WaterWired

Video: The Qinxu Groundwater Management System

From The Water Channel - The Qinxu Groundwater Management System.

The email I received from TWC touted the system:

A new groundwater management system in Qinxu, China is a promising solution:

• Farmers are allocated quotas of how much water they can pump out.
• The quota, and how much of it they have used, is registered on a swipe card they can use to access any well in the village.
• All wells are monitored by a county-level information system. The system updates the usage data everytime a card is used. A higher tariff is charged for usage over and above the quota limit.
• People are allowed to trade unused units from their quota.

 

Here is the blurb:

The Qinxu Groundwater Management System, masterminded by Professor Fan Guishang from Tanjuan University of Technology University, regulates all groundwater usage in the Qinxu, one of the counties in Shanxi Province in China.

Under the system, all 1473 wells in the county have been equipped with an automatic operating system that farmers operate with individual swipe cards. The amount of water that can be used is based on a quota that is allocated annually. 

The system also comprises of 60 solar-powered groundwater observation wells, that continuously transmit groundwater-related data to a county-level information centre.

The quota are determined first for each of the 197 villages within the county, and then for each farmer within the village. The quota vary from area to area, and depend on the groundwater resources sustainably available. The quota can also also traded – between villages and between farmers.

 

TheWaterChannel

 

Read more on the topic from Frank van Steenbergen:

Since Lester Brown’s seminal book “Who will feed China?” many eyes have been watching the Achilles heel of global agriculture: the over-pumping of ground water in the world’s two largest countries, China and India.

The dry northern plains of China produce half of the country’s wheat and one-third of its corn. They do so by using groundwater at a rate that greatly exceeds the way at which it is replenished. The estimate is that no less than 130 Million people in China depend for their staple food on the unsustainable use of groundwater. Groundwater levels have dropped by a meter a year over large parts of Hebei, Hunan, Shanxi. The ramifications are enormous: once China runs out of groundwater, it would have to resort to the world market for its grains, thus skyrocketing food prices all over the globe.

But here is an answer: the Qinxu Groundwater Management System. This system, masterminded by Professor Fan Guishang from Taiyuan University of Technology University, regulates all groundwater usage in the Qinxu, one of the counties in Shanxi Province. It took five years to set it up, but this is a short time for a system that has all the features of a dream coming true.

What the Qinxu Groundwater System has done is equipped all 1473 wells in the county with an automatic operating system that farmers operate with individual swipe cards. The amount of water that can be used is based on a quota that is allocated annually.

The quota are determined first for each of the 197 villages within the county, and then for each farmer within the village. The quota vary from area to area, and depend on the groundwater resources sustainably available. The quota for families are based on the land owned, the number of family members and the livestock owned. If water is used within the quota, the price is ¥ 0.41 (Euro 0.05) per unit. If the water-use exceeds the quota, the price is raised to ¥ 0.55. The units indicate the number of electricity units consumed. As some wells are very shallow and others deep, the volume of water drawn using one unit may vary from 500 to 5000 litres.

Quota are also traded – between villages and between farmers. There is an upper limit to the price (twice the basic amount) – which cannot be exceeded. Among farmers it is more common to share ‘excess water’ with family members and neighbours than to trade.

The swipe card transactions are transmitted through internet to the Digital Water Resource Information Centre in the Water Resources Bureau of the county. This centre meticulously record the number of units consumed by each farmer based on his swipe card transactions.

 

 Good story!  

"A book tightly shut is but a block of paper." - Chinese proverb

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 3 - 9 November 2012

Running late with this post. It's almost tomorrow, at least on the East coast, where I now
am - in Jacksonville, to be exact. I am here for AWRA's 48th Annual Water Resources Conference. 

Take a look at the program:

Download Final_Program_AWRA_2012

Going to be a good one!

And speaking of good ones, here is a Call for Special Session Proposals for the 2013 AWRA Conference, which yours truly will be chairing in Portland, OR.

Note - if you are new to this summary: to access a story, click on the link beginning with 'http://', 'is.gd', or 'bit.ly'. Clicking on a link beginning with '@' will take you to that person's Twitter account; clicking on a link beginning with '#' will take you to a Twitter list containing Tweets about a particular topic. Some items may not have a hot link to a story, which is fine - it may have been just an informational item or a personal message to someone. Or, I may have screwed up and forgotten the link!  

Enjoy!

Oh, yeah - nice airport!

Books and Book Reviews
RT @drshow The world is full of dire environmental reports." Read more in @jimsterba's new book, "Nature Wars" http://bit.ly/YxbRES 

 

California
RT @GrokSurf San Diego regional water news roundup Oct 29-Nov 4, 2012 - http://bit.ly/QhQW7M 

RT @MySAWS San Francisco Votes to Keep Its Yosemite Water Supply http://ow.ly/f6SNo  via @nbcla #cawater

 

Canada
RT @CanadianWater On average it takes Health Canada 3-4 years to publish a drinking water guideline. #WQTC

Spring snow pack in the Arctic disappearing fast, Environment Canada warns. http://is.gd/AVMTrf 

Mary Frances and I have suspended our 'Halifax Plan' for four more years...

RT @geostuff Small earthquake in Canada felt locally.http://bit.ly/RVzEZn 

RT @edmontonjournal Alberta shale formations hold huge amounts of oil and gas: study http://edmjr.nl/PXePBG 

Awesome, Dave! MT @kristenleal Congrats to Dr. Dave Rudolph (U Waterloo) named NGWA 2013 Darcy Lecturer! (@ngwatweets)@earthchair

 

Climate, Climate Change, and Meteorology
RT @BoraZ @_ColinS_ John Carey's "Global Warming: Faster than Expected?" in @SciAm is the article I wish I'd writtenhttp://bit.ly/YdUoR0 

RT @Earth_News Time to Bail-out Models on Sea Level Risehttp://bit.ly/SNpEDa  @discovery

RT @ColumbiaSIPA Playing God. Professor Wagner discusses climate change. http://ow.ly/eVu11 

RT @Earth_News Climate change 'likely to be more severe than some models predict' http://bit.ly/YSfaa2  @guardian

RT @ClimateCentral New report in Science says fewer clouds and higher temps by 2100 http://bit.ly/S1bug1 

Conferences and Calls for Papers/Abstracts
Call for Abstracts - 2013 Asia Water Week, 13-15 March, Manila.http://is.gd/SiJQgz 

OK Governor's Water Conference, 13-14 Nov,Tulsahttp://is.gd/Ededdp  @cynthiabarnett speaks on 14 Nov.http://is.gd/iDv8tb 

Headed to JAX for @AWRAHQ Annual Conference. Blog post will be late today. Long way (3 flights).

 

Conflict, Cooperation, and Security
NASEC Presentation: Crisis, Conflict, Security, Sustainability - The Future of Water http://bit.ly/SKSff3 
 

Education
Students! Check out funding opportunities (scholarships, etc.) at:http://is.gd/R1UIMi 

Floods and Droughts
Norfolk, VA: Protection From The Sea Is Possible, But Expensive.http://is.gd/iQ1Scp  @nprnews

 
International
From The Maven: @usbr's Terry Fulp and new agreement with Mexico has environmental benefits for CO Delta. http://is.gd/ksdhnB 

 

Journals, Reports, and Publications
Water International 37(6), October 2012: Future of Adaptive Water Management - Law & Governance http://bit.ly/WrNSZF 

Tuesday Trifecta: 1) Streamflow Depletion by Wells; 2) CHOICES: Ag Disasters; 3) Resilience? http://bit.ly/SZfmjo 

Report from @AWRAHQ: 'Case Studies in IWRM: From Local Stewardship to National Vision' http://is.gd/atM38a 

Finished proofing galleys for pub on Kura-Araks Basin in South Caucasus. Should be out before 2013.

CRS Report: Reallocation of Water Storage at Federal Water Projects for M & I Supply http://bit.ly/Z8yQWd 

Opportunities and Events 
@theAGU Practice sharing your science effectively at this AGU12 workshop! Only a few more seats left: http://goo.gl/lUa8D 

@cynthiabarnett speaks in OK: OK State on 15 Novhttp://is.gd/6gZ1al  and OU on 16 Nov http://is.gd/RfaRyq 

Via @sejorg @cgiller Check out @BillMcKibben's DoTheMath tourhttp://math.350.org 

RT @AWRAHQ Water Quality Trading Workshops and Webinars http://ow.ly/f8qsM 

MT @ImagineH2O Sustainable Water Management w/ @PeterGleick. An evening forum at @SPUR_Urbanist - 11/13 in SF.http://is.gd/k4HSWF 

RT @worldtoiletday Ohhh yesss! Just 10 days to World Toilet Day 2012! #IGiveAShit

 

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@SaveTheWater Thanks! New look? Got it from @gayleleonard who posted this picture on her blog as a Halloween costume - dress up like me!

 

Policy, Planning, and Management
@AWRAHQ Threefer: 1) IWRM Case Studies: From Local Stewardship to National Vision; 2) JAX Program; 3) Allan on IWRM/...http://bit.ly/SBCTWY 

Water Update - 8 November 2012 - Water Policy & Practice.http://is.gd/Hmy6uQ 

 

Positions Open
Position Open: Utah State University - Aquatic Ecologist/Project Manager. OUF; review begins 7 Dec. http://is.gd/6D1LCg 

Position Open: @usbr - Science Advisor, Office of Commissioner (DC or CO). Closes: 7 Dec, http://is.gd/2bK4Ij 

Position Open: @usbr - Assistant Area Manager (ID). Closes: 26 Novhttp://is.gd/NfdBrK 

Position Open: USDA-ARS - Research Ecologist (Mississippi). Closes: 16 Nov http://is.gd/xTXbz4 

Position Open: USDA-ARS - Research Soil Scientist/Research Agronomist (Mississippi) Closes: 14 Dec http://is.gd/RC0AOq 
 

Positions Open (2): Clean Water Services (OR) - Water Resources Specialists. Close: 30 Nov. http://is.gd/VezRfe 

Positions Open (2): Asian Inst of Tech - Faculty-water engineering & (hydraulic & irrigation) & mgmt. Close: 30 Nov http://is.gd/Oe4oRX 

Position Open: Horizons Regional Council (NZ) - Groundwater Scientist. Closes: 14 Nov. http://is.gd/oYcraY 

Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/R1UIMi 

Position Open: Secretariat of the Pacific Community (New Caledonia) - Fisheries Development Adviser. Closes: 29 Novhttp://is.gd/hBcEM5 

Position Open: Secretariat of the Pacific Community (Fiji) - Policy & Research Adviser. Closes: 26 November http://is.gd/e2BhSL 

Positions Open: Various - Scroll down to opportunities'http://is.gd/wmJAKf 

Position Open: Rutgers Univ - Postdoc in biogeochemiphysics. OUF; review begins 15 Nov. http://is.gd/k62d1y 

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Position Open: @NOAA - Director, Climate Program Office (Silver Spring, MD). IPA sssignment. Closes: 28 Dec. http://is.gd/LTm1Nb 

Position Open: College of Charleston (SC) - TT Asst. Professor, Water Systems Science. Closes: 6 Jan 2013 http://is.gd/7v5LsG 

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Position Open: NM Env. Dept - Env. Scientist, GW Quality Bureau, Mining Compliance (Santa Fe). Closes: 10 Nov http://is.gd/tpPhzM 

Position Open: @IRWDnews - Government Relations Manager (Irvine, CA). Closes: 10 Nov. http://is.gd/9zVTt2  (@BCWaterNews)

Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/oVVDz7 

Position Open: MWH (Sacramento, CA) Civil Engineering Leadhttp://is.gd/iPBInk 

Position Open: MWH (Sacramento, CA) Water Resources Internhttp://is.gd/5WmlyK 

Position Open: MWH (Sacramento, CA) - Associate Water Resources Engineer. http://is.gd/5nnOLM 

Position Open: @EPAgov - Intelligence Research Specialist (Washington, DC) Closes: 15 Nov. http://1.usa.gov/XjKn52 

Position Open: Interested in #scipolicy? Apply for AGU Spring 2013 Public Affairs Internship starting Jan 2013 in DC http://bit.ly/U23USN 

Position Open: GeoCorps - GIS Specialist - NPS - Conservation & Outdoor Recreation (COR) Division in DC Apply now!http://is.gd/AFNfTQ 

Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/p3xv9t 

Position Open: OSU - Computational Modeling Researcher w/ PRISM group. Closes: 20 Dec; Full consideration: 30 Nov.http://is.gd/EcUN4B 

Position Open: @EPAgov - UG student internship (Athens, GA). Closes: 8 November. http://is.gd/1e6tNR 

Positions Open: Western U. & U of Waterloo (Canada) - PhD & Postdocs in GW Hydrology,Biogeochemistry & Microbiology.http://is.gd/WS0URz 

Positions Open - Inst. for Global Environ. Strategies (Japan) is hiring a number of positions. Visit: http://is.gd/Xb2sTB 

Position Open: U of OK - PhD student for project 'Land Mgmt Impacts on WQ in NZ Rivers' Apply by 1 Dec http://is.gd/D6uwfS 

Position Open: U of S. Carolina - T-T Asst. Prof in Geography (Water Resources). OUF but apps due 1 Nov. http://is.gd/zQUvcw 

Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/NShzyR 
 

Position Open: HDR - Hydrogeologist or Water Resources Engineer (Seattle area). Closes: not indicated http://is.gd/fKHBfx 

Positions Open (2): New Mexico Tech - Two T-T Assistant Profs. of Chemistry. OUF; review of apps on 1 Nov. http://is.gd/Vjs8Eg 

Position Open: Atlanta Regional Commission - Division Chief, Natural Resources. http://is.gd/7tQYSu 

Position Open: NYC DEP - Postdoc, climate data analysis or forest ecosystem modeling. Info - contact eschneiderman@dep.nyc.gov

Positions Open: Various - Scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/KAb4yQ 

RT @WorldBank Check out our new World Bank #jobs website, now easier to use: http://bit.ly/S9WEqT 

Position Open: Oregon Water Resources Congress (Salem, OR) - Policy Coordinator F-T. OUF; ideal start Dec 2012.http://is.gd/fzEHrU 

Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'.http://is.gd/nJjnAT 

Position Open: OSU - Asst/Assoc Professor,Heavy Isotope Geochemistry. Full consideration: 15 Dec; Close: 15 Janhttp://is.gd/owuxtY 

Position Open: U of Vermont - T-T Asst. Professor, Geochemistry. OUF; priority to apps by 1 Nov. http://is.gd/KPc45L 

Position Open: Water for Waslala (Nicaragua) - Project Manager. Starts: January 2013 http://is.gd/xEfDgz 

Position Open: Idaho Conservation League - Conservation Associate (Ketchum, ID). OUF. http://is.gd/56HAT6 

Position Open: UI @ Chicago - T-T Asst Prof, Atmospheric/Hydrological Sciences. For full consideration: 15 Nov.http://is.gd/WiAzKu

Positions Open: Various US agencies - hydrologists, civil engineers, and related. http://is.gd/gnEQ9c 

Positions Open (3): Public Health Agency of Canada - Postdocs, waterborne diseases. http://is.gd/jsQRJv

Position Open: USEPA - Postdoc, wastewater reuse (Cincinnati, OH). Check to verify closing date before applying. http://is.gd/CiHmNK 

Position Open: NSF - Rotator position (1-3 years) Instrumentation & Facilities Program http://is.gd/limgW6 

Position Open: UCSC - Asst. Professor, Geochemistry or Crustal Dynamics. OUF; initial review: 7 Nov. http://is.gd/GBVB0Z 

Position Open: KS State University - Geotechnical Engineering, Asst/Assoc Professor (T-T). OUF; app review: 1 Novhttp://is.gd/D0e2nY 

Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/xtLe3o 

Position Open: Cornell University - Postdoc, bioenvironmental microsensor development (Fall 2012) http://is.gd/pDp9KX 

Previous Weekly Water Summaries - Last Six Months
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 3 - 9 November 2012http://bit.ly/SK09lK 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 27 October - 2 November 2012 http://bit.ly/SjXAXc 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 20 - 26 October 2012http://bit.ly/Y4OG3H 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 6 - 12 October 2012http://bit.ly/UQbpCH 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 29 September - 5 October 2012 http://bit.ly/VD5uyq 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 22 - 28 September 2012http://bit.ly/V3UdqP 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 15 - 21 September 2012http://bit.ly/UwfWau  #iah2012

 TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 8 - 14 September 2012http://bit.ly/PfIWjM 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 1 - 7 September 2012http://bit.ly/Os0nML 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 25 - 31 August 2012http://bit.ly/NAAA9q 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 18 - 24 August 2012 http://bit.ly/NkAseb 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 11 - 17 August 2012 http://bit.ly/NJhwBK 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 4 - 10 August 2012http://bit.ly/NPgVfz 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 28 July - 3 August 2012http://bit.ly/OujLIj

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 21 - 27 July 2012

http://bit.ly/Or1zQ4 

 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 14 -20 July 2012 http://bit.ly/NDj0iC

 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 7-13 July 2012 http://bit.ly/LOiBva 

  

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 30 June - 6 July 2012 http://bit.ly/PnMzYj

It's Baaack! TGIF! Biweekly Water News Summary, 16 - 29 June 2012 

http://bit.ly/NY3Bt0 
 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 9 - 15 June 2012 http://bit.ly/KOAByx

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 2 - 8 June 2012http://bit.ly/LF5G9G

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 12 - 18 May 2012http://bit.ly/L4hAsj

 TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 5 -11 May 2012 http://bit.ly/J2dkik

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 28 April - 4 May 2012http://bit.ly/IK5W7e

 

 Sandy
MT @USACE_HQ Dealing w/ suspected spills or contamination following Sandy? Report such spills to EPA 1-800-424-8802http://is.gd/OA7Gx6 

RT @H2OEthics MTA releases pix of subway water removalhttp://soc.li/8y8CuEi 

Visual: The City and the Storm http://bit.ly/TBTA7F 

MT @BoraZ @nickbilton The trenchant @nymag cover this week. "The City & the Storm."http://is.gd/of78Qq 

MT @EPAregion2 EPA assists @FEMA in Sandy response to help protect public health and environment. Info:http://www.epa.gov/Sandy 

MT @PeterGleick Low-lying areas flooded by Sandy-not rebuilt but reserved as buffers: first step to CC adaptation. Seawalls are a last step.

@usgs is sampling water for nutrients,sediment & pesticides to document WQ in areas affected by Sandy http://is.gd/R6WF7a 

Science, Technology, and Medicine
MT @SaveTheWater Hydraulic Fracturing (#Frackingdefinition/resources) New STEM and water science resource page.http://tinyurl.com/bal8agy 

MT @WiseCoffee: @usgs Water Science Glossary of Termshttp://su.pr/29mq6p 

RT @BoraZ On weather forecasts, Nate Silver, and the politicization of statistical illiteracy. http://is.gd/TAq7U2 

Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back (the video)http://vimeo.com/43835504 

Amen! NYT: Forget Sustainability - It's About Resilience.http://is.gd/GoXALQ 

Thank you! @jeremyj_schmidt What about this?http://wp.me/p2v8AH-9X 

RT @HuffingtonPost Antiscience in Washington on 'The Point' (VIDEO) http://huff.to/R8Hgtu  

@WaterWired Via @_ColinS_ 'Snowball Earth' is baaack! http://is.gd/xtK0f4 

RT @drgrist Four teenage girls in Africa have invented a generator powered by pee http://bit.ly/RHPZUR 

 

Streams, Dams, Lakes, and Ecosystems
Bad news for NW fish: Lowest fall stream flows moving closer to summer's high temperatures. http://is.gd/IeDPAW  (Via @Oregonian)

RT @deschutesriver Great news for #salmon reintroduction in Central Oregon. http://ow.ly/f6g3L 

 

Twitter, E-Newsletters, and E-Newspapers
RT @gischethans Geomatics Today is out! http://bit.ly/f9FGVV  ▸ Top stories today via @justinholman @Mapsofworld

The @WaterTreatment_ Daily is out! http://bit.ly/rhsrB1  ▸ Top stories today via @HighCosmetics @AustralianWater @samya_medeiros

H2OSU Newsletter - 5 November 2012 - Announcements, Seminars, Opportunities, etc. http://is.gd/R1UIMi 

@AWRAHQ Connections November 2012 Newsletterhttp://is.gd/aj5MBV 

MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking Water SVDs Daily onhttp://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 … … #ww @savethewater@waterwired @fridgefilters

The @WaterTanks Daily is out! http://bit.ly/h2YEQb  ▸ Top stories today via @WaterWired

MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking #Water SVD Daily ▸ top stories via@SafeAqua @fridgefilters @SavetheWater @waterwiredhttp://is.gd/1jXXCq 

MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking Water SVDs Daily ▸ top stories via@WaterWorldMag @WaterTechOnline @WaterWired @waterca ▸http://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 … …

@OSUCEOAS 'Making Waves' Newsletter - 9 November 2012.http://is.gd/1AyZRe 

MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking Water SVDs Daily ▸ top stories@WaterWorldMag @SaveOurWater @WaterWired @NestleCSV ▸http://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 … …

The @Water_Supply Daily is out! http://bit.ly/i1Ca7r  ▸ Top stories today via @CulliganH2O @WaterWired @HydrosBottle

RT @medindoagua The Água & Water Daily is out!http://paper.li/medindoagua/agua-water … … ▸ Top stories today via@WaterWired @WEForg

MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking #Water SVDs Daily ▸ top stories via@WaterWired @PeterGleick Waterca @SavetheWater #FF▸

http://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 …

RT @KKHausman #SciFund Weekly Monitor is out!http://goo.gl/aIbQC  ▸ Top stories today via @cyrusradfar@KKHausman @restokin

Water Supply, Use, Reuse, and Conservation
Colorado: Yellow Jacket water district fights for right to tap White River. http://is.gd/img1Ew  (@denverpost)

 

WatSan
@IISDRS Water Policy & Practice Knowledgebase addresses sustainable WatSan policy & practice. http://water-l.iisd.org/ 

Via @NedBreslin An Alternative Sanitation and Water For All Framework http://is.gd/eyGF6u 

WTF?
RT @SFriedScientist I'm calling it now: a significant number of scientific conferences will be held in Colorado over the next few years.

@aguanomics opines: elections, governance, @PeterGleickhttp://is.gd/rNYcK6 

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.”  -- Chinese proverb (thanks to Rob Emanuel)

CRS Report: Reallocation of Water Storage at Federal Water Projects for M & I Supply

The good folks at the Congressional Research Service - as represented by Cynthia Brougher and Nicole T. 
Carter - just released this publication.

Can you spell A-T-L-A-N-T-A?

Download CRS_Water_Storage_Federal_Water_Projects_for_M&I

Summary

Pursuant to congressional authorization, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the agencies with primary responsibility for federal water resources management, operate water projects for specified purposes. In the case of Corps dams and their related reservoirs, Congress generally has limited the use of such projects for municipal and industrial (M&I) water supply, but growing M&I demands have raised interest in——and concern about——changing current law and reservoir operations to give Corps facilities a greater role in M&I water storage. Reallocation of storage from a currently authorized purpose to M&I use would change the types of benefits produced by a facility and the stakeholders served, which has led to controversy over project operations at some federal projects.

The Corps and Reclamation, therefore, may be authorized to operate federal water projects for M&I use under the project-specific authorization statutes. Alternatively, the generally applicable Water Supply Act of 1958 (WSA) authorizes the Corps and Reclamation to include water storage for municipal and industrial use as a project purpose for new and existing projects. The WSA requires congressional approval if adding water supply storage would seriously affect the original project purposes or involve a major operational change for the project. However, the WSA does not define the extent to which the change in water supply storage must affect existing purposes or what constitutes a major operational change. This ambiguity has become a particular issue when severe drought raises the competition for water supply, and is an especially contentious issue in eastern riparian states where all users are affected by any drought. Because of such water shortages in some riparian basins with Corps projects, the Corps’’ reallocation of water storage at its discretion has been of particular interest.

This issue is at the center of ongoing litigation related to the Corps’’ activities in the Apalachicola- Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin (ACF). The scope of the Corps’’ authority under the WSA was the subject of a 2008 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (Southeastern Federal Power Customers v. Geren), as well as a 2011 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit (In re Tri-State Water Rights Litigation). The D.C. and 11th Circuits reached different results, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined a petition for its review of the issue in 2012. These cases each addressed a tri-state water dispute involving Lake Lanier, a Corps water project in the ACF basin, which includes parts of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

Using the Corps’’ reallocations of water storage for M&I use at Lake Lanier as an example, this report analyzes the legal and policy issues associated with reallocation under the WSA. Specifically, it examines Corps authority under the WSA, including limitations on modifications that constitute major operational changes. The report details data and examples regarding the Corps’’ reallocations under the WSA. It also analyzes various legal challenges of water supply storage at Lake Lanier, including courts’’ identification of congressionally authorized purposes, and discusses results of the litigation and options for Congress. Although the WSA provides authority to Reclamation as well, the application of the WSA to Reclamation is beyond the scope of the report.

 

Thanks to Jan Schoonmaker  at Van Scoyoc for sending this my way.

"One of the individuals in Florida said, 'Well, we have a $3 million a year oyster season.' We have a $5.5 billion economy around this lake." - Jackie Joseph, Lake Lanier (GA) Association

Threefer: 1) Case Studies in IWRM: From Local Stewardship to National Vision; 2) JAX Program; 3) Allan on IWRM/IWARM

Shill alert: Need I say more? 

1) The AWRA Policy Committee has just produced this excellent report, Case Studies in Integrated Water Resources Management: From Local Stewardship to National Vision:

Download AWRA_IWRM_Report_Final

 The publication

...explores the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management in the United States through seven case studies. Utilizing regional and state experiences, the report examines opportunities to improve our stewardship of water resources by moving towards integrated water management at all levels of governance.

Dr. Brenda O. Bateman, Policy Committee Chair and crafter of Oregon's Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS), skillfully guided the production of this report
and Racquel Rancier, a recent MS graduate in Water Policy and Management from OSU, did the bulk of the research and writing. She did a remarkable job.

Here is some of AWRA's work on water policy. At this site you can download the May 2011 special IWRM issue of Water Resources IMPACT. And don't forget the proceedings of the 2011 Snowbird conference and the IWRM-Collaborative Modeling handout.

We are developing an IWRM webinar based in part on the report. We will be announcing this series before the end of the year. 

Enjoy!

2) Hot of the press - the final program of the upcoming annual (12-15 November) conference in Jacksonville:

Download Final_Program_AWRA_2012

See you there!
 

3) IWRM/IWARM: A New Sanctioned Discourse? 

Last but not least - found this 2003 'oldie but goodie' by Tony Allan:

Download Tony_Allan_IWRM_2003

Enjoy!

"So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work." - Peter Drucker 

Tuesday Trifecta: 1) Streamflow Depletion by Wells; 2) CHOICES: Ag Disasters; 3) Resilience?

Some good reading on this election day in the USA.

1) Streamflow Depletion by Wells: Understanding and Managing Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow 

Introduction

Groundwater is an important source of water for many human needs, including public supply, agriculture, and industry. With the development of any natural resource, however, adverse consequences may be associated with its use. One of the primary concerns related to the development of groundwater resources is the effect of groundwater pumping on streamflow. Groundwater and surface-water systems are connected, and groundwater discharge is often a substantial component of the total flow of a stream. Groundwater pumping reduces the amount of groundwater that flows to streams and, in some cases, can draw streamflow into the underlying groundwater system. Streamflow reductions (or depletions) caused by pumping have become an important water-resource management issue because of the negative impacts that reduced flows can have on aquatic ecosystems, the availability of surface water, and the quality and aesthetic value of streams and rivers.

Scientific research over the past seven decades has made important contributions to the basic understanding of the processes and factors that affect streamflow depletion by wells. Moreover, advances in methods for simulating groundwater systems with computer models provide powerful tools for estimating the rates, locations, and timing of streamflow depletion in response to groundwater pumping and for evaluating alternative approaches for managing streamflow depletion. The primary objective of this report is to summarize these scientific insights and to describe the various field methods and modeling approaches that can be used to understand and manage streamflow depletion. A secondary objective is to highlight several misconceptions concerning streamflow depletion and to explain why these misconceptions are incorrect.

Good stuff from the USGS!

2) CHOICES: Theme Issue Overview: What Happens When the Well Goes Dry? And Other Agricultural Disasters

Ari Michelsen sent this my way. 

A teaser:

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (Figure 1), as of August 14, 2012,

62% of the contiguous United States was experiencing some form of drought, more than one third of which was classified as extreme or exceptional. Most of the extreme or exceptional drought is located in America’s breadbasket: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana. Georgia is also experiencing vast areas of exceptional drought. These conditions directly affect agriculture with the combination of above average temperatures and below average precipitation making it difficult to cultivate and sustain crops and graze livestock. The short-run results are crop failure for farmers and increased feed costs and reduced weight gain for ranchers.

 

 

 

 

Drought-induced shortages of corn will likely drive up food costs in the not so distant future. Additional longer-term impacts from the drought include:

• increased reforestation costs due to lost saplings, wildfire, and vulnerability to disease and pests;
• reduced productivity of pastures to produce hay;
• decreased livestock births and thus slower herd growth;
• and increased transportation costs on navigable waterways due to increased dredging and reduced barge capacity.

 

Very good reading!

3) It's Resilience, Stupid!

Is it? Well, maybe not entirely, but resilience may supplant sustainability to some degree. At least it might become the latest fad. Yes, I'm old enough to recall catastrophe theory in hydrology.

This New York Times Op-Ed is by Andrew Zolli, the co-author of Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, so you might want to take it with a grain of salt. 

Here is a brief video that is a promo for Zolli's book.

“In order to remain within acceptable discursive territory, politicians and researchers alike are expected to assume a profoundly critical stance vis-à-vis current patterns of consumption, transports, and energy use, yet continue to offer pathways to sustainability that do not seem too uncomfortable or provocative. This explains why the rallying-cry of the early 21st century is not ‘revolution’ (as in the early 20th century), but ‘resilience’.” - Alf Hornborg (from the Resilience Science blog)