Integrated water management helps adaption to variable rainfall by using more groundwater during dry years and more surface water during wet years. Integrated water management techniques including water banking, and aquifer storage and recovery are extensively practiced in other dry regions such as the western USA and Spain. Yet these techniques are not used in the Murray-Darling Basin. This thesis explores factors which have affected integrated water management in the Murray-Darling Basin, and in the states of Colorado and Idaho in the USA. The most important contribution of this research is that it sets out the advantages of integrated cyclical water management, and points to the opportunities for aquifer storage and recovery and water banking. Integrated surface water and groundwater storage is the missing link in Australia's otherwise comprehensive water reform. This thesis uses a narrative synthesis approach for analysing factors that have affected integrated water management. This approach relies on qualitative analysis of findings from existing studies and documentary evidence, supplemented and cross checked by interviews. It is proposed that integrated water management may be considered as a process taking place in a complex social and ecological system. Fourteen key variables that affect integrated water management were selected drawing on Ostrom's framework for the analysis of social ecological systems, relevant scientific literature and discussions with water managers and experts. The relationship between these variables and integrated water management were explored in two comparative case studies. The first case study enabled a broad assessment of factors that have affected integrated water management at a jurisdictional scale in the Murray-Darling Basin. The second case study enabled a more detailed exploration of the impact of water entitlements, operational rules and management organisation(s) on integrated water management in tributary catchments in New South Wales, Colorado and Idaho. The development of integrated surface water and groundwater management, especially in the Murray-Darling Basin has been constrained by the surface water centric development of water resources and institutions, gaps in knowledge about surface water and groundwater connectivity, the lack of a comprehensive, flexible and balanced system of water entitlements and rules, and implementation difficulties. Further development of integrated water management requires better knowledge and improved management capacity. Further research and development needs to be devoted to the integrated management of water stocks and storages - a missing link in Australian water reform. Further research is required to improve understanding about surface water - groundwater connectivity and to develop strategies for managing long-term impacts of groundwater use. Ongoing development of flexible systems of water entitlements and rules is needed to enable cyclical surface water and groundwater management. Finally the capacity for the implementation of integrated water management at local and regional scales needs to be improved together with collaboration between higher-level governments and local organisations and stakeholders. -- provided by Candidate.

The aim of this book is to document for the first time the dimensions and requirements of effective integrated groundwater management (IGM). Groundwater management is a formidable challenge, one that remains one of humanity’s foremost priorities. It has become a largely non-renewable resource that is overexploited in many parts of the world. In the 21st century, the issue moves from how to simply obtain the water we need to how we manage it sustainably for future generations, future economies, and future ecosystems. The focus then becomes one of understanding the drivers and current state of the groundwater resource, and restoring equilibrium to at-risk aquifers. Many interrelated dimensions, however, come to bear when trying to manage groundwater effectively. An integrated approach to groundwater necessarily involves many factors beyond the aquifer itself, such as surface water, water use, water quality, and ecohydrology. Moreover, the science by itself can only define the fundamental bounds of what is possible; effective IGM must also engage the wider community of stakeholders to develop and support policy and other socioeconomic tools needed to realize effective IGM. In order to demonstrate IGM, this book covers theory and principles, embracing: 1) an overview of the dimensions and requirements of groundwater management from an international perspective; 2) the scale of groundwater issues internationally and its links with other sectors, principally energy and climate change; 3) groundwater governance with regard to principles, instruments and institutions available for IGM; 4) biophysical constraints and the capacity and role of hydroecological and hydrogeological science including water quality concerns; and 5) necessary tools including models, data infrastructures, decision support systems and the management of uncertainty. Examples of effective, and failed, IGM are given. Throughout, the importance of the socioeconomic context that connects all effective IGM is emphasized. Taken as a whole, this work relates the many facets of effective IGM, from the catchment to global perspective.

Part of Groundwater Set - Buy all six books and save over 30% on buying separately! This book reviews the state-of-the-art of groundwater management in large river basins, providing an innovative, informative and consistent approach with technical tools for planners, decision makers and engineers. Groundwater Management in Large River Basins provides comprehensive coverage of the basic elements of groundwater management in large river basins, including: Social, economic and legislative framework, goals, practices and possible tools Review of EU groundwater legislation and its implementation Natural groundwater occurrence and natural circumstances and processes Groundwater management and maintenance issues: Role of natural factors in groundwater management Different methods of groundwater abstraction and protection Groundwater treatment technologies Well ageing and maintenance Nitrate problems, etc. Groundwater modeling as a tool for groundwater assessment Aquifer restoration A spectrum of technical appendices for engineers, which address groundwater issues Also included will be appendices intended to support the work of groundwater engineers. This book will be of interest to groundwater engineers and planners, as well as lecturers and postgraduate and postdoctoral students.

It is zero hour for a new US water policy! At a time when many countries are adopting new national approaches to water management, the United States still has no cohesive federal policy, and water-related authorities are dispersed across more than 30 agencies. Here, at last, is a vision for what we as a nation need to do to manage our most vital resource. In this book, leading thinkers at world-class water research institution the Pacific Institute present clear and readable analysis and recommendations for a new federal water policy to confront our national and global challenges at a critical time. What exactly is at stake? In the 21st century, pressures on water resources in the United States are growing and conflicts among water users are worsening. Communities continue to struggle to meet water quality standards and to ensure that safe drinking water is available for all. And new challenges are arising as climate change and extreme events worsen, new water quality threats materialize, and financial constraints grow. Yet the United States has not stepped up with adequate leadership to address these problems. The inability of national policymakers to safeguard our water makes the United States increasingly vulnerable to serious disruptions of something most of us take for granted: affordable, reliable, and safe water. This book provides an independent assessment of water issues and water management in the United States, addressing emerging and persistent water challenges from the perspectives of science, public policy, environmental justice, economics, and law. With fascinating case studies and first-person accounts of what helps and hinders good water management, this is a clear-eyed look at what we need for a 21st century U.S. water policy.

This book reviews the concept, contemporary research efforts and the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The IWRM concept was established as an international guiding water management paradigm in the early 1990ies and has become a vital approach to solving the problems associated with the topic of water. The book summarizes fourteen comprehensive IWRM research projects with worldwide coverage and analyses their motivations, settings, approaches and implementation of results. Aiming to be an up-to-date interdisciplinary scientific reference, this book provides a comprehensive theoretical and empirical analysis of contemporary IWRM research, examples of science based implementations and a synthesis of the lessons learnt. It concludes with some major future challenges, the solving of which will further strengthen the IWRM concept.