Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Mexico Proceedings of a Workshop (2007) / Chapter Skim
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Where Do Decision-Makers Get Advice? Sustainability and Groundwater Management Decisions
Where Do Decision-Makers Get Advice? Sustainability and Groundwater Management Decisions
Pages 44-51
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From page 44... ...
Ragone, National Groundwater Association A major issue facing global societies is water sustainability -- having enough goodquality, reasonably priced water to meet all future needs, region by region. In seeking the goal of a sustainable future the decision maker must justify the cost to achieve this goal against expenditures to resolve more immediate and pressing societal problems.
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From page 45... ...
The reality, however, is that pumpage from deeper confined parts of groundwater systems is now routinely used to supply water in many places throughout the world -- but not without effect. Pumpage from confined regional aquifers alters the dynamic equilibrium (see "B" in Figure 2)
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From page 46... ...
of the streamflow of 54 streams throughout the United States. The interconnection between groundwater and surface water reinforces the "commongood" valuation of groundwater (as compared with its value as a commodity)
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From page 47... ...
As most water-management actions take place at the local and regional scales, the decision maker must also be aware of the different water supply and waste disposal requirements of urban, rural and agricultural areas in his/her region, as well as the role of planned and inadvertent point and nonpoint pollution in either diminishing the availability of usable water reserves or increasing water-development costs. Finally, the decision maker must recognize the role groundwater plays as part of the broader ecological system, "the running streams, wetlands, and all the plants and animals that depend on it," (Sophocleous, 1997)
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From page 48... ...
. In the United States the public's growing disaffection with dams -- a social phenomenon arising out of ecological concerns -- and the fact that virtually all surface waters are fully allocated strongly suggests that groundwater will become a more important component of water supplies in the future.
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From page 49... ...
the security of the country...." Likewise, it could be argued that the "exploitation" of groundwater in parts of the High Plains aquifer to stabilize agricultural production and community structure following the droughts of the 1930s also served the United States well. Thus, although the consequences of the "exploitation" of water resources to meet immediate socio-economic needs may be viewed as undermining the long-term goal of sustainable water resources the decision about the "best" use of groundwater reserves will ultimately be decided by society as it ponders more pragmatic, present-day concerns.
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From page 50... ...
Groundwater Regions of the United States; U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2242.
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From page 51... ...
Geological Survey Circular 1139.
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