Zooming into the water users: A multi-scale, interactive participatory approach to co-develop Water Management Plans in Bolivian River Basins

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nilo Lima ◽  
Hector Angarita ◽  
Marisa Escobar-Arias ◽  
Wilford Rincon ◽  
Sergio Nuñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
National Policy ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Water Users

<p>In Bolivia, since 2006 the Ministry of Environment and Water, through the National Watershed Plan, has developed the conceptual framework and national policy for Watershed Management. At present, this national policy is still in the process of learning and construction from its application in various river basins, principally through the development of Watershed Master Plans.</p><p>Three principles guide the development of this national planning effort: i. the recognition of the growing dependence on participatory processes as a forum to identify and enable legitimate water management and governance options, ii. the need to plan for an uncertain future caused by climate change and other societal prerogatives iii. the systemic analysis of the territory incorporating biophysical, sectoral and regional interactions.</p><p>Here we present results and lessons learned of this process in the formulation of the Master Plan of the Río Rocha Basin (PDCR); With a population of ~ 1,500,000 people (13% of Bolivia’s population), the basin has high levels of water scarcity that feed an intricate network of conflicts related to access, governance, and environmental degradation. The PDCR is a planning opportunity to enable the necessary conditions to resolve current conflicts and set the foundation of sustainable water management.</p><p>Robust decision support (RDS) has been adopted as a guiding framework, constructing a participatory process that considers uncertainties and strategies within an array of management options for the system. To accommodate the large disparities in water access across interests represented at different regions and scales of the Rio Rocha Basin, we implemented two innovations in the RDS process: first, a set of 24 quantitative indices that can operate at several nested scales of planning sub-units (i.e. from independent irrigation units or household water supply service areas, to the entire river basin), and second the use of an interactive “hard-coupled” decision dashboard to the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP). In combination, this innovations enabled a diverse audience of actors to: i) explore the positive and negative interactions of water management, production systems, hazards and risks management, and ecosystem functions ii) identify disparities in the performance of a proposed plan between scales and ii) analyze and compare different management strategies interactively to improve outcomes and identify and mitigate emerging regional or sectorial conflicts.</p><p>As a result, the PDCR established a set of regional and intersectoral actions for 2025 and 2040, which integrate infrastructure, efficiency, pollution control, and territorial and productive planning actions, accompanied by institutional strengthening and capacity development measures. The plan expects to increase access and coverage of the demand for safe water, improve irrigation access, enable long term sustainable exploitation of groundwater and establish synergies with the existing sanitation plan to achieve additional improvements in the environmental quality of the Rio Rocha.</p>

From the Beetaloo to West Texas: similarities, differences and lessons learned from water management in coal seam and shale field developments on either side of the Pacific

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 827
Author(s):  
Brian D. Webster ◽  
Holly Churman ◽  
Chris Benjamin ◽  
Julian Long ◽  
Brett M. Goebel
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Field Development ◽  
West Texas ◽  
Elevated Salinity ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Water management presents a host of challenges and opportunities for operators developing unconventional onshore gas fields. Water supply, recycling and disposal issues affect each stage of field development and operation. Sourcing water and production of produced and flow back water has important implications for water availability and management of the unique environmental risks. All water source and produced water decisions come with costs. From the treatment and reuse of coal seam gas (CSG) produced water, through to the storage and ultimate disposal of water containing elevated salinity and organic loads in shale fields, the costs for water management fundamentally contribute to the economics of unconventional gas developments. In this paper, we will draw on experience in both CSG and shale field water management to compare the respective water management challenges and opportunities faced by operators in these industries. A series of case studies will be used to highlight the differences between the CSG and shale fields. This will include assessment of a West Texas shale field development, where field specific data, such as well-to-well distance and travel time between them, has been used to identify and compare produced water management options. We will use these indicators to demonstrate how alternative ways to assess produced water options, based on economics, can reveal creative management strategies that achieve a variety of goals at every stage of field development, including maximising reuse and minimising disposal.

Evaluation of surface and groundwater management strategies for drained sulfidic soil using numerical simulation models

Soil Research ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 569 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Blunden ◽  
B. Indraratna
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Pyrite Oxidation ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Acid Sulfate Soils ◽  
Drain Water ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Acid Sulfate ◽  
Sulfate Soils

The effective management of acid sulfate soils is a major issue for many coastal regions in Australia. Simulations were conducted to evaluate 4 different water management strategies that could be applied to agricultural land on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, to minimise acid generation from acid sulfate soils. The water management strategies are compared with the existing extensively drained situation which generates and discharges large quantities of acidic pyrite oxidation products. The 4 water management strategies include elevated drain water levels using a weir, 25 mm irrigation on a 7- or 14-day cycle, and elevated drain water levels with irrigation. All of these strategies were designed to minimise the generation of acid by reducing the transport of oxygen to the sulfidic soil. Simulations were conducted for weather and site conditions experienced during a 12-month period starting in July 1997. Model simulations showed that maintenance of elevated drain water levels using a weir in the drain significantly reduced the amount of acid generated by 75% and 57%, at 10 and 90 m distance from the drain, respectively, by comparison with the existing drained state. The addition of 25 mm irrigation on a 14-day cycle to the weir simulation reduced the oxidation of pyrite by a further 1–2%. Application of irrigation only on a 7-day cycle also reduced the acid generated by 89% and 94% at 10 and 90 m distance from the drain, respectively, by comparison with the existing drained state. Irrigation on a 14-day cycle was not as successful in reducing pyrite oxidation as either the 7-day irrigation or weir strategies. Evaluation of the 4 water management options showed that significant improvements can be made with respect to the amount of acid generated by relatively simple and cost-effective land management practices.

scholarly journals Institutional Framework for Assessing Water Availability and Allocation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Wurbs
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
The United States ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
The State ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Interstate Compacts

Effective water resources management requires assessments of water availability within a framework of complex institutions and infrastructure employed to manage extremely variable stream flow shared by numerous often competing water users and diverse types of use. The Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) modeling system is fundamental to water allocation and planning in the state of Texas in the United States. Integration of environmental flow standards into both the modeling system and comprehensive statewide water management is a high priority for continuing research and development. The public domain WRAP software and documentation are generalized for application any place in the world. Lessons learned in developing and implementing the modeling system in Texas are relevant worldwide. The modeling system combines: (1) detailed simulation of water right systems, interstate compacts, international treaties, federal/state/local agreements, and operations of storage and conveyance facilities; (2) simulation of river system hydrology; and (3) statistical frequency and reliability analyses. The continually evolving modeling system has been implemented in Texas by a water management community that includes the state legislature, planning and regulatory agencies, river authorities, water districts, cities, industries, engineering consulting firms, and university researchers. The shared modeling system contributes significantly to integration of water allocation, planning, system operations, and research.

scholarly journals Stakeholders Reach Consensus in Troubled Waters

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Rugel
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
United States ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Freshwater Biodiversity ◽  
Transboundary Waters ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Basin Water

Surface water and groundwater catchments rarely align with the boundaries of cities, states, or nations. More often, water runs through, over, and under man-made sociopolitical divisions, making the governance of transboundary waters a formidable task. Although much of the public conversation regarding the availability and management of shared waters may appear to be dire (e.g., reports of “water wars”), there are transboundary basin water management strategies across the globe which offer hope. These include the efforts of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Stakeholders (ACFS) in the southeastern United States, which may serve as a useful template for future conversations around the water sharing table. The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin (ACF Basin) is a vital economic engine in the southeastern United States. The waters of the ACF are shared between three states—Alabama, Florida, and Georgia—and harbor some of the richest freshwater biodiversity in North America, including sturgeon, rock bass, madtom, sculpin, bass, darters, and the highest densities of freshwater mussels in the world. Many of these are species of concern or threatened or endangered species; therefore, water management strategies in multiple portions of the ACF must comply with habitat protection plans under the U.S. Environmental Protection Act of 1970 (https://www.enr.gov.nt.ca/en/environmental-protection-act). The ACFS was organized in 2009 in the hopes of overcoming a decades-long stalemate between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, regarding the use of shared waters in the ACF Basin. Despite years of litigious relationships among these three states, the ACFS managed to bring a diverse and previously contentious set of water users to the table and build consensus on a shared water management plan for the entire ACF Basin. While the ACFS holds no regulatory power, they made more progress in breaking through existing distrust and deadlock than any previous efforts in this basin to date. In the end, they developed cooperation, respect, and a sustainable and adaptive water management plan which included input and buy-in from all identified water sectors in the ACF Basin. It is, therefore, a valuable exercise to examine the ACFS model and contemplate whether it contains exportable methodologies for other catchments challenged with managing transboundary waters.

Nutritive value of bamboo as browse for livestock

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.J. Halvorson ◽  
K.A. Cassida ◽  
K.E. Turner ◽  
D.P. Belesky
Keyword(s):  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽  
Capra Hircus ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Bamboo Leaves

AbstractSmall farms in Appalachia need management options that diversify income opportunities, are adaptable to new livestock management strategies, and help maintain environmental integrity. Plantings of temperate bamboo (Poaceae), including species native to West Virginia, were established to determine the potential nutritive value for small ruminants, such as goats (Capra hircus), at different times of the year. The bamboo species we evaluated, included several Phyllostachys spp., Semiarundiaria fastuosa and Arundinaria gigantea, were able to withstand Appalachian winter temperatures and retain some green leaves even in late winter. Although small differences were evident, the nutritive value was generally comparable among species and exhibited similar trends over the season. Total non-structural carbohydrates in bamboo leaves decreased throughout the growing season, and then remained stable or increased during winter. Conversely, crude protein was relatively low in young leaves compared to late season or over-wintered leaves. Concentrations of fiber and protein were sufficient to meet the maintenance needs of adult goats. The ability of bamboo to remain green and maintain the nutritive value throughout winter suggested that it has potential as winter forage for goats in central Appalachia. As an upright browse, bamboo may reduce the exposure of goats to gastrointestinal parasites. Perennial stands of temperate bamboo could prove to be a valuable, multiple-use crop suitable for Appalachian farm operations and easily adaptable to goat production systems.

scholarly journals Delving into the Divisive Waters of River Basin Planning in Bolivia: A Case Study in the Cochabamba Valley

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 190
Author(s):  
Nilo Lima-Quispe ◽  
Cláudia Coleoni ◽  
Wilford Rincón ◽  
Zulema Gutierrez ◽  
Freddy Zubieta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Reference Frames ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
River Basin Planning

River basin planning in Bolivia is a relatively new endeavor that is primed for innovation and learning. One important learning opportunity relates to connecting watershed planning to processes within other planning units (e.g., municipalities) that have water management implications. A second opportunity relates to integrating watershed management, with a focus on land-based interventions, and water resources management, with a focus on the use and control of surface and groundwater resources. Bolivia’s River Basin Policy and its primary planning instrument, the River Basin Master Plan (PDC in Spanish), provide the relevant innovation and learning context. Official guidance related to PDC development lacks explicit instructions related to the use of analytical tools, the definition of spatially and temporally dis-aggregated indicators to evaluate specific watershed and water management interventions, and a description of the exact way stakeholders engage in the evaluation process. This paper describes an effort to adapt the tenets of a novel planning support practice, Robust Decision Support (RDS), to the official guidelines of PDC development. The work enabled stakeholders to discern positive and negative interactions among water management interventions related to overall system performance, hydrologic risk management, and ecosystem functions; use indicators across varying spatial and temporal reference frames; and identify management strategies to improve outcomes and mitigate cross-regional or inter-sectorial conflicts.

The application of economic-engineering optimisation for water management in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 339-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Medellín-Azuara ◽  
L.G. Mendoza-Espinosa ◽  
J.R. Lund ◽  
R.J. Ramírez-Acosta
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Baja California ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Wastewater Reclamation ◽  
Seawater Desalination ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Demand Models

Mathematical optimisation is used to integrate and economically evaluate wastewater reuse, desalination and other water management options for water supply in Ensenada, Baja California Mexico with future levels of population and water demand. The optimisation model (CALVIN) is used to explore and integrate water management alternatives such as water markets, reuse and seawater desalination, within physical capacity constraints and the region's water availability, minimising the sum of economic costs of water scarcity and operating costs within a region. The modelling approach integrates economic inputs from agricultural and urban water demand models with infrastructure and hydrological information, to identify an economically optimal water allocation between water users in Ensenada. Estimates of agricultural and urban economic water demands for year 2020 were used. The optimisation results indicate that wastewater reclamation and reuse for the city of Ensenada is the most economically promising alternative option to meet future water needs and make water imports less attractive. Seawater desalination and other options are not economically viable alone, but may have some utility if combined with other options for the Ensenada region.

scholarly journals Participatory Evaluation of Water Management Options for Climate Change Adaptation in River Basins

Environments ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Anabel Sanchez-Plaza ◽  
Annelies Broekman ◽  
Javier Retana ◽  
Adriana Bruggeman ◽  
Elias Giannakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Participatory Evaluation ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
The Impact

Climate and other human-induced changes will increase water scarcity in world areas such as in the Mediterranean. Adaptation principles need to be urgently incorporated into water management and stakeholder engagement needs to be strengthened at all steps of the management cycle. This study aimed to analyse and compare stakeholder-preferred water management options (WMOs) to face climate change related challenges and to foster adaptation in four Mediterranean river basins. The challenges and WMOs of the four river basins identified by stakeholders were analysed examining to what extent the WMOs tackled the identified challenges. The impact of the WMOs resulting from a participatory modelling method was included in a comparative analysis of the stakeholders’ WMOs preferences. The results indicate the participatory approach that was applied allowed local priorities and real-world challenges to be defined with adequate detail as well as the definition of tailored responses. The participatory impact analysis provided an integrated view of the river basin as an interrelated system. The participatory evaluation of the WMOs was able to consider a wide range of elements and was able reflect the combined preferences of the stakeholders. Moreover, it allowed groups of basin actors with highly diverse profiles and concerns to further promote sets of these WMOs as input into decision making processes.

scholarly journals Institutional Framework for Modeling Water Availability and Allocation

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph A. Wurbs
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
The United States ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
The State ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Interstate Compacts

Effective water resources management requires assessments of water availability within a framework of complex institutions and infrastructure employed to manage extremely variable stream flow shared by numerous, often competing, water users and diverse types of use. The Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) modeling system is fundamental to water allocation and planning in the state of Texas in the United States. Integration of environmental flow standards into both the modeling system and comprehensive statewide water management is a high priority for continuing research and development. The public domain WRAP software and documentation are generalized for application any place in the world. Lessons learned in developing and implementing the modeling system in Texas are relevant worldwide. The modeling system combines: (1) detailed simulation of water right systems, interstate compacts, international treaties, federal/state/local agreements, and operations of storage and conveyance facilities, (2) simulation of river system hydrology, and (3) statistical frequency and reliability analyses. The continually evolving modeling system has been implemented in Texas by a water management community that includes the state legislature, planning and regulatory agencies, river authorities, water districts, cities, industries, engineering consulting firms, and university researchers. The shared modeling system contributes significantly to integration of water allocation, planning, system operations, and research.

scholarly journals Management to Support Multiple Ecosystem Services from Productive Grasslands

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6263
Author(s):  
Joanna Savage ◽  
Ben A. Woodcock ◽  
James M. Bullock ◽  
Marek Nowakowski ◽  
Jeremy R. B. Tallowin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Farmland Birds ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Trade Offs

Sustainable intensification will require the development of new management systems to support global food demands, whilst conserving the integrity of ecosystem functions. Here, we test and identify management strategies to maintain or enhance agricultural production in grasslands whilst simultaneously supporting the provision of multiple ecosystem services. Over four years, we investigated how the establishment of three plant functional groups (grasses, legumes, and other flowering forbs), using different cultivation (minimum tillage and deep ploughing) and management (cutting, grazing and their intensity) techniques, affected provision and complementarity between key ecosystem services. These ecosystem services were agronomic production, pollination, pest control, food resources for farmland birds, and soil services. We found that the establishment of floristically diverse swards, particularly those containing grasses, legumes and forbs, maximised forage yield and quality, pollinator abundance, soil nitrogen, and bird food resources, as well as enhancing populations of natural predators of pests. Cutting management increased bird food resources and natural predators of pests without depleting other services considered. However, a single management solution to maximise the delivery of all ecosystem services is unlikely to exist, as trade-offs also occurred. Consequently, management options may need to be tailored to strategically support localised deficits in key ecosystem services.

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