Groundwater Resources Development and Planning in the Semi-Arid Region


Book Description

This book addresses the various challenges in achieving sustainable groundwater development, management, and planning in semi-arid regions, with a focus on India, and discusses advanced remote sensing and GIS techniques for the estimation and management of groundwater resources. The book is timely as there is a need for a better understanding of the various tools and methods required to efficiently and sustainably meet the growing demand for clean surface and groundwater in developing countries, and how these tools can be combined with other strategies in a multi-disciplinary fashion to achieve this goal in water-scarce regions. To wit, the book combines remote sensing and GIS techniques, runoff modeling, aquifer mapping, land use and land cover analyses, evapotranspiration estimation, crop coefficients, and water policy approaches. This will be of use to academics, policymakers, social scientists, and professionals involved in the various aspects of sustainable groundwater development, planning, and management.




Groundwater Resource Development


Book Description

Groundwater Resource Development describes the basic steps involved in the development of a groundwater resource in the search for productive aquifers. This book discusses groundwater exploration, construction and testing of water wells, water quality and pollution considerations, and groundwater management. This text is comprised of 10 chapters and begins by presenting the steps in the evaluation, development, and management of an aquifer for water supply. The reader is then introduced to the fundamentals of groundwater, with emphasis on their origin and occurrence as well as the influence of porosity and permeability on groundwater accumulation, migration, and distribution. The chapters that follow focus on groundwater exploration, assessment of aquifer recharge and potential well yield, and factors affecting the quality of groundwater. The issues to be considered in well design and construction are also highlighted, along with aquifer hydraulics and pumping tests, groundwater pollution, and optimum management of groundwater resources. This text concludes with a chapter on techniques used in modeling the response of a groundwater reservoir. This book will be of value to geologists, civil engineers, environmental scientists, mathematicians, chemists, water well contractors, and others involved in the profession of water engineering.




Valuing Ground Water


Book Description

Because water in the United State has not been traded in markets, there is no meaningful estimate of what it would cost if it were traded. But failing to establish ground water's valueâ€"for in situ uses such as sustaining wetlands as well as for extractive uses such as agricultureâ€"will lead to continued overuse and degradation of the nation's aquifers. In Valuing Ground Water an interdisciplinary committee integrates the latest economic, legal, and physical knowledge about ground water and methods for valuing this resource, making it comprehensible to decision-makers involved in Superfund cleanup efforts, local wellhead protection programs, water allocation, and other water-related management issues. Using the concept of total economic value, this volume provides a framework for calculating the economic value of ground water and evaluating tradeoffs between competing uses of it. Included are seven case studies where ground-water valuation has been or could be used in decisionmaking. The committee examines trends in ground-water management, factors that contribute to its value, and issues surrounding ground-water allocation and legal rights to its use. The book discusses economic valuation of natural resources and reviews several valuation methods. Presenting conclusions, recommendations, and research priorities, Valuing Ground Water will be of interest to those concerned about ground-water issues: policymakers, regulators, economists, attorneys, researchers, resource managers, and environmental advocates.




Groundwater Resources


Book Description

Groundwater Resources: Investigation and Development is a 13-chapter text that presents in a logical structure the various useful techniques for groundwater investigations. The introductory chapters deal with the general concepts of hydrology, types of aquifers and groundwater environments, and geographic and geologic topographic maps. These topics are followed by considerable chapters on groundwater investigation techniques, including geophysical and geochemical methods, drilling and isotope techniques, exploration, and pumping tests. The advantages and limitations of these techniques are examined. The discussion then shifts to interpretation and utilization of water level measurements and spring flow. The concluding chapters are devoted to determining the three boundaries enclosing the groundwater systems, namely, the fixed, movable, and arbitrary boundaries. These chapters also look into the principles of groundwater balances and groundwater reserves.




Water Resource Systems Planning and Management


Book Description

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. This revised, updated textbook presents a systems approach to the planning, management, and operation of water resources infrastructure in the environment. Previously published in 2005 by UNESCO and Deltares (Delft Hydraulics at the time), this new edition, written again with contributions from Jery R. Stedinger, Jozef P. M. Dijkman, and Monique T. Villars, is aimed equally at students and professionals. It introduces readers to the concept of viewing issues involving water resources as a system of multiple interacting components and scales. It offers guidelines for initiating and carrying out water resource system planning and management projects. It introduces alternative optimization, simulation, and statistical methods useful for project identification, design, siting, operation and evaluation and for studying post-planning issues. The authors cover both basin-wide and urban water issues and present ways of identifying and evaluating alternatives for addressing multiple-purpose and multi-objective water quantity and quality management challenges. Reinforced with cases studies, exercises, and media supplements throughout, the text is ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in water resource planning and management as well as for practicing planners and engineers in the field.




Innovative Exploration Methods for Minerals, Oil, Gas, and Groundwater for Sustainable Development


Book Description

Innovative Exploration Methods for Mineral, Oil, Gas, and Groundwater for Sustainable Development provides an integrated approach to exploration encompassing geology, geophysics, mining, and mineral processing. In addition, groundwater exploration is included, as it is central to the development of earth resources. As the demand for coal, minerals, oil and gas, and water continues to grow globally, researchers must prioritize sustainable exploration methods. Old technologies are being replaced speedily and exploration work has become fast, focused, meaningful, and readily reproducible keeping in pace with the changing global scenario. The themes of exploration of energy resources, exploration of minerals, groundwater exploration and processing and mineral engineering are separated out into sections and chapters included in these sections include case studies focusing on tools and techniques for exploration. Innovative Exploration Methods for Mineral, Oil, Gas, and Groundwater for Sustainable Development gives insight to modern concepts of exploration for those working in the various fields of energy, mineral, and groundwater exploration. - Presents innovative research that will both challenge and complement the traditional concepts of exploration - Covers a wide range of instruments and their applications, as well as the tools and processes that need to be followed for modern exploration work - Includes research on groundwater exploration with a focus on conservation and sustainable exploration and development







Artificial Recharge of Groundwater


Book Description

Artificial Recharge of Groundwater focuses on artificial recharge of groundwater basins as a means to increase the natural supply of groundwater, along with the technical issues involved. Special emphasis is placed on the use of reclaimed municipal wastewater as a source for artificial recharge of groundwater. This book is comprised of 26 chapters organized into five sections. After reviewing the state of the art of artificial recharge of groundwater, the discussion turns to the fundamental aspects of groundwater recharge, including the role of artificial recharge in groundwater basin management, recharge methods, hydraulics, monitoring, and modeling. The next section considers pretreatment processes for wastewater and renovation of wastewater with rapid-infiltration land treatment systems and describes the health effects of wastewater reuse in groundwater recharge. A number of artificial recharge operations using reclaimed wastewater are then highlighted, focusing on cases in various countries including Israel, Germany, Poland, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States. The remaining chapters look at the extent of contaminant removal by the soil system and the fate of micropollutants during groundwater recharge as well as the legal and economic aspects of groundwater recharge. Research needs for groundwater quality management are also explored. This monograph is written for civil and sanitary engineers, agricultural engineers, hydrologists, environmental scientists, and research scientists as well as public works officials, consulting engineers, agriculturalists, industrialists, and students at colleges and universities.




Ground Water Development - Issues and Sustainable Solutions


Book Description

Ground water resources are receiving global attention, as human population growth and development cause significant changes to the earth system. It plays a major role in ensuring livelihood security in many parts of South Asia and its contribution to poverty alleviation is substantial. The complex nature of ground water problems in the Indian Sub-continent requires a precise delineation of the ground water regimes in different hydro geological settings and socio-economic conditions and is a primary necessity for sustainable and equitable management. Strategies to respond to ground water over-exploitation and deteriorating water quality must be based on a new approach. Practical policies and various solution options urgently need to be formulated and implemented to prevent the development problems. There is pressing need to evolve workable methods and approaches based on modern scientific researches on ground water resources, as well as to build a social framework including community participation at all levels for a ground water development system. The community participation in water pumping policies, incentives of efficient use, affordability of low income users and other vulnerable groups, water awareness are prime factors for success of any ground water based water supply project.




Groundwater in the Coastal Zones of Asia-Pacific


Book Description

Groundwater management and conservation becomes a more and more important issue in the heavily urbanized coastal zones of the Asia-Pacific region. This volume presents a comprehensive overview of the status of coastal groundwater research in this diverse region. It includes latest methodologies and technologies to assess processes associated with coastal groundwater development. Case studies and local examples from a broad geographical range of continental shoreline and island settings give an understanding of the diversity of coastal aquifers and the groundwater recourses they harbour. Audience: By providing a clearer understanding of the hydrogeological and hydrochemical processes, this volume offers a critical tool to coastal researchers, geoscientists in related fields, water engineers, groundwater managers and decision makers as it illustrates the human and environmental impacts on coastal groundwater resources and the relationship to coastal zone management strategies and the development of sustainable management approaches.