Transcript Slide 1

Measuring the
Sustainability of Water
Management in the U.S.
Minnesota Water 2005
John R. Wells
Minnesota Environmental Quality Board &
Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable
October 26, 2005
Minnesota
Environmental Quality Board
 Governor’s Office (Chair)
 5 Citizens
 Administration
 Agriculture
 Commerce
 Employment & Economic
Development
 Health
 Natural Resources
 Water & Soil Resources
 Pollution Control Agency
 Transportation
Staffed By….
Office of Geographic &
Demographic Analysis
Department of Administration
Sustainable Water
Resources Roundtable
A national collaboration of federal,
state, local, corporate, non-profit
and academic interests
SWRR Progress
 A conceptual framework for understanding the
world
 Principles, criteria and indicators to support
decision-making
 Collaboration on research needs
Principles of Water Sustainability
1. The value & limits of water
People need to understand the value and
appreciate the limits of water resources
and the risks to people and ecosystems
of unbounded water and land use
Principles of Water Sustainability
2. Shared responsibility
Because water does not respect political
boundaries, its management requires
shared consideration of the needs of
people and ecosystems up- and
downstream and throughout the
hydrologic cycle
Principles of Water Sustainability
3. Equitable access
Sustainability suggests fair and equitable
access to water, water dependent
resources and related infrastructure
Principles of Water Sustainability
4. Stewardship
Managing water to achieve sustainability
challenges us while meeting today’s
needs to address the implications of our
decisions on future generations and the
ecosystems upon which they will rely
General Systems Perspective
Biophysical
Environment
Economic
System
Social System
Ecosystems
Fisheries
Systems Perspective
Biophysical
Environment
Economic
System
Economic System
for Fishing
Social System
Aquatic
Ecosystem
Social System
for Fishery
Management
Ecosystem Processes
& Societal Drivers
Ecosystems
time
Disturbance &
Response
Ecosystem
goods & services
Economic
Development
Energy Cycling
Hydrologic Cycle &
Flow Regime
Materials Cycling
Social &
Economic
Drivers:
Human alterations
& discharges
Energy Production
and Use
Land Use
Population Growth
Transportation
time
Natural
Processes:
Society
Indicator Categories
Specific Categories for Water-Resources Sustainability Indicators
Starting
Conditions
Environmental
Conditions
Gross Water
Availability
Social
Capacity
Infrastructure
Capacity
Human
Conditions,
Social &
Economic
Processes
Alterations of Landform & Stream Morph.
Water
in the
Environment
Water Withdrawals
For Human Uses:
Quantity Quality
Processes
Water
Quality
Environmental
Processes
Ending
Conditions
Environmental
Conditions
Water Uses
Treatment
Treatment
Return, Waste and Residual Flows
Water Dependent
Resources and
Conditions
Econ.
Production
Water
Dependent
Resource
Uses
Water Dependent
Condition
Uses
Water Dependent
Resource
Withdrawals
Human
Conditions
Gross Water
Availability:
Precipitation
Social Institutional Capacity:
Social Infrastructural Capacity:
Water law and rights
Regulation of appropriations
Drinking water and wastewater
treatment capacity
Water in the
Environment:
Net Water
Availability:
Quality/Quantity
streams,
lakes, wetlands
& aquifers
Water
available
for people
Water Withdrawals for
Human Uses: Total withdrawals
for all purposes
Treatment
Water Uses
And Reuses
Treatment
Return Flows: Return water & physical, chemical and biological pollutant loading
System Capacities and Their Allocation
Example Indicators
Consequences of Water Allocation
Water
in the
Environment
Water Withdrawals
For Human Uses
Return Flows
Water Uses
And Reuses:
Municipal and
industrial use
Environmental Conditions:
Water quality
Biodiversity
Water Dependent
Resources and
Conditions:
Fish stocks
Aesthetics
Water Dependent
Resource Harvests:
Fish landings
Example Indicators
Water Dependent
Resource Uses:
Fish consumption
Water Condition
Dependent Uses:
Sailing
Effects on People
Value of Goods and Services
Produced with Water:
Water Uses:
Cropland
irrigation
Value of produce and
processed foods
Water
Dependent
Res. Uses:
Value of Goods
and Services Produced
With Resources:
Fishing
Food & recreational value
Water
Condition
Dependent Uses:
Sailing
Health
Effects:
Nutritional value
Exposure to toxic
chemicals
Incidence of
drowning
Value of Uses Dependent
on Water Conditions:
Boating expenditures
Recreational value
Example Indicators
Information Pyramid
Fewer Pieces
Of Information
Stories
Criteria
Indicators
More Pieces
Of Information
Measurements
Major Categories of Indicators
1. System capacities and their allocation
2. Consequences of water allocation
3. Effects on people
4. Underlying processes and driving forces
5. Composite sustainability assessment
System capacities and their
allocation
1. Gross water availability
2. Total withdrawals for human uses
3. Water remaining in the environment after
withdrawals and consumption
4. Water quality in the environment
5. Total capacity to deliver water supply (i.e.,
infrastructure capacity)
6. Social and organizational capacity to manage
water sustainably
Consequences of the way we
allocate water capacity
7. Environmental conditions
8. Resource conditions
9. The quality and quantity of water for human
uses
10. Resources withdrawals and use
Effects on people of the conditions
and uses of water resources
11. Human conditions – measures of the value
people receive from the uses of water and
the costs they incur, including health effects
Underlying processes and driving
forces
12. Land use
13. Residual flows – the flow of water and wastes
back into the water system
14. Social and economic processes – the systems
people and organizations develop to influence
water resources and sustainability
15. Ecosystem processes
Composite sustainability
assessment
16. Water use sustainability – in each watershed,
the ratio of water withdrawn to renewable
supply
17. Water quality sustainability – in each
watershed, indicators of the suitability of water
quality for the uses desired, including
ecosystem uses
Figure 4.1.1.
Available Precipitation
Source: S. Roy, K. Summers and R. Goldstein
Ground Water Levels
in the High Plains
Figure 4.3.1
Figure 4.4.1
Nitrate Load Carried by Major Rivers
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency State of the
Environment 2006 report
Figure 4.12.3
Watersheds with a High Potential
for Pesticide and Nitrogen Leaching
Figure 4.8.1
Capacity of Water Resources to
Support Human Use
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Water
Quality Inventory 1998 Report
Figure 4.11.1
Population Lacking Complete
Plumbing
Source: Rural Community Assistance Partnership 2004
Figure 4.11.2
Reported Incidence
of Waterborne Disease
Source: Surveillance for Waterborne
Disease Outbreaks - US, 1997-1998
Figure 4.16.1
Water Use Sustainability
Withdrawals as a % of available precipitation, 1995
Source: S. Roy, K. Summers and R. Goldstein
Collaboration on Research Needs
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Process research
Decision support tools
Data inventory
Technologies
Value of water in policy decisions
Better law & policies
Human resources
Collaboration
Outreach
 300 active participants from federal, state and
local governments; corporations; nonprofits and
academia
 Meetings in California, Minnesota, Michigan,
Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia
 Publications and conference presentations
Future Work
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Complete, revise and refine indicators
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Assist agencies
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including indicators scalable to national, state and
local levels
describing the need for programs to collect the
information necessary for generating indicators
Increase representation
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incorporating indicators of regional water
management programs
Future Work, cont’d
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Expand relationships with the scientific
community
Consult with other programs on water related
indicators
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National Research Council Key National Indicator
Initiative
Council on Environmental Quality
Heinz Foundation
Plan a National Forum
Contact Information
 Email: [email protected]
 www.eqb.state.mn.us
 http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/swrr