminary step of reviewing the available quantitative methods for formulating interdisciplinary aspects of the water systems. With a view to supplement their efforts, an attempt is made in this paper to review briefly the major useful concepts and models which are intended to broaden the technical horizon of the professionals associated with the regional water resource management programs. Initially, various pathways of model building procedure are outlined. Then associated ecological, economic, social, political, technological and environmental models are discussed in light of some reported quantitative examples. With the understanding of the basic mechanics of these interdisciplinary models, the adequacy of these models and their applications can be examined by the concerned professionals to aid the decision making process for the specific water system in question.