Planning for source water protection in Ontario

Ontario began developing a drinking water source protection planning process in 2000, after a rural community's water supply was contaminated by pathogens from agricultural runoff. An expert committee report has recommended legislating a new source protection “sphere of jurisdiction” for municipalities; however, no specific new municipal tools or authorities have been proposed as yet. This paper reports findings from an evaluation of the extent to which existing institutional arrangements for land use planning and water management facilitate or constrain source protection by municipalities. A case study of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo suggests there is the potential to link land use planning more strongly to water management through creative use of existing tools, forgoing the need for major institutional changes.     

Transparency: aid or obstacle to effective defence of vulnerable environments from reservoir construction? Dam decisions and democracy in North East England

Public participation in transparent decisionmaking has been proposed as a panacea for environmental protection. Bargaining theory suggests drawbacks to transparency such as hardening of attitudes and intransigence. Yet achievement of consensus on environmental values for integrated water resource management demands public involvement. Historical study of attempts to prevent reservoir construction in upland valleys designated for protection of nature suggests that 'closed-door' bargaining proved more effective for environmentalists than open, public debate. Records now open for analysis of disputes over Teesdale and Farndale, 1950–1970, allow comparisons to be made between behind-the-scenes deliberations and 'open-door' public discussion. The ambition of progressing from public participation to devolution of environmental decisionmaking and responsibility to the local scale demands more conceptualization of the process of decisionmaking on water resource development.     

Subaltern strategies and development practice: urban water privatization in Ghana

This paper is concerned with subaltern actions providing alternatives to development practice. I use Ghana's attempt at urban water privatization to illustrate that Ghana's development practice is characterized by a dependence on foreign sources of capital and expertise that illustrates a psyche and mindset of Eurocentrism associated with the elite and decisionmakers of the country. The rationale for water privatization, the how of privatization, and the anti-development opposition to privatization not only demonstrate this dependency but also the extent to which decisionmakers are willing to sacrifice sovereignty and culturally sensitive ways of doing things, to global capital, in exchange for development funds. In the state's zeal for Western or Occidental development, subalterns in Ghana have devised hybridities that are post-traditional and Oriental in nature to solve their water problems. These development solutions are couched within structures provided to human agency and suggest that development practice should therefore listen to subalterns in terms of how they imagine and solve their problems. The concern with subaltern voices shows the relationship between postcolonial studies and development practice.     

Dissolved trace elements in river water: spatial distribution and the influencing factor, a study for the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China

Twenty-nine water samples were collected from different river channels of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China. An inductively coupled plasma-mass spectromonitor (ICP-MS) was used to measure concentrations of the trace elements in these samples. The results suggest that the average concentrations of rare earth elements in river water show an increasing trend from the West River, the North River, the rivers of the Pearl River Delta, and the Shenzhen River to the East River. Relatively high concentrations of heavy metals appear in the East River, the rivers of the Pearl River Delta and the Shenzhen River, while the West River and the North River have relatively low heavy metal concentrations. Trace element concentrations in samples collected near urban or industrial areas are much higher than those of samples collected from distant areas, away from urban and industrial areas. After natural conditions, human activities have significant influence on the trace element concentrations in river water. This trace element concentration’s spatial distribution in the river water from the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone is actually an integrated effect of natural conditions and human activity.     

Identification of sources of chemical constituents in groundwater from the Vilnius wellfields, Lithuania

The only source of drinking water in Vilnius City, Lithuania's capital, is groundwater. It can be supplied from 20 wellfields situated in the City or its environs. About half of them (11) are located in the valley of the Neris River crossing the City. The exploited aquifers were formed by melting continental glaciers and modified by the river. Until 1990 groundwater resources had not been conserved—the per capita consumption for domestic use in Vilnius reached 350 l/day. After 1990, due to the increasing cost of supplying drinking water, its consumption was reduced by a factor of three. As pumping rates of wellfields in Vilnius were increased or decreased, the groundwater quality was changed significantly. It is mainly affected by the surface water and shallow aquifers of the hydrologic system. The unoxidised organic matter that enters the exploitable aquifers from rivers and polluted shallow groundwater consumes scarce oxygen resources, thus creating anoxic conditions favourable for increasing the accumulation of iron, manganese and ammonium. Modelling and monitoring data show that the concentrations of sulphates and chlorides in Vilnius wellfields indicate not only the rise of brackish water from below, but also downward seepage of polluted surface water into the aquifers.     

我国水资源承载力研究现状及展望

概要说明了我国水资源承载力的研究现状,阐述了水资源承载力的概念、内涵及影响因素,探讨了目前几种常用的水资源承载力评价方法,并对当前研究中存在的问题进行了初步分析,进而提出了我国水资源承载力的研究趋势。     

Determination of specific yield using a water balance approach – case study of Torla Odha watershed in the Deccan Trap province, Maharastra State, India

Specific yield is an essential parameter for any groundwater management plan. Volumetric analysis in the domain of groundwater budgeting for the non-monsoon months has been undertaken for a typical watershed of the Deccan basalt province. The Torla Odha watershed covers an area of over 22 km² on a third-order tributary of the westerly flowing Bhima River. The watershed receives a normal annual rainfall of 643 mm. The entire water demand is supplied by dug wells, which penetrate a shallow aquifer. The specific yield was estimated by comparing the monthly net volume of water removed from the aquifer, with the volume of aquifer de-saturated, based on monthly water level data. The estimated specific yield ranges from 0.0019 in May to 0.0173 in November with an average value of 0.0093. A correlation of the groundwater levels with the detailed geology suggests that the higher specific yield value (0.017) corresponds to dewatering of the weathered zone within the shallow aquifer. The specific yield of the massive basalt immediately below the weathered zone varies from 0.0089 to 0.0103. The underlying vesicular basalt, which is dissected by sheet joints, has a relatively higher specific yield (0.0121). The massive basalt, which forms the base of the shallow aquifer system, has a lower specific yield from 0.0019 to 0.0022.

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Résumé Le débit spécifique est un paramètre essentiel pour tout plan de gestion des eaux souterraines. Les analyses volumétriques, dans le cadre des bilans hydriques des eaux en dehors des mois de mousson, ont été entreprises pour un bassin-versant typique de la province basaltique du Deccan. Le bassin-versant du Torla Odha couvre une superficie de 22 km², et alimente l’affluent du troisième ordre de la rivière Bhima, qui coule vers l’Ouest. La pluviométrie annuelle atteint 643 mm. Toute la demande en eau es assurée par des puits foncés pénétrant dans l’aquifère phréatique. Le débit spécifique a été estimé en comparant le volume net mensuel d’eau captée dans l’aquifère, avec le volume de l’aquifère dé-saturé, basé sur les données des niveaux piézométriques mensuels. Le débit spécifique estimé s’étend entre 0,0019 en Mai et 0.173 en Novembre; la moyenne se situe à 0,0093. Une corrélation entre les niveaux des eaux souterraines et la géologie, suggère que les débits spécifiques les plus importants (0,017) correspondent aux zones altérées de l’aquifère phréatique. Le débit spécifique du massif basaltique, immédiatement sous la zone altérée, varie entre 0,0089 et 0,0103. Le basalte vésiculaire, situé juste en dessous et traversé par des diaclases parallèles, possède un débit spécifique sensiblement plus élevé (0,0121). Le basalte massif, qui forme la base de l’aquifère phréatique, possède un débit spécifique moins important, compris entre 0,0019 et 0,0022.

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Resumen El rendimiento específico es un parámetro esencial para cualquier plan de manejo de aguas subterráneas. Se ha llevado a cabo el análisis volumétrico, en el entorno de balance de aguas subterráneas, para los meses sin monzón de una cuenca típica de la provincia de basaltos Deccan. La cuenca Rorla Odha cubre un área de 22 km² en un tributario de tercer orden del Río Bhima que fluye al oeste. La cuenca capta una lluvia anual normal de 643 mm. La totalidad de la demanda de agua es abastecida por pozos manuales que penetran un acuífero somero. Se estimó el rendimiento específico al comparar el volumen neto mensual de agua removido del acuífero con el volumen de agua de-saturado estimado a partir de datos de niveles de agua mensuales. Los valores estimados de rendimiento específico varían de 0.0019 en mayo a 0.0173 en noviembre con un valor promedio de 0.0093. La correlación de niveles de agua subterránea con la geología de detalle sugieren que el valor más alto (0.017) de rendimiento específico corresponden con el desaguado de la zona de intemperismo dentro del acuífero somero. El rendimiento específico del basalto masivo que se encuentra inmediatamente debajo de la zona de intemperismo varía de 0.0089 a 0.0103. El basalto vesicular subyacente, el cual está disectado por fracturas laminares, tiene un rendimiento específico relativamente más alto (0.0121). El basalto masivo, que forma la base del sistema de acuífero somero, tiene un rendimiento específico más bajo el cual varía de 0.0019 a 0.0022. Palabras clave: basalto Deccan. India. Rendimiento específico. Recarga de agua subterránea. Balance hídrico.

     

早涝碱咸综合治理与生态环境良性循环

华北平原东部淡水资源短缺，旱涝碱成灾害限制了农业生产的可持续发展。海河的治理，解决了排洪排涝排咸出路。春季开发利用地下水包括微咸水和半咸水抗旱灌溉。夏季利用伏雨洗盐排咸，增大降雨入渗，减少径流流失，防治渍涝灾害，把降雨转化为地下水资源。秋冬引蓄河水，回灌地下水补源。以土壤与潜水的地层空间作为调节大气降水、土壤水、地下水、地表水的地下水库，以调控地下水埋深在临界动态为指标，最大限度地把时空分布不均的天然降雨转化为可持续利用的水资源。地表水地下水联合运用，促使水资源采补平衡，降雨灌溉淋洗脱盐强于干旱蒸发积盐过程，地下水淡化强于矿化过程。实现旱涝碱咸综合治理，水土资源可持续利用，经济社会可持续发展，生态环境良性循环。     

晋城市下河泉水源地开发利用可行性分析

在野外调查和收集现有资料基础上,对下河泉水源地水文地质条件、泉水流量动态、水源地保证程度与可能的环境问题进行了分析,论证了建立下河泉水源地的可行性.     

翁牛特旗--库伦旗一带严重缺水区的地质环境及找水途径

翁牛特旗--库伦旗一带为西辽河平原周边的严重缺水区.通过分析研究区地下水形成的地质环境,认为降水量、地形地貌、岩性构造和地下水循环是造成研究区严重缺水的主要因素,地层岩性和新构造运动是影响地下水富集的决定性因素.指出要加强含水层的岩性和构造、基岩区的断裂性质和产状的研究,并提出在基岩区、低山丘陵区寻找构造裂隙水和断裂带脉状水是解决研究区严重缺水的较好途径.