Letter to the Editor

I will be delighted if you could offer me a space in your quarterly publication (SHP NEWS) to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude, flus to my employer, National Electric Power Authority (Nigeria) for giving me the opportunity to be in China as a participant for the 2004 TCDC Intemational training Workshop on Small Hydro Power and Equipment at HRC.     

Using backcasting to explore ways to improve the national water department’s contribution to good groundwater governance in South Africa

Backcasting defines a vision of a desirable future and then analyzes the actions required to realize that vision. This article uses backcasting to explore ways to improve the national government’s contribution to good groundwater governance in South Africa. Using the South African Department of Water and Sanitation as a case study, it is found that lack of strategic thinking and implementation are the main impediments to service delivery. Although isolated cases of groundwater ‘overuse’ and pollution can be found in South Africa, the main governance issues are currently competition between users for groundwater use, and inordinate delays in granting authorization for that use.     

Manso gets ready to generate

The first of the four gnerating units for the Manso hydroelectric power project in Mato Grosso,Brazil, have been erected successfully, according to Impsa Hydro.     

Visitors from Bluemoon Fund to HRC

On May 29,2002, a delegation from the Bluemoon Fund(USA) paid a visit to HRC. The guests were Ms. Diane Edgerton Miller, the President, Mr. Ji-Qiang Zhang, the VicePresident, and Ms. Pat Jones Edgerton, the treasurer. It‘s their first time to HRC. Dr. Chert Shengshui, the director of HRC, Ms. Cheng Xialei,the deputy director and Mr. Zhu Xiaozhang, the honorary director received and held friendly discussion with them.     

Impacts and Adaptation to Climate Change Using a Reservoir Management Tool to a Northern Watershed: Application to Lièvre River Watershed,Quebec, Canada

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of climate change (CC) on the management of the three reservoirs in the Lièvre River watershed and to investigate adaptation strategies to CC. To accomplish this objective, a reservoir management tool was developed. The tool integrates: hydrological ensemble streamflow predictions; a stochastic optimization model; a neural network model; and a water balance model. Five climate projections from a regional climate model, under current (1961–2000) and future (2041–2070) climate scenarios, were used. Adjustments to the reservoirs operating rules were used as an adaptation strategy to limit flooding in the watershed and also in the Montreal Archipelago located downstream of the watershed. A number of constraints in the reservoirs of the Lièvre watershed are related to summer recreational activities, which would start earlier in future climate. Modifications of these constraints were simulated to take into account socio-economic impacts of climate change on reservoirs operation. Results show that greater quantities of water would have to be stored in the Lièvre River watershed in the future, to decrease the risk of flooding in the Montreal Archipelago. The reservoir located at the downstream end of the watershed would be more vulnerable and its reliability may decrease in the future. Adaptation measures reduced the inter-annual variability of the reservoir level under future climate conditions. The reservoir management tool is an example of a no-regrets strategy, as it will contribute to improve the tools currently available to manage the reservoirs of the Lièvre River watershed.     

Molecular biological methods to detect “Microthrix parvicella” and to determine its abundance in activated sludge

Molecular biological methods were evaluated in attempts to detect and quantitate levels of “Microthrix parvicella” in activated sludges. Approximately 66% of the 23S rRNA gene sequence of a strain (Ben43) of the Gram positive bulking and foaming organism “Microthrix parvicella” was determined, while a lesser amount was determined for “M. parvicella” strain RNI. The high mo1%G+C Gram positive bacteria (HGCGPBs) possess two powerfully diagnostic regions in the 23S rDNA and these were investigated in both strains. Firstly, the 18 nucleotide HGCGPB probe sequence (HGC69a) varied in at least two nucleotides with the sequence from both strains of “M. parvicella”. Secondly, an approximately 100 nucleotide stable insert between helices 54 and 55 in the 23S rRNA of HGCGPBs was discovered to be present in “M. parvicella”, but in both strains it was unique in length (79 nucleotides) and sequence. The region of the 23S rDNA with the stable insert was exploited to develop a polymerase chain reaction assay in which amplicons from “M. parvicella” were larger than those from nonHGCGPBs (i.e. all Bacteria except the HGCGPBs), and smaller than those from HGCGPBs. This assay was evaluated with DNAs extracted from activated sludges but although “M. parvicella” was morphologically identified, and was a dominant filament in at least one of the samples, no “M. parvicella” specific sized amplicons could be recovered from it. Amplicons of sizes generated by nonHGCGPBs and HGCGPBs were routinely produced in the stable insert PCR with DNAs from activated sludges where the highest yield was of amplicons from nonHGCGPBS.A second series of experiments were undertaken with the objective of evaluating the use of a non-radioactive hybridization method, based on extraction of bacterial RNA, for quantifying “M. parvicella” in activated sludge samples. Total nucleic acids were extracted from activated sludge samples and immobilized on nylon membranes. Probing with 16S rRNA-directed DIG-labelled oligonucleotide probes, detection of chemiluminescent signals on membranes and densitometry allowed hybridization signals to be quantified. The relationship between the amount of nucleic acid hybridized and the hybridization signal intensity observed was found to be linear over a specified range of signal intensities. A range of activated sludge samples were analysed for “M. parvicella” and variations in levels could be distinguished.     

Introduce SHP in China to Rwandan Ambassador

As invited by the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, Deputy Secretary General of HRC Secretariat Mr. Pan presented a brief introduction of small hydro power in China to Rwandan Ambassador Dr. Rugangazi in Beijing on 28 June 2005. Dr. Rugangazi was pleased to learn that HRC sent a group of specialists to Rwanda for consultation mission on SHP short time ago, as invited by K/ST.     

From Water Poverty to Water Prosperity—A More Participatory Approach to Studying Local Water Resources Management

The Water Poverty Index (WPI), a tool designed for integrated analysis of water issues, was set-up in a community in Madhya Pradesh, India through a transparent and participatory process. Though the aim of the WPI is to primarily use existing statistical data, quantitative information from census and local records was combined with qualitative data from community interviews and participatory exercises. The inclusion of community chosen indicators and the adjustment of values so that higher numbers represent water prosperity rather than water poverty, led to the Water Prosperity Index (WPI⁺). The WPI?⁺?score was contrasted with the WPI at community level. It was also calculated for two community areas with different caste and socio-economic characteristics and weighted separately according to water issues prioritized by men and women. The WPI?⁺?revealed a great difference in water access between the two areas and in prioritized issues between men and women illustrating the importance of appropriate spatial representation and gender sensitive assessments for revealing important disparities. Results also showed that highly aggregated data hide these differences making it more difficult to target the most vulnerable groups when planning measures to increase equitable water allocation. While quantitative data reveal an important perspective of the water situation, qualitative data about adequacy of resources, services or institutions, improve understanding of which issues to prioritize. A valid and useful community water index must be based on representative participation, transparency and local influence on the methodology and subsequent results.     

Evidence for allochthonous prey delivery to Lake Michigan's Mid-Lake Reef Complex: Are deep reefs analogs to oceanic sea mounts?

Lake Michigan's Sheboygan Reef is contained in a refuge for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) restoration, and is one of several deep midlake reefs that historically were productive spawning and fishery grounds. The summits of these reefs are rocky and deeper than the photic zone. We propose that the basis of trophic support for lake trout and their prey is allochthonous and based, at least in part, on the principle of “topographic blockage” of descending vertical migrators (Mysis diluviana), as has been proposed for oceanic seamounts. We estimated slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) and Mysis densities via ROV (unmanned submersible) electroshocking and collected slimy sculpins for diet analyses via ROV and beam trawl. Slimy sculpin densities were greater or similar to that for its shallow-water (photic zone) congener, the mottled sculpin (C. bairdi), and not distinguishable from a random distribution. Mysis densities were highly contagious. The diet of the slimy sculpin was variable: Mysis typically predominated, followed by Diporeia and midge larvae. We argue that Mysis and Diporeia originate from off Sheboygan Reef because the summit of Sheboygan Reef is much shallower than the preferred daytime depth of Mysis and there is no suitable soft substrate for Diporeia, which is a burrowing amphipod. The probable mechanism for delivery of these two prey to Sheboygan Reef is topographic blockage.     

The 2012 Murray-Darling Basin Plan – issues to watch

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is now in place, marking a further significant step in water policy development and water reform in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). While it is an important planning and regulatory framework in its own right, and one that should further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of water markets in the MDB, implementation and enforcement of the plan and continued action by governments, communities and stakeholders on key reform commitments are required to ensure much-needed improvement in economic, social and environmental sustainability. This article outlines seven watch points that will affect whether the desired outcomes are achieved.     

Firms’ willingness to invest in a water fund to improve water-related ecosystem services in the Lake Naivasha basin,Kenya

A valuation scenario was designed using a contingent-valuation approach and presented to decision makers in business firms in Kenya’s Lake Naivasha basin to test how applicable a water fund might be as a potential financing mechanism for a payment for water-related ecosystem services scheme. The findings indicate that measuring a firm’s willingness to invest in ecosystem services could help determine whether a firm would invest and engage with other stakeholders to pool their investments in ecosystem services. Linking the institutional decision-making behaviour of a firm and its willingness to invest in a water fund is the novelty of this article.     

Flood Management in Japan—From Rivers to Basins

Abstract

The River Commission of the Ministry of Construction in Japan recommended a basin response to floods in its December 2000 Interim Report to Minister of Construction. This is practically an official declaration of the policy accepting inundation in habited areas. By this policy shift, it is anticipated that more basin response measures and non-structural measures against floods will be promoted to complement structural measures such as continuous levees and dams. Such a policy is not new in the world but is a significant governmental move in Japan, a densely populated, highly developed, and highly flood hazardous country. Although living with floods is a universal coping strategy, the implementation of measures should be different from region to region reflecting region's nature and socio-economic conditions. This paper reviews the flood fighting history of Japan and her statutory evolution against floods and shows the process by which the ever-increasing flood damage potential and the recent increase of flood damages necessitated the official move in flood control management from rivers to basins.     

DuaISPHysics：A numerical tool to simulate real breakwaters

The open-source code DualSPHysics is used in this work to compute the wave run-up in an existing dike in the Chinese coast using realistic dimensions, bathymetry and wave conditions. The GPU computing power of the DualSPHysics allows simulating real-engineering problems that involve complex geometries with a high resolution in a reasonable computational time. The code is first validated by comparing the numerical free-surface elevation, the wave orbital velocities and the time series of the run-up with physical data in a wave flume. Those experiments include a smooth dike and an armored dike with two layers of cubic blocks. After validation,the code is applied to a real case to obtain the wave run-up under different incident wave conditions. In order to simulate the real open sea, the spurious reflections from the wavemaker are removed by using an active wave absorption technique.     

Correction to: Analysis of Water Quantity and Quality Trade‑Offs to Inform Selective Harvesting of Inflows in Complex Water Resource Systems

Water Resources Management -     

Bringing water markets down to Chile’s Atacama Desert

The Chilean water model has been described as a textbook example of a successful free water market system. This paper analyses water-rights transactions to determine how this water market has behaved in the northern Atacama Desert. It questions the neoliberal assumption that Chile’s unregulated water market has acted as an active tool to reallocate water towards uses that provide the highest economic value. Instead, it argues that the state is the central actor in water allocation. This problematizes the notion that the Chilean water model is one of the most unregulated in the world.     

Potential Significance of the EU Water Framework Directive to China

The European Union Water Framework Directive (EU WFD) is a unique piece of legislation, which may be of great significance to on-going reforms of the water sector in China. First and foremost it unites 27 European member states behind a common goal, which is “to achieve good chemical and ecological status” of all water bodies across the EU. Other significant characteristics of the EU WFD are that (1) it sets a clear timeframe with a number of time-bound actions for member states to achieve the goal, but leaves it to member states to achieve this goal in a decentralised process, which makes allowance for the different socio-economic conditions, (2) it defines the river basin as the management unit for water thus departing with the traditional fragmented management by administrative units and it appoints a single competent authority for water management within each river basin, thus facilitating resolution of sector conflicts, (3) it requires a financial and economic analysis of the costs of implementing the EU WFD to enable decision makers to assess whether the required improvements are affordable to government and to the population within the river basin, and (4) it requires a structured process for information and consultation with stakeholders and the public throughout the planning and implementation process.