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The coastal freatic aquifer of the Cervia city is polluted by salt water. Protection of fresh groundwater resources in this area is complicated by the presence of multiple stakeholders and by the fragmentation of the authorities responsible for land planning. Most of the topography is under sea level or in its close proximity. Consequently, most of the aquifer does not have a hydraulic head able to prevent the intrusion of the salt wedge at its base (Ghyben-Herzberg principle).Water table and salinity maps show an aquifer almost completely invaded by salt water with bubbles of surface fresh water almost completely confined to elevated areas located near the coast. The study identified as causes of salt water intrusion: direct contamination from canals open to sea, subsidence, drainage of farmland, groundwater extraction from wells along the shoreline (bathing establishments) and, last, groundwater winning from private wells inland. On the basis of these results some mitigation action can be proposed: the lining of the salt canals, a different management plan for the floodgates on the canals, to provide shoreline establishments with freshwater from other fresh water resources as a measure to stop direct tapping from the aquifer. Keywords: Saltwater Intrusion, Unconfined Costal Aquifer [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss new practices in water management regarding the involvement of people and stakeholders in the policy-making process. We intend to identify criteria that help in selecting a suitable type of participation for a specific case. After a broad exploration of some basics in literature about decision-making and public participation, we concentrate on adaptive management resulting from the ecosystem approach. Based on the level of interaction, we indicate six levels of participation between water managers and actors in society. Keeping in mind a distinction between a pluralist and a corporatist approach, we proceed with major criteria that play a role in the selection of a suitable design for a participatory decision-making. We conclude with some important questions that should be addressed in order to find a model that enables water managers to decide about their optimal styles of public and stakeholder participation in practical cases of decision-making. Keywords: stakeholder participation, interactive policy-making, integrated water management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a vital substance, essential for most life processes and as a liquid flow resource is the connector of all components of ecological and life systems. It is the environmental integrator. As a resource, water is both a natural component of nature and a commodity, or resource, that may be used by people for the benefit of society. This use is called management. Water has inherent characteristics that allow it to maintain processes and thus provide services;this inherent character is called the carrying capacity. Examples of carrying capacity may be waters ability to assimilate wastes, or dissipate excessive heat, or support a given amount of life. If the effects of such activities become large in magnitude and exceed the carrying capacity of water, it becomes srtessed and its capabilities to provide the services may cease.If ecosystems become stressed and impaired those that are dependent on ecosystems likewise become stressed, including human beings. As the liquid that connects all components of ecosystem there are symptoms, called environmental indicators, that may be used to assess the stress level of water; much like there are indicators that are employed to assess stress levels in human systems, e,g, pH, content of chemicals,presence of microbes. Indicators must represent or be correlated with effects of management. In addition these indicators must be relevant, acceptable, measurable, timely and sensitve. To asses effects of management and potential irreversible impact on water systems some reference for comparison is most helpful. One approach in flow water systems is the "input-output" model. Here an indicator is chosen and measured prior to an activity and measured again following the activity; this provides an index of impact and degree of stress. Keywords: environment; indicators; carrying capacity; water resources management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present paper gives an overview of transboundary lagoons and river basins in the South-Eastren Baltic, with specific focus on the Vistula Lagoon catchment as a main shared watershed between Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian Federation) and Poland. Management issues for shared river basins in Kaliningrad Oblast are discussed. Keywords: shared river basins, shared lagoons, transboundary management, GIS analysis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing pressure on use of the water resources but at the same time, there are growing concerns on the ecological status of surface or ground water dependent ecosystems. Riparian wetlands belong to this group. The ecological characteristics, which describe the status of riparian wetlands, are mostly connected to the phenomena of flooding. In this paper main flood characteristics i.e. flooding area, average depth of flooding and flooding frequency were used in order to evaluate the best release policy of water reservoir located upstream from the protected wetlands. The hydrodynamic model coupled with hydrological models of tributaries and water balance model of water reservoir was used for this purpose. It was found that only average flood can be impacted by the reservoir policy. Extreme events can not be controlled and very small floods can be increased by the reservoir operation in combination with water release from the drainage schemes located on major tributaries. Keywords: water management, hydrodynamic modeling, flood, GIS dynamic analysis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation can be a valuable tool for River Basin Management Planning (RBMP), if used properly. In many planning procedures, participation moments are envisioned, but are poorly implemented due to an underestimation of the required time and effort. The design of an "integrated" river basin management plan requires participation as a medium for collaboration among policy domains, scientific disciplines and stakeholders. It is clear that the tools and strategies that are used for participation vary and depend on the stage of plan design, the objectives of the participation and the involved partners. A pilotstudy implementation of a RBMP-methodology revealed a series of practical shortcomings and challenges. The success or failure of participation depends largely on an adaptive and flexible planning team that unites a great deal of insight in human nature with an adequate competence to support decisionmaking. Decisional support should have an appropriate level of transparency, accuracy, integration and complexity that complies with the type of participation and the type of decisions to be made. More effort should be put in the analysis of the stakeholder positioning and the creation of incentives for cooperation. Keywords: Integrated River Basin Management, Water Framework Directive, Participation, Decision Support, PPGIS, Land-Use Planning [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following an overview of the IWRM concept, the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP) HELP (Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy) programme will be outlined which addresses issues linked with stakeholder dialogue, the science-water law and water policy interface, the identification of vulnerability of drainage basins to global change, the forest and water issues, the food and water policy issue, the need for a more integrated scientific approach and how to undertake HELP in developing countries which lack both hydrological and human technical resources infrastructure. Keywords: Integrated water resources management, HELP, water policy issues interfaced with scientific research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greece exhibits a complicated and of extreme beauty natural environment consisting of a "mosaic" of interrelated physiographic and climatic types which is reflected in the presence of a great variety of ecosystems with highly diverse flora and fauna. Within the national territory are situated about 400 wetlands. The Water Framework Directive (WFD), being now in an implementation process, requires that the functioning of wetland ecosystems should be understood when managing ecosystems in the framework of Integrated Water Management (IWM). To this respect, plans are formulated and their very aim is the application of IWM models in the study areas, which will constitute the main administrative tools for the formation and further periodical update of the Management Plans per River Basin. The STRYMON River Project, in Northern Greece, is a pilot project facilitating the formulation and optimal implementation of the above plans. The overall objective is to promote the sustainable management of surface and ground water bodies. Four Natura 2000 sites, including Lake Kerkini are included in the Strymon River's catchment area. This pilot project involves four distinctive sets of activities: a) Planning for sustainable tourism, b) creation of a database for matters of nature, c) public awareness activities and d) elaboration of a monitoring system in the Strymon delta and the coastal zone of Strymonikos Gulf. The main characteristics and the expected results of the Strymon project are presented in this paper. Keywords: integrated water management, wetland ecosystems protection, sustainable water management, wetland ecosystems protection, sustainable river management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution, increase of water demand, and Global Climatic Changes are the main threats that affect water resources and that make crucial the development of effective planning and management strategies of water resources. Agriculture is one of the most important human activity with a major impact on water resources as it requires huge amounts of water and fertilizers. In the Azores Islands, the impacts of agriculture and dairy farming on groundwater quality are deeply felt, as well as the need of effective tools to support decisions. In this work, the architecture of a Decision Support System (DSS) for integrated water management in Terceira Island (Azores) is presented. Great attention is given to the description of the case study and to the different types of models that are necessary. The DSS includes chemical/physical/ecological models and decision models, in order to propose strategies based on optimisation criteria. In particular, four sub-models (hydraulic, chemical, agricultural, and dairy farming) are considered, and decision variables, objectives, and constraints of the decision problem are identified. Keywords: Optimization, Dynamic modelling, Water Quality, Dairy Farming, Agricultural Practices [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Scheldt watershed is a transboundary hydrosystem which extends on three countries (France, Belgium and the Netherlands). It is characterized by a very strong urbanization and a very strong hydrological artificialisation both in surface and underground dynamic flows. These human impacts are already very present in the upstream basin (in France) as well as their downstream consequences in Belgium and in the Netherlands. In France, one of the main issues relates to the relative variations of water (surface and underground) and ground levels including their consequences in quantity (i.e. floods and low water periods), in quality (i.e. pollution of surface and ground waters) and their socio-economic impacts. This paper expose and analyze the upstream case study in the perspective of the hydrological link at basin scale. Keywords: Scheldt, transboundary basin, surface and groundwater levels, urbanization, demographic pressure, intensive agriculture, heavy industry, France [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through dialogues between partners, a river contract intends to develop and restore the multiple functions and uses of water in answer to the needs of a community of users. Under this scheme, both government and private-sector players commit themselves by means of a contract to implement a consensus action programme to restore the river and its drainage basin's water resources. Information and awareness campaigns are added to concrete actions of waterway development and different sorts of work connected to water. The river committee is a place for democratic speech where the familiar rubs shoulders with the institutional, where citizens meet operators, where the life forces of society are finally brought together to take charge of their river's future and their relationship with the river. In this way, a joint project has been bringing together Belgian and French protagonists since 1999, trough the Interreg II and Interreg III operational programmes. They work now together in a joint management of the river and its tributaries, this time on the scale of the entire Semois-Semoy hydrographical subdrainage basin. This article describe the concept and the methodology of this concrete transboundary collaboration, the results and the perspectives. Keywords: river contract; drainage basin; participative management tool; stakeholders; action programme; local level; transboundary project Interreg III [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bouregreg basin in Morocco, having a surface of around 10000 km2, has its water resources diminishing over time at an increasing rate because of the rising demand and the climatic conditions. The total population in the basin is around 2 million persons and lives mainly in the urban centres of Rabat, Sale and Khémisset. The main land uses in the basin are agriculture, grazing, forest, urban and rural settlements. The aim of proposing the basin in the UNESCO/HELP programme is to contribute to the integrated management of water resources in this basin by conducting studies on the definition of the development of potentials and constraints of the resource, identification of the changes that have arise in uses and in biological resources, the characterisation of the current state of the ecosystem and assessing modifications in these components, the determination of the current state of human activities and natural phenomena and the incorporation of this knowledge to draw a diagnosis of the site which will serve as a basis for developing a framework for an Integrated master plan for integrated water management in the basin. Keywords: Bouregreg basin, HELP program, water resources, Morocco [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts between nature protection and natural water resources exploitation arise only when intensive use of water recourses provokes stress in water ecosystems. In water management it is very important to define the ecological and human carrying capacity of water ecosystems. Determination of indicators helps to do this. That was one of the goals of the "Integrated Water Management" pilot study. Since 1984 the biggest Lithuanian Druksiai Lake has started to serve as a cooler for the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP). The INPP operation has disturbed the natural hydrological and hydrothermal regime causing intensified evaporation and exerting impact on the lake hydrochemical properties. The above mentioned effects have led to irreversible changes in the unique lake ecosystem. The aim of this case study is to evaluate the changes in the lake ecosystem due to the impact of the nuclear power station. Water temperature is determined as an indicator of the effects in the lake ecosystem. Keywords: water temperature; cooler-lake; nuclear power plant [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ulster Blackwater River has a cross-border catchment and is one of the major inflowing rivers of Lough Neagh. It is a traditional salmon fishery that has been impacted by channelisation and eutrophication. There is evidence linking agricultural soils as sources of acute mass phosphorus transfer to the river system during storm events and chronic phosphorus transfers from other sources compound this during non-storm periods. Management of this particular impact is being demonstrated in a project in three 5km2 sub-catchments of the Blackwater River. The aims are to define and mitigate against both acute and chronic phosphorus transfers and to focus this management within a landscape framework. This work integrates agricultural stakeholders with scientists and a tripartite organization of local jurisdictions. Keywords: eutrophication; phosphorus; catchments [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulgaria has suffered from considerable economic damages in the past and today, because of frequent droughts and floods. Throughout 1982-1994 one of the drought periods was observed. The runoff diminished and this led to dangerous decline of water levels in reservoirs, and was a major reason for a limited supply of drinking water. Particularly dangerous for drinking water quality were the cases of reaching the water minimum in the reservoirs. This phenomenon was also due to some faults in water management related to water allocation. In many drinking water treatment plants appropriate anti-turbidity and oxidation reagents, reagents for manganese, iron and phytoplankton removal were not used, because of inadequate water treatment technologies applied. A case study for establishing the Iskar Reservoir Minimum Sanitary Storage Capacity (MSSC) according to the water treatment technologies was carried out. The specific chemical and biological water quality state indicators coherent to the water supply function were specified and investigated during one-year period, and the obtained results are given and discussed. In conclusion recommendations that could improve drinking water supply management are made and an attempt for environmental indicators classification for the Iskar Reservoir is made, which could assist policy- and decision-makers in taking useful advanced actions. Keywords: Iskar Reservoir, water quality, sanitary storage capacity, environmental indicators [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sete Cidades lake in the Azores, is located in a volcanic crater. Increased frequency of logging (380 hectares of production forests) and the use of fertilizers on pastures and forages (450 hectares) that sustain 750 cows, provide direct employment to 67 farmers and induce employment to more 50 actives, but also increases the eutrophycation and sedimentation of the lake. To address the issue an integrated model generates efficient land use scenarios for different degrees of phosphorus emissions with related effects in the water quality. The model is used to obtain various indicators for each scenario that feed a multi-objective program able to find the dominant solutions. The final solution is chosen by the politicians: 600 cows that produce 3.0 millions of milk, provide direct employment to 55 farmers and induce employment to more 41 actives. This, jointly with a partial stream deviation, allows a reduction of 63% of the phosphorus load to the lake. Compensatory measures pay the farmers their losses and compensate the community for the lost employment. Keywords: integrated water management; decision support system; Azores [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake management strategies must be based on sound scientific knowledge and are subject to constant changes. The International Commission for the Protection of Lake Constance (IGKB) is a good example of a successful international commission which acts on a broad consensus amongst the many interests and users around Lake Constance. As such, eutrophication was successfully battled, and nowadays integral water protection, including qualitative, quantitative and morphological aspects, is performed. This reflects a new philosophy and conception of nature and environmental protection. Keywords: Lake Constance; lake management; monitoring; integral water protection; transboundary; transdisciplinary; eutrophication; catchment approach; ecosystem integrity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-gradient, forested wetland landscape of the southeastern United States' Coastal Plain represents an important eco-hydrologic system, yet there is a very little information available on the region's ecological, hydrological and biogeochemical processes. Long-term hydrologic monitoring can provide the information needed to understand basic hydrologic processes and their interactions with climatic variation, ecosystem processes, land use change, and other natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Monitoring also provides researchers with baseline data for evaluating responses, generating new scientific hypotheses, and testing eco-hydrologic models. This information is crucial for the sustainable management of present and future water resources in the southeastern Coastal Plain region, with its growing population, rapidly expanding development, and intensive timber and agricultural industries. This paper presents a multi-collaborative approach for building a monitoring and modeling framework for conducting long-term eco-hydrological studies on a 5,000 ha watershed in the South Carolina Coastal Plain. Keywords: Low-gradient, Coastal plain, Forested wetlands, Water management, Water quality, Monitoring, Modeling, Francis Marion National Forest [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key features of water conflicts within the context of Integrated Water Resources Management are first identified. The issue of transboundary water resources is briefly discussed and an overview of the main undergoing actions in this sector at the international level is provided. Attention is then moved towards the local dimension with particular reference to the situation of Italy: key water conflicts are depicted, focusing on application of minimum instream flow regulations, flooding and landslide risk, artificialization of water courses, regional water transfer, and multipurpose water management. Finally, some principles and possible solutions are discussed. Keywords: integrated water resources management (IWRM); transboundary river management; water conflicts; river restoration [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section presents the NetSyMoD approach- where NetSyMoD stands for Network Analysis - Creative System Modelling - Decision Support. It represents the outcome of several years of research at FEEM in the field of natural resources management, environmental evaluation and decision-making, within the Natural Resources Management Research Programme. NetSyMoD is a flexible and comprehensive methodological framework, which uses a suite of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tools, aimed at facilitating the involvement of stakeholders or experts in policy- or decision-making processes (P/DMP). A generic P/DMP is formalised in NetSyMoD as a sequence of six main phases: (i) Actors analysis; (ii) Problem analysis; (iii) Creative System Modelling; (iv) DSS design; (v) Analysis of Options; and (vi) Action taking and monitoring. Several variants of the NetSyMoD approach have been applied so far in different contexts: integrated water resources management, agri-environmental policy, coastal management, etc. The various applications of NetSyMoD share the same approach for problem analysis and communication within the group of actors, based upon the use of creative thinking techniques, the formalisation of human-environment relationships through the DPSIR framework, and the use of multi-criteria analysis through the DSS software. The NetSyMoD framework was devised to tackle problems commonly encountered under integrated water management, as it originated from a series of European research projects in support of the EU Water Framework Directive. Experiences showed that the framework can be applied more broadly to any other field of environmental modelling and decision making, in which an integrated approach is needed, in a public participation context. Keywords: social network, integrated analysis, participatory modelling, decision support [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach to tackling management problems of water resources is the introduction of the advanced ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies). In IWM (Integrated Water Management) and, in general, in the environmental field the power of these technologies has allowed for large-scale data collection campaigns. The number of parameters that must be measured to monitor an ecosystem is potentially high. Systematic measurement of those parameters generates huge amounts of data that should be suitably interpreted and used. A pragmatic approach has to be used to get the best information = knowledge from all this data. Within such amounts of data there is a lot of hidden information, in terms of models, patterns and trends. But information is difficult to be extracted since data is of varying quantity and quality. As a consequence, semi-automatic knowledge extraction from data has gained great importance within the economic and scientific community. Knowledge Discovery from Databases (KDD) has emerged as a framework where a plethora of techniques for identifying useful and understandable patterns in data have flourished. Most of those techniques can be used with success in the environmental field and, in particular, in IWM. In this paper we give an overview of what KDD is and mention some applications in these areas. Keywords: Integrated Water Management, Data Mining, Environmental Databases [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Mediterranean environment, specific aspects related to integrated water management are emphasized: water scarcity (droughts) or water excess (floods). Water-induced disasters are increasing in number and severity and international institutional frameworks to reduce disasters are being strengthened under the United Nations oversight. Italy, as well as many other Mediterranean countries, invested a large sum of money in water-related risk mitigation. In this paper, flood mitigation actions focusing on different aspects of the problem (urban planning and warning, floods management) and on different levels (scientific, technical, political, social) are presented. Their possible transfer into a broader integrated water management (IWM) scheme is discussed. Techniques for environmental data gathering from different sources (multi-sensor retrieved data), models for hydrologic cycle simulation and systems for social awareness improvement are described. These experiences where supported by different expertises that can be highly beneficial to other aspects of IWM levels from local to regional level. Keywords: integrated water management; early warning; natural hazards; disasters Reduction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the complexity and the uncertainties of social and natural systems and the associated unpredictable events, it seems that the contemporary planning systems are no longer pertinent. We need to adopt ecosystem approaches which imply undertaking holistic planning and management that aim at the integration of natural and social sciences and traditional values. It is necessary to converge to adaptive and collaborative approaches which emphasise active public participation and social learning. All these considerations have implications on water management. Keywords: approaches, adaptive, planning, management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The path towards effective decisions on the integrated management of a water system requires a deep process of knowledge acquisition. System and information engineering can provide methodologies and tools to support the decisional process. In this chapter, a reference framework as regards the information processes to support decisions on water systems is formalized, with emphasis on: optimization where the management criteria to support decisions are formalized in a Decision Support System; and Geographic Information Systems where data and results can be viewed, processed and stored. Keywords: Decision Support Systems, Geographic Information Systems, Integrated Water Management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a "sine qua non" for life and, due to the increasing human population and our growing needs, the amount of water needed is increasing steadily (Gleick, 2003). On the other hand, the available water resources are declining. Furthermore, water is needed both for men and for all ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]