IW Groundwater Learning Blog

Principle Characteristics

• The study Involves both quantity and quality aspects
• Localize in the center of North America, along 8 states: Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico Oklahoma and Texas.
• Covered area 450.000 km2
• 130.000 water wells - the monitoring is done by the USGS
• Each State determines its own water law.
• In high plains area is not only one aquifer but also 6 mayor hydrologic units 
• The major amount of water is in Nebraska
• The precipitation values decrease from W to E and the temperatures increased from North to South
• Climate variability includes – PDO, ENSO, AMO and NAMS studies.
• Climate diagram between year 0 and 2000 shows the 1930 drought and dust bowl
• The paleo-recharge is measured by C14-

Groundwater study

• Carried out between 1998 – 2004
• The core team is in Colorado and local USGS personal.
• Nested studies - USGS methodology.
• Unsaturated zone study - 
• Regional Transect Study -
• Land-use study, Urban agricultural studies -
• Mayor Aquifers studies –
• STR MODEL – (Source transport receptor)
• Unsaturated zone study methods
• Movement influence human
• Climate induced episodic deep percolatio
• Climate induced mobilization of chemicals (concentrations of chloride, nitrate)
• Isotopes and management
• Effect of pumping and water quality

Blog Rapporteur: Miguel Angel Giraut, NC Argentina

Summary

• The name of the organism is because the sweet water river 
• It´s a company that desalinates brackish groundwater
• The water supplied is for user supply and agricultural along southwest California
• Area 180.000 km2 - along Chula Vista, Bonita and National City.
• 124 Gallons / day per person
• Two different kinds of desalination methods: Heat and Inverse osmosis.
• The disadvantages of the water desalination method is that consumes a lot of energy –
• Actually the cost decreased 1/3.
• The 20 % of the energy of the state are used for water desalination
• Why do they have to use water desalination?
• During the ´90 increased the population
• During 1900 –1950 water supply was based on Sweet Water Dam, and Love land Dam, although the river flow 3 - 4 months of the year.
• Since 1999 was implemented the osmosis inverse method

Visit to Stream water installation

• Get water from a battery of 6 water wells
• The residual water is sent back through a channel to the river and water supply to 40000 persons.
• They are making research to evaluate what they can do with the salt material

Blog Rapporteur: Miguel Angel Giraut, NC Argentina

The presenter provided an overview of USGS water studies in support of the decree. The Colorado River is a large river in a desert area and has been the main source of both surface and groundwater  supplies seven US states as well as Mexico. 4 of the 7 states are in the Lower Basin.

The “river aquifer” is governed by state laws which requires a strong cooperation by all involved actors (federal and state organizations.)  The US Bureau of Reclamation has the duty to coordinate this integrated institutional management.  The river has had several legal acts to establish its management (see presentation.) The water is used primarily for irrigation, public water supply, domestic uses and also to export out of the river valley. 

The lower basin states have developed several legal, technical and institutional procedures to manage the river aquifers.

Lessons Learned:

- the necessity of having established ways for cooperation among different states and countries which have different legal, institutional, social/ cultural and water management approaches.
- develop appropriate methodologies for determining groundwater-surface water interactions that are relevant to Colorado river accounting (important for allocating water amongst the states and Mexico.)

Sites and water level data are available on: http://water/usgs.gov/nwrs/ and http://az.water.usgs.gov/lcr/pages/lcr.htm

Presented 20 April, Blog reporter: Julio Kettelhut

This case study introduced the “sustainability” notion. Several definitions (legal, economical, environment) were elaborated in relation to major water management issues in this region. And finally, an indicator was defined to facilitate better manage as follows: “the total annual groundwater withdrawal must be under the total natural and artificial recharge”.

Because the ground water resources are depleting rapidly, Arizona prefers to further utilize surface water from the Colorado River via water transfers over a long distance rather than reduce their water demand by reducing water consumption.

Blog reporters: Djamel Latrech and Abdel Kader Dodo

This presentation represents a good case study on integrated water resources management including surface and ground water (more than 160000 water points). This case describes the way by which the government adapted its strategy on water resource management due to water because of growing population (fastest growing state in the USA) and water demands (70% of ground water are used to irrigated agriculture) in arid zone.

In addition, due to challenges in groundwater resources management, Arizona is going through interbasin water transfers from the Colorado River over long distances (more than 500 kilometers).

Regarding to climate change impacts and much more increasing water demand (growing population):
1) groundwater management Act was adopted in 1988 defining the safe yield notion;
2) the resort to water transfer over long distances should be the alternative offered to decision makers given the fact that the use of groundwater is unsustainable and the use of surface water is sustainable.

Despite the goal of integrated water resource management, the surface legal framework is different than the one for ground water.

Blog reporters: Djamel Latrech and Abdel Kader Dodo

The management of water resources has a long history due to several conflicts. According to change in water uses and increasing water demand, several acts were adopted and revised to adapt to the challenges.  In the USA each state has authority for water rights. It was mentioned that in the past, when water use permits were given, it was not taken into consideration, the low river flow conditions or that the river could at times even become dry.  There are different riparian rights in different parts of the USA.  If there is water conflict between two water users who live in different states, it goes to the federal courts for resolution.  The law has been based on “first in time and first in right.”  The users that have water rights from this law, have the rights recognized until now.  Related to appropriate water rights as property, there is no individual ownership of flowing water and state constitutional  and statutory provisions—water is public and therefore each state has broad rights to regulate.

As the Colorado goes to Mexico, treaties have been signed to guide its management.  The Colorado Basin has a difficult management due to the respective surface and groundwater legal frameworks that have been developed in different timescales. As  a result, it is hard to match the legal terms with physical management groundwater and surface water.  Another interesting point is that Colorado river law only applies, in the lower basin, to the main river and not its tributaries.  While in the upper basin laws apply to tributaries as well.

In Arizona, there is then the dual system i.e. for surface water ( prior appropriate doctrine- first in time, first in right) and groundwater (ability to pump, so long as the use is beneficial and reasonable.) The groundwater management act of Arizona establishes that “ it is necessary to conserve, protect and allocate the use of groundwater resources of the state and to provide a framework for the comprehensive management oand regulation of withdrawals, transportation use, conservation and conveyance of rights to use groundwater in this state.”  The goal is to have “safe yield”  i.e. a long term balance between the annual amount of groundwater withdrawn and the amount of natural and artificial recharge.

This presentation describes well the type of conflicts between:
1) States in the same country,
2) two nations (USA and Mexico).

The Colorado river management between the states of Arizona and California is a good example of federal arbitration.
Regarding to further conflicts and to avoid it due to increasing water demand, climatic change and water quality degradation, and to enhance regional cooperation, a huge and relevant challenge is to adapt and harmonize the legal and institutional aspects.

Lesson Learned: The different legal timetable and framework, area scales and the timing of water management in relation to groundwater and surface water respectively, has brought strong difficulties in trying to integrate groundwater and surface water management.

Blog reporters: Djamel Latrech, Abdel Kader Dodo and Julio Kettelhut

Link to [Presentation]

The GEF process using Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis in shared Aquifer by Mali, Niger and Nigeria (West Africa zone) is applied for the first time on transboundary groundwater in the african continent regarding to the five GEF-IW domains: 1) marine, 2) river, 3) lake, 4) wetland, and 5) aquifer.

Three major risks were identified by the three countries: 1) reduction of water resource availability, 2) water quality degradation, 3) impacts of climatic change / climatic variability.

In addition, several common tools were developed with close and active participation of country representatives as: digital topographical and geological maps, database, GIS, Model by using data and information (from more than 17000 water points provided by the three countries).

Although several bilateral, multilateral Commissions and Authorities (Niger River Authority, Liptako-Gourma Authority for integrated development, Mali-Niger commission, Niger-Nigeria mixed commission), it is clear to the countries that no specific bilateral or multilateral agreement has been concluded with regard to the Iullemeden Aquifer System. According to this project, the first agreement to manage equitably (between the three countries) the shared groundwater resources management of Iullemeden Aquifer System is developed.

Blog Reporter: Djamel Latrech

Nick's presentation on the public understanding of science was stimulating and suggesting because he gave us a thoughtful answer to the question about how to make science presentations for general audiences.

• to take into account the broad societal issue implied;
  
• to provide background information that allow to understand the topic;
  
• to begin bringing the broad issue first and then to down (in a step-wise progression) to the specifics;
  
• to emphasize what has been learned over data and analysis;
• to qualify any speculative statement; and
• to incrementally bring the research findings back up to explain how the scientific findings address the broader societal issues.

Link to [Presentation]

1. What we learnt:

a. physical setting: offices, funding, staff, hydrology;
b. programs: laws influencing them, examples of progrmas;
c. consumptive and renewable water supply by water resources region;
d. importance of groundwater to the US West;e. groundwater resources of Arizona (alluvial deposits, consolidated rocks, precipitation contour);
f. basins;
g. flow system conceptual model (Colorado Plateau).

2. Highlights / Remarks:

a. no competition with the private sector;
b. investigation in the long term;
c. Arizona is the US faster growing state;
d. USGS as substantial database and resources provider to communities for planning and operation purposes;
e. 47% funding comes from cooperators (reimbursable matched and unmatched).

 [Presentation]

This presentation offers a variety of geophysical methods as tools for  geophysical prospecting and evaluation of groundwater (GW) (seismic refraction, DC resistivity, FDEM, CSAMT and gravity). These methods allow to study the physical properties of rocks and to detect potential aquifers. The seismic refraction is used specially when a layered structural rock exists, and when different velocities of path allow to identify clearly the bed rock (basament), from the upper sequence rock. It is also recommended for regional studies to prospect deep and extended aquifers. The resistivity method allows to identify subsurficial lithologies and structural paths of the rocks. It can be applied to regional studies to obtain cross sections depending on its arrangements  and may reach up to 3500 ms deep.  It also may be used with success to local overviews.  It is applied with good result in the study of hardrock aquifers for the location of fractures. The application of the Inductive Electromagnetic method allows to identify moisture and salt content in GW, lithological distributions (clay, sand, gravel), potential recharge in shallow aquifers and to penetrate successfully from 60 m to 3000 m in deep investigation.

The new Audio Frequency Magnetic (Teluric) method offers very good results in the study of deep and large aquifers, allowing to reach depths of sounding greater to 3000 m. The Gravity method (Temporary, Bouguer and Modelling) is used to calculate the depth of the basement (elevation). Recently microgravity measures are performed with success in monitoring GW level, based in an empirical  equation which relates GW (volume contain) to conductivity. This allows to know volumetric water content in the aquifer and, in consequence, the variability of the piezometric level. Combinations of these Electromagnetic methods are used in airborne  identification of electrical conductors like silt and clay, resulting in  maps of isoconductivity and depth.  Complements of gravity and electromagnetic methods constitute very good tools in the interpretation of geological structures in rocks (bedrock depth, faults, grabens, horsts, rifts and others). Finally these methods may be applicated in wells to obtain borehole logging. The most used are Nuclear logs (gamma and neutron) and spontaneous potential (continuous, light resolution, integrated to other data).   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Blog reporter: Juan J. Ledesma MSc, Alternate National coordinate Of Uruguay
Tucson, 20th April 2007                                                                                                                                                      

[Presentation] by Djamel Latrech
_________________________________
The presentation describes the relevant benefit to focus the attention to large aquifer system shared by several countries.
For sustainable development of this shared groundwater resources and alternative to offer to decision-makers, the hydraulic results must be consolidated by social, economic and environmental data.
The NW Sahara Aquifer System presents the appropriated way to establish better the consultative mechanism and how to move from technical to political levels.
The NW Sahara Aquifer System issues are similar to Guarani Aquifer System and this experience needs to be shared.
Blog Rapporteur: Abdelkader Dodo

Wednesday, April 18th 2007
“The International Boundary and Water Commission on How US and Mexican Sections Handle Transboundary Water Issues”
[Presentation]
_______________________________
1st point: the elements that capture first of all the attention are:
-    The Commission was established long time ago (more than one century),
-    The structure of the commission in two national and similar commission in US and Mexico,
-    Original function included strict regular meetings at technical level to prepare the decision-maker (political) meetings,
-    Flexible adaptation regarding to the issues to be faced.
2nd point: the data and information dissemination is ensured by annual water report. An open and transparent exchange of data, and i.e. data that can be trusted is essential
3rd point: During the discussion, several points were addressed.
The strategy include their joint efforts to treat wastewater at different locations along the Rio Grande.
The future vision of the commission ? Will the basin approach be accepted and implemented? Do they include groundwater consideratios into transboundary management ? The link between scientific and political considerations is crucial ? Best to keep as much as possible at a technical level and to use the political level only when absolutely necessary.
-    The impact of climatic change and deforestation are taken into account in the simulation of water management,
-    Due to ground water scarcity, sensitising actions are developed to convince users to abstract groundwater for water supply,
4th point: future learning
Due to surface water scarcity that is expanding progressively, the Commission has decided to invest in groundwater studies
Blog Rapporteur: Djamel Latrech

 “Public Participation and the Advisory Committee Process: A collaborative Partnership for Water Resources”
Toni M. Johnson, Chief Water Information Coordination Program [Presentation]
_________________________________
1st point: The main elements in US that seem original are:
-    importance given to the dialogue,
-    the involvement of the various stakeholders (users, academy, private sectors, decision-makers, etc…),
-    the strategic approach to implement the commissions,
-    importance given to the data reliability and the opportunity given to independent users to check the data,
-    the Federal Committee Act in 1972 to ensure that advice given to Federal agencies by committees be objective and accessible to the public.
2nd point: Dissemination and communication
-    It’s well clear that dissemination, awareness and communication could not be respected without strong Act,
-    The total data are available to everybody using accessible websites (www.nemi.gov/);
-    Publication of guidelines for States,
-    Biannual conference and roundtables for sharing information and experiences,
3rd point: among the discussion, some relevant items are well addressed as following:
-    NGO participation to the commissions
-    The criteria to select the commission’s members,
4th point: Further, future learning
-    The interest given to implement the Sub-committee for groundwater management.
Blog Rapporteur: Djamel Latrech

>presented Tuesday April 17^th, 9- 10 am

It is critical to have clear and specific objectives for monitoring.  An approach should respond to the questions that each investigator needs to know i.e. elements, concentration, frequency as well as type of mixtures encountered.

Concerning the sustainability of resources, future scenarios must be considered: water quality trends, reasons changes, future trends with and without scenarios for specific management responses.

This has resulted in a lot of interest about achieving the necessary conditions that govern water quality.  One needs to know info about: land use, natural status of the resource, geochemical information, climate etc.

This has also resulted in a greater value given to the manner in which concepts used for the data in relation to objects at multiple scales: local, regional and national.

The explanation of the selection of most important aquifers from the 62 largest existing in the Usa that permitted assessment  was logical. There are  local areas with unified studies (40 areas), and regional summaries in around 20 of the principle aquifers.

Existing capacities needed,  reinforced the need to promote these activities actively. USGS possesses an “National Country Manual” to facilitate the investigation of groundwater resources.

This advocates furthermore, the constant preoccupation and investments in water quality control, testing employee procedures, lab analysis etc.

Blog Rapporteur: Jorge Santa-Cruz

Link to [Presentation] by Robert Montes

It is very important to establish a strategy to communicate to the public when groundwater management is an issue.  The reason is that the aquifer is invisible and the technical knowledge tends to be insufficient.  Technically, it is only possible to study it by using indirect methods.

The Guarani project has a communication strategy at regional, national, and local levels. It has a mix among institutional, at country level, and participatory communication, at local level—mainly 4 pilot projects in order to answer local questions and take advantage of local experience.

The important learned lesson in this project is that a communication strategy is extremely necessary.

Blog Rapporteur: Julio Thadeu Kettelhut and Juan Ledesma

Link to [Presentation] by Lapham and Trapanese

Principles of NWIS:

1. Consists of a network of servers & is decentralized
2. Not directly a GIS oriented database but a geo-referenced database.
3. Composed of several sub-systems—groundwater, surface water, water quality, etc…
4. Information can be retrieved by Internet
5. Distribution of information is public and free
6. Operation of the system isestimated at $7M per year.

Principles of groundwater information system (GWSI):

1. Well identification—latlong, town, etc…
2. Well construction specification—well depth, ….
3. Data collection—daily, monthly, or real-time
4. Includes water level and water quality.
   

The group visited two dams on the Rio Grande led by Cesar  Boisselier, Civil Engineer for the IBWC.

The dams serves to divert water, based on amounts agreed in respective treaties to Mexico and the USA.  Mr. Boisselier emphasized the importance of sharing benefits.  By working together they share the benefits of water use (there are  a large number of joint projects along the Rio Grande e.g. wastewater treatment, dams, etc. to foster joint benefits).  In terms of water use, they need to be flexible to respond to challenges/ problems i.e. drought etc.  The engineers from the two countries are in almost daily contact.

Trust between the two countries is also important.  Each country has flow meters in the other country’s diversion canal to monitor the correctness of diversions.  Data is exchanged regularly based on agreed protocols.  The engineers try to clarify any misunderstandings and only bring issues to a political level when absolutely necessary.

Two large transboundary aquifers are also in this region (under the Rio Grande and expanding into both countries.) The Hueco and the Mesilla.  Both countries are using the aquifers (El Paso gets 60 % of its municipal water from groundwater- a figure that is decreasing due to lowering water tables.) Yet there is very little information about the two aquifers (from a regional perspective) and this is not part of the IBWC’s mandate to jointly manage the aquifers.  It is difficult to now change the mandate of the IBWC to include groundwater issues (or to expand the work with the Rio Grande to reflect a basin approach.)

Lessons Learned: 

- Transparent exchange of information is essential.  Further, it is critical to develop a level of confidence between the countries so that the data provided is trusted.
- Keep issues/work as much as possible to the technical level.  As soon as it goes to the political level, it goes more complicated.
- Difficult to change an institution once it has been created. Also difficult to expand its mandate given the political process required to do so.

Blog Reporter:  Andy Garner

Links: [Presentation]

1. Principles and characteristics of the basin
- transboundary watershed i.e. 4.480 km2  (1810 Mexico and 2670 USA), Mexico is located upstream.

2.  Main Characteristics in the US part of the basin
- San Pedro Riparian Natural Conservation Area
- During 2005, the river ran dry

The problem is that between 1935 and 2005 i. the stream flow decreased both in the winter and the summer and ii. Pumping increased significantly.

Until 2004 the studies that were implemented were conventional (hydrology, geomorphology and groundwater measurements)

3. Sustainability of Groundwater

Further studies were implemented concerning ecology and its relationship to hydrology including:
i. detailed study of the ecosystem
ii. further development of the conceptual model and
iii. development of a mathematical model.

Issues:
- What are the techniques to calculate natural run-off
- Geohydraulic studies include: water levels, stream flows, aquifer storage changes (using the micro-gravity method) unsaturated zone flow, stream temperature monitoring
- Is it possible to recognize the changes of water levels based on surface and/or groundwater variations?

4. Sustainable Approach for Water Utilization in the San Pedro

- Definition “The development and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained for an indefinite period without causing unacceptable environmental, economic or social consequences.”

Personal Considerations: based on the map/ model of the area (including storage changes.)

Technical Aspects- Reduce pumping near the river and increase it far from the course to guarantee ecological run-off and to minimize social- economic effects

Management Aspects- consider the management of the total watershed including the fact that it is a transboundary watershed.

Blog reporters: Jorge Santa Cruz and Miguel Angel Giraut

Neil Plummer and Ward Stanford ( http://nm.water.usgs.gov/mrg )
Links: [Paper] [Presentation - Plummer] [Paper - Sanford]

They talked of the use of chemical and isotopic data to improve understanding of groundwater flow in the Middle Rio Grande basin.

This is a 7800 km2 basin in New Mexico, USA, including a range of physiographic provinces and the Rio Grande Rift. The basin's water has many uses, mainly for irrigation and urban uses. The basin population has increased almost 120% from 1970-2000, now with about 690,000 people.The aquifer is generally unconfined (or semi-confined at depth). Over the past 40 years, water levels have declined more than 40 meters.

Over 6 years, 300 wells and springs were analyzed for several groundwater parameters. Data analysis showed that groundwater generally flows North to South,  revealed locations of groundwater troughs and relations to tectonic faults. Radio carbon analysis estimated most of aquifer water is over 10,000 years old [and thus does not recharge quickly]. These findings brought significant changes to groundwater understanding in this basin.

Thus, chemical and isotopic analysis can improve understanding of the degree of renewability (or non-renewability) of groundwater resources, and thus the severity of water availability in the region.

In conclusion:

• Environmental tracers are an important data source -- in addition to geological water level -- to calibrate regional groundwater models.
• This case study showed that aquifer recharge rate is much less than previously estimated, but was higher in the past, [thus indicating a need for careful management of human withdrawals].

- Júlio Thadeu Kettelhut