Changing the nature of transboundary water agreements: the Israeli–Palestinian case

This abridged version of the proposal developed for Friends of the Earth Middle East presents the design for an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians to share water in a physically realistic, ecologically sustainable and socially equitable manner. Existing arrangements are, at best, inadequate and, in some cases, counterproductive. The proposal relies upon ongoing monitoring and mediation to achieve equitable and sustainable use. It presents why and how an agreement on water can be reached now, before resolving the full range of issues required in a Final Status Agreement between Israel and Palestine.     

Real time control of the sewer system of Boulogne Billancourt — A contribution to improving the water quality of the Seine

Confronted with the problem of overflows from its combined sewer system into the River Seine during rainfall, the Department of the Hauts de Seine (which covers some thirty urban districts on the west side of Paris) has decided to implement the real time control of its sewer system. To initiate this plan, as the town of Boulogne Billancourt seemed to be a particularly favourable site for the use of such techniques, a project to control its sewer system in real time has been implemented within the scope of the SPRINT 226 programme financed by the European Community.The preliminary studies, based on a MOUSE computer model of the sewer system, showed that the real time control of the sewer network under study had a high potential benefit, since it would allow an 80% reduction of the volumes of waste water discharged into the Seine annually in the study zone. Following on from these encouraging results, the installation of a complete real time control system was set in hand. The system, at present undergoing testing and evaluation, consists principally of a MOUSE ON LINE real time model and a system for forecasting rainfall by means of radar images.     

Optimization of the water chemistry of the primary coolant at nuclear power plants with VVÉR

Results of the use of automatic hydrogen-content meter for controlling the parameter of hydrogen in the primary coolant circuit of the Kola nuclear power plant are presented. It is shown that the correlation between the hydrogen parameter in the coolant and the hydrazine parameter in the makeup water can be used for controlling the water chemistry of the primary coolant system, which should make it possible to optimize the water chemistry at different power levelsTranslated from Élektricheskie Stantsii, No. 12, December 2004, pp. 31 – 33.     

A holistic water balance of Austria - how does the quantitative proportion of urban water requirements relate to other users?

Traditional water use statistics only include the blue water withdrawal/consumption of municipalities, industry and irrigated agriculture. When, however, green water use of the agricultural sector is included as well as the virtual water use/water footprint (WF), water use quantity statistics become very different. In common water use statistics, Austria withdraws in total about 2.5 km(3) per year, only 3% of available resources (total discharge 81.4 km(3) = surface and ground water). The total water consumption (0.5 km(3)) is less than 1% of available resources. Urban (municipal) water requirements account for 27% of total withdrawal or 33% of consumption. When agricultural green water use (cropland) is included in statistics, the fraction of municipal water requirements diminishes to 7.6% of total withdrawal and 2.5% of total consumption. If the evapotranspiration of grassland and alpine meadows is also included in agricultural green water use, this fraction decreases to 3.2% and 0.9% respectively. When the WF is assessed as base value for water use in Austria, the municipal water use represents 5.8% of this value. In this globalized world, these traditional water use statistics are no longer recommendable. Only a holistic water balance approach really represents water use statistics.     

The impact of water users’ associations on the productivity of irrigated agriculture in Pakistani Punjab

This paper finds productivity-enhancing effects of watercourse-level water users’ associations for farms at the tail of a watercourse and for those that rely exclusively on groundwater – two groups that are marginalized from surface water use and more likely to rely increasingly on groundwater. Yet, heavy reliance on groundwater consumes vast energy resources and leads to environmental degradation through overdraft and groundwater salinization. Improving the management of surface water through functioning watercourse-level institutions can increase use efficiency across water, energy and land resources through increasing agricultural productivity of those now least able to access fresh surface water resources.     

Integrated water quality management of the große dhünn reservoir

In this paper I introduce protection measures and management options which are applied to the watershed as well as to the reservoir itself and later their impact on water quality is discussed. Emphasis is given to nutrients from non-point sources and nutrient removal from such sources by pre-reservoirs is considered in detail. Phosphorus removal has to work mainly during flood events, when most of the nutrient load enters the reservoir. As our results reveal, 55% of the total annual TP-input can be removed in pre-reservoirs. I also introduce our concept of fishery management, which involves stocking the reservoir with lake trout (Salmo trutta lacustris) and pike perch (Stizostedion lucioperca). The advantage of having lake internal management options available, i.e. selective take-off from raw waters, is also considered in the case of development of metalimnetic blue-green algal (Planktothrix) populations. Preparatory measures i.e. cleaning of the reservoir basin, which has to be done before the rivers are impounded, are discussed. “Trophic upsurge”, in the sense of nutrient leaching, was not important during the first filling years. Improvements in water quality during the “ageing process” are due to lake internal mechanisms, i.e. the increase of sedimentation capacity and decrease of the ratio of epi- to hypolimnetic water volume, which were supplemented later by sewage diversion. Our results present ample evidence that it is due to our philosophy of integrated water quality management that Große Dhünn Reservoir is oligotrophic today - always able to fulfil its purposes.     

Towards a water–energy–food nexus policy: realizing the blue and green virtual water of agriculture in Jordan

Virtual water is an important addendum to how we view a country's water resources. This study examines the virtual water embedded in Jordan's agricultural produce and its impact on future water–energy–food policies. Blue and green virtual waters are calculated from data on rainfall, crop patterns, yields, and water requirements at the district level. Results highlight the advantages of blue water usage in the Jordan Valley and of harnessing more available green water in the Highlands, with both displaying low energy impact. Results also emphasize the high groundwater usage and energy footprint in the Desert regions, signalling a need to rein in groundwater extraction and take advantage of solar power.     

Interbasin water transfers at the US–Mexico border city of Nogales,Sonora: implications for aquifers and water security

Nogales, Sonora, on the US–Mexico border, employs interbasin water and wastewater transfers to address water scarcity in the context of a rising population, a warming climate, and cross-border institutional asymmetries. A unique feature of its geography and border context is Nogales's export of wastewater both north to the US and, starting with the August 2012 commissioning of a strategically positioned wastewater treatment plant, south to the Alisos basin, which is its principal drinking-water source. Thus, when the new plant is fully operational, it will result in indirect potable reuse of effluent via recharge of the source-water aquifer. This paper finds that such strategies contribute to increased water scarcity in Nogales, and to detrimental health, livelihood and environmental impacts in the source basin, thus raising questions about interbasin transfers as a principal water management strategy.     

Modeling the formation of soluble microbial products （SMP） in drinking water biofiltration

Both a theoretical and an empirical model were developed for predicting the formation of soluble microbial products （SMP） during drinking water biofiltration. Four pilot-scale biofilters with ceramsite as the medium were fed with different acetate loadings for the determination of SMP formation. Using numerically simulated and measured parameters, the theoretical model was developed according to the substrate and biomass balance. The results of this model matched the measured data better for higher SMP formation but did not fit well when SMP formation was lower. In order to better simulate the reality and overcome the difficulties of measuring the kinetic parameters, a simpler empirical model was also developed. In this model, SMP formation was expressed as a function of fed organic loadings and the depth of the medium, and a much better fit was obtained.     

Use of a stable carbon isotope to assess the efficiency of a drinking water treatment method with CO?

CO? gas with a special isotopic signature (δ13C = -35.2‰ vs. VPDB) was used as a marker to evaluate the efficiency of a drinking water treatment method and the effect of an ultrasonic (US) stirrer. This treatment was developed to prevent precipitation and corrosion effects in water-supply systems. The research work was performed using a laboratory-scale pilot plant that was filled with tap water. The stable isotope analyses of δ13C-DIC (Dissolved Inorganic Carbon) in the water samples indicated that the maximum content of added CO? gas in DIC was in the range of 35 to 45%. The use of the US stirrer during the entire experiment decreased the method's overall efficiency by 10%, due to degassing at a late stage of the experiment but accelerated the dissolution process in the early experimental stage.     

Governance of transitions towards sustainable development – the water–energy–food nexus in Cyprus

This paper presents a methodological framework to analyse sustainability innovations in the water–energy–food nexus and strategies for governing transition processes towards their widespread implementation. An application to a case study in Cyprus shows the interrelations of several sustainability innovations in the water, energy and food sectors, and specific learning requirements that need to be addressed to achieve a transition towards sustainable development. The framework helps to explore systematically responsibilities of different stakeholders for the implementation of innovations and thereby provides critical information for reflexive governance processes.     

Patterns of long-term dynamics of aquatic communities and water quality parameters in the Great Lakes: Are they synchronized?

Long time series data can provide insights into dynamics of large lakes. We use the USEPA-GLNPO biological monitoring dataset (phytoplankton, benthos, zooplankton and water quality), collected from 1996 through 2016, to identify whether there is evidence of concordant linear or non-linear trends in community composition, density/biomass/biovolume and major environmental parameters. We show changes in biotic assemblages and water quality variables, particularly in Lakes Michigan and Huron. These include changes in phytoplankton biovolume and zooplankton biomass, increasing invasive Dreissena abundance and decreasing densities of other benthos. Biotic changes are accompanied by pronounced changes in water quality and nutrient ratios. Species change-points, identified using threshold indicator taxon analysis, are often less abrupt, but there are clear shifts in a large proportion of species in each assemblage. The concordance of breakpoints among assemblages or lack thereof provides valuable insight into potential drivers of ecosystem change.     

Mixing of Rhône River water in Lake Geneva: Seasonal tracing using stable isotope composition of water

Determining the path of river intrusions into lakes is essential, both for a better understanding of the lake circulation as well as the nutrient transport and the distribution of pollutants introduced by the rivers. The objective of this study is to understand the mixing of Rhône River water within Lake Geneva. The stable H- and O-isotope composition of water for this alpine lake has been shown to be a powerful tool to trace the Rhône River intrusion within the lake, but the details of this interflow and how it changes in space and time have not been well established yet. The present study focusses on using the isotopic tracer method in detailed cross-sections sampled at different times during the year as a tool to determine how the interflow changes with time. Different sampled cross-sections present large spatiotemporal heterogeneities of the Rhône River water dispersion. During summer and early autumn, when the lake is thermally stratified, the Rhône River is intruding into the metalimnion as an interflow, and it is directed by the currents in the top layer. The stronger the thermal stratification, the more concentrated and vertically constrained will also be the Rhône interflow. Vertical and horizontal displacements of the interflow are controlled by wind-induced internal waves and the gyres within the lake established as a function of wind strengths and directions.     

Transboundary water law and vulnerable people: legal interpretations of the ‘equitable use’ principle

Vulnerable people require additional measures to ensure their water capabilities, as they have certain characteristics making them more vulnerable than others. As pointed out by recent studies, transboundary water access laws and policies do not sufficiently address the needs of vulnerable people. The prevailing legal arrangements often only address extrinsic vulnerability and forgo focusing on intrinsic vulnerability, which creates the need for different transboundary water legislation. This paper shows how international treaties can address the right to certain water capabilities by considering not merely the current but also future global populations into the creation of their transboundary agreements.     

Application of a water–energy–food nexus framework for the Duero river basin in Spain

This paper proposes a framework for the identification, assessment and analysis of the water–energy–food nexus at a basin scale. This methodology is applied to the Duero river basin in Spain to detect the most important conflicts derived from water, food and energy interdependencies. Some of the most important issues are the limitations posed by rising energy prices for irrigated agriculture due to modernization, limitations to water treatment, and the possible emergence of new water demands for energy by hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas and enhanced bioenergy.     

Criteria for assessing the level of land–water integration in planning instruments in Andalusia,Spain

Academia has come to realize that integrating water management and land resources can deliver a significant contribution to achieving sustainable outcomes. However, its implementation in daily practice is lagging behind. In order to address this knowledge–practice gap, this paper suggests the integration of land and water resources management can be improved through the incorporation of specific criteria in the territorial plans and river basin management plans. The proposed criteria were used to develop a methodology to assess the level of integration between water resources and land uses in current planning practice. The case of Andalusia in Spain provided the empirical focus.     

The water–energy–food (WEF) security nexus: the policy perspective of Bangladesh

This paper provides a review of the emerging literature on the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus and then analyses the nexus in the context of Bangladesh. Results suggest that the WEF nexus is not yet recognized in the policy documents of Bangladesh, while conflicts over these resources are growing. In order to reduce this contestation, ‘policy integration’ is recommended for implementing key policies in the WEF nexus.     

Transboundary water cooperation on the Yarlung Zangbo/Brahmaputra – a legal analysis of riparian state practice

The Yarlung Zangbo/Brahmaputra, shared by China, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh, lacks a comprehensive legal framework. Following an overview of the basin, the paper analyses state and treaty practice through a legal lens, comparing the riparian state positions, based on their approaches to sovereignty. Finding fragmented transboundary water cooperation across the basin, two possible approaches that might help are explored. Taking inspiration from the hydropower projects on parts of the watercourse, and from existing multilateral environmental agreements, it is queried whether future cooperation might be fostered through legal arrangements for joint exploitation, or through joint protection under multilateral environmental agreements.     

The water framework directive -can we reach the target?

The WFD is an overarching piece of legislation that aims to harmonize existing European water policy; since 2000 it requires managing the river basins so that the quality and quantity of water does not affect the ecological services and to promote sustainable water use of any specific water body. Nevertheless the goals of other directives, such as drinking water, bathing water and urban wastewater treatment (UWWT), are not yet harmonised mainly concerning microbiological and PS/PSR/PHS contamination. Great challenges are due to emerging contaminants especially the technical improvement and harmonisation for risk identification and risk assessment: for biological effects and for chemical analysis and, finally integrate this knowledge to preserve the "good status". The methodologies implemented have as aim the identification of acceptable or unacceptable risks. This identification provides the basis for the regulatory decisions, which follow from the risk assessment. After priority setting the UWWT needs to be adjusted and existing or new treatment options should comply with the requirements of the different directives. This will be another step on the way to reach the targets given in EU water legislation and in the achievements of millennium development goals.