• Title/Summary/Keyword: Local water management

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Setting limits for water use in the Wairarapa Valley, New Zealand

  • Mike, Thompson
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2015.05a
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    • pp.227-227
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    • 2015
  • The Wairarapa Valley occupies a predominantly rural area in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It supports a mix of intensive farming (dairy), dry stock farming (sheep and beef cattle) and horticulture (including wine grapes). The valley floor is traversed by the Ruamahanga River, the largest river in the Wellington region with a total catchment area of 3,430 km2. Environmental, cultural and recreational values associated with this Ruamahanga River are very high. The alluvial gravel and sand aquifers of the Wairarapa Valley, support productive groundwater aquifers at depths of up to 100 metres below ground while the Ruamahanga River and its tributaries present a further source of water for users. Water is allocated to users via resource consents by Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC). With intensifying land use, demand from the surface and groundwater resources of the Wairarapa Valley has increased substantially in recent times and careful management is needed to ensure values are maintained. This paper describes the approach being taken to manage water resources in the Wairarapa Valley and redefine appropriate limits of sustainable water use. There are three key parts: Quantifying the groundwater resource. A FEFLOW numerical groundwater flow model was developed by GWRC. This modelling phase provided a much improved understanding of aquifer recharge and abstraction processes. It also began to reveal the extent of hydraulic connection between aquifer and river systems and the importance of moving towards an integrated (conjunctive) approach to allocating water. Development of a conjunctive management framework. The FEFLOW model was used to quantify the stream flow depletion impacts of a range of groundwater abstraction scenarios. From this, three abstraction categories (A, B and C) that describe diminishing degrees of hydraulic connection between ground and surface water resources were mapped in 3 dimensions across the Valley. Interim allocation limits have been defined for each of 17 discrete management units within the valley based on both local scale aquifer recharge and stream flow depletion criteria but also cumulative impacts at the valley-wide scale. These allocation limits are to be further refined into agreed final limits through a community-led decision making process. Community involvement in the limit setting process. Historically in New Zealand, limits for sustainable resource use have been established primarily on the basis of 'hard science' and the decision making process has been driven by regional councils. Community involvement in limit setting processes has been through consultation rather than active participation. Recent legislation in the form of a National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management (2011) is reforming this approach. In particular, collaborative consensus-based decision making with active engagement from stakeholders is now expected. With this in mind, a committee of Wairarapa local people with a wide range of backgrounds was established in 2014. The role of this committee is to make final recommendations about resource use limits (including allocation of water) that reflect the aspirations of the communities they represent. To assist the committee in taking a holistic view it is intended that the existing numerical groundwater flow models will be coupled with with surface flow, contaminant transport, biological and economic models. This will provide the basis for assessing the likely outcomes of a range of future land use and resource limit scenarios.

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Urban Instream Flow Augmentation Using Reclaimed Water in Korea (하수처리수 재이용을 통한 도시하천 물순환 및 수질 개선)

  • Jee, Yong-Keun;Ahn, Jong-Ho;Lee, Jin-Hee
    • Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.285-294
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    • 2012
  • Current urban stream conditions and their restoration projects were investigated by surveying the urban stream management experts in 29 cities with high population density (more than 1,000person/$km^{2}$). The survey results showed that the ratio of covered urban streams decreased by 1.4% (from 14% to 12.6%) in the last 5 years through steady river restoration projects promoted by governments. Nonetheless, 36.3% of 369 urban streams surveyed still report stream depletion problems; therefore, more efforts to alleviate the problems caused by distorted water circulation of urban streams are still necessary. Water depletion in many local urban streams, unlike national rivers, is accelerated due to negligence in stream management, budget shortage, and other reasons. To prevent stream depletion, the use of reclaimed water is suggested as one of the prevention plans. When available amounts of reused sewage are estimated through actual available nationwide sewage discharges of each watershed and instream flow of stream, annual instream flow supply of 780 million $m^{3}$ is expected; 4.8% reduction in the pollution load of public sewer treatment facilities is expected; and the creation of new value through water reuse service is expected. Thus, it is important for the reviews of feasibility and alternatives of water reuse projects for flow augmentation to consider not only investment budget reductions, but also environmental aspects. Also it is necessary to provide the financial support of unified government with strict water quality management policy.

Development of Water Quality Modeling in the United States

  • Ambrose, Robert B;Wool, Tim A;Barnwell, Thomas O.
    • Environmental Engineering Research
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.200-210
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    • 2009
  • The modern era of water quality modeling in the United States began in the 1960s. Pushed by advances in computer technology as well as environmental sciences, water quality modeling evolved through five broad periods: (1) initial model development with mainframe computers (1960s - mid 1970s), (2) model refinement and generalization with minicomputers (mid 1970s - mid 1980s), (3) model standardization and support with microcomputers (mid 1980s - mid 1990s), (4) better model access and performance with faster desktop computers running Windows and local area networks linked to the Internet (mid 1990s - early 2000s), and (5) model integration and widespread use of the Internet (early 2000s - present). Improved computer technology continues to drive improvements in water quality models, including more detailed environmental analysis (spatially and temporally), better user interfaces and GIS software, more accessibility to environmental data from on-line repositories, and more robust modeling frameworks linking hydrodynamics, water quality, watershed and atmospheric models. Driven by regulatory needs and advancing technology, water quality modeling will continue to improve to better address more complicated water bodies and pollutant types, and more complicated management questions. This manuscript describes historical trends in water quality model development in the United States, reviews current efforts, and projects promising future directions.

Reevaluation of Design Frequency of Drought and Water Supply Safety for Agricultural Reservoirs under Changing Climate and Farming Methods in Paddy Field (기상 및 영농방식 변화에 따른 농업용 저수지의 설계한발빈도 및 이수안전도 재평가)

  • Nam, Won-Ho;Kwon, Hyung Joong;Choi, Kyung-Sook
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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    • v.60 no.1
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    • pp.121-131
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    • 2018
  • Past climate change influences multiple environmental aspects, certain of which are specifically related to agricultural water resources such as water supply and demand. Changes on rainfall and hydrologic patterns can increases the occurrence of reservoir water shortage and affect the future availability of agricultural water resources. It is a main concern for sustainable development in agricultural water resources management to evaluate adaptation capability of water supply under the changing climate and farming methods in paddy field. The purpose of this study is an evaluation method of design frequency of drought and water supply safety for agricultural reservoirs to investigate evidence of climate change occurrences at a local scale. Thus, it is a recommended practice in the development of water supply management strategies on reservoir operation under changing climate and farming methods in paddy field.

Study on the Layout of Water Diversion Projects Influenced by China's Macro Developing Strategies

  • Peng, Xiang
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2008.05a
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    • pp.59-66
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    • 2008
  • A country's macro developing strategies will greatly impose upon its water resources allocation. Based upon the relationship between national macro developing strategies and water diversion projects layout, the paper discusses the vital influence of water diversion projects caused by China's food security and sustainable development strategy implemented in recent years, and points out that it is an inevitable choice of constructing inter-basin water diversion projects in north China in view of local water resources can't meet the demand of socio-economic development and eco-environment protection, and then recommends China's water diversion projects layout in the current and future, which attaching most importance to the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

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Evaluation and improvement of forest watershed management projects in Korea

  • Rhee, Hakjun
    • Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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    • v.47 no.4
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    • pp.885-901
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    • 2020
  • A forest watershed management project was introduced in 2004 to develop ecologically sound forest watersheds. It includes landslide prevention and erosion control, water resource management, landscape development, and forest resource management. However, it has been managed fragmentarily and inefficiently, far from the original intents. This study investigated current status, problems, and improvement measures of the project. Literature reviews were conducted on forest watershed management in Korea and other countries, and surveys were conducted on 201 erosion control experts. When introduced, the forest watershed management project was well planned and implemented as intended. It later turned to focus only on disaster prevention such as erosion control dams and stream conservation measures. The survey results showed that a majority (89% and 86%) of surveyees wanted increases in the project period and budget. They also responded that conflicts with local residents (51%) and determining project locations (32%) were the most difficult tasks when implementing the projects, and only 36% kept project records. To plan and implement the projects as intended, the following suggestions should be considered: (1) establishment of a solid legal foundation and improvement of the erosion control practices law; (2) increase in the project period (from 1 to 2 - 3 years) and budget; (3) development of a manual for project site selection and guidelines; (4) monitoring and systematic information management; and (5) development of spatial analysis tools for watershed analysis and management.

WATER RESOURCES POLICY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN SOUTH KOREA : WIN-WIN STRATEGY

  • Choi, Yearn-Hong;Lee, Tae-Sam
    • Water Engineering Research
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    • v.2 no.4
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    • pp.231-241
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    • 2001
  • Since South Korea has uneven rainfall and deteriorating water quality, it is imperative to create a comprehensive water resources policy and management. This paper is to adopt a win-win policy for upstream-downstream local governments that have been in water rights-related disputer or conflicts in the process of allocating water and maintaining water quality. The Win-Win Policy can be an integrated river-basin approach. We define the win-win policy, introduce the win-win case of Delaware River and Colorado River in the United States, and suggest the win-win policy for Nakdong River in South Korea. Nakdong River is chosen for this paper because it has more serious problems in preserving water quantity and maintaining water quality.

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Environmental and Socioeconomic Determinants of Grain Virtual Water Trade: An Empirical Analysis using Decomposition and Decoupling Model

  • Golden Odey;Bashir Adelodun;Seulgi Lee;Kyung Sook Choi
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2023.05a
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    • pp.394-394
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    • 2023
  • The world's sustainable growth is being severely hampered by the inefficient use of water resources. Despite the widely acknowledged importance of trade in global and regional water and food security, societal reliance on local production as well as international trade remains inadequately assessed. Therefore, using South Korea as a case study, this study fills in this research gap by applying the virtual water concept, the logarithmic mean divisia index (LMDI) method, and the Tapio decoupling model. The virtual water concept was used to estimate South Korea's net virtual water trade for major grain crops from 1992 to 2017. Then, the LMDI method was utilized to assess the driving factors causing changes in net virtual water trade. Lastly, the Tapio decoupling model was used to investigate the decoupling relationships between economic growth and the driving factors of net virtual water trade. Results showed that South Korea remains a net importer of virtual water flows with respect to grain crops, with an average import of 16,559.24 million m3 over the study period. In addition, the change in net virtual water trade could be attributed to water intensity effect, product structure effect, economic effect, and population effect. However, water intensity and economic effects were the major decisive factors for decrease and increase in net virtual water trade respectively, while the population and product structure effects had minor positive influences on the net virtual water trade. Furthermore, water intensity and economic growth showed a strong decoupling in most periods, while the decoupling state between product structure and economic growth was observed as expansive negative decoupling. Likewise, population size and economic growth showed a weak decoupling in most periods. The results reveal South Korea's status as it concerns the virtual water trade of grain crops, thus providing valuable insights into the sustainability of trade activities for the management of local water resources.

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A Study on Estimating Regional Water Demand and Water Management Policy (물 수요함수 추정과 지역 물 관리 정책 연구)

  • Lim, Dongsoon
    • Journal of Digital Convergence
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    • v.16 no.7
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    • pp.1-8
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    • 2018
  • In Korea, water supply capacity and facility investments had been emphasized around the 1980s. The water pricing have gained focuses in water policy since the 1990s. This study analyzes a water demand and estimates the relation of water demand and other socio-economic variable, using econometric models on the city of Busan. Water price and income are two key elements to explain water demand. Modeling approach using translog function provides better results, and water demand responds positively to population and income. Energy and water prices are negative factors in deciding water demand. It is requested that water pricing needs to reflect more production costs. Alternative approaches such as water saving facilities by household and use of digital water information should be emphasized for efficient water management in a local community.

Water Quality Management Planning for the Lake Sapgyo by Stream Grading Method (하천등급화 모델을 이용한 삽교호 수질관리 방안에 관한 연구)

  • Choi, Jeongho;Kim, Hongsu;Cho, Byunguk;Park, Sanghyun;Lee, Mukyu
    • Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.245-254
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    • 2020
  • Water quality improvement projects are being implemented without predicting the effect of water quality improvement on Lake Sapgyo. As the method of selecting the target stream for the effective conduct of water quality improvement projects the method of rating the streams were studied. To build a stream grading method, 60 major streams in the Lake Sapgyo system were monitored. The selection method of rivers subject to priority management for water quality improvement was applied to the stream grading method using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The analysis of importance by site by stream grading method revealed the following: water quality (36.0%), flow (26.1%), travel load (13.4%), TMDL density (12.0%), TMDL (8.9%), and area (3.7%). The pollution level of the river was scored by using the stream grading method, and the ranking of 51 streams was calculated. Based on this, the group was classified into six grades (A-F). Among the groups, the F and E groups were selected as the priority management streams. Cheonan-Cheon (Cheonan City) was selected as the first stream to establish water quality improvement measures in the Lake Sapgyo system, and Seowoo-Cheon (Dangjin City) was selected as the second site, and Oncheon-Cheon (Asan City) was selected as the third site. Each local government is expected to improve the water quality improvement effect with limited resources when establishing and implementing water quality improvement measures for the streams (F group, E group) to be managed in this study.