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Watershed Management in the 21st Century
Published in Abrar Yousuf, Manmohanjit Singh, Watershed Hydrology, Management and Modeling, 2019
“A watershed is a complex and dynamic bio-physical system which is identified as planning and management unit. Hence, considering all technical, socio-economical, physical, ecological and organizational dimensions is essential for proper planning and management processes. Due to complex interactions among different aspects of the watershed, application of an integrated management approach is inevitable to coordinate study aspects” (California Department of Conservation 2015). A watershed is also a hydrological and biophysical response unit, and a holistic ecosystem in terms of the materials, energy, and information present. The watershed not only is a useful unit for physical analyses, it can also be a suitable socioeconomic-political unit for management planning and implementation. In essence, a watershed is a basic organizing unit to manage resources. Watershed management is faced with complex problems that are characterized by uncertainty and change. Watershed management is an ever-evolving practice involving the management of land, water, biota, and other resources in a defined area for ecological, social, and economic purposes (Wang et al. 2016). It studies the relevant characteristics of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs, and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions affecting the plant, animal, and human communities within the watershed boundary (California Department of Conservation 2015).
Applying integrated watershed management in Nova Scotia: a community-based perspective from the Clean Annapolis River Project
Published in Dan Shrubsole, Dan Walters, Barbara Veale, Bruce Mitchell, Integrated Water Management in Canada, 2018
Integrated water management has become an increasingly important approach to managing water resources and the impacts of human activities on watersheds. Substantial cuts to funding for environmental programmes and the increasing complexity of issues facing ecosystems have reduced governmental ability to adequately monitor and manage local watersheds (Conrad & Daoust, 2008). Community-based groups can offer a necessary link to help address gaps in watershed management by providing a cost-effective, local perspective for management needs that are not constrained by political boundaries. The following article provides an in-depth case study of the experiences of a small Nova Scotian community-based watershed group in adopting an integrated approach to watershed planning and management. It examines how the guiding principles of the Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP) align with an integrated watershed management approach, and discusses the successes and challenges in monitoring and managing a watershed from the perspective of a local community-based watershed organization.
All about Water
Published in Frank R. Spellman, The Science of Water, 2020
Clearly, we now have reached the stage of our development when the need for management of water systems is apparent, beneficial, and absolutely imperative. Land use and activities in the watershed directly impact raw water quality. Effective watershed management improves raw water quality, controls treatment costs, and provides additional health safeguards. Depending on goals, watershed management can be simple or complex.
Model studies for the design of inlet transition of settling basins of hydropower projects in high sediment yield areas: a review
Published in ISH Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 2023
J. Chandrashekhar Iyer, E. J. James
In the case of run-of-river and small storage hydropower projects in a heavily sediment-laden river, wide variety of sediment management strategies need to be deployed to preserve the reservoir storage and also to minimize the entry of undesirable sediments into the settling basin. Morris (2020) has elaborately discussed about the strategies available to combat reservoir sedimentation which broadly is as under: Reducing sediment yield through watershed management (erosion control methods) and trapping of river sediments in the upstream through check dams, detention basins, etc.Managing flows during periods of high sediment yield to minimize trapping in reservoirs.Removing sediments already trapped in reservoirs using a variety of techniques.Adaptive structural and functional measures.
An assessment of 2 watershed models to meet watershed planning needs
Published in Lake and Reservoir Management, 2022
Rebecca Hanson, June Hammond Rowan, Mark Green
Watershed planning applies scientific understanding of a watershed with management objectives to protect and restore water resources. The result of the planning process is a watershed management plan, which typically identifies relationships between land use practices and water quality (Tong and Chen 2002), and actions to maintain and improve water quality. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a watershed planning process, often implemented by states through their environmental agencies (USEPA 2008, NHDES 2013). One of EPA’s major watershed planning requirements is quantifying pollution loads, and watershed models are a recommended approach for estimating loads, providing source load estimates, and evaluating management alternatives (USEPA 2008). Models are also used to evaluate management alternatives to identify best approaches for restoration and future protection of water resources. However, when developing a watershed plan, it can be a challenge to have the necessary data to run a model at a scale small enough to represent management alternatives.
Managing the wicked problem of Devils Lake flooding along the US–Canada border
Published in International Journal of Water Resources Development, 2019
Gehendra Kharel, Rebecca Romsdahl, Andrei Kirilenko
In the Devils Lake dispute, we find a reduced ability of federal governments and the existing legal mechanism (BWT) to capitalize on opportunities to better manage the problem. To improve this situation, we recommend that Red River basin stakeholders seize the advantages of a green paradiplomacy framework by increasing the scope of existing agreements and scrutinizing all possible drivers of conflicts, including climate change and land management. Doing this may lead to development of a sustainable, resilient management framework in the region. Multiple studies indicate increased benefits and reduced conflicts for stakeholders with watershed management that emphasizes collaboration and cooperation and accounts for uncertainties, exceptions and extremes. We believe green paradiplomacy has this potential for long-term management of transboundary environmental problems through collaboration and negotiation among local stakeholders. It can allow local actors to pass necessary regulations faster and easier and thereby help reduce the ‘waiting time’ during emergencies for federal governments to act and treaties to execute. Perhaps our study may encourage discussion of this idea by stakeholders to manage transboundary wicked environmental problems in the region and elsewhere.