Ecological Economics of Water in China: Towards a Sustainable Water Quality Management Regime

Water quality standards set in the past have not helped resource managers in the decisions that they face in seeking sustainable development. Resource managers are looking for meaningful information on water quality so as to evaluate the resource, set priorities for action, and to monitor progress. Resource managers need to know how water quality affects, and is affected by, catchment uses and activities. Examples of three wild and scenic rivers, the Nymboida, Murrumbidgee, and Hawkesbury/Nepean River systems, demonstrate how a ‘Total Catchment Management' approach to resource use and resource protection has advantages for water quality management.

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The Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority: A Regional Approach to Water Quality Management

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1984.0153 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 16 (5-7) ◽

pp. 473-480

Author(s):

L Jack Davis

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Quality Management ◽

Waste Disposal ◽

Gulf Coast ◽

Water Quality Management ◽

Public And Private ◽

Public Agency ◽

Public Managers ◽

Public Reaction ◽

Public And Private Sector

The Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority is a regional public agency created by the State of Texas to design and implement water quality management systems in three counties surrounding Galveston Bay. This article will outline the water quality management strategy employed by the Authority for a highly industrialized and populated region. Regional treatment and public and private sector cooperation will be presented as a management objective for muncipal and industrial waste disposal. A description of the background and operations of the Authority will be included along with examples of joint or combined wastewater treatment. The pressing problem of hazardous waste management in Texas will be discussed. The Authority's experiences with facility siting and public reaction will be summarized and a new approach to help resolve these issues will be presented. The article will conclude with some thoughts on strategic planning for public managers.

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Institutional and legislative structure of water quality management in Turkey

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1994.0245 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 261-268 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Selmin Burak ◽

I. Ethem Gönenç ◽

Arzu Erol

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Quality ◽

Quality Management ◽

Water Quality Management ◽

Secondary Importance ◽

Structure Of Water ◽

Legal Structure ◽

Set Up ◽

Legislative Structure

This paper examines the administrative and legal structure of the wastewater sector in Turkey, identifying its shortcomings and their causes, and suggests solutions. The study begins by outlining the existing administrative and legal structure, then focusing on the areas where difficulties are faced and seeking solutions to them. Those administrative and legal facets which have produced improvements and/or function effectively have been analysed so as to provide examples for other areas. When examining the sector it was observed that problems common to every area are the failure to adequately define powers and responsibilities, the lack of coordination between sectoral organisations, and the fact that attention is generally concentrated on routine matters of secondary importance. The fact that numerous organisations share powers in the same area causes confusion. Plurality also creates difficulties where enforcement is concerned. The existence of more than one set of regulations relating to the same area gives rise to loopholes. At the same time, unrealistic, and hence unenforceable standards undermine the effectiveness of sanctions. It has been concluded that a single organisation should be invested with the legal powers to lay down the principles of water management, that environmental courts should be set up to enforce legislation by means of sanctions; and that for this purpose existing legislation should be reexamined and revised as necessary and/or brought up to date.

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Marine water quality management in South Africa

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1995.0118 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 281-288

Author(s):

Susan Taljaard ◽

Willem A. M. Botes

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Water Quality ◽

Quality Management ◽

Water Quality Management ◽

Management Plan ◽

Specific Reference ◽

Information Requirements ◽

Water Quality Guidelines ◽

Quality Guidelines ◽

Beneficial Uses

In South Africa the ultimate goal in water quality management is to keep the water resources suitable for all “beneficial uses”. Beneficial uses provides a basis for the derivation of water quality guidelines, which, for South Africa, are defined in Water quality guidelines for the South African coastal zone (DWAF, 1991). The CSIR has developed a practical approach to marine water quality management, taking into account international trends and local experience, which can be applied to any coastal development with potential influence on water quality. The management plan is divided into three logical components, i.e. • site-specific statutory requirements and environmental objectives; • system design with specific reference to influences on water quality; and • monitoring programmes. Within this management approach water quality issues are addressed in a holistic manner, through focused procedures and clear identification of information requirements. This paper describes the procedures and information requirements within each component of the water quality management plan, with specific reference to marine disposal systems. Ideally, the management plan should be implemented from the feasibility and conceptual design phase of a development and the timing of the different procedures within the development process are therefore also highlighted. However, the logical lay-out of procedures allows for easy initiation (even to existing disposal system) at any stage of development.

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Innovative Tools for Water Quality Management and Policy Analysis: Desert and Streamplan

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1999.0508 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 40 (10) ◽

pp. 103-110

Author(s):

Carlo De Marchi ◽

Pavel Ivanov ◽

Ari Jolma ◽

Ilia Masliev ◽

Mark Griffin Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Quality Management ◽

Policy Analysis ◽

River Basin ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Water Quality Management ◽

Water Quality Modeling ◽

Detailed Model ◽

Basin Scale ◽

Alternative Water

This paper presents the major features of two decision support systems (DSS) for river water quality modeling and policy analysis recently developed at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), DESERT and STREAMPLAN. DESERT integrates in a single package data management, model calibration, simulation, optimization and presentation of results. DESERT has the flexibility to allow the specification of both alternative water quality models and flow hydraulics for different branches of the same river basin. Specification of these models can be done interactively through Microsoft® Windows commands and menus and an easy to use interpreted language. Detailed analysis of the effects of parameter uncertainty on water quality results is integrated into DESERT. STREAMPLAN, on the other hand, is an integrated, easy-to-use software system for analyzing alternative water quality management policies on a river basin level. These policies include uniform emission reduction and effluent standard based strategies, ambient water quality and least-cost strategies, total emission reduction under minimized costs, mixed strategies, local and regional policies, and strategies with economic instruments. A distinctive feature of STREAMPLAN is the integration of a detailed model of municipal wastewater generation with a water quality model and policy analysis tools on a river basin scale.

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