Envisioning the Agenda for Water Resources Research in the Twenty-First Century
Envisioning the Agenda for Water Resources Research in the Twenty-First Century

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2001-07-05

Total Pages: 71

ISBN-13: 0309075661

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In this century, the United States will be challenged to provide sufficient quantities of high-quality water to its growing population. Water is a limiting resource for human well-being and social development, and projections of population growth as well as changing social values suggest that demands for this resource will increase significantly. These projections have fueled concerns among the public and water resources professionals alike about the adequacy of future water supplies, the sustainability and restoration of aquatic ecosystems, and the viability of our current water resource research programs and our institutional and physical water resource infrastructures. With the goal of outlining a roadmap to guide policymakers, the Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) held a series of discussions at several of its meetings in 1998-2000 about the future of the nation's water resources and the appropriate research needed to achieve their long-term sustainability. From those discussions, the board produced this report, the objectives of which are to: draw attention to the urgency and complexity of water resources issues facing the United States in the twenty-first century; broadly inform decision makers, researchers, and the public about these issues and challenges; identify needed knowledge and corresponding water resources research areas that should be emphasized immediately and over the long term; and describe ways in which the setting of the water research agenda, the conduct of water research, and investments devoted to such research should be improved in the next few decades. This report discusses major research questions related to the critical water issues that face the nation. It lays out an interdisciplinary research portfolio for the next 20 years and recommends agenda-setting processes that can maximize the nation's ability to prioritize and conduct water resources research.

Confronting the Nation's Water Problems
Confronting the Nation's Water Problems

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-10-14

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 030916589X

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In order to confront the increasingly severe water problems faced by all parts of the country, the United States needs to make a new commitment to research on water resources. A new mechanism is needed to coordinate water research currently fragmented among nearly 20 federal agencies. Given the competition for water among farmers, communities, aquatic ecosystems and other users-as well as emerging challenges such as climate change and the threat of waterborne diseases-Confronting the Nation's Water Problems concludes that an additional $70 million in federal funding should go annually to water research. Funding should go specifically to the areas of water demand and use, water supply augmentation, and other institutional research topics. The book notes that overall federal funding for water research has been stagnant in real terms for the past 30 years and that the portion dedicated to research on water use and social science topics has declined considerably.

H.R. 135
H.R. 135

Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13:

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The Evolution of Water Resource Planning and Decision Making
The Evolution of Water Resource Planning and Decision Making

Author: Clifford S. Russell

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1848449364

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This broad review of the development of US water resource policy analysis and practice offers perspectives from several disciplines: law, economics, engineering, ecology and political science. While the historical context provided goes back to the early 19th century, the book concentrates on the past 60 years and features a discussion of the difficulty that has generally been encountered in bringing the disciplines of economics and ecology into collaboration in the water resource context. The book explores the evolution of water related analytical capabilities and institutions and provides illustrations from case studies, concluding with recommendations for research, institutional change and action. Though designed to be a background textbook for interdisciplinary graduate seminars in water resources planning and management, it is accessible to interested lay readers and those who have policymaking or implementation responsibility but lack a technical background. The book will appeal to students and faculty in water policy, economics, and engineering, and in interdisciplinary programs organized around water resource problems and questions. Policy makers and general readers will also appreciate this non-technical introduction.

Common Waters, Diverging Streams
Common Waters, Diverging Streams

Author: William Blomquist

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-09-30

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1136527109

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This book is a firsthand investigation into water management in a fast-growing region of the arid American West. It presents three states that have adopted the conjunctive management of groundwater and surface water to make resources go further in serving people and the environment. Yet conjunctive management has followed a different history, been practiced differently, and produced different outcomes in each state. The authors question why different results have emerged from neighbors trying to solve similar problems with the same policy reform. Common Waters, Diverging Streams makes several important contributions to policy literature and policymaking. The first book on conjunctive water management, it describes how the policy came into existence, how it is practiced, what it does and does not accomplish, and how institutional arrangements affect its application. A second contribution is the book's clear and persuasive links between institutions and policy outcomes. Scholars often declare that institutions matter, but few articles or books provide an explicit case study of how policy linkages work in actual practice. In contrast, Blomquist, Schlager, and Heikkila show how diverging courses in conjunctive water management can be explained by state laws and regulations, legal doctrines, the organizations governing and managing water supplies, and the division of authority between state and local government. Not only do these institutional structures make conjunctive management easier or harder to achieve, but they influence the kinds of problems people try to solve and the purposes for which they attempt conjunctive management.

Review of the Desalination and Water Purification Technology Roadmap
Review of the Desalination and Water Purification Technology Roadmap

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-05-20

Total Pages: 85

ISBN-13: 0309091578

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The Bureau of Reclamation and Sandia National Laboratories jointly developed the Roadmap to serve as a strategic research pathway for desalination and water purification technologies to meet future water needs. The book recommends that the Roadmap include a sharper focus on the research and technological advancements needed to reach the long-term objectives. The book also suggests that the environmental, economic, and social costs of energy required by increased dependence on desalination be examined. Strategies for implementing the Roadmap initiative are provided.

Water Resources
Water Resources

Author: George M. Hornberger

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2019-09-03

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 142143296X

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A scientifically rigorous text grounded in socioeconomic reality that examines both physical hydrology and contemporary water usage issues. The fair allocation and wise use of fresh water presents significant challenges across the world. To avoid unresolvable crises in the future, judiciously managing water resources in the twenty-first century is fundamentally important. Integrating the underlying science of hydrology with real-world usage scenarios, Water Resources offers a nuanced, modern treatment of contemporary water resource management issues. In this ground-breaking new text, renowned environmental scientist and educator George M. Hornberger and award-winning environmental engineer Debra Perrone examine the role of water resources in natural, social, and human-built systems, helping students understand and evaluate the complex tradeoffs required to achieve sustainable water management. Providing a much-needed educational tool that looks at freshwater resources within the context of the crucial water-energy-food nexus, the text • includes a primer on the elements of physical hydrology necessary to understand resource availability; • covers rivers, lakes, groundwater, and soil water; • relates water to agriculture, energy, urbanization, and the environment; • highlights connections between water quantity and quality; • explains the economic and legal constraints around water resources; • considers the impacts of climate change and population growth; and • proposes paths forward for the sustainable use of water. Teaching basic methods used to make informed water management decisions, the book includes illustrative quantitative calculations, qualitative think-pieces, and case studies. An appendix provides a review of units, dimensions, and conversions useful for addressing each chapter's example problems. Online answer keys are also available. Positioned to become the foremost text on water resource issues, this companion to Hornberger's widely regarded Elements of Physical Hydrology reveals the enormity of the water crisis facing the planet while offering realistic hope.