Domestic well database development and integration into a GIS: an approach for managing ground water resources

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 993-1006
Author(s):  
Meredith J. Metcalf ◽  
Gary A. Robbins

Connecticut is dominated by rural communities which rely upon individual domestic wells in fractured crystalline bedrock for water supply. The individualized nature of ground water usage has made ground water resource planning on a regional or townwide basis non-existent. In recent years there has been increased development and concerns expressed regarding the sustainability of the fractured crystalline rock water supply and its quality, and the need for ground water resource planning. In this study, using a rural quadrangle in eastern Connecticut, we have developed a database system that is tied to a geographic information system that can be used to help manage and assess ground water conditions. The data in the database were derived using available water completion reports and water quality reports. Data query schemes were developed to screen for data entry and reporting errors. The information maintained in the database has been analyzed to derive products on well yield, well depth, and water elevation. These products are beneficial to town planners, local sanitarians, developers, homeowners, and drillers. They can improve and facilitate decision-making concerning future rural development to ensure ground water sustainability.

Water Policy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 612-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Fu ◽  
Dihua Li

Water has become a critically important resource in Beijing. In this study, a systematic analysis of changes in conditions related to water resources in Beijing since 1949 was performed. These include changes in water quantity and quality, water disasters, as well as an analysis of the evolution of water resource planning in Beijing over this period of time. Also, past approaches to urbanization have been looked at to see whether they exacerbated Beijing's water issues. The aggravating water issues were found to be associated with water resource planning in five ways. Water supply and flood protection projects have failed to control the complex water system and have exacerbated water shortages. Excessive project-oriented water diversion efforts and a lack of resource-oriented water conservation have allowed aquatic environments to deteriorate. Water supply planning has been based on demand that has intensified a lowering of the groundwater table. Improper measures that allowed wastewater to be used for irrigation of agricultural soils have aggravated water pollution. In general, water resource planning has not necessarily been conducive to solving water problems; it has even exacerbated Beijing's water crisis. The results and recommendations of this study may serve as a reference for future water resource planning in Beijing.


1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
J. J. Vasconcelos

Hater resource managers in semi-arid regions are faced with some unique problems. The wide variations in precipitation and stream flows in semi-arid regions increase man's dependence on the ground water resource for an ample and reliable supply of water. Proper management of the ground water resource is absolutely essential to the economic well being of semi-arid regions. Historians have discovered the remains of vanished advanced civilizations based on irrigated agriculture which were ignorant of the importance of proper ground water resource management. In the United States a great deal of effort is presently being expended in the study and control of toxic discharges to the ground water resource. What many public policy makers fail to understand is that the potential loss to society resulting from the mineralization of the ground water resource is potentially much greater than the loss caused by toxic wastes discharges, particularly in developing countries. Appropriations for ground water resource management studies in developed countries such as the United States are presently much less than those for toxic wastes management and should be increased. It is the reponsibility of the water resource professional to emphasize to public policy makers the importance of ground water resource management. Applications of ground water resource management models in the semi-arid Central Valley of California are presented. The results demonstrate the need for proper ground water resource management practices in semi-arid regions and the use of ground water management models as a valuable tool for the water resource manager.


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