scholarly journals Water management in ancient Alexandria, Egypt. Comparison with Constantinople Hydraulic System

Author(s):  
S. Spanoudi ◽  
A. Colfinopoulos ◽  
I. Kalavrouziotis

Abstract The collection, evaluation and listing of all available data related to the supply, collection and disposal of water, is a project of combining and recording all the data for infrastructure projects and their structure within the urban structure of Alexandria and the wider region, as it was discovered and studied to this day. The paper is a description of the most important storage structures for the waters of the Nile River and the rain. Composing data from previous descriptions, archaeological excavations and random discoveries during construction work created a database. This database currently has 144 tanks of 1 to 4 levels, from 6 m3 to 2,500 m3. In particular they have been identified 27 tanks in 1 level, 50 tanks on 2 levels, 49 tanks on 3 levels, 9 tanks on 4 levels and 9 tanks whose exact morphology is unknown to us. The examples of reservoir technologies and management practices given in this work may be of some importance to the sustainability of water resources for the present and the future. Reservoirs have been used to store both rainwater and spring and river water to meet the needs of seasonal variations. The tanks range from simple to large underground structures. Then a comparison is made with the water management systems in the wider Mediterranean region and especially in Istanbul, where there is such infrastructure.

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. McCarthy ◽  
R. W. Skaggs

Abstract Water management on forest watersheds can have off-site impacts on the environment as well as on-site impacts on soil water conditions for plant growth. This study was conducted to evaluate the hydrologic impacts and soil water implications for plant growth of alternative water management practices. The forest watershed system modeled was a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. The site is characterized by flat, poorly drained soils (thermic typic umbraquults) which are drained with open ditches 100 m apart. No drainage, free (conventional) drainage, alternative forms of controlled drainage and stocking control were modeled to determine effects on water table position and drainage outflow. Silvicultural systems, including an unthinned and a commercially thinned regime, were modeled. The water management systems were evaluated by criteria quantifying both off-site implications and on-site plant-water relationships. Controlled drainage systems were found to be successful in reducing drainage outflow rates and volumes and improving soil water conditions for tree growth. In addition, hydrologic components were examined over the life of the unthinned and thinned forest stands, from planting to harvest. Stand development and silviculture were shown to have significant effects on the hydrology of the forest. South. J. Appl. For. 16(1):48-56.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly A. Nelson ◽  
Randall L. Smoot

A study evaluated corn (Zea maysL.) hybrids (Asgrow785, DKC61-73, DKC63-42, LG2642, and Kruger2114) and water management systems (nondrained, nonirrigated (NDNI); drained, nonirrigated (DNI) with subsurface drain tiles 6.1 and 12.2 m apart; drained plus subirrigated (DSI) with tiles 6.1 and 12.2 m apart; nondrained, overhead irrigated (NDOHI)) on yields, plant population, and grain quality from 2008 to 2010. Precipitation during this study was 36 to 283 mm above the past decade. Planting date was delayed 18 d in the nondrained control in 2009, and additional delayed planting controls were included this year. Grain yields were similar in the 6.1- and 12.2 m-spaced DNI and DSI systems in 2008 and 2010, but plant population increased 74% and yields were 3.1 Mg ha−1greater with DSI at a 6.1 m spacing compared to 12.2 m in 2009. At a 6.1 m spacing, DNI or DSI increased yield 1.1 to 6.6 Mg ha−1(10 to over 50%) compared to NDNI or NDOHI soil. High yielding hybrids achieved similar yields with DNI, while NDNI DKC63-42 had 1.2 Mg ha−1greater yields compared to DKC61-73. A 6.1 m spacing for DNI claypan soils is recommended for high yielding corn production.


1992 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J. Hochmuth

Efficient N management practices usually involve many potential strategies, but always involve choosing the correct amount of N and the coupling of N management to efficient water management. Nitrogen management strategies are integral parts of improved production practices recommended by land-grant universities such as the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Univ. of Florida. This paper, which draws heavily on research and experience in Florida, outlines the concepts and technologies for managing vegetable N fertilization to minimize negative impacts on the environment.


Water Policy ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Wichelns

Economic incentives are used in many situations to motivate improvements in the use of scarce resources. In some areas, implementing appropriate incentives is made challenging by the nature of existing institutions or the inability to assign property rights and measure individual use of key resources. Higher prices for irrigation water can motivate wiser use of water in regions where the opportunity cost of water is rising, due to increasing municipal, industrial and environmental demands. This paper describes how an increasing block-rate pricing structure was designed and implemented in an irrigation district in central California. The goals of the program were to improve water management practices and reduce the volume of subsurface drain water discharged into the San Joaquin River. Results describing reductions in average irrigation depths and drain water volumes, collected throughout the 1990s, demonstrate the potential for achieving resource management goals with economic incentives that motivate changes in farm-level management practices. Complementary incentive programs and issues regarding program implementation and the sustainability of drain water reduction efforts in an arid region also are discussed.


1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 109-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Anderson ◽  
E. G. Flaig

Restoration and enhancement of Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades requires a comprehensive approach to manage agricultural runoff. The Florida Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act of 1987 was promulgated to develop and implement plans for protecting Florida waters. The South Florida Water Management District was directed by Florida legislature to develop management plans for Lake Okeechobee (SWIM) and the Everglades ecosystem (Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Protection Act of 1991). These plans require agriculture to implement best management practices (BMPs) to reduce runoff phosphorus (P) loads. The Lake Okeechobee SWIM plan established a P load reduction target for Lake Okeechobee and set P concentration limitations for runoff from non-point source agricultural sources. Agricultural water users in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) are required to develop farm management plans to reduce P loads from the basin by 25%. The Everglades Forever Act of 1994 additionally emphasized linkage of these landscapes and consequent protection and restoration of the Everglades. Agricultural BMPs are being developed and implemented to comply with water management, environmental, and regulatory standards. Although BMPs are improving runoff water quality, additional research is necessary to obtain the best combination of BMPs for individual farms. This paper summarizes the development of comprehensive water management in south Florida and the agricultural BMPs carried out to meet regulatory requirements for Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.


A multi-disciplinary analysis of the evolution of water politics and policy by an international team of distinguished experts. Water management in the Middle Ages in Europe, its evolution in the USA, the elaboration of the European Water Framework Directive, the British experience of water management, the over-exploitation of African aquifers, and the evolution of the water situation in Southern Africa are all examined. This volume underlines the fact that only an integrative and interdisciplinary understanding can lead to genuinely improved water management practices that will not benefit some social groups at the expense of others.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2148
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Lafond ◽  
Silvio J. Gumiere ◽  
Virginie Vanlandeghem ◽  
Jacques Gallichand ◽  
Alain N. Rousseau ◽  
...  

Integrated water management has become a priority for cropping systems where subirrigation is possible. Compared to conventional sprinkler irrigation, the controlling water table can lead to a substantial increase in yield and water use efficiency with less pumping energy requirements. Knowing the spatiotemporal distribution of water table depth (WTD) and soil properties should help perform intelligent, integrated water management. Observation wells were installed in cranberry fields with different water management systems: Bottom, with good drainage and controlled WTD management; Surface, with good drainage and sprinkler irrigation management; Natural, without drainage, or with imperfectly drained and conventional sprinkler irrigation. During the 2017–2020 growing seasons, WTD was monitored on an hourly basis, while precipitation was measured at each site. Multi-frequential periodogram analysis revealed a dominant periodic component of 40 days each year in WTD fluctuations for the Bottom and Surface systems; for the Natural system, periodicity was heterogeneous and ranged from 2 to 6 weeks. Temporal cross correlations with precipitation show that for almost all the sites, there is a 3 to 9 h lag before WTD rises; one exception is a subirrigation site. These results indicate that automatic water table management based on continuously updated knowledge could contribute to integrated water management systems, by using precipitation-based models to predict WTD.


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