Adaptive management in groundwater planning and development: A review of theory and applications

Thomann, Jason A.; Werner, Adrian D.; Irvine, Dylan J.; Currell, Matthew

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.124871

Cited by 42 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Finally, stakeholder and institutional support for successful implementation of groundwater sustainability principles requires considerable time, funding and effort. The long duration and high uncertainty associated with sustainable groundwater management means that institutional capacity and commitment to ensure successful protection of natural systems must be sustained (Richter et al 2014;Thomann et al 2020). The costs of installing and maintaining the infrastructure and technical capacity required to collect and analyze extensive empirical data may be seen as cost-prohibitive and will likely be difficult to guarantee over the long term, especially if many stakeholders with different perspectives are involved (Gregory et al 2006).…”

Section: Challenges Of Managing Groundwater To Ensure Ecosystem Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to more studies to discern flow-ecology relationships, statistical modeling approaches may be useful at landscape scales for estimating these relationships (e.g., combining remotely sensed data with groundwater models or indicators; Kath et al 2018). Sensitivity modeling and exploration of assumptions of system conceptualizations (e.g., the presence of faults or zones of high hydraulic conductivity) are recommended for siting monitoring and incorporating quantified uncertainty into protective management triggers (Kriebel et al 2001;Slattery 2016;Thomann et al 2020).…”

Section: Minimum Provision 3: Use Predictive Groundwater and Ecological Models To Prioritize The Most Effective Management Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, we recommend that proposals for large withdrawals not move forward unless the project proponents can clearly establish that management objectives and sustainability goals will be met. Even where harm appears unlikely, the development and use of a well-designed, adequately documented and calibrated groundwater model before project approval will help investigate whether additional water uses are consistent with achieving management goals and avoiding the risk of adverse social, economic, and environmental consequences over the long term (Slattery 2016;Thomann et al 2020). This is especially important when financing for a large-scale project is dependent on water delivery, as it is often politically and economically difficult to adaptively curtail withdrawals after high-capacity facilities have been built and that water has been put to use.…”

Section: Minimum Provision 3: Use Predictive Groundwater and Ecological Models To Prioritize The Most Effective Management Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Predictive modeling can be helpful in determining appropriate management actions (Harrington et al 2017;Wolaver et al 2020). We note that actions that only call for "further study" (e.g., to review data, conduct additional monitoring, or to develop management or mitigation measures) are insufficient as prescribed actions because they involve no change to water uses if a trigger is reached and therefore are not rigorously protective of natural systems (Slattery 2016;Thomann et al 2020).…”

Section: Minimum Provision 6: Implement Effective Management Actions If Triggers Are Reachedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reducing, or even ceasing entirely, groundwater withdrawals may be the only means of responding to declining groundwater trends and associated triggers in some situations (Wolaver et al 2020). Other options for groundwater sustainability may include changing the location and seasonality of pumping, offsetting proposed pumping by retiring existing water use, adopting water efficiency measures, crop switching, changing land use, and increasing managed aquifer recharge (Upper San Pedro Partnership 2013; Babbitt et al 2018;Thomann et al 2020). Retirement of active long-standing pumping from the same aquifer has been demonstrated by models and application as an effective offset or mitigation approach for groundwater withdrawals if the groundwater system of concern benefits at appropriate spatial and temporal scales (Lacher et al 2014).…”

Section: Minimum Provision 6: Implement Effective Management Actions If Triggers Are Reachedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Managing Groundwater to Ensure Ecosystem Function

et al. 2021

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Groundwater is a critical resource not only for human communities but also for many terrestrial, riparian, and aquatic ecosystems and species. Yet groundwater planning and management decisions frequently ignore or inadequately address the needs of these natural systems. As a consequence, ecosystems dependent on groundwater have been threatened, degraded, or eliminated, especially in arid regions. There is growing acknowledgment that governmental protections for these ecological resources are necessary, but current legal, regulatory and voluntary provisions are often inadequate. Groundwater management premised on "safe yield," which aims to balance human withdrawals with natural recharge rates, typically provides little to no consideration for water needed by ecosystems. Alternatively, the "sustainable yield" concept aims to integrate social, economic and environmental needs for groundwater, but the complexity of groundwater systems creates substantial uncertainty about the impact that current or future groundwater withdrawals will have on ecosystems. Regardless of the legal or regulatory framework, guidance is needed to help ensure environmental water needs will be met, especially in the face of pressure to increase human uses of groundwater resources. In this paper, we describe minimum provisions for planning, managing, and monitoring groundwater that collectively can lower the risk of harm to groundwaterdependent ecosystems and species, with a special emphasis on arid systems, where ecosystems and species may be especially reliant upon and sensitive to groundwater dynamics.

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Section: Challenges Of Managing Groundwater To Ensure Ecosystem Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Minimum Provision 3: Use Predictive Groundwater and Ecological Models To Prioritize The Most Effective Management Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Minimum Provision 3: Use Predictive Groundwater and Ecological Models To Prioritize The Most Effective Management Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Minimum Provision 6: Implement Effective Management Actions If Triggers Are Reachedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Minimum Provision 6: Implement Effective Management Actions If Triggers Are Reachedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Managing Groundwater to Ensure Ecosystem Function

et al. 2021

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Ecohydrology of coastal aquifers in humid environments and implications of a drying climate

Dyring

Hofmann

Stanton³

et al. 2022

Ecohydrology

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Coastal groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs), such as wetlands, estuaries and mangrove forests, are globally important habitats that promote biodiversity, provide climate regulation and serve as refugia for plant and animal communities. However, global warming, coastal development and over-abstraction threaten the availability and quality of groundwater in coastal aquifers and, by extension, the ecohydrological function of dependent ecosystems. Because ecohydrological knowledge of coastal groundwater is disparate across disciplines and habitat types, we begin by summarising the physiochemical, biological and hydrological processes supported by groundwater across coastal watersheds. Groundwater makes a significant but poorly recognised contribution to the function and resilience of coastal ecosystems and will play an essential role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. This review then explores how critical ecosystem processes supported by groundwater will be affected in areas of the humid subtropics that are expected to be impacted by climatic drying. Where rainfall is predicted to decrease, reduced groundwater recharge will interrupt the hydrology of coastal GDEs, while anthropogenic pressures, such as land-use intensification and pollution, will diminish the quality of remaining groundwater. The challenges of managing groundwater for multiple purposes under climate change predictions are highlighted. To improve the management of coastal GDEs, research should be aimed at developing robust conceptual models of coastal groundwater systems that quantify biophysical linkages with ecological communities across relevant spatiotemporal scales.

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The Realities of Adaptive Management

Blomquist

2021

Global Issues in Water Policy

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Adaptive management in groundwater planning and development: A review of theory and applications

Cited by 42 publications

References 49 publications

Managing Groundwater to Ensure Ecosystem Function

Managing Groundwater to Ensure Ecosystem Function

Ecohydrology of coastal aquifers in humid environments and implications of a drying climate

The Realities of Adaptive Management

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