A furrow runs through it: An example of sustainable traditional irrigation in Western Cape Province,South Africa

Water and water related matters are important issues in water scarce countries like the Republic of South Africa. This is especially true for the agricultural sector that relies heavily on the availability of water for irrigation to ensure a secure food supply. In South Africa, present day irrigation projects rely on government subsidies and are usually large undertakings beyond the reach of individuals or small communities. The sustainability of such large irrigation projects is still a matter of debate. A 100 years ago a different set of rules applied. Irrigation could only be achieved by hand-dug furrows that supplied water in relatively small quantities to small farming communities. This paper investigated such a small community, the Leeukloof farming community in the Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. For the past 93 years this community has maintained a furrow that supplies water not only to farms bordering the Perdeberg River, which supplies the furrow with water, but also to farms not bordering the river. The authors try to reconstruct the changes in agricultural practices brought about by the furrow, methods of water extraction during each phase, as well as the development and role of the furrow system. The perception by the community of the necessity of this method of water extraction from the river system is also investigated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The environmental planning and management approach towards the development and management of the Osun natural spring project,Ibadan, Nigeria

There is a general shortage of potable water in Nigeria, partly through the lack of natural provision and partly because of rapid urban growth that has largely been unplanned. The paper describes the recent redevelopment of a public water facility in a run-down area of Ibadan which is part of the Sustainable Ibadan Project. Despite funding from national and international bodies, the development is strongly based at community level. The local inhabitants feel they have control over their own water supply through their representatives on the various planning and managing committees. This aims to reduce vandalism and to increase pride and involvement in the community. The project is a pilot for other projects around Ibadan, some of which have begun and others are being planned. This paper describes the administrative structures and management principles that have been employed. It forcefully advocates community-based planning and management which respects both the environment and the water-users, and involves a major “bottom-up” element. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stratigraphic evolution of an aeolian erg margin system: the Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone, SE Utah, USA

The Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone of south‐east Utah is a predominantly aeolian succession that exhibits a complex spatial variation in sedimentary architecture which, in terms of palaeogeographic setting, reflects a transition from a dry erg centre, through a water table‐controlled aeolian‐dominated erg margin, to an outer erg margin subject to periodic fluvial incursion. The erg margin succession represents a wet aeolian system, accumulation of which was controlled by progressive water table rise coupled with ongoing dune migration and associated changes in the supply and availability of sediment for aeolian transport. Variation in the level of the water table relative to the depositional surface determined the nature of interdune sedimentary processes, and a range of dry, damp and wet (flooded) interdune elements is recognized. Variations in the geometry of these units reflect the original morphology and the migratory behaviour of spatially isolated dry interdune hollows in the erg centre, locally interconnected damp and/or wet interdune ponds in the aeolian‐dominated erg margin and fully interconnected, fluvially flooded interdune corridors in the outer erg margin. Relationships between aeolian dune and interdune units indicate that dry, damp and wet interdune sedimentation occurred synchronously with aeolian bedform migration. Temporal variation in the rates of water‐table rise and bedform migration determined the angle of climb of the erg margin succession, such that accumulation rates increased during periods of rapidly rising water table, whereas sediment bypassing (zero angle of climb) occurred in the aftermath of flood events in response to periods of elevated but temporarily static water table. During these periods in the outer erg margin, the expansion of fluvially flooded interdunes in front of non‐climbing but migrating dunes resulted in the amalgamation of laterally adjacent interdunes and the generation of regionally extensive bypass (flood) supersurfaces. A spectrum of genetic depositional models is envisaged that accounts for the complex spatial and temporal evolution of the Cedar Mesa erg margin succession.     

GIS Spatial-Temporal Modeling of Water Systems in Greater Toronto Area, Canada

Modeling landscape with high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) in a geographic information system can provide essential morphological and structural information for modeling surface processes such as geomorphologic process and water systems. This paper introduces several DEM-based spatial analysis processes applied to characterize spatial distribution and their interactions of ground and surface water systems in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Canada. The stream networks and drainage basin systems were derived from the DEM with 30 m resolution and the regularities of the surface stream and drainage patterns were modeled from a statistical/multifractal point of view. Together with the elevation and slope of topography, other attributes defmed from modeling the stream system, and drainage networks were used to associate geological, hydrological and topographical features to water flow in river systems and the spatial locations of artesian aquifers in the study area. Stream flow data derived from daily flow measurements recorded at river gauging stations for multi-year period were decomposed into “drainage-area dependent“ and “drainage-area independent“ flow components by two-step “frequency“ and “spatial“ analysis processes. The latter component was further demonstrated to relate most likely to the ground water discharge. An independent analysis was conducted to model the distribution of aquifers with information derived from the records of water wells. The focus was given on quantification of the likelihood of ground water discharge to river and ponds through flowing wells, springs and seepages. It has been shown that the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) is a unique glacial deposit that serves as a recharge layer and that the aquifers in the ORM underlain by Hilton Tills and later deposits exposed near the steep slope zone of the ridges of ORM provide significant discharge to the surface water systems (river flow and ponds) through flowing wells, springs and seepages. Various statistics (cross- and auto-correlation coefficients, fractal R/S exponent) were used in conjunction with GIS to demonstrate the influence of land types, topography and geometry of drainage basins on short- and long-term persistence of river flows as well as responding time to precipitation events. The current study has provided not only insight in understanding the interaction of water systems in the GTA, but also a base for further establishment of an on-line GIS system for predicting spatial-temporal changes of river flow and groundwater level in the GTA.     

Effet de la teneur en eau d'un sol sur la réduction bactérienne d'oxydes de fer

Iron-reducing activity of autochthonous bacteria from two temporary hydromorphic soils is evaluated by the study of iron reductive dissolution, as a function of water content. The release of ferrous iron in solution is coupled to the mineralization of soil organic carbon. Water soil saturation is not necessary for iron reductive dissolution, since the highest dissolution is obtained for a wet, but not water-saturated soil (100% of water holding capacity WHC), and dissolution is also very high in a soil at 75% WHC. To cite this article: S.J. Stemmler et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

超轻型井点降水新技术的研究与应用

分析了轻型井点降水设备的现状与不足，提出了超轻型井点降水新技术，即对现有轻型井点降水设备进一步轻化。介绍了轻化改进的措施，并通过工程检验，取得了良好效果。     

管井降水技术在多种含水介质基坑工程中的应用

结合蚌埠城市中心广场会展中心工程，介绍了管井降水技术在多种含水介质的复杂地质环境下的应用。     

SPS-600型水井钻机研制及配套要点

介绍了SPS-600型散装水井钻机的主要技术参数，并对各主要参数进行了详细说明，同时介绍了研制过程中的配套要点。该钻机在实际施工中应用效果良好。     

声波钻进技术的发展及其应用

声波钻进是在各种覆盖层中采集连续岩心样品的有效手段。叙述了声波钻进技术的发展情况、工作原理、设备操作、优越性和用途，并且对我国研发此项技术提出了建议。     

青藏高原的水塔功能

青藏高原是维持我国乃至东亚地区生态系统的重要水塔。高原平均海拔在4000m以上,与周边地区形成了巨大的地势差。高原东南部不仅具有丰富的降水,而且在3500m以上以冰川雪被形态储存了巨大的水资源,因此,高原具有重要的水塔功能。基于高原潜在输出总水量和不同海拔区域水体所具有的势能两个方面,建立了高原水塔功能的模型,从而利用GIS方法,通过对我国1∶400万系列图和相关资料的统计分析,计算出高原不同高度带贮存的大气降水、冰川储水量、湖泊水量以及工农业用水量。计算结果表明,青藏高原冰川湖泊的淡水储量达39921×108m3,其中冰川储水量为39228×108m3,可利用湖泊储水量为693×108m3,平均每年由降水获得的水资源量为8495×108m3,高原工农业用水量为129×108m3。因此,高原的输出水量即出境河川径流量为6870×108m3。高原储水主要分布在海拔3000～5000m间,与高原周围相比,平均势差在2000～4000m间,最大的势差达5500m。水体具有巨大的势能,在势能的作用下,自然向周边区域输送汇集,维持着周边地区的生态过程和社会经济活动,因此,青藏高原的水塔功能对于周边地区的生态系统和社会经济系统是极其重要的。