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Water demand forecasting plays a crucial role in the efficient planning and management of water distribution systems, particularly in regions facing complex climatic and irrigation dynamics. Fluctuations in water demand occur across both seasonal and sub-seasonal timeframes, driven by diverse factors including weather variations and irrigation management choices. Traditionally, irrigation water demands have been forecasted separately for these two temporal scales, using only subsets of factors most relevant to each specific temporal scale. Sub-seasonal water demands are, however, influenced by annual decisions. This is particularly true in large, complex water systems with extensive water trade and diverse climate conditions. For such systems, a sub-seasonal scale forecast with consideration of annual influencing factors could add significant value to operational management. This paper presents an empirical approach to disaggregate the annual allocation water use for irrigation to a monthly time scale for seven inter-connected regions of the southern Murray-Darling Basin (sMDB), Australia. First, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify the crop coefficient (K c) values for the crops grown in the sMDB throughout their growth cycles. Following this, a set of monthly K c values were adopted for nine irrigation activities. Subsequently, the annual allocation water use was disaggregated into monthly volumes using within year proportion of crop water requirement, calculated from reference evapotranspiration and crop coefficients for the seven regions in the sMDB. Finally, the results of the disaggregation approach were compared against the diversion data matched to each region. The disaggregated allocation water use aligns well with the monthly diversion volume. Based on this approach, a monthly water demand forecast model accounting for annual and monthly influencing factors could be developed. • Monthly water demand forecasts face challenges, including annual crop type decisions. • Extending the annual model to a monthly scale bridges the gap in forecasting. • Applied to southern Murray-Darling Basin, it dissects allocation water use monthly. • Results reveal alignment between allocation use and monthly diversions. • Correlation is stronger during high-water demand seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European vineyards, producing over 50% of the world's wine and hosting significant cultural landscapes, face threats from climate change and related severe weather events. The summer of 2022, especially July, posed significant challenges due to extreme drought and high temperatures. However, this period also provided an opportunity to study how such events might involve viticulture in Europe and to explore mitigation solutions. The objectives are (1) to characterize the severity of the extreme event of July 2022 in European wine regions regarding primary climatic parameters, (2) map vineyards at risk due to agricultural drought and high land surface temperature, and (3) discuss the role of various water-related interventions for mitigating similar events. After identifying the locations of European vineyards using the Corine Land Cover 2018 (CLC2018), open-access satellite data were employed to: (1) assess anomalies in Maximum Air Temperature (NAT m), Land Surface Temperature (LST), Precipitation (P), and Soil Moisture (SM) in July 2022 compared to long-term averages; (2) identify regions at higher risk that experienced extreme agricultural drought (Vegetation Health Index, VHI = Extreme) and LST > 35 °C. In July 2022, European vineyards experienced an average increase of 11% in NAT m , a 9% rise in LST, and a reduction of 47% in P and 30% in SM compared to historical averages. 18% of European vineyards were at risk of drought and excessive heat, particularly in Portugal (31%), France (27%), and Italy (21%), including 10 viticultural cultural landscapes. Findings highlight the urgent need for long-term sustainable water management practices over emergency interventions. This research supports informed decision-making, emphasizing that climate resilience is necessary for preserving the cultural heritage of European wine-growing areas. This research provides an overview of the dynamics of extreme events on viticulture at a continental scale, promoting climate-aware viticultural systems and offering insight scalable to global viticulture under changing climatic conditions. [Display omitted] • Europe is a key player in wine production and host unique related cultural landscapes. • Climate change with extreme summer drought and temperature events are main threats. • European vineyards in July 2022 faced extreme precipitation and temperature anomalies. • 18% European vineyards and 10 wine-growing cultural landscapes exposed to 2022 event. • Structured sustainable water management vital for future-proof European viticulture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is facing water crises because freshwater scarcity has become a global issue due to rapid population growth, resulting in the need for more industries, agriculture, and domestic sectors. Therefore, it is challenging for scientists and environmental engineers to treat wastewater with cost-effective treatment techniques. As compared to conventional processes (physical, chemical, and biological), advanced oxidation processes (AOP) play an essential role in the removal of wastewater contaminants, with the help of a powerful hydroxyl (OH•) through oxidation reactions. This review study investigates the critical role of O 3 -based Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) in tackling the complex difficulties of wastewater treatment. Effective treatment methods are critical, with wastewater originating from various sources, including industrial activity, pharmaceutical manufacturing, agriculture, and a wide range of toxins. O 3 -based AOPs appear to be powerful therapies capable of degrading a wide range of pollutants, including stubborn organics, medicines, and pesticides, reducing environmental and human health risks. This review sheds light on their efficacy in wastewater treatment by explaining the underlying reaction mechanisms and applications of several O 3 -based AOP processes, such as O 3 , O 3 /UV, and O 3 /H 2 O 2. Ozone, a powerful oxidizing agent, stimulates the breakdown of complex chemical molecules by oxidation processes, which are aided further by synergistic combinations with ultraviolet (UV) radiation or hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2). Notably, while ozonation alone may not always produce the best outcomes, it acts as an essential pretreatment step prior to traditional treatments, increasing total treatment efficiency. Furthermore, O 3 -based AOPs' transformational capacity to convert organic chemicals into simpler, more stable inorganic forms with little sludge creation emphasizes its sustainability and environmental benefits. This study sheds light on the processes, uses, and benefits of O 3 -based AOPs, presenting practical solutions for sustainable water management and environmental protection. It is a valuable resource for academics, engineers, and politicians looking for new ways to combat wastewater contamination and protect water resources. [Display omitted] • The treatment efficiency is higher for ozone-based AOP methods illustrated. • The numerous ozone-based reaction mechanisms and applications of AOP are discussed. • The merged techniques are economically advantageous to various methods narrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable use of groundwater resources is highly important for regional groundwater system safety and food security, especially in large-scale agricultural planting areas. In the Sanjiang Plain (SJP) in Northeast China, irrigation water consumption has increased sharply due to the large-area "conversion of dry land (mainly maize and soybean fields) into rice fields", threatening the regional groundwater system security. However, little is known about the impact of large-scale agricultural planting structure adjustment (i.e., changes in cropping systems) on regional groundwater sustainability. This study estimated the groundwater storage anomaly (Δ GWS) using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data and the Global Land Data Assimilation System data. Additionally, the groundwater sustainability index (SI) of this region was evaluated based on GRACE Groundwater Drought Index (GGDI). Collectively, the influence of agricultural planting restructuring on the SJP groundwater sustainability was analyzed. The findings were: (1) The groundwater reserves in SJP and Xingkai Lake Plain decreased with maximum declines of 6.79 and 10.37 cm/year, respectively. (2) The groundwater sustainability deteriorated rapidly after 2009, from extremely high to extremely low levels. The lowest sustainability was observed in the Jiansanjiang area, which underwent the most drastic adjustment of agricultural planting structure. (3) Although precipitation increase can alleviate groundwater overexploitation, the groundwater sustainability continued to deteriorate due to the sharp increase in irrigation water consumption arising from the large-scale land conversion. Curbing the expansion of paddy rice fields or reducing their planting areas can restrain the demand for irrigation water. Moreover, proactively designing diversion projects to increase available surface water supply can also effectively achieve sustainable agricultural development in this region. • Evolution and driving factors for regional groundwater sustainability (SI) were evaluated. • Groundwater declined from extremely high to very low sustainability. • SI continuously deteriorated due to the sharp increase in irrigation water consumption. • Curbing rapid expansion of paddy fields and designing water diversion projects to improve agricultural SI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future of energy development could be soon restrained by water scarcity. Shale gas, which is highly water-consuming in its extraction, is even more vulnerable. Thus, understanding the power system's response to water constraints considering uncertainties from variable renewable energy generation becomes critical. This study presents a multi-stage stochastic Mixed Complementarity Problem for the energy sector, considering renewables variability and water scarcity's impact on natural gas extraction. The power and natural gas sectors were modeled with hourly and daily resolution, respectively. Results demonstrate that stochastic planning enables smoother natural gas production and storage strategies, ensuring consistent operations with a narrower production range. Water taxation affects gas production and the generation mix, leading to electricity price changes. Gas-based electricity generation varies up to 16.2% based on water taxation and wind availability. Furthermore, water taxation of up to 20% can raise gas prices by up to 21.1%. This study underscores the need to integrate water scarcity considerations into energy planning, offering insights into sustainable decision-making, water resource management, reliable electricity generation, and price stability amidst evolving renewable portfolios. • A novel multi-stage Mixed Complementarity Problem model for the gas–electricity nexus. • Analysis of natural gas taxation on the electricity sector under uncertainty. • A comparison of the market outcomes under uncertainty and deterministic case. • Stochastic planning enhances the robustness of the strategies of the gas and electricity market players. • Natural gas-based electricity varies up to 16% depending on water taxation and wind availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The UN SDGs are possibly conflicting with the Planetary Boundaries. • Four urban water LCA studies are re-referenced based on the Planetary Boundaries. • Climate change impact from urban water management is massive. • Radical changes need to happen for urban water management to be sustainable. Water is key to keeping urban areas safe and healthy for humans and hence safe sanitation and waste water treatment is promoted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We show that emissions from existing state-of-the-art water technologies are problematic from a Planetary Boundaries (PBs) perspective. The magnitude of the climate change impact in relation to the PB based normalization is much higher than for any other PB. The current paradigm for urban water management needs a radical change for society to be served while emissions are reduced to a level that complies with the Planetary Boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work evaluates a macroscopic system for the exploitation and distribution of shale gas. • Optimal decisions include both the water management and the gas supply chain. • The case study uses real information from various governmental agencies in Mexico. • Data has been processed through the geographic information system ArcGIS. • Even in an optimal scenario, water availability for some municipalities is compromised. This study presents a mathematical programming approach for evaluating the exploitation and distribution of shale gas from potential reserves at a national level, depending upon existing infrastructure and water availability. The study describes an MILP model that simultaneously integrates water management with the design and planning of the supply chain, from basins to distribution markets and fresh water supply from available watersheds. The model is applied to a case based on the potential exploitation of shale gas basins in Mexico. The parameters of the model are mostly taken from the databases of the country, processed through the geographic information system ArcGIS. The solution provides the optimal decisions for exploitation and distribution, as well as for freshwater source selection and optimal wastewater management. Water management strategies include disposal, wastewater treatment in municipal plants and onsite treatment. The negative impact of water consumption of the optimal exploitation systems is assessed based mainly on the estimation of the water stress index. Results show that the shale gas exploitation would favor the energy independence of the country, but the availability of freshwater for some municipalities would be compromised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposed method links fish growth scenarios and water budget analysis to evaluate and secure ecological flow for river ecosystem conservation. • This study assesses compliance of target fish species with instream flow after dam construction in Gam River basin, Korea. • The K-WEAP model proves effective in validating water balance network and conducting ecological flow assessments, offering valuable insights for river management. Maintaining ecological flow is crucial for preserving healthy aquatic ecosystems. This study presents a novel approach to assess and secure ecological flow by linking fish growth scenarios with water budget analysis. Addressing the challenges of accurately predicting ecological flow requirements, especially in post-dam-construction scenarios, is a central focus. In the Gam River basin, we assess the compatibility of a target fish species with post-dam quantitative instream flow, confirming an appropriate 4 m3/s for Zacco platypus in the basin's water supply system. This determination, facilitated by the K-WEAP model, not only ensures water availability but also prevents the Gimcheon-Buhang Dam from falling below its dead storage water level. Our study's key achievements include the development and successful application of this innovative methodology, integrating basin water budget analysis with fish population growth predictions across varying flow conditions. This approach allows the identification of potential ecosystem risks like water scarcity or pollution and determines the optimal ecological flow needed for maintaining the river ecosystem. Our research provides valuable insights for future endeavors in sustainable water resources management and river ecosystem conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We provide causal estimates of the economic benefits of water storage infrastructure. • The commission of a reservoir increases residential property and farmland values. • We also find significant increases in rice yield but no effect on planted areas. • We find no change in groundwater levels, despite the expectations of reduced groundwater use. Water storage infrastructure is an indispensable part of many water supply systems, and its importance is experiencing a resurgence due to the increasing water irregularity induced by climate change and ever-growing water demand. Leveraging the commission of Hushan Reservoir in Taiwan as a quasi-experiment, this study provides some of the first causal evidence of the economic benefits of a reservoir from housing market and crop production for guiding sustainable water management. Using the administrative property transaction data and a spatial difference-in-differences framework, we find that the commission of Hushan Reservoir increases the values of residential property and farmlands by 4.1 and 8.9 %, respectively. We also find that enhanced irrigation water availability increases rice yield by over 4 % but has no impact on planted areas. Despite expectations of reduced groundwater use, our results show no evidence of a rebound in groundwater levels in the four years following the commission of the reservoir. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stormwater ponds play a critical role in managing urban runoff and mitigating the impact of pollutants on receiving water bodies. This study investigates the potential of remote sensing (RS) techniques in retrieving water level and key water quality parameters in urban stormwater wet ponds. Specifically, the focus is on water level, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, and Secchi depth (SD). The results indicate that RS techniques can provide reliable estimates of water level, Chl-a, turbidity, SD, and TSS in urban stormwater wet ponds. Results revealed that Chl-a concentrations are higher near the inlets and within the forebay, with a significant decrease downstream of the forebay. TSS and total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations follow a similar pattern to Chl-a, being higher near the inlet and within the forebay, but significantly lower downstream. Notably, the highest concentrations of TSS, TDS, and Chl-a are observed in July, likely due to heavy rainfall events during that period. Through principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis, the study effectively captured the interrelationships among the water quality parameters in the stormwater pond. The spatial distribution of TSS and Chl-a shows a correlation. Furthermore, the study uncovers a relationship between water temperature and Chl-a concentration, with Chl-a decreasing as the temperature exceeds 20 °C and increasing when it drops below 20 °C. This relationship is influenced by sunlight availability, which affects Chl-a growth, as evidenced by variations in Chl-a concentration between the water column's bottom layers and surface. Overall, this research highlights the potential of utilizing RS techniques to retrieve water quality parameters, providing valuable information for water managers and decision-makers. The ability to generate maps of these parameters using reflected light measurements above stormwater wet ponds also contributes to effective water quality management strategies. • Utilized satellite imagery to monitor water level and quality in urban stormwater ponds. • Studied rainfall and temperature effects on stormwater wet pond water quality • Findings show accurate estimates of water level, Chl-a, TSS, turbidity, and Secchi depth • Chl-a correlates positively with TSS and Secchi depth, and negatively with turbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How interactive simulation systems can improve the support of environmental management is not fully understood. We therefore cross-analyzed questionnaires with logfiles and videos of workshops in which an interactive simulation system for peatland management was applied, to derive an in-depth perspective of its added values. The workshop participants explored the physical system dynamics, implementing measures, and the social system dynamics, brokering deals with other stakeholders. The system enabled capacity building at individual and group level, through iterative exploration of possible measures. As a result, cooperation among the stakeholders was enhanced and their understanding of problems and action perspectives regarding the peatlands was increased. Interventions that stimulated deliberation during the workshops were shown to prevent individualistic strategies, and instead fostered cooperative attitudes. The embeddedness in preceding Science‒Policy Interfaces enhanced the credibility and legitimacy of the system, whereas salience was strengthened by abundant detailed information, realistic visual quality, and short calculation times. • Peatland management strategies were interactively simulated in ten workshops. • Participants explored both physical and social system dynamics. • They consistently perceived high added values for cooperation and learning. • The workshops enabled capacity building at individual and group level. • Deliberation of governmental measures fostered cooperative attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refineries are increasingly compelled to play an imperative role in achieving sustainable management of water as mandated by sustainable development goals (SDGs). Existing optimization models lack the ability to addresses this challenge of obtaining optimal refinery water network configuration for problems of industrial scale due to difficulty in application of complex solution algorithms of mixed integer non-linear problem (MINLP) formulations to large dimensions. Therefore, the optimization formulation in this work exploits process engineering derived constraints to build an integrated superstructure, which results in a simplified non-linear problem (NLP), and thus reduces computational complexity. Further, to substantially minimize fresh water consumption, the proposed model incorporates novel features of a modern refinery complex viz. distributed effluent treatment plant based on total dissolved solids (TDS) levels in waste water, segregation of sour water treatment based on phenolics content in condensate stream, and minimizing cooling tower blowdown rates by optimizing the cycles of concentration in cooling tower operation. The formulation is demonstrated for optimal water routing and economic benefits of the proposed approach through a representative case study of a real refinery complex. Towards the goal of zero liquid discharge, an efficient new scheme of recycling treated water to the boiler feed water system and cooling tower make up water requirements in optimal ratios, has been suggested from the results of the proposed model. Sensitivity of water reallocation in optimal refinery water network with respect to crude quality and desalter performance is also presented through application of proposed optimization framework in the case studies. • Integration of process knowledge in superstructure to simplify optimization formulation. • TDS based distributed ETP to promote efficient 3WR's scheme in refineries. • Inclusion of COC in formulation to optimize cooling tower operation. • Demonstrated economic benefits of proposed methodology on a large refinery complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • An influent COD load forecasting model is proposed for municipal WWTPs. • The proposed forecasting model is based on hybrid ARMA and VAR algorithms. • The model shows high accuracy and good reliability with 1.08% of the MAPE. Abstract Due to different sources and the water using habits, the influent COD of municipal sewage fluctuates sharply over time. To ensure the treatment quality of sewage, the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) often over-aerate the air and over-add the chemicals. This results in a waste of energy consumption and increases the operation cost for WWTP. With the rapid expansion of industrialization and urbanization, the quantity of municipal sewage has increased by years. Energy saving and sustainable water management for municipal WWTP are becoming an urgent issue that needs to be solved. This paper proposes a COD load forecasting model for municipal WWTP using hybrid artificial intelligence algorithms. The auto-regressive moving average (ARMA) algorithm is used for sewage inflow forecasting, and the vector auto-regression (VAR) algorithm is used for COD forecasting. The real-time data from a municipal WWTP is collected for model verification. Besides the proposed ARMA + VAR model, the BPNN, LSSVM, and GA-BPNN based COD load forecasting models are also studied as the contrasting cases. The accuracy of the forecasting performance of the ARMA + VAR model is as high as nearly 99%, which reveals its superior to the other forecasting models for future application in the wastewater treatment plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Water is essential in educational buildings as it serves several purposes, such as: drinking, cleaning, and construction work. Therefore, it is necessary to rationalize its consumption for its importance, as it is the core of the current water wealth and it is one of the most controversial issues in achieving the concept of sustainability. Egypt is facing a lot of problems and pressure on water supplies. Adopting water sustainability in schools is basically focused on reducing consumption, water collection, and water recycling. The paper tackles and highlights the sustainable methods, technique, and initiatives that are implemented in the internal and external design of school buildings, how to manage sustainable water in schools, in addition to an access to guidelines and recommendations on future proceedings for more sustainable schools. This research aims to provide easy-to-read guideline to facilitate the management of sustainable water in schools. It includes guidance on the application of sustainable water utilization and sustainable drainage, during the stages of school design and operation. The study discusses sustainable water management in some of the global schools in various areas of the world, where these schools have successfully adopted water efficiency and preservation standards and applied the criteria and measures of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Water resource management requires engagement of multiple socioeconomic sectors. • Regional water security level approached the water scarcity threshold by 2020. • Regional water resource security has been achieved, but future decades have risks. • Improving water-saving technology is instructive in water resource management. Water security is the backbone of regional development. However, it is generally compromised by the increasing competition for water resources between natural and social systems, especially in areas with limited water resources. Sustainable water planning requires a comprehensive analysis of supply and demand patterns, which is difficult owing to scale mismatches in data and methodologies. This study investigated the dynamics and interrelationships of water supply and demand in a semi-arid watershed of the Loess Plateau, China, by developing a system dynamics model that simulates water security during 1980–2020 and future changes under different climate, socioeconomic development, and inter-basin water diversion scenarios during 2021–2050. The results showed that (1) by the end of 2020, the regional water security level gradually approached the water scarcity threshold indicated by the water deficit index surpassing 0; (2) under unfavorable climate and progressive socioeconomic growth conditions, up to 16 out of 30 years of simulation demonstrated water insecurity in the form of a net water quantity deficit; and (3) the water diversion project can offset such deficits in the short term, but potentially aggravates water insecurity risk by eliciting a more rapid socioeconomic growth pattern. The results indicate that curbing demand and improving water-saving technology are instructive in water resource management. For the Yanhe Watershed, the quantity and pattern of water diversion should be improved in the future to guarantee water resource security on a full temporal scale. We suggest a moderate socioeconomic growth rate to be more appropriate for this region and that efforts to solidify water use redlines and advancement in water-saving technologies are essential in the future. This study provides a scientific basis for the long-term evaluation of regional water security on a full timescale with tightly coupled hydrological components and a modeling framework for decision-makers to manage water resources sustainably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying operational losses in irrigation canals can be difficult due to inaccurate simplification in designing and operating national guidelines. However, this study aims to provide a practical solution to this problem by identifying operational losses, which are the primary cause of off-farm irrigation water losses. The method involves simulating the daily delivered water to individual Irrigation Units (IUs) through off-take structures using hydraulic simulation. The daily agricultural water demand for individual IUs is then calculated using a crop growth model and irrigation system efficiency. This approach offers an effective way to accurately identify operational losses in agricultural water distribution systems. The Roodasht irrigation district in central Iran was used test proposed method. The water distribution simulation was conducted using an open-source Irrigation Conveyance System Simulation (ICSS) in three separate scenarios, including 29, 22, and 55 days, and each showed a typical operation based on history. The IUs' agricultural water demand, at each off-take location, was calculated by the Aquacrop estimation including the existing information of the on-farm water efficiency depending on irrigation system. According to the study, the amount of water lost daily varied between 60% and 82%, 50–70%, and 44–61% in IUs that used drip, sprinkler, and surface water application systems, respectively, during normal operational scenarios. In situations where water was scarce, the water loss range was 4–87%, 68–80%, and 60–70%, respectively.The results of this study confirmed that losses in the conveyance and distribution systems varied according to the distance from the source and were often higher than the recommended guidelines for irrigation system design and operation (such as the 10–20% suggested in Iranian guidelines). The proposed methodology can be used to improve estimation of actual water losses for irrigation districts with similar operation systems and climatic conditions. • Proposing a practical method to assess operational losses for individual Irrigated Units (IUs) in irrigation districts. • Integrating hydraulic simulation and crop growth models for versatile application in various IUs in the irrigation districts. • The research shows that the adequacy varies 28–51%, 18–32% & 15–20% for upstream, midstream, and downstream IUs, respectively. • IUs' total losses in surface, sprinkler & drip irrigation range from 60% to 82%, 50–70%, & 44–61% during normal operation. • During water-scarcity the total losses varies 64-87%, 68–80%, & 60–70% for Ius' with surface, sprinkler & drip irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Systematic analysis of a megacity water management model and economic benefit-costs. • Flood mitigation solutions by optimal combination of multiple LID devices. • Upstream and highland areas are suitable for buffer and retaining LIDs, respectively. • Green roof and bioretention cell show best B/C values for all rainfall RPs in Taipei. • LID combinations are effective in reducing peak flow and delaying peak time. Abstract This study establishes an innovative systematic optimization model for megacity flood mitigation by combining multiple Low Impact Development (LID) devices, taking into consideration a Benefit-Cost (B/C) Analysis. The contributions provided by this study include: (1) analysis of flooding consequences on a developing megacity; (2) development of a technical approach enabling an automatic and effective optimization process, linking with an embedded Storm Water Management Model (SWMM); and (3) proposal of adaptive solutions using a combined layout design scheme. Our investigation sets the Benefit/Cost ratio as the objective function to deal with flooding in all return periods (RPs). The decision variables correspond to the allocated areas and quantity of LID devices, including porous pavements, bioretention cells, infiltration trenches, rain barrels, vegetable swales, green roofs, and tree boxes. Under such layout, the flooding loss was simulated with SWMM, and the optimal solution was solved by employing a Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm. Min-Sheng Community in Taipei is chosen as a study area for demonstrating the applicability of the developed model. Results show that the B/C ratio of identified optimal design can reach 1.448, with green roofs and bioretention cells as main devices, and rain barrels and porous pavements as secondary supplies. Regarding rainfalls in all RPs, the peak flows and delay of peak times at Fu-Yuan Pumping Station can decrease significantly in the range of 5.75–29.80% and 12.50–20%, respectively; and 9.52%–23.49% and 12.50%–37.5% at the subcatchments. The efficiency of flood detention is higher for low RPs than high RPs, while the time-delay ability is smaller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative policy processes are increasingly advocated to resolve management problems of social-ecological systems. To elucidate which approaches work in diverse situations, this paper demonstrates the added value of Cost-Benefit Analysis in combination with a deliberative tool as a support system a collaborative policy process in Dutch peatlands. We used quantitative models to assess the spatial and temporal physical effects of three water management strategies steering soil subsidence and land use. The stakeholders involved in the case study provided empirical economic data to link the physical effects to the ensuing economic effects, which we distributed among the stakeholder groups affected. The case study aimed for an intersubjective assessment of strategies for water management and land use planning. We therefore enhanced the discursive features of Cost-Benefit Analysis, focusing on knowledge exchange and the evaluation of equitable tradeoffs. The stakeholders participating in our case study appreciated the approach´s comprehensive assessments, and the ensuing multi-criteria discussion of the costs and benefits. We believe this result can be attributed to (a) the clear, participatory design of the CBA process, (b) a comprehensive presentation of the constituent elements of the CBA result, and (c) the abundant opportunities to deliberate the results. We discuss how our approach can increase stakeholders’ capacity to understand the complexities of social-ecological systems and their ability to explore the potentialities of these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, many countries across the world have increasingly experienced the collapse of their ecosystems, leading to an elevated increase on the demand for freshwater resources. Botswana is not an exception. The problem of disrupted potable water supply is widespread across the country. However, the physical shortage of water in the country is arguably coupled by lack of effective and efficient water supply and management institutions and water infrastructure. Most of the research on water scarcity in Botswana is mostly inclined towards physical water scarcity, while little is investigated on how the design of institutions for water management in developing countries leads to water scarcity. Furthermore, the premises of most research is neoclassical economics ideas, thereby offering solutions as developing and/or reforming water markets and water pricing mechanisms, among other findings. This paper analyses potable water supply and access in Botswana within a new institutional economics paradigm. The study examines key features of water institutions in Botswana on how they affect water supply and access, applying new institutional economics fundamentals. The study extensively uses various secondary data sources including weather and climate reports, policy documents, maps and charts and survey data, among others. The paper argues that to achieve effective water allocation in Botswana, there is a need to balance social and environmental water resource needs through water policies and other statutory enactments, as well as the crafting of practical management strategies. The country, therefore, requires not only a swift institutional transformation in the water sector, but also needs practical governance structure necessary for implementing integrated water resources management and driving water resources towards sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is the most important crop production limiting factor in the changing climate scenario and its intensity is predicted to increase in future. Sunflower is an important oilseed crop having 8% share in the world oilseed production. Although, it is a moderately drought tolerant crop, severe drought causes reduction in the seed and oil production. Therefore, to ensure sustainable sunflower achene and oil production, it is very important to understand the relationship among the physiological, biochemical, genetic and agronomic basis of drought for its sustainable management. Impact of drought stress on various aspects of sunflower has been reported earlier but there is not a single study describing the physiological, biochemical and genetic basis of drought in sunflower at molecular and crop level. In this review manuscript, influence of drought on sunflower achene yield and oil quality has been analyzed critically at both cell, plant and crop level, and the possible management options to mitigate the severity of the drought stress are proposed. Available literature describing the impact of drought stress on physiological and biochemical aspects (like, photosynthesis, water relations, nutrient uptake and oxidative damage), morphological and growth parameters and achene yield and oil quality has been discussed critically. Based on the discussion on the impact of drought stress, various management strategies, such as breeding for drought tolerance (conventional or biotechnological), exogenous application of hormones and osmoprotectants, seed treatment and soil nutrient management has been reviewed and discussed. It is concluded from discussion that sunflower responds to water stress by osmotic adjustments, turgor maintenance, carbon assimilation maintenance and hormonal regulations. A comprehensive research on integration of different management options, including agronomic management, conventional breeding and modern biotechnological advances, is needed for the sustainable improvement of sunflower achene yield and oil quality under drought stress. This may also contribute significantly under a climate change scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green infrastructure (GI) originated in landscape architecture and landscape ecology and is widely used as an approach to sustainable water management. However, there is no commonly accepted definition of GI for water management in the literature. This research was undertaken in South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia, which has experienced a long-term cycle of floods and droughts. The research employed the Q-sort methodology supplemented with semi-structured interviews to understand perceptions of GI amongst various stakeholders. Twenty-seven research participants included design, planning, and engineering practitioners, government officers, scientists and community members familiar with GI. Our findings indicate these participants regard GI as a broad concept containing both natural and engineered semi-natural assets offering multiple benefits and functions, yet rarely recognised its economic benefits. Participants were divided on GI's effectiveness for drought management. We propose a new, consolidated definition of GI for stormwater management: "GI is a strategically planned network of high-quality natural and semi-natural assets that mimics natural processes, with multiple benefits and multifunctionality, such as enhancing stormwater management and providing environmental quality, with social and economic benefits". We recommend that water management-related policies, strategies, plans, and design guidelines in SEQ and elsewhere, should include a consistent definition of GI for water management to assist professional and community understanding and inform decision-making about flood and drought. • Identified views about green infrastructure (GI) in water management using Q-sort. • Most participants viewed GI as a combination of natural and engineered green assets. • Most participants agreed that GI interventions at the catchment-scale are crucial. • Views on GI's effectiveness for drought management were strongly divided. • Economic benefits of GI were not considered significant by most participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world many peatlands are managed unsustainably. Drainage of the peat causes soil subsidence and a range of negative societal impacts. Integrated strategies are required to ensure more sustainable long-term settings, based on impact assessment models that simulate the interrelated dynamics of water management and soil subsidence, and determine the spatial and temporal range of societal impacts. This paper presents an integrated modelling framework that meets these requirements. We used the framework to assess the impacts of a range of water management strategies in Dutch peatlands. Average soil subsidence rates were shown to range from 0.6 to 4.5 mm·y − 1 , resulting in marked differences in societal impacts that affect stakeholders unequally. Moreover, the impacts on real estate damage and water system maintenance revealed inverse trends that result in increasingly unbalanced cost-benefit ratios. The generated insights led the regional water authority to change their current water management strategy, preventing unsustainable future developments. We find the results relevant for improving stakeholders' awareness of long-term impacts of management strategies, and making negotiation processes on goals, means, and possible future pathways more transparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the effects of partial root-zone drying (PRD) on plant physiological response, plant-soil water dynamics, yield and fruit quality of young orange trees during the irrigation seasons 2013 and 2014 in an orchard located in Eastern Sicily (Southern Italy). The irrigation treatments included: (i) full irrigation (T1), with trees irrigated by supplying 100% of crop water demand using micro-irrigation systems; and (ii) alternate partial root-zone drying (T4), with trees irrigated at 50% of crop water demand. Minimally invasive electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was adopted to help quantify root-water-uptake (RWU) processes at the finer (decimetric) spatial scale. Results show that, compared with the full irrigation treatment, PRD at 50% of crop water demand (ET c ) increased the fruit yield by 20% in 2013 and 10% in 2014. The PRD irrigation treatment, which induces a reduction of the wetted soil volumes, had also obvious positive effects on water use efficiency (WUE), compared to full irrigation. From the results of this study, we concluded that when water resources are limited, PRD at 50% level of ET c is an efficient water saving strategy to increase WUE, while other physiological and growth parameters are practically unaffected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desert environments and drylands experience a drastic scarcity of water resources. To alleviate dependence on freshwater for drinking water needs, countries have invested in infrastructure development of desalination plants. Collectively, the countries of the Arabian Gulf produce 45% of the world's desalinated water, which is stored in dams, mega-reservoirs and secondary house water tanks to secure drinking water beyond daily needs. Improper storage practices of drinking water in impoundments concomitant with increased temperatures and light penetration may promote the growth of cyanobacteria and accumulation of cyanotoxins. To shed light on this previously unexplored research area in desert environments, we examined drinking and irrigation water of urban and rural environments to determine whether cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins are present, and what are the storage and transportation practices as well as the environmental parameters that best predict their presence. Cyanobacteria were present in 80% of the urban and 33% of the rural water impoundments. Neurotoxins BMAA, DAB and anatoxin-a( S ) were not detected in any of the water samples, although they have been found to accumulate in the desert soils, which suggests a bioaccumulation potential if they are leached into the aquifer. A toxic BMAA isomer, AEG, was found in 91.7% of rural but none of the urban water samples and correlated with water-truck transportation, light exposure and chloride ions. The hepatotoxic cyanotoxin microcystin-LR was present in the majority of all sampled impoundments, surpassing the WHO provisional guideline of 1 μg/l in 30% of the urban water tanks. Finally, we discuss possible management strategies to improve storage and transportation practices in order to minimize exposure to cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, and actions to promote sustainable use of limited water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies that establish availability of water for human uses are key tools for ecologically sustainable water management. In places where water management is decentralized and dispersed across a catchment, spatially explicit tools are essential for evaluating the cumulative effects of many instream diversions on discharge and water availability through the drainage network. We developed a spatially explicit model to evaluate the cumulative impacts of surface water rights under a decentralized management regime, and apply this framework to the Navarro River catchment, in northern California, and evaluate impacts relative to formal policies to determine whether water is available for further appropriation given environmental needs. Model results show that upstream water rights comprise a small fraction of normal-type winter discharge; but they comprise a much larger portion in dry years and all of discharge during the summer dry season. In a normal-type rainy winter season, water rights comprise less than 5 percent of the average discharge during the through almost all of the drainage network: by policy standards, water is widely available for further appropriation during this winter period. Most stream reaches where upstream water rights comprise more than 10 percent of discharge are small headwater streams (zero- and first-order). During other periods such as November and April (the beginning and end of the rainy season, respectively), impairment by water rights remains low under average conditions; but under dry conditions, most streams order 0–2 with upstream water rights are impaired more than 10 percent (with some more than 50 percent). During average summer conditions, 45 percent of the drainage network with upstream water rights is impaired by more than 20 percent; and 25 percent of these streams are impaired by more than 50 percent. These results indicate that water is available for further appropriation in winter; but water rights can cumulatively impair discharge by more than ten percent in small and large streams under dry-type conditions, and by more than 50 percent basinwide during the dry season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water and energy consumption has increased substantially over the last decades. Water scarcity has led to an increase in the extraction of fresh water from aquifers, dams and lakes, and it has produced serious overexploitation problems. Furthermore, the population growth in urbanized areas and the increase in water and energy demands in industry, agriculture and households have amplified this problem. As consequence, there are several regions where is almost impossible to satisfy the water demands using the available water resources. In this context, the use of alternative water resources such as reclaimed water, rainwater harvesting and the potential use of desalinated water can be an option. However, desalinated seawater is very expensive because the high energy consumption, and this way to integrate a seawater desalination plant to a power plant to simultaneously produce clean water and power can be an attractive option. This way, this paper proposes an optimization formulation for synthesizing water networks to satisfy water and energy demands in a macroscopic system involving the use of existing water resources and the installation of integrated seawater desalination-power plants. A case study from Mexico (where satisfying the water demands has become a serious problem) is presented. Results show that the integrated system is able to satisfy the current water demands, the excess desalinated water can be used to recharge the overexploited aquifers and interesting profits can be obtained from the sales of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Comprehensive U.S. state water recycling legislation show commonalities. • Importance of defining agency oversight and streamlining permits. • Public participation is essential and included at every stage of policy-making. • Recommendations are made for future water recycling legislation. To combat increasing water scarcity, many U.S. communities are considering potable water reuse to expand water supplies. Negative public perceptions, however, have been shown to inhibit the implementation of recycling projects. Our analysis was initiated in response to a request by the water reuse committee of a water utility organization in the U.S. state of Georgia who believe that comprehensive state water recycling legislation will contribute to public support for potable reuse. Because no guidance otherwise exists, the managers asked us to review the legislation enacted by other U.S. states to recommend elements appropriate for adoption in Georgia. We predicted that common legislative elements to promote public support of local reuse projects would include a clear and compelling enunciation of the goal for recycling, a delegation of responsibility for oversight and management to specific state agencies with appropriate expertise, an articulation of the types of recycling allowed and the associated water treatment required for each, and liability and funding provisions. We analyzed the laws of the fifteen states which have enacted comprehensive water recycling legislation to determine how they addressed these elements and to recommend those policies we found most likely to assuage public concerns. These include involving both the state health and environmental agencies in developing and implementing recycling regulations, streamlining and simplifying the permitting process to combine wastewater treatment and reuse permits, and requiring utilities to develop outreach programs for consumers of recycled water. Strategies we did not anticipate but found noteworthy and included in our recommendations were appointment of a diverse group of stakeholders to contribute to legislative and regulatory drafting, holding public listening sessions during the drafting process, and requiring utilities to consider reuse as a supply option in their ongoing planning. As Georgia and other states consider the adoption of water recycling legislation, they should consider these recommendations to assure the public that the practice is safe and may play a critical role in providing for resilient water supply and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of a model for calculation of Escherichia coli transport in oligotrophic river waters, using temperature dependent inactivation rate for E. coli and flow velocity characteristics of the river and lakes. A total of 209 temperature measurements from 11 years surveillance were used to calculate transport distances until 90% inactivation of the E. coli. Three scenario sets of different site specific values for the first order reference inactivation rate constant k 20 (0.145, 0.230 and 0.555 day −1 ) and temperature coefficient of the rate constant Q 10 (2.07, 1.50 and 1.86) were tested in the upper parts of river Indalsälven, in northern Scandinavia. The first and third parameter sets represented respectively pristine water and lake water while the second setting was considered most representative of river Indalsälven. All three scenarios demonstrated considerable transport distances of E. coli with a clear and structured seasonal variation. The longest transport distances observed during late winter and spring are caused by a combination of low water temperature and high water velocity. The results have implications for water management decisions within the watersheds of oligotrophic rivers in cold and temperate climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Efforts to restore rivers are increasingly concerned with the social implications of landscape change. However, the fundamental issue of how people make sense of local riverine environments in the context of restoration remains poorly understood. Our research examined influences on perception among local residents 14 years after a restoration scheme on the River Dearne in the north of England. Human-landscape relationships emerging from semi-structured interviews with 16 local residents were analysed using an interpretive research framework. Nine recurring factors influenced perception among local residents: scenic beauty; the condition of riparian vegetation and of river channel morphology; opportunities to observe flora and fauna; cleanliness of the riverine environment; access available to the river; connections between the river and the surrounding landscape; disturbance and change in the familiarity of the landscape following restoration. These factors were not solely related to tangible outcomes of the restoration scheme, but were also influenced by history, memories, traditions and practices associated with the river. Critically, these factors also interacted rather than operating in isolation and two idealised perceptual frameworks were developed to map these interactions. Our research contributes to theoretical understanding of the relationships between humans and landscape change, whilst also considering how restoration practice may better reflect these relationships. The importance of a social dimension to the template of possibilities for restoring any given river emerges, underpinning place-based design and implementation of river restoration schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focusses on the role of iconic sites in the legitimation of policies. Traditionally the legitimation of administrations is based on national communities. The undermining of these territorial communities, through globalisation and individualisation, make iconic sites more important to anchor spatial identities and link these between groups and across scales. Traditional thick spatial identities based on a historically formed nested hierarchy of local, regional and national territorial communities are in decline. Administrations have to rely more on thinner, more forward looking identities. The spatiality of iconic sites makes them useful to communicate a consistent identity discourse linking different types and scales of spatial identities of administrations and populations. This paper differentiates between backward looking heritage sites and forward looking flagship sites previewing an ideal identity to be realised in the future. The ways these types of iconic sites are used in identity discourses by administration to legitimise policies is illustrated by an analysis of how local identity discourses on waterlogged backlands are linked with the changing national policies of water management in the Netherlands. This shows how the administration of the city region of Arnhem–Nijmegen uses a newly constructed park as an iconic site in their spatial identity discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation is vital in Bangladesh in order to meet the growing food demand as a result of the increasing population. During the dry season, groundwater irrigation is the main source of water for agriculture. However, excessive abstraction of groundwater for irrigation causes groundwater level depletion. At the same time, the loss from excessive irrigation could end up contributing to aquifer recharge as return flow. Therefore, investigating the influence of irrigation on groundwater is important for the sustainable management of this resource. This study aims to assess the impact of irrigation on groundwater recharge in the northwest Rajshahi district in Bangladesh. A semi-physically based water balance model was used to simulate spatially distributed groundwater recharge with two scenarios (with and without irrigation). To evaluate the effect of irrigation, groundwater recharges from these two scenarios were compared. The result showed that the use of groundwater for irrigation increased over the study period whereas, there was a persistent trend of decrease in groundwater level during the study period. Groundwater provides 91% of overall irrigation in the study area. However, on average, about 33% of the total irrigation becomes return flow and contributes to groundwater recharge in the dry season. Irrigation return flow is around 98% of the total recharge during the dry season in this region. The spatially distributed seasonal return flow varies from 305 to 401 mm. In brief, irrigation has a significant role in groundwater recharge in the study area during the dry season. Hence, proper irrigation water measurement and management are necessary for sustainable groundwater resource management in this region. • The impact of irrigation return flow on seasonal groundwater recharge is evaluated using a water balance model. • Groundwater provides 91% of overall irrigation in the study area and its use for irrigation increased over the study period. • About 33% of the total irrigation becomes return flow and contributes to groundwater recharge in the dry season. • Irrigation return flow is around 98% of the total recharge during the dry season in this region. • The irrigation return flow has a substantial influence on groundwater recharge in the study area during the dry season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A global optimisation model was developed aimed to maximise the value of water use. [•] Modelling for solving water imbalances at river basin level. [•] Optimisation model including water scarcity cost and water quality issues. [•] Water losses and network connections were integrated in the model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] A turbulent diffusion transfer sub-module was developed and coupled to DLM-WQ. [•] Isohyetal lines were developed to estimate precipitation distributions. [•] The LSPC watershed model was used to generate the stream flows and pollutants. [•] The modified DLM-WQ estimates hydrologic budget accurately. [•] Estimated and measured lake water levels were in excellent agreement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In highly urbanised Australia many cities and towns demand may have exceeded existing water supply. In peri-urban areas this can lead to conflict over access to supplies with priority often given to urban users. In an effort to resolve potential conflicts, water management planning often seeks to engage ‘community stakeholders’ in an attempt to produce a ‘harmonised’ strategic plan. In this paper we focus on the process of developing one such plan for sustainable water management in a peri-urban area with complex and conflicting stakeholder interests. We subject data from a series of planning meetings and ‘stakeholder’ workshops to a critical review and analysis against the project''s stated aims for this stage of the process of: engaging key stakeholders, developing a common vision, and deciding research priorities. We conclude that the approach was unable to achieve these strategic outcomes. In discussion we explore how this analysis reflects barriers in the engagement process, which highlight more general concerns about this widely accepted model for stakeholder engagement in resource issues. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of drinking water regions of southern Algeria For this purpose, 16 samples 15 water samples from the cities of El Oued, Ouargla, Ghardaia and Adrar were taken either at the consumer''s tap, or from well water. Our results show that the physical and chemical quality of the waters of Southern Algeria is poor and rich in mineral salts: the conductivity is between a minimum of 1374μs/cm and and a maximum of 4070μs/cm while the European standards recommend values between 180 and 1000μs/cm. The hardness is very high. It ranges between 42° F and 134° F. According to international and national standards, all waters have excessive fluoride levels. Moreover, Analyzed waters present an organic pollution represented by the concentration of the organic matter which is lower than the Algerian and European standards (5mg / l O2 dissolved). Finally, analysis of physical parameters and indicators of mineralization, alkalinity, salinity and hardness, groundwater sampled showed a great diversity in nature that is a function of the water which they belong, that due to rock or agricultural and industrial activities in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sustainable water management strategies are able to cope with uncertainties in our natural environment and societal domain. Uncertainties in the societal domain reflect different and changing perceptions in policy and society on how water should be managed and which objectives should be preferred. Changing perceptions may lead to a loss of social support for policy strategies, forcing policy makers to take adapting measures quickly or to cancel plans. To explore the social robustness of water management strategies and to identify under what circumstances those strategies gain or loose social support, we use the Perspectives method. Resulting from our historical analysis of water management in the Netherlands as from 1900, we present insight in the dynamic nature of perspectives. These insights may be beneficial for scientists and policy makers. Closely monitoring of perspective change and anticipation on growing undercurrents, developments and conceivable events, helps us to increase the social robustness of water management strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Because of the harsh conditions of water stress and seasonal water demand in many zones, water reuse has emerged as a key alternative for achieving sustainable water management. An efficient performance by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in technical and economic terms favors water reuse. However, seasonality in the flow of wastewater and in the pollutant load may be a determining factor in the efficiency of WWTPs. To evaluate if seasonality affects WWTP efficiency, analytical benchmarking methodology Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to obtain an average efficiency score for seasonal and non-seasonal plants. Given the importance of extended aeration (EA) and activated sludge (AS) technologies, empirical research has been carried out for both processes. It is confirmed that non-seasonal WWTPs are more efficient than seasonal plants, and this is especially true for AS plants as seasonality has a greater effect on this technology. Energy cost is the most important factor for explaining operational cost differences between seasonal and non-seasonal plants. The results of this study show how economic and management strategies can be applied to optimize the use of resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Special attention has been paid to risk assessment in water resource management in arid and semi-arid regions like the Souassi aquifer, Tunisia. Risk assessment, using vulnerability and hazard mapping, is considered as a fundamental aspect of sustainable groundwater management. To determine the degree of risk affecting the study area, an attempt has been made to combine hydro-geologic parameters using the DRASTIC method and the hazard assessment by taking the product of the weighted hazard value (H I), the ranking factor (Q N) and the reduction factor (R f). All parameters used in this risk assessment were prepared, classified, weighted and integrated in a GIS environment. Data treatment shows that large areas in the Souassi aquifer can be classified as high or very high risk areas corresponding to pollution sources located in high vulnerability zones. The areas with low and very low risk are situated in the south, which could, consequently, be interesting for future development and long term planning of protective measures. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the removal of groundwater depth, net recharge and aquifer media parameters from the DRASTIC index, causes large variation in vulnerability assessment. Moreover, hydraulic conductivity and topography were found to be more effective in assessing aquifer vulnerability. Therefore, they should have higher weights than those assumed by the DRASTIC standard method, and contrary to the impact of the vadose zone parameter. The validity of the DRASTIC and the risk methods, verified by comparing the distribution of nitrates in the groundwater and the different vulnerability classes, shows a high similarity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: North China Plain (NCP) is one of the most important agricultural production regions in China. A severe water shortage, due to intensive irrigation, exists in the plain. In NCP, crop water-use accounts for 70% of total groundwater use in the floodplains and over 87% in the piedmont regions. Surface water in the plain is limited and restricted for urban water supply. Agricultural production therefore heavily relies on groundwater irrigation; the main driver of groundwater depletion in the region. To address the water shortage issue, a flexible and sustainable water management method is proposed. The method integrates crop-growth and groundwater model, and ensures groundwater recovery via agricultural water-saving. The method is successfully tested for the 4763km2 Shijiazhuang Irrigation District in the piedmont region of Mount Taihang. The model results show that 29.2% or 135.7mm reduction in irrigation could stop groundwater drawdown in the plain. An additional 10% reduction in irrigation pumping (i.e., a total of 39.2% or 182.1mm) would induce groundwater recovery and restoration to the pre-development hydrologic conditions of 1956 in about 74years. The farmers’ current irrigation practices are inefficient and wasteful of the limited water resources. Under appropriate irrigation schemes therefore, grain yield loss as a result of the 39.2% agricultural water-saving is less than 10%. This minimal agronomic loss is economically acceptable, giving the ecological and environmental benefits of groundwater recovery in the study area. However, successful agricultural water-saving requires not only practical feasibility of models, but also sufficient political commitment, promotion of water-saving incentives and efficient water-saving technologies, and enforcement of sustainable water management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Limited precipitation restricts crop yield in the North China Plain, where high level of production depends largely on irrigation. Establishing the optimal irrigation scheduling according to the crop water requirement (CWR) and precipitation is the key factor to achieve rational water use. Precipitation data collected for about 40 years were employed to analyze the long-term trend, and weather data from 1984 to 2005 were used to estimate the CWR and irrigation water requirements (IWR). Field experiments were performed at the Luancheng Station from 1997 to 2005 to calculate the soil water consumption and water use efficiency (WUE). The results showed the CWR for winter wheat and summer maize were similar and about 430mm, while the IWR ranged from 247 to 370mm and 0 to 336mm at the 25% and 75% precipitation exceedance probabilities for winter wheat and summer maize, respectively. The irrigation applied varied in the different rainfall years and the optimal irrigation amount was about 186, 161 and 99mm for winter wheat and 134, 88 and 0mm for summer maize in the dry, normal and wet seasons, respectively. However, as precipitation reduces over time especially during the maize growing periods, development of water-saving management practices for sustainable agriculture into the future is imperative. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Aral Sea, located in a semi-arid environment, undergoes substantial annual (1200 mm/yr) and decadal lake-level fluctuations due to extreme seasonality in evaporation and precipitation along with steadily reduced river discharge. To trace the source of the lake water and understand the internal dynamics of the lake, we used oxygen and deuterium isotope composition of the lake water collected at different depths during spring and autumn from 2004 to 2006. We collected data from both the western (W) and eastern (E) basins of the Large Aral Sea as well as the channel connecting the two basins. The oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios of the lake water vary widely (+4.6 to −5.3‰ and −48 to +11‰, respectively). We further measured isotopic ratios of groundwater leakage near the shoreline of the W basin of the Large Aral Sea and released in an artesian well on the Kulandy Peninsula. These ratios range from −16 to +3.4‰ (δ 18O) and −120 to +2.2‰ (δD). The river water displays ratios of −12‰ (δ 18O) and −81.3‰ (δD). Precipitation from winter and early spring 2006 exhibit δ 18O values of −14‰ (snow) and +0.2‰ (rain) and δD values of −97‰ (snow) and +3.6‰ (rain). The oxygen and hydrogen isotope snapshots show that in addition to evaporation, groundwater effluent flows at different depths are major contributors to the lake in spring and autumn. The d-excess, ranging between −25‰ (lake water) and +10‰ (groundwater), further demonstrates the impact of both effluent groundwater and evaporation on the isotopic composition of the lake water. Thus, stable isotope ratios can provide a first insight into seasonally triggered hydrologic interactions in the western part of the endorheic Aral Sea region. Remote sensing studies prove that major groundwater leakage occurs along the entire shoreline, except for the western shore where spatial resolution was too low. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Located in an endorrheic basin, the Aral Sea is mainly fed by water from two large rivers, the Syrdarya and the Amudarya. As a result, contaminants in dissolved and suspended form discharged by the rivers are accumulating in the lake. The northern Small Aral water contained 37 µg l−1uranium and water in the western basin of the Large Aral up to 141 µg l−1uranium in 2002, 2004 and 2006. The present day uranium concentrations in Aral Sea water mainly originate from the Syrdarya River due to uranium mining and tailings in the river watershed, and have been elevated up to 5 times compared to the pre-desiccation times by the ongoing desiccation in the western basin of the Large Aral. Current data indicate that groundwater does not seem to contribute much to the uranium budget. The uranium concentration in the lake is controlled by internal lake processes. Due to the high ionic strength of the Aral Sea water uranium is kept soluble. 238U/Cl−mass ratios range from 5.88 to 6.15 µg g−1in the Small Aral and from 3.00 to 3.32 µg g−1in the Large Aral. Based on the238U/Cl−mass ratios, a removal rate of 8% uranium from the water column inventory to the sediments has been estimated for anoxic waters, and it ranges between 2% and 5% in oxic waters, over periods of time without mixing. Most of the uranium removal seems to occur by co-precipitation with calcite and gypsum both in anoxic and oxic waters. According to simulations with PHREEQC, uraninite precipitation contributes little to the removal from anoxic Aral Sea water. In most of the sampled locations, water column removal of uranium matches the sediment inventory. Based on budget calculations, the future development of uranium load in the Aral Sea has been estimated for different scenarios. If the Syrdarya River discharge is below or in balance with the loss by evaporation, the uranium concentration in the Small Aral will increase from 37 µg l–1to 55 µg l−1in 20 years time. When the river discharge is larger than loss by evaporation, present-day uranium concentration in the lake may be kept at the current level or even decrease slightly. From the ecotoxicological point of view, an increase in Syrdarya River discharge as the major water source will be crucial for the water quality of the Small Aral, despite its high uranium load. However, as it is intended to restore fishery in the Small Aral, accumulation of uranium in fish has to be monitored. Since the western basin of the Large Aral received no Syrdarya River water since 2005, and may become disconnected from the eastern basin, the slightly higher observed uranium removal from anoxic waters may result in a decrease in uranium concentrations in the western basin by 20% in 20 years time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Deliberative visioning refers to processes of inclusive, multi-stakeholder deliberation over a desirable future. Methodologies include scenario workshops, future searches and community visioning. This paper looks critically at the assumptions of deliberative visioning benefiting from a case study in Greece. We argue that there are fundamental choices to be made concerning how to frame the process, who to invite and how to facilitate it. These are not just a matter of following manuals' good practice guidance. We emphasize the need for epistemological and methodological awareness of: the assumptions which frame DV itself; the assumptions of the users of DV; and the situation in which DV is deployed. We find that whereas visioning motivates participants to work together and provides a good framework to systematize discussion, it is not necessarily effective for developing systemic perspectives and plan actions. This is especially true in contexts such as that of our case study, where there is lack of a collaborative culture and there are insufficient mechanisms that integrate effectively a deliberative process with other processes of policy or social change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The concepts of integrated and sustainable management have been discussed in detail in resource management literature, but there has been less attention to practical ways to implement and evaluate the success of these concepts at the local level. Use of a normative model, based on key principles, evaluative questions and benchmark criteria, provides a practical and adaptable tool for the implementation and evaluation of integrated and sustainable management. This paper illustrates a method by which land use planning and water management activities may be evaluated through the development of a normative model, and discusses lessons learned from an application of the model to three study municipalities in the Province of Ontario, Canada. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this paper is to assess the role of greywater reuse in sustainable water management in arid regions. Moreover, it intends to document the experience of greywater reuse in Jordan. Greywater (GW) is the water collected separately from sewage flow that originates from clothes washers, bathtubs, showers and sinks, but does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks, dishwashers, or toilets. Dish, shower, sink, and laundry water comprise 50–80% of residential wastewater. GW is used in groundwater recharge, landscaping, and plant growth. A case study on GW reuse in Jordan is presented to shed some lights on its role in sustainable water management. To operationalize this concept, water is viewed as an economic good and a finite resource that should be valued and managed in a rational manner. The study concludedthat current environmental policies should aim to control pollution and to maximize recycling and reuse of GW within households and communities. Decentralized GW/wastewater management offers more opportunities for maximizing recycling opportunities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A water stewardship index (WSI) is proposed to facilitate water-sustainable industrial parks. • WSI is synthesized by integrating water utilization, wastewater emission, and water recycling. • WSI can be improved by stakeholders' cooperation targeting the whole process of water stewardship. • The water-conservation potential is 4164 Mt/a, taking up 57% of the current consumption volume. • Up to 44% of GHG mitigation potential can be achieved under the EIP scenario for 219 national parks. The numerous industrial parks in China present crucial water issues along with their essential role in improving economic development. Facilitating sustainable water stewardship in industrial parks is pragmatically essential for water-efficient industry. This study proposes an integrated method to synthesize a water stewardship index (WSI) from the perspective of water utilization, wastewater emission, and water reuse. The WSI is then employed for 219 national-level industrial parks (NIPs), which account for about 12% of China's gross domestic product. Water use, efficiency, and conservation potential can be quantified by employing the index. The key findings are as follows. Freshwater consumption (5,476 Mt/a) and wastewater emission (2,559 Mt/a) accounted for 4.2% and 13% of the total from secondary industry in China respectively. The average water consumption intensity of the NIPs was 1,462 t/mCNY, only one-third of the national average (4,586 t/mCNY). However, the discrepancy in the intensity among NIPs is remarkable: the top 50% of NIPs have an average of 443.4 t/mCNY, which is 17% of the average of the bottom 50% (2,605 t/mCNY). Improving the water recycling rate, reducing conventional pollutant emissions, and developing unconventional water resources, such as reclaimed water, rainwater, and desalinated water, are promising ways to improve the WSI. After accessing the benefits of facilitating water stewardship by benchmarking eco-industrial parks, the average WSI improvement could reach 14.2%; the water conservation and GHG emission mitigation potentials associated could reach 4,164 Mt/a and 4.11 Mt/CO 2 -eq, respectively, accounting for 57% and 44% of the baseline scenario. Five key measures are proposed to improve the WSI and overall environmental efficiency of the NIPs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Feasibility of economic policy implementation in agricultural water management is assessed. • Water price scenarios are ranked based on economic, social, and environmental effects. • Farmers' responses to water price changes are simulated by Positive Mathematical Model. • Performance of the traditional water systems is evaluated for implementing the economic policy. • Real-time water distribution is developed by using a centralized Model Predictive Controller. Considering the essence of economic orientation in agricultural water management, this study proposes a practical framework for i) determining agricultural water price scenarios, ii) addressing the economic, social, and environmental effects resulting from imposing the scenarios, and iii) operating systems performance appraisal for implementing the scenarios. Accordingly, the framework constitutes interrelated components of economic, hydraulic/operational, and multicriteria decision-making models. The first component of the framework is the Positive Mathematical Programming, which intends to determine water price scenarios and assess the scenarios' inter-sectoral economic, social, and environmental impacts. The hydraulic/Operational Model, the second component, is coupled with the economic model to investigate how successful the water distribution systems' economic policy in the status quo. The third component is an operational model that provides a real-time and automatic water distribution configuration, using a centralized Model Predictive Controller. The automatic system deals with the adoption of dynamic water prices as a free-market-oriented economic policy. The last component, the multicriteria decision-making model, provides the possibility of water price scenarios ranking based on sustainability. The proposed framework was implemented in a real test case, Rudasht Irrigation district, located in Iran's arid region. The results indicate that the "economic value of water" got the first rank based on the sustainable water management criteria between the possible price scenarios. The results indicate that the status quo's water distribution system showed unreliable water distribution performance under the entire water price scenarios, based on the water distribution adequacy and equity indicators. However, reliable and fairly water distribution between the stakeholders, located upstream to the district's downstream regions, is provided by the automatic control system in the water price scenarios. The results indicate that employing the robust operating system led to −59% of water overused and −15% of the energy consumption, as the environmental benefits, in the best pricing scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A framework is developed to provide reliable agricultural water distribution. • The framework consists of non-structural alternatives easily implemented in large scale irrigation districts. • Spatial analysis of adequacy, dependability, and equity of water distribution is conducted. • Technical/environmental impacts of the alternatives are evaluated in water shortage scenarios. • Reducing groundwater exploitation and energy consumption is achieved in irrigation districts. The present study's primary objective is to investigate non-structural alternatives' effectiveness in providing a reliable agricultural water distribution in large scale irrigation districts. Accordingly, the following activities were conducted to accomplish the objective: i) developing an operation model of non-structural alternatives in MATLAB; ii) developing a simplified hydraulic flow simulation model in MATLAB, capable of being integrated the operation model. iii) operational performance appraisal of the developed model under the normal and water shortages scenarios, iv) spatial analysis of the obtained results with GIS to determine each alternatives' effectiveness. The developed model was tested on a real test case, extensive irrigation districts located in central Iran. Analysis of the obtained results reveals that employing the first to third non-structural alternative improved the mean value of the daily water distribution adequacy index by 6–8%, 10–11%, and 5–7% in the normal scenario, 4–5%, 8–7%, and 3–4% in the water scarcity scenario, compared to the water distribution process in the status quo. Besides, the alternatives lead to improving water distribution equity even under the water scarcity scenarios, where the equity improved by 10, 12, and 8% for the first through third alternatives compared to the status quo. Besides the technical assessment, a comprehensive evaluation concerning the non-structural alternatives' effectiveness was conducted, based on the environmental, agricultural, and social effects of these alternatives, to provide practical results. The latter assessment reveals that the second alternative's implementation is expected to lead to a remarkable 12% annual water extraction reduction from the aquifer, decommissioning about 1694 of the 14,440 authorized tube-wells within the district, and a 14.3% reduction in energy consumption. The results showed acceptable improvement in irrigation water distribution by employing non-structural alternatives under normal operating conditions and little improvement under water scarcity scenarios. It was shown that, given the limited infrastructure available in the irrigation districts in developing countries, improving operation management does not necessarily need massive investments in renovating and modernizing these districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]