Valuing Ground Water
Valuing Ground Water

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1997-07-10

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 0309175003

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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

Agricultural Use of Groundwater
Agricultural Use of Groundwater

Author: Cesare Dosi

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 9401597812

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Groundwater is endangered and polluted in several ways. Conservation and better management of this invisible resource should be a key ingredient of sustainable water policies. This is especially true in areas, such as many Mediterranean regions, which are already exposed to scarcity problems and which are likely to experience increasing competition between freshwater uses and users. Agriculture is an important user of groundwater not only in terms of abstractions, but also in terms of generation and release of pollutants. Agricultural policies, traditionally directed towards other objectives, are beginning to pay more attention to environmental considerations. However more effective initiatives are required to reduce the pressure upon groundwater resources and to achieve a better integration between agricultural and environmental policies. This book has been developed from three workshops held as part of the EU Concerted Action SAGA, "Sustainable Agricultural Use of Aquifers in Southern Europe: Integration between Agricultural and Water Management Policies" (FAIR5-CT97-3673). The Concerted Action and the workshops brought together researchers working in different but complementary fields, in order to get a picture of the state-of-the art about interlinkages between agriculture and groundwater, as well a critical review of alternative regulatory approaches and policy instruments aimed at improving groundwater management.

Integrated Groundwater Management
Integrated Groundwater Management

Author: Anthony J Jakeman

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-08-05

Total Pages: 756

ISBN-13: 3319235761

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The aim of this book is to document for the first time the dimensions and requirements of effective integrated groundwater management (IGM). Groundwater management is a formidable challenge, one that remains one of humanity’s foremost priorities. It has become a largely non-renewable resource that is overexploited in many parts of the world. In the 21st century, the issue moves from how to simply obtain the water we need to how we manage it sustainably for future generations, future economies, and future ecosystems. The focus then becomes one of understanding the drivers and current state of the groundwater resource, and restoring equilibrium to at-risk aquifers. Many interrelated dimensions, however, come to bear when trying to manage groundwater effectively. An integrated approach to groundwater necessarily involves many factors beyond the aquifer itself, such as surface water, water use, water quality, and ecohydrology. Moreover, the science by itself can only define the fundamental bounds of what is possible; effective IGM must also engage the wider community of stakeholders to develop and support policy and other socioeconomic tools needed to realize effective IGM. In order to demonstrate IGM, this book covers theory and principles, embracing: 1) an overview of the dimensions and requirements of groundwater management from an international perspective; 2) the scale of groundwater issues internationally and its links with other sectors, principally energy and climate change; 3) groundwater governance with regard to principles, instruments and institutions available for IGM; 4) biophysical constraints and the capacity and role of hydroecological and hydrogeological science including water quality concerns; and 5) necessary tools including models, data infrastructures, decision support systems and the management of uncertainty. Examples of effective, and failed, IGM are given. Throughout, the importance of the socioeconomic context that connects all effective IGM is emphasized. Taken as a whole, this work relates the many facets of effective IGM, from the catchment to global perspective.

Measuring the Benefits of Clean Air and Water
Measuring the Benefits of Clean Air and Water

Author: Allen V. Kneese

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-18

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1135988269

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Kneese examines issues surrounding benefits assessment, including such tools as bidding games, surveys, property value studies, wage differentials, risk reduction evaluation, and mortality and morbidity cost estimation. He discusses methods for quantitatively estimating benefits derived from the maintenance or improvement of air and water quality. Suitable for undergraduate classroom use. Originally published in 1984

Protecting Groundwater for Health
Protecting Groundwater for Health

Author: O. Schmoll

Publisher: IWA Publishing

Published: 2006-09-30

Total Pages: 699

ISBN-13: 1843390795

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Protecting drinking-water resources is the first barrier against pathogens and substances hazardous to health. Practitioners in drinking-water supply or surveillance - from the local and technical level up to senior management - have a key role in initiating collaboration with other sectors, such as environment, land-use planning, or agriculture towards safeguarding drinking-water sources. Protecting Groundwater for Health provides a structured approach to analysing hazards to groundwater quality, assessing the risk they may cause for a specific supply, setting priorities in addressing these, and developing management strategies for their control. For health professionals, it thus is a tool for access to environmental information needed for such a process, and for professionals from other sectors, it gives a point of entry for understanding health aspects of groundwater management. This book presents tools for developing strategies to protect groundwater for health by managing the quality of drinking-water sources. Section I covers the natural science background needed to understand which pathogens and chemicals are relevant to human health, how they are transported in the sub-surface and how they may be reduced, removed or retarded. Section II provides guidance for compiling information needed to characterise the drinking-water catchment area in order to assess health hazards potentially reaching groundwater. Section III provides conceptional guidance on prioritising both hazards and management responses. Section IV provides an overview of the potential management actions that may be taken to protect drinking-water sources. These begin with their integration into a comprehensive Water Safety Plan that covers all supply steps from catchment to consumer. Section V provides an overview of measures to prevent pollution from human activities in the catchment, beginning with the overarching issues of policy, land-use planning and implementation for protecting groundwater. Overviews are presented of the specific management approaches that help avoid groundwater pollution from the range of human activities in the catchment, i.e. agriculture, sanitation practices, industry, mining, military sites, waste disposal and traffic.

The Magnitude and Costs of Groundwater Contamination From Agricultural Chemicals
The Magnitude and Costs of Groundwater Contamination From Agricultural Chemicals

Author: Elizabeth G. Nielsen

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2018-09-15

Total Pages: 66

ISBN-13: 9780366805990

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Excerpt from The Magnitude and Costs of Groundwater Contamination From Agricultural Chemicals: A National Perspective This report assesses the scope and costs of groundwater contamination caused by agricultural fertilizers and pesticides in the United States. While other agricultural activities such as livestock operations may contaminate groundwater in some localities, we focus on crop chemicals because of their broad-scale use across diverse regions of the country. We combine data from a variety of sources to develop an overview of regions potentially affected by agriculturally induced chemical contamination of groundwater. The report also summarizes the types of damages incurred by agriculturally polluted groundwater along with an appraisal of the costs of preventing potential damages to health and property. The costs of these damages represent the benefits of groundwater protection. The policies and programs now being put into place by several States, including Arizona, California, and Wisconsin, and under discussion by other States and the u.s. Environmental Protection Agency (epa), require a better understanding of the benefits of groundwater protection. Only when the benefits are well understood can they be compared with the social and agricultural costs of alternative prevention and control measures, leading to the identification of efficient policy options. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.