Designing tradeable rights to manage aquifer recharge according to robust separation principles

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Ward ◽  
Peter Dillon ◽  
Agnes Grandgirard
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Market Exchange ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Australian Water ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Robust Separation ◽  
Water Reform

Many cities are experiencing mature urban water economies, characterised by limited opportunities for future water impoundments, rising incremental supply and infrastructure costs, intensified competition and increased interdependencies between diverse water uses. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is currently promoted as one option to augment existing supplies and in many jurisdictions is assuming increasing importance in the portfolio of urban water management strategies. Consistent with trends in international water policy development, Australian water reform has emphasised institutional and governance approaches promoting voluntary transfers of water through market exchange. The reform process has made substantial advances in addressing the constraints and tensions associated with mature rural water economies, with limited influence in urban water systems. What remains unclear is the degree of alignment of new water management technologies such as ASR operations with explicit water reform directives of market development and the capacity of subsequent urban water legislation to provide consistent and coherent ASR guidelines. The paper describes a systematic approach to align the hydrological characteristics of an aquifer with economic and policy interpretations central to the development and management of ASR. The paper introduces a schema to identify the elements of the urban terrestrial water cycle specific to ASR, the development of a typology to characterise the aquifer potential for ASR, and identify and determine the nature of property rights for each system element according to the principles of robust separation of water rights.

Is the Environment Getting Its Fair Share? An Analysis of the Australian Water Reform Process Using a Social Justice Framework

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Lukasiewicz ◽  
Geoffrey J. Syme ◽  
Kathleen H. Bowmer ◽  
Penny Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Fair Share ◽  
Australian Water ◽  
Water Reform

Water Story

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Beeson
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
Australian Water ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Quality Water

Freshwater scarcity is a critical challenge, with social, economic, political and environmental consequences. Water crises in Australia have already led to severe restrictions being applied in cities, drought ravaging farmlands, and the near-terminal decline of some rivers and wetlands. A Water Story provides an account of Australian water management practices, set against important historical precedents and the contemporary experience of other countries. It describes the nature and distribution of the country's natural water resources, management of these resources by Indigenous Australians, the development of urban water supply, and support for pastoral activities and agricultural irrigation, with the aid of case studies and anecdotes. This is followed by discussion of the environmental consequences and current challenges of water management, including food supply, energy and climate change, along with options for ensuring sustainable, adequate high-quality water supplies for a growing population. A Water Story is an important resource for water professionals and those with an interest in water and the environment and related issues, as well as students and the wider community.

scholarly journals Third pipe water recycling

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Daniel Livingston Livingston
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Industry ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Recycled Water ◽  
Australian Water ◽  
Pipe Water ◽  
The Face ◽  
Supply Costs

Third pipe systems for recycled water are on the periphery of options for more resilient urban water management in the face of water scarcity. A number of schemes in the Australian water industry provide useful learnings. Even though direct supply costs are often higher than the potable water price, there are distinct circumstances where such schemes can be justified economically. Even where schemes have not been economic, there can be valuable lessons around the institutional alignment required to enable innovation for integrated urban water management.

scholarly journals Managed Aquifer Recharge as a Strategic Storage and Urban Water Management Tool in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Knapton ◽  
Declan Page ◽  
Joanne Vanderzalm ◽  
Dennis Gonzalez ◽  
Karen Barry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Injection Wells ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Asr System

Population growth and increased irrigation demand have caused a decline in groundwater levels that limit water supply in the Darwin rural area. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a practical solution that can be adopted to augment stressed groundwater systems and subsequently increase the security of water supply. Aquifer storage capacity is considered to be the primary constraint to MAR where unconfined dolostone aquifers rapidly recharge during the tropical, wet season and drain again in the dry season. As a result, there is a general understanding that aquifers of this nature recharge to full capacity each wet season. However, the aquifer storage capacity and the potential for niche opportunities for MAR to alleviate declining groundwater levels has not previously been examined. This paper uses the Darwin rural area’s Proterozoic Koolpinyah Dolostone aquifer and the existing Koolpinyah Groundwater System to evaluate the prospects of MAR using both infiltration and injection techniques. Direct injection wells in an aquifer storage transfer and recovery (ASTR) scheme were favoured in this area, as injection wells occupy a smaller surface footprint than infiltration basins. This assessment suggested MAR during the early to mid-dry season could alleviate the impact of the dry season decline in groundwater levels in the Darwin rural area. The use of a larger aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) system (5,000,000 m3/year) was also assessed as a potentially viable technical solution in the northern part of the aquifer where it is understood to be confined. The ASR scheme could potentially be scaleable to augment the urban water system and provide strategic long-term storage. Consideration must also be given not only to the strategic positioning of the ASR water bank, but also to the hydrogeology of the aquifers in which the systems would be developed. Not all locations or aquifer systems can successfully support a strategic storage ASR system. Scheme-scale feasibility assessment of an ASR water bank is required. The study reported here is an early phase of a series of investigations that would typically be required to demonstrate the viability of any proposal to apply MAR to increase the reliability of conjunctive groundwater and surface water supplies in stressed water resources systems. It focusses on assessing suitable storage areas in a lateritic aquifer.

scholarly journals Correction: Knapton, A.; et al. Managed Aquifer Recharge as a Strategic Storage and Urban Water Management Tool in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1548
Author(s):  
Anthony Knapton ◽  
Declan Page ◽  
Joanne Vanderzalm ◽  
Dennis Gonzalez ◽  
Karen Barry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Urban Water Management

The authors wish to make the following correction to this paper [...]

Sustainable urban water management: understanding and fostering champions of change

2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 883-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Personality Characteristic ◽  
Leadership Capacity ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Australian Water ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Multiple Case

This paper highlights and discusses ten characteristic attributes of emergent leaders (also known as ‘champions’) who worked as influential change agents within publicly managed, Australian water agencies to encourage more sustainable forms of urban water management. These attributes relate to: the ‘openness to experience’ personality characteristic; career mobility and work history demographics; personal and position power; strategic social networks; the culture of their organisations; and five distinguishing leadership behaviours (e.g. persisting under adversity). Guided by the findings of an international literature review, the author conducted a multiple case study involving six water agencies. This research identified attributes of these leaders that were typically strong and/or distinguishing compared to relevant control groups, as well as influential contextual factors. While it is widely acknowledged that these leaders play a critical role in the delivery of sustainable urban water management, there has been a paucity of context-sensitive research involving them. The research project highlighted in this paper is a response to this situation and has led to the development of a suite of 39 practical, evidence-based strategies to build leadership capacity throughout water agencies. Such capacity is one of the elements needed to drive the transition to more ‘water sensitive cities’.

Reaching Community Consensus on Reforms for More Sustainable Urban Water Management Systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-38
Author(s):  
Robyn M. Moore ◽  
Victoria J. Mabin
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Theory Of Constraints ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Problem Structuring ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Water Reform

Addressing the problem of reaching consensus on water reforms was the motive for this operational research. Living up to its ‘clean and green' image is a significant goal for New Zealand, with high economic value derived from the effects of its globally-recognised environmental credentials on key exports like agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism. A 2009 government task force (Fresh Start for Fresh Water) suggested that a ‘business as usual' approach is undesirable, and water reform should be a priority. This paper is an account of a community-focused systems study undertaken for a Master's thesis in 2008/9. It examines the challenges and opportunities facing Kapiti, a rapidly growing coastal community, with water scarcity and quality constraints that had long prevented them from meeting their sustainable development objectives. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) and a stakeholder typology were used to identify system stakeholders and examine their perspectives, while Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) from Systems Dynamics were constructed to explore and circumvent potential negative outcomes. Thus, a case study in a community resource management setting is described that tests the effectiveness of the combined problem-structuring framework, to explicitly inform urban water management, and water reform, in New Zealand.

scholarly journals To what extent do they sway Australian water management decision making?

2016 ◽  
Vol 374 ◽  
pp. 23-28
Author(s):  
Maureen Papas
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Rational Approach ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Competing Values ◽  
Australian Water ◽  
Evidenced Based

Abstract. At a time when the reliability of freshwater resources has become highly unpredictable, as a result of climate change and increased droughts frequency, the role of scientific evidence in forecasting the availability of seasonal water has become more critical. Australia is one of the driest inhabited continents. Its freshwater availability is highly variable, which poses unique problems for the management of the nation's water resources. Under Australia's federal system, water management challenges have been progressively dealt with through political institutions that rely on best available science to inform policy development. However, it could be argued that evidenced-based policy making is an impossible aim in a highly complex and uncertain political environment: that such a rational approach would be defeated by competing values and vested interests across stakeholders. This article demonstrates that, while science has a fundamental role to play in effective water resource management, the reality on the ground often diverges from the intended aim and does not always reflect efforts at reform. This article briefly reviews the Water Act 2007 (Cth) and comments on why policy makers need to manage rather than try to eliminate uncertainty to promote change.

scholarly journals Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in Sustainable Urban Water Management

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Declan Page ◽  
Elise Bekele ◽  
Joanne Vanderzalm ◽  
Jatinder Sidhu
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management

To meet increasing urban water requirements in a sustainable way, there is a need to diversify future sources of supply and storage. However, to date, there has been a lag in the uptake of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) for diversifying water sources in urban areas. This study draws on examples of the use of MAR as an approach to support sustainable urban water management. Recharged water may be sourced from a variety of sources and in urban centers, MAR provides a means to recycle underutilized urban storm water and treated wastewater to maximize their water resource potential and to minimize any detrimental effects associated with their disposal. The number, diversity and scale of urban MAR projects is growing internationally due to water shortages, fewer available dam sites, high evaporative losses from surface storages, and lower costs compared with alternatives where the conditions are favorable, including water treatment. Water quality improvements during aquifer storage are increasingly being documented at demonstration sites and more recently, full-scale operational urban schemes. This growing body of knowledge allows more confidence in understanding the potential role of aquifers in water treatment for regulators. In urban areas, confined aquifers provide better protection for waters recharged via wells to supplement potable water supplies. However, unconfined aquifers may generally be used for nonpotable purposes to substitute for municipal water supplies and, in some cases, provide adequate protection for recovery as potable water. The barriers to MAR adoption as part of sustainable urban water management include lack of awareness of recent developments and a lack of transparency in costs, but most importantly the often fragmented nature of urban water resources and environmental management.

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