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2. Water Availability: Quantity and Quality
Pages 11-23

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From page 11...
... Declines in water quality reduce the available water supply just as surely as does drought. Accordingly, water quality is treated here as an integral dimension of water availability in an effort to underscore We fact that water quality will have to be managed effectively to prevent water supplies from dwindling over time.
From page 12...
... A recent Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) report evaluating potable reuse identified several issues that watt have to be considered, including the need to improve toxicological testing of wastewater and exposure assessment methodologies to evaluate the health effects of using reclaimed wastewater for drinking ARC, ~ 998~.
From page 13...
... reasons of cost and environmental impact, there wall be pressure to develop additional storage capacity by utilizing underground aquifers. Aquifer storage systems should be developed with extreme caution because water residence times in aquifers are usually longer than in surface water reservoirs.
From page 14...
... IN particular, greater research is required on nonpoint source pollution, which accounts for nearly ~ree-quarters of He contaminant loading to surface water and groundwater in the United States. Nonpoint source contaminants are delivered to waters via runoff, shallow groundwater, arid atmospheric deposition.
From page 15...
... Equally important is the development of a variety of societal approaches, including command and control regulatory regimes, voluntary and incentive-driven efforts, educational programs, landuse controls, and the control of pollution inputs to production processes. Research in these areas is typically expensive and time-consum~ng, but it will almost certainly be needed to undergird a workable national strategy for controlling nonpoint source pollutants.
From page 16...
... Some emphasis should be given to studies of the Tong-tem, availability of contaminants assimilated into soil and sediment. Understanding the implications of shallow groundwater contamination for hydrologically connected surface waters and for the Tong-term integrity of underlying deep groundwater can be used to evaluate trade-offs between surface water and groundwater resources on regional scales.
From page 17...
... Further research on microbial detection methods, the building of occurrence databases, the development of fate and transport models, and determinations of disease risks are needed. Development of a more integrated approach that couples water quantity and quality will provide critical knowledge for improving and redesigning the nation's water resource infrastructure to meet multiple objectives under an uncertain fixture climate.
From page 18...
... In addition, work is needed to understand the factors that affect individuals' views of water-related risks so that effective risk management and communication programs can be jointly implemented. ~ the water-quality arena, the water resources research agenda for the twenty-first century should give priority to: · identifying physical, chemical, arid microbial contaminants and understanding their fate and transport; · identifying and developing innovative technologies for preventing pollution; ~ controlling nonpoint source pollution, · improving our ability to forecast the impact of land-use changes and best management practices on contaminant loading to surface water and groundwater; ~ improving our ability to predict the impact of contaminant load changes on ecosystem services, biotic indices, and higher food chain organisms (fish and shellfish)
From page 19...
... Among other uses, forecasts are subsequently used to derive "temperature degree" days, which affect the energy market; to predict severe weather, which affects transportation and regional retail distribution centers; and to predict seasonal weather, which affects human health conditions such as West Nile encephalitis and malaria. Thus, there is substantial practical application for research aimed at improving methods of forecasting precipitation and streamflow, accurately assessing these predictions, and determining their usefi~Iness for water management.
From page 20...
... , which puts at risk the water supply of semiarid regions of the western United States. For other regions, mode]
From page 21...
... Disruption of this carbon storage, either by increased human water interception or altered rainfall patterns, could have serious repercussions for the global climate via carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. Clearly, hydrologic issues related to global change should be included in the water resources research agenda (NRC, 1999a)
From page 22...
... Historically, data collection focused on long-term river discharge data for water supply planning, flood peak discharge data for flood control design, or precipitation data for flood prediction. In the decades ahead, there will be a greater need for data collected in near real time for water systems operations.
From page 23...
... WA TER A BAILABILITY give priority to: 23 ~ determining the country's hydrologic measurement needs and developing a program that will provide these measurements in an effective and efficient manner; ~ farther developing data collection and distribution in near real time for the improvement of weather forecasting, river discharge forecasting, and water resources operations; and · developing technically improved methods of measuring water flows and water quality, both surface and subterranean. Appropriate attention should be given to remote sensing as well as in situ measurement techniques.


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