Water Resources Management

It's important for water resources management to be sustainable. If not, future generations may struggle to access clean water.

Fig. 1 – We often take access to running water for granted. Have a think about how different your life would be if we didn't have clean water literally on tap! Source: unsplash.com

Benefits of Sustainable Water Resource Management

Responsible and sustainable water resource management is essential for the healthy and efficient functioning of a society. Water management impacts many aspects of life, like environmental protection, potable water access, or farming.

Effective water resources management can promote development. How?

• Reliable irrigation promotes crop growth, limiting food insecurity or famine.

• Access to clean drinking water prevents diseases.

• Local water sources limit the time spent collecting water.

• Flood and drought management mitigates the impact of water-related natural disasters.

• Hydroelectricity provides electricity in remote areas, enabling industry and development.

Integrated Water Resources Management

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is an empirical concept, defined in 1992 by the Global Water Partnership:

In simple terms, IWRM refers to the effective management of water to maximise sustainable development. It encompasses social, economic, and environmental development.

Hydrology and Water Resources Management

What is hydrology?

Incorporating hydrological knowledge into water management techniques can support sustainable development, and reduce the risk of water-related natural disasters. How does it work?

1. Networks of stations measure hydrological factors.

2. Data is collected, stored, and published.

3. The data is provided to planners, managers, and forecasting systems.

4. The information and forecasts are incorporated into management – including flood and drought management.

Water Resources Management Plans

The UK government requires water companies to prepare and maintain a water resources management plan (WRMP) every five years. The plans set out how the water company aims to achieve a secure water supply while protecting and enhancing the natural environment.

Each plan must forecast public water supply and demand for at least 25 years and include a range of options to deal with a potential water deficit.

Managing Water Resources in the UK

Water resource management may vary from country to country or region to region depending on the particularities of the environments present there. Countries in which rain is frequent will not have the same requirements as countries that often suffer doughts.

This section will focus on the strategies that the UK uses for managing water resources.

Water Resource Management Strategy: Metering

Water meters are useful devices; they keep track of your water usage, and allow your company to fix leaks faster. Keeping track of water usage allows households to cut down on unnecessary use, thus saving water and money!

Reducing Water Use

The principle behind metering is being aware of your water use and learning how to cut down on it. What can you do to reduce water use in your household?

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth

• Take shorter showers and turn off the tap while using the soap

• Fill dishwashers and washing machines to capacity

• Limit hose use. Instead of using tap water to water your plants, try leaving buckets or watering cans outside to fill with rainwater when possible.

• Don't flush non-bathroom waste down the toilet – use a bin instead

Water Resource Management Strategy: Low Water-use Appliances

New technologies reduce the amount of water required to run certain appliances. Some examples are detailed in this table.

Water Resource Management Strategy: Greywater

Sources for greywater include tanks, baths, showers, washing machines, dishwashers – basically, any household water except from the toilet.

Greywater passes through a coarse filter to remove large dirt particles. Then, it is aerated in a treatment buffer tank. Finally, the water passes through a BMT (Berghof Membrane Technology) filter into a storage tank, where it can be used again in the home.

Recycling greywater doesn't require chemical additives; it only needs a supply of electricity to treat water.

Water Resource Management: New Water Resources

Extracting water from new resources can reduce the pressure on existing resources, and may provide a more sustainable pathway for future water supplies.

New Water Resources: Rainwater Catchment

Traditionally, rainwater is harvested from a roof. It collects in gutters, channelling into downspouts, then into a storage vessel (most commonly a rain barrel). Uses include irrigation and non-potable water for the household.

Fig. 2 – A plastic rainwater barrel, used to collect rainwater for domestic use. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Advantages and Disadvantages of Rainwater Catchment

New Water Resources: Reservoirs and Estuary Barrages

Reservoirs and estuary barrages trap water until it is needed. People have been building reservoirs for thousands of years – the oldest-known dam was built in 3000 BCE in what is now modern-day Jordan.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Reservoirs and Estuary Barrages

New Water Resources: Unexploited Aquifers

There are unexploited aquifers found around the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Canada, and Russia. Unexploited aquifers are a good source of water, but like other forms of groundwater, they may eventually become depleted.

New Water Resources: Inter-basin Transfers

These transfers can be used to alleviate water shortages in the donor basin, generate electricity, or both.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Inter-basin Transfers

Water Resource Management: Future Water Resources

As technology improves, what new resources could we exploit as water sources?

• Brackish groundwater: water harvested from coastal areas could be used for irrigating salt-tolerant crops, aquaculture, and cooling systems. Indeed saltwater can already be purified for human consumption and is used as a potable water source (after treatment) in countries with low freshwater sources.

• Offshore groundwater springs: even in marine areas, sources of freshwater can be found underground.

• Harvesting fog: installing meshes in foggy areas with a high altitude can produce up to 3500 litres of water every year.

• Desalination technologies: removing salt from seawater isn't a new process, but it's highly expensive. New technologies such as nanoparticle-enhanced membranes and osmosis reduce energy demands. Plus, converting metals and ions from brine to yield commercial products could offset the cost.

Fig. 3 – Port Stanvac desalination plant, built on the Australian coast. Operation costs tens of million of dollars. Source: Wikimedia Commons

• Iceberg extraction: icebergs are towed to supply water to Greenland residents.

Water Resources Management: Impact Factor

What is an impact factor?

Basically, the impact factor evaluates the importance of a journal within its field. In 2021, the Springer journal Water Resources Management had an impact factor of 4.426.

It's important for water resource management to be sustainable. If not, future generations may struggle to access clean water. Strategies for managing water resources include metering, low-water appliances, and greywater use. New water resources include rainwater catchment, reservoirs and estuary barrages, unexploited aquifers, and inter-basin transfers.

^{1. ACCG, Interbasin Transfers, 20102. Anglian Water, Water resources management plan, 2019}

^{3. Australian Water Association, Auditor-General's Report puts spotlight on Adelaide desalination plant, 2017}

^{4. Kim Rutledge, Reservoir, National Geographic, 2022}

^{5. Owais Ali, The UN World Water Development Report 2022: Challenges and Opportunities for Groundwater, AZO Clean Tech, 2022}

^{6. Springer, Water Resources Management, 2022}

^{7. UK Government, Water resources planning guideline, 2022}

^{8. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Integrated Water Resources Management, 2014}

^{9. United Utilities, Water meters, 2022}

^{10. The Water Efficiency Network, Other Water Savings, 2022}

^{11. Water World, Experts explore unconventional water sources, 2022}