Floridians’ propensity to support ad valorem water billing increases to protect water supply: a panel evaluation

ABSTRACT

While threats to water availability are concerning worldwide, the coastal, rapidly urbanizing state of Florida, USA, is especially at risk. This study used a value approach to determine the propensity to support 10 and 50% monthly water bill increases to inform potential social marketing strategies to protect Florida’s freshwater supply from depletion. The results from five years of public opinion data indicate an increasing percentage of consumers who are willing to support the protection of Florida’s water supply since 2013, with a slight dip in 2017. Upon examination of socio-demographic characteristics, income appeared consistently as an influencer of the propensity to support water bill increases, while factors such as age and race inconsistently appeared throughout the models. Decision makers should consider the significance of income along with heterogeneity in the propensity to support water bill increases to protect Florida’s freshwater. The recommendations for application and research incorporate insights from social marketing, agricultural economics, extension education and sociology.     

Vertical soil water movement in a tropical rainforest catchment in northeast queensland

In a tropical rainforest catchment, shallow piezometers respond almost instantaneously to rainfall, but the dominant ground water recharge mechanisms are not well understood. To improve understanding, the downward movement of soil water on a runoff plot was traced using tritiated water injected at 0·20 m below the surface which marks the lower boundary of active subsurface storm flow. The tritium pulse was translated slowly down the profile, apparently dominated by interstitial piston flow on the lines described by Zimmermann's theoretical model. This recharge mechanism accounted for about 35 per cent of rainfall or 50 per cent of throughfall. The pulse's advance may have also been delayed by the upward movement of soil water indicated by the distribution of hydraulic potential under different hydrological conditions. The result was an increase in soil water transit time particularly below 1·0 m. There was also evidence in the tracer profiles for rapid by-pass flow but the volumes concerned could not be quantified in this experiment.     

Simulating soil‐water movement under a hedgerow surrounding a bottomland reveals the importance of transpiration in water balance

The objective of this study was to quantify components of the water balance related to root‐water uptake in the soil below a hedgerow. At this local scale, a two‐dimensional (2D) flow domain in the x–z plane 6 m long and 1·55 m deep was considered. An attempt was made to estimate transpiration using a simulation model. The SWMS‐2D model was modified and used to simulate temporally and spatially heterogeneous boundary conditions. A function with a variable spatial distribution of root‐water uptake was considered, and model calibration was performed by adjusting this root‐water uptake distribution. Observed data from a previous field study were compared against model predictions. During the validation step, satisfactory agreement was obtained, as the difference between observed and modelled pressure head values was less than 50 cm for 80% of the study data. Hedge transpiration capacity is a significant component of soil‐water balance in the summer, when predicted transpiration reaches about 5·6 mm day^?1. One of the most important findings is that hedge transpiration is nearly twice that of a forest canopy. In addition, soil‐water content is significantly different whether downslope or upslope depending on the root‐water uptake. The high transpiration rate was mainly due to the presence of a shallow water table below the hedgerow trees. Soil‐water content was not a limiting factor for transpiration in this context, as it could be in one with a much deeper water table. Hedgerow tree transpiration exerts a strong impact not only on water content within the vadose zone but also on the water‐table profile along the transect. Results obtained at the local scale reveal that the global impact of hedges at the catchment scale has been underestimated in the past. Transpiration rate exerts a major influence on water balance at both the seasonal and annual scales for watersheds with a dense network of hedgerows. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating snow distribution over a large area and its application for water resources

The spatial and temporal distribution of the snow water equivalent (SWE), snow density and snow depth were estimated by a method combining remote sensing technology and degree‐day techniques over a study area of 370 000 km². The advantages of this simulation model are its simplicity and the availability of degree‐day parameters, which can be successively evaluated by referring to snow area maps created from satellite images. This simulation worked very well for estimating SWE and helped to separate the areas of thin snow cover from heavier snowfall. However, shallow snow in warm regions led to some misjudgments in the snow area maps because of the time lag between when the satellite image was acquired and the simulation itself. Vulnerable areas, where a large variation in the amount of snow affects people's life, could be identified from the differences between heavy and light snow years. This vulnerability stems from a predicted lack of irrigation water for rice production caused by future climate change. The model developed in this study has the potential to contribute to water management activities and decision‐making processes when considering necessary adaptations to future climate change. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of beaver dam analogues on hydrology in a semi-arid floodplain

Natural beaver ponds help connect the stream to the floodplain, maintain late summer low flows and reduce peak flow during high flow events by offering temporary surface water (SW) storage. When beavers are extirpated from the landscape, stream degradation often ensues. This study assesses the impact of beaver dam analogues (BDA) as a stream restoration technique to help maintain low flow water levels and enhance stream-floodplain interactions on a seasonal basis in Red Canyon Creek, Lander, WY. BDAs increased SW and groundwater (GW) levels, favoured the occurrence of flow reversals (i.e., stream-to-floodplain GW flow) during high flow events associated with mid-winter and early-spring thaw events, and reduced the groundwater-to-stream hydraulic gradient on an annual basis. Although GW temperatures varied seasonally, relatively cooler GW temperatures were observed in the BDA impacted reach compared to the control reach away from BDA influence. BDAs however did not significantly impact stream temperatures. Overall, results suggest that when installed in sequence, BDA complexes can successfully reconnect the stream to its floodplain, and ultimately increase SW-GW exchange at the floodplain scale by allowing flow reversals to occur and by reducing the GW to stream hydraulic gradient. Although BDAs built with fence posts, willow branches, sediments and small boulders are naturally porous and require regular maintenance, this study also highlights the viability of small BDAs as a restoration practice to enhance landscape resilience to drought and high flow events in deeply incised channels where beavers would not come back naturally.     

Establishing irrigation potential of a hillside aquifer in the African highlands

Feeding 9 billion people in 2050 will require sustainable development of all water resources, both surface and subsurface. Yet, little is known about the irrigation potential of hillside shallow aquifers in many highland settings in sub-Saharan Africa that are being considered for providing irrigation water during the dry monsoon phase for smallholder farmers. Information on the shallow groundwater being available in space and time on sloping lands might aid in increasing food production in the dry monsoon phase. Therefore, the research objective of this work is to estimate potential groundwater storage as a potential source of irrigation water for hillside aquifers where lateral subsurface flow is dominant. The research was carried out in the Robit Bata experimental watershed in the Lake Tana basin which is typical of many undulating watersheds in the Ethiopian highlands. Farmers have excavated more than 300 hand dug wells for irrigation. We used 42 of these wells to monitor water table fluctuation from April 16, 2014 to December 2015. Precipitation and runoff data were recorded for the same period. The temporal groundwater storage was estimated using two methods: one based on the water balance with rainfall as input and baseflow and evaporative losses leaving the watershed as outputs; the second based on the observed rise and fall of water levels in wells. We found that maximum groundwater storage was at the end of the rain phase in September after which it decreased linearly until the middle of December due to short groundwater retention times. In the remaining part of the dry season period, only wells located close to faults contained water. Thus, without additional water sources, sloping lands can only be used for significant irrigation inputs during the first 3 months out of the 8 months long dry season.     

Investigating young water fractions in a small Mediterranean mountain catchment: Both precipitation forcing and sampling frequency matter

The proportion of water younger than 2–3 months (young water fraction, F_yw) has become increasingly investigated in catchment hydrology. F_yw is typically estimated by comparing seasonal tracer cycles in precipitation and streamflow, through water sampling. However, some open research questions remain, such as: (i) whether part of the summer precipitation should be discarded because the high evapotranspiration demand, (ii) how well F_yw serves as a metric to compare catchments, and (iii) how sampling frequency affects F_yw estimates. To address these questions, we investigated F_yw in soil-, ground- and stream waters for the small Mediterranean Can Vila catchment. Rainfall was sampled at 5-mm intervals. Mobile soil water and groundwater were sampled fortnightly. Stream water was sampled depending on flow at variable time intervals (30 min to 1 week). Over 58 months, this sampling provided 1,529 δ¹⁸O determinations. Isotopic analyses results led us to include summer precipitation in the input signal. We found the highest F_yw in mobile soil waters (34%), while this was almost zero for groundwater except during wet periods. For stream waters, F_yw depended on the discharge variations, so that the flow-weighted young water fraction () was 22.6%, whereas the time-weighted F_yw was just 6.2%. Both and its discharge sensitivity (S_d) varied when different 12-month sampling periods were investigated. The young water fraction that would be obtained from a virtual thorough sampling () was estimated from the S_d and the observed stream flow. This showed an underestimation of by 25% for the frequent dynamic sampling and 66% for weekly sampling, due to missing high flows. Our results confirm that F_yw and its discharge sensitivity are metrics very sensitive to meteorological forcing during the analysed period. Thus, comparisons between catchments need long-term mean annual values and their variability. Our findings also support the dependence of F_yw estimates on the sampling rate and show the advantages of flow-weighted analysis. Finally, catchment water turnover investigations should be accompanied by the analysis of flow duration curves.     

西南峡谷型水库的季节性分层与水质的突发性恶化

选择西南云贵高原乌江流域的百花湖水库进行了气象、水温度和水化学(DO、FeⅡ和MnⅡ)的连续监测(13个月).结果表明,由于气候等原因,百花湖水库的水体在夏季形成分层,但是没有典型分层湖泊的温跃层变化,这种水体温度结构可以在4-10月保持稳定;这种"不显著的"温度分层结构,有效限制了上下水团的混合,形成显著的水体溶解氧分层,氧化/还原界面可达到水深8m左右.20世纪90年代初以来,贵州多座水库频繁出现的季节性水质恶化现象,与水库水体混合期(多为夏末初秋),水体分层结构失稳有关.上下层水体的垂直交替,使下层水体中的还原性物质带入上层湖水,造成表层水体缺氧和表观浑浊,鱼类窒息死亡.在百花湖水库的研究表明,西南地区深水水库,可以在夏季出现一定的水体温度分层结构,并导致显著的水体水化学(如溶解氧)分层,进而影响水库水环境质量.     

Nonlinear bacterial load‐streamflow response on a marine beach

Bacterial concentration (Escherichia coli) is used as the key indicator for marine beach water quality in Hong Kong. For beaches receiving streamflow from unsewered catchments, water quality is mainly affected by local nonpoint source pollution and is highly dependent on the bacterial load contributed from the catchment. As most of these catchments are ungauged, the bacterial load is generally unknown. In this study, streamflow and the associated bacterial load contributed from an unsewered catchment to a marine beach, Big Wave Bay, are simulated using a modelling approach. The physically based distributed hydrological model, MIKE‐SHE, and the empirical watershed water quality model (Hydrological Simulation Program – Fortran) are used to simulate streamflow and daily‐averaged E. coli concentration/load, respectively. The total daily derived loads predicted by the model during calibration (June–July 2007) and validation (July–October 2008) periods agree well with empirical validation data, with a percentage difference of 3 and 2%, respectively. The simulation results show a nonlinear relationship between E. coli load and rainfall/streamflow and reveal a source limiting nature of nonpoint source pollution. The derived load is further used as an independent variable in a multiple linear regression (MLR) model to predict daily beach water quality. When compared with the MLR models based solely on hydrometeorological input variables (e.g. rainfall and salinity), the new model based on bacterial load predicts much more realistic E. coli concentrations during rainstorms. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy balance and evaporation loss of an irrigation reservoir equipped with a suspended cover in a semiarid climate (south‐eastern Spain)

The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of a suspended cover on the evaporation loss of an agricultural water reservoir (AWR). To this aim, a detailed data collection was carried out in a typical AWR located in south‐eastern Spain during 2 consecutive years. During the first year, the reservoir remained uncovered, while during the second year it was covered with a double black polyethylene (PE) shade cloth. On an annual scale, it was observed that the cover can provide a reduction of evaporation loss of 85%. Two approaches, energy balance and mass transfer, were used to analyse the effect of the cover on the evaporation process. Important modifications were observed on the magnitude, sign, annual trend and relative weight of the components of the energy balance. The changes were ascribed to the strong reduction of net radiation and to the substantial weight of the heat storage and sensible heat flux in the energy balance. A relevant finding was the contrast between the patterns of the annual evaporation curve for open‐water and covered conditions. The mass transfer approach allowed discriminating between the wind‐ and radiation‐shelter effects on the evaporation term. The reduction in water‐to‐air vapour deficit was the main factor explaining the high efficiency of the cover, whereas the reduction of the mass transfer coefficient was a modulating factor that accounted for the wind‐shelter effect. Overall, both approaches provided a sound basis to describe and explain the physical mechanisms underlying the high performance of the tested cover. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotopic analysis of water sources of mountainous plant uptake in a karst plateau of southwest China

Ecosystem in the karst region of southwest China is very fragile due to a very limited amount of water storage for plant uptake in the thin and rocky soils underlain by rock fractures. Plants in these karst regions are thought to take water from the soils and shallow fractured rock zone (subcutaneous zone) as well. However, the role of subcutaneous water in maintaining karst vegetation remains unclear, and proportions of the water sources for plant uptake in different environment conditions are unknown. In this study, five typical species of plants at two sites were selected in a karst plateau of Qingzhen, central Guizhou Province of China. Proportions of the possible water sources contributed for the plant uptake from two soil layers and subcutaneous zone were determined on the basis of δD and δ¹⁸O values of plant stem water, soil water and subcutaneous water. The analysis reveals that most plants take water from the soil layers and the subcutaneous zone as well, but proportions of these water contributions for plant uptake vary seasonally and depend on site‐specific conditions and plant species. Plant uptake of the subcutaneous water for all species averages less than 30% of the total monthly amount in June and September, compared with more than 60% in dry December. Plants tend to take a larger proportion of water from the upper soil layer at the bush site than at the forest site in June and September (63 vs 28% in July; 66 vs 54% in September for all species in average). In December, however, 98% of water is taken from the subcutaneous zone at the bush site which is much greater than 68% at the forest site. Compared to deciduous arbor, evergreen shrub takes a greater proportion of subcutaneous water in the December drought. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climate impacts on global irrigation requirements under 19 GCMs,simulated with a vegetation and hydrology model

Abstract

This study quantifies global changes in irrigation requirements for areas presently equipped for irrigation of major crop types, using climate projections from 19 GCMs up to the 2080s. Analysis is based on results from the global eco-hydrological model LPJmL that simulates the complex and dynamic interplay of direct and indirect climate change effects upon irrigation requirements. We find a decrease in global irrigation demand by ～17% in the ensemble median, due to a combination of beneficial CO₂ effects on plants, shorter growing periods and regional precipitation increases. In contrast, increases of >20% are projected with a high likelihood (i.e. in more than two thirds of the climate change scenarios) for some regions, including southern Europe, and, with a lower likelihood, for parts of Asia and North America as well. If CO₂ effects were not accounted for, however, global irrigation demand would hardly change, and increases would prevail in most regions except for southern Asia (where higher precipitation is projected). We stress that the CO₂ effects may not be realized everywhere, that irrigation requirements will probably increase further due to growing global food demand (not considered here), and that a significant amount of water to meet future irrigation requirements will have to be taken from fossil groundwater, environmental flow reserves or diverted rivers.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor A. Montanari

Citation Konzmann, M., Gerten, D., and Heinke, J., 2013. Climate impacts on global irrigation requirements under 19 GCMs, simulated with a vegetation and hydrology model. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (1), 1–18.     

Analytical solutions of a routing problem for storm water in a detention basin

Abstract

Analytical solutions of a routing problem for storm water flowing through a linear reservoir are presented for the assumption of trapezoidal-shaped inflow hydrograph. The maximum ponded (water) depth in the detention basin is chosen as a main design criterion. Calculations are carried out for a given rain recurrence interval but for various rain durations and sand filter surface areas to reach the maximum permitted ponded depth. A design example is also provided.     

A comparison between measured and modelled open water evaporation from a reservoir in south-east England

Estimates of evaporation from large open water bodies are required for a variety of purposes in water resource management. The equilibrium temperature approach provides a means of taking into account the heat storage in the water body. The evaporation predicted by a model based on this method is tested against measured evaporation from a reservoir at Kempton Park, UK. The evaporation and water temperature predicted by the model are in good agreement with the measurements. The mean annual evaporation is predicted to almost the same accuracy as the measurements. Estimates of the monthly predicted evaporation have root mean square errors about three times those of the measurements. The error in the mean annual evaporation estimated without taking the heat storage into account is 16%. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

树干水分分布及运移的高密度电阻率成像法时空监测

在砍伐树干周围四个特定高度环形布置一定数量的金属电极,测定了对应横截面上各点视电阻率,再利用有限元反演计算,获得了树干各截面上电阻率的空间分布图像.由于树干内的水分含量和对应部分的导电特性密切相关,可以从得到的电阻率平面分布图上反映出树木内水分含量的空间分布和动态变化特征.结果表明,树干横截面上电阻率的空间分布呈现一系列的同心圆结构,且从核心部到外边缘的韧皮部电阻率有一个减小的趋势,说明截面内树木水分的含量沿径向向外有逐渐递增的趋势.时间变化过程中,各监测截面上的电阻率的分布和变化基本反映了截面水分的流逝过程,表明高密度电阻率成像法动态监测树干水分分布及变化是可行的.     

Quantifying and modelling urban stream temperature: a central US watershed study

Hydrologic models that rely on site specific linear and non‐linear regression water temperature (T_w) subroutines forced solely with observed air temperature (T_a) may not accurately estimate T_w in mixed‐use urbanizing watersheds where hydrogeological and land use complexity may confound common T_w regime assumptions. A nested‐scale experimental watershed study design was used to test T_w model predictions in a representative mixed‐use urbanizing watershed of the central USA. The linear regression T_w model used in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), a non‐linear regression T_w model, and a process‐based T_w model that accounts for watershed hydrology were evaluated. The non‐linear regression T_w model tested at a daily time step performed significantly (P < 0.01) better than the linear T_w model currently used in SWAT. Both regression T_w models overestimated T_w in lower temperature ranges (T_w < 10.0 °C) with percent bias (PBIAS) values ranging from ?28.2% (non‐linear T_w model) to ?66.1% (linear regression T_w model) and underestimated T_w in the higher temperature range (T_w > 25.0 °C) by 3.2%, and 7.2%, respectively. Conversely, the process‐based T_w model closely estimated T_w in lower temperature ranges (PBIAS = 4.5%) and only slightly underestimated T_w in the higher temperature range (PBIAS = 1.7%). Findings illustrate the benefit of integrating process‐based T_w models with hydrologic models to improve model transferability and T_w predictive confidence in urban mixed‐land use watersheds. The findings in this work are distinct geographically and in terms of mixed‐land use complexity and are therefore of immediate value to land‐use managers in similarly urbanizing watersheds globally. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological and salinity impacts of a bio‐drainage strategy application in the Yizre'el Valley,Israel

The bio‐drainage–commercial forestry strategy was applied in five plots in the Yizre'el Valley, northern Israel, to evaluate the hydrological and salinity impacts of eucalypt plantations. Each plot contained a mix of 11 selected eucalyptus species/ecotypes. Two plots (Nahalal and Genigar), representing the two extreme waterlogging/salinity conditions in the valley, were selected for in‐depth monitoring over a 10‐year period to assess the likely environmental improvement through bio‐drainage. Despite impressive growth rates of genetically improved Eucalyptus camaldulensis in the year‐round waterlogged, slightly saline Nahalal site (650 mm annual rainfall), the water uptake by the trees was insufficient to control the rising water table caused by excessive water inputs, both natural and human. In the more saline, alkaline and drier Genigar plot (450 mm annual rainfall), where rainfall is the only water input, the ground water dropped to below 3 m from soil surface in the fourth year after planting, i.e. deeper than the adjacent ground water levels. Both sites showed appreciable rise in wells that penetrated the 3‐ to 4‐m confining layer. The 10‐year salinity (EC) trend of the top layer in Nahalal varied because the drainage was limited by the positive water balance and the above‐average spells of dry winters. In and below the 4 m deep layer the EC remained below 1·5 dS m^?1 throughout the entire 10‐year study. The last EC measurement, taken in 2003, showed values not higher than 4 dS m^?1 throughout the 6 m soil profile. In Genigar, there was significant leaching of salts from the top layer (1 m) during the 9‐year monitoring period, but recently a salts ‘bulge’ was gradually developed in the 1–5 m strata indicating that the expected downward movement of leached salts was impeded by the 3–4 m deep low‐permeability clayey layer that lies over a coarser, far more conductive and notably confined layer, which leads to a perched water body. The last EC measurement at the end of 2003 showed a maximum value of 5·5 dS m^?1 at 3 m depth. No signs of tree stress were observed in either site, at any soil depth during the 10 years of monitoring. Theoretical considerations do not support the hypothesis that there would be a fatal long‐term accumulation of salts in the root zone. The Israeli experience has shown that the bio‐drainage technique can effectively lower a shallow water table and reverse salinity trends, provided that the overall water balance is negative, i.e. that the water inputs match the water use by the tree plantation and local drainage characteristics. However, the rate of improvement of the hydraulic, salinity, sodicity and soil physical properties is site specific. Excess fresh water inputs into the plantation, although they create waterlogging conditions, supply unlimited water to the trees, which, in turn, show exceptional growth rates, with usable commercial value. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PIG: a numerical index for dissemination of groundwater contamination zones

A pollution index of groundwater (PIG) is proposed for quantification of water contamination. PIG quantifies the status of concentrations of water quality measures with respect to their drinking water quality standards. The validity of the proposed index is verified by choosing the data of groundwater quality of the Varaha River Basin (Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India) as a case study. The computed index from the study area varies from 0.83 to 2.55. The index disseminates the area into zones of insignificant (PIG <1.0), low (PIG: 1.0 to 1.5), moderate (PIG: 1.5 to 2.0), high (PIG 2.0 to 2.5) and very high (PIG >2.5) pollution. Insignificant pollution zone is observed from the upstream area, where the groundwater is dominated by , and very high pollution zone from the downstream area, where the groundwater is associated with Cl^?. This indicates that the quality of groundwater in the study area is mainly influenced by the source of geogenic origin, but it is subsequently modified by the effects of anthropogenic and marine sources. Geochemical ratios (Na⁺ : Cl^?, : Cl^?, Na⁺ : Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ : Ca²⁺) also form the quantitative basis of the index. The present study paves the way to implement appropriate management strategies at a specific site to circumvent the pollution. As the classification of the pollution zones with PIG depends upon the drinking water quality standards, it becomes a universal assessment tool for groundwater contamination at any test area. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pore water pressure and stability conditions on a motorway embankment

Prior to the occurrence of a shallow surface slip on a clay embankment a tensiometer system was installed to continuously monitor pore water conditions. It is shown that high pore water pressures can develop in clay embankments after periods of continuous low intensity precipitation. Using stability analyses it is demonstrated that for this first time slide, the clay fill material had a shear strength above residual values and a small but finite cohesion.