Protecting groundwater levels and ecosystems with simple management approaches

Noorduijn, Saskia; Cook, Peter; Simmons, Craig T.; Richardson, Sue

doi:10.1007/s10040-018-1849-4

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…In the aforementioned springsnail example, a trigger to avoid reaching the flow threshold might be based on water levels monitored in a well situated between a groundwater withdrawal point and the focal spring; a corrective action (e.g., reduction in pumping) would be prescribed when levels are observed that would indicate an approach to that threshold-importantly, before the anticipated adverse impact is manifest at the focal spring. Effective triggers must be associated with appropriate monitoring in space and frequency (Noordujin et al 2019; see Minimum Provision 4) and require objective analyses of those data, institutional capacity empowered to take action, and an enforceable mandate to take action if triggers are reached, up to and including ceasing withdrawals (Craig and Ruhl 2014).…”

Section: Minimum Provision 2: Define Science-based Protective Triggers For Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Groundwater models can inform the design of trigger locations between withdrawal points and natural communities that can detect trends in monitoring wells or surface flows long before the lagged responses to groundwater withdrawals have spatially migrated and caused undesired ecological impacts (Eamus et al 2006;Wolaver et al 2020). Noordujin et al (2019) used a generic groundwater model and standard groundwater flow equations to demonstrate how water table declines can persist for years even after activating a trigger to cease pumping. We underscore that triggers based solely on direct ecological monitoring of the condition of communities or species or groundwater levels at the target ecosystem are unlikely to be effective.…”

Section: Minimum Provision 2: Define Science-based Protective Triggers For Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We underscore that triggers based solely on direct ecological monitoring of the condition of communities or species or groundwater levels at the target ecosystem are unlikely to be effective. Monitoring water levels and flows close to withdrawal points is the preferred approach because it is more likely to detect effects heading toward groundwater-dependent ecosystems well in advance of an adverse impact on those target resources (Harrington et al 2017;Noordujin et al 2019).…”

Section: Minimum Provision 2: Define Science-based Protective Triggers For Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hydrologic and ecological monitoring at the appropriate temporal and spatial scales is essential to provide groundwater managers with timely information to maintain sustainable yield (Gleeson et al 2012), enable learning from consequences of management actions (Slattery 2016), and reduce the risk of making the wrong management or policy choice (Kriebel et al 2001;Craig and Ruhl 2014). Monitoring locations with data collected at appropriate frequencies are needed in places that will provide an early warning if impacts are headed toward target resources (Harrington et al 2017;Noordujin et al 2019). A groundwater model that predicts where impacts are likely to occur can be used to help site those locations (Harrington et al 2017).…”

Section: Minimum Provision 4: Include Appropriate Monitoring At the Right Temporal And Spatial Scalesmentioning

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: Minimum Provision 2: Define Science-based Protective Triggers For Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Minimum Provision 2: Define Science-based Protective Triggers For Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Minimum Provision 2: Define Science-based Protective Triggers For Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Minimum Provision 4: Include Appropriate Monitoring At the Right Temporal And Spatial Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Managing Groundwater to Ensure Ecosystem Function

et al. 2021

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“…Understanding dynamics within the groundwater system, including flows and their relationships desirable/undesirable conditions, requires extensive empirical data and analysis. In many, if not most, groundwater systems, the full set of empirical observations needed to understand the system is missing, due to a lack of historical monitoring and water use data collection, as well as insufficient testing to determine the physical properties of the aquifer (Theesfeld 2010; Noorduijn et al 2019). The complexity of groundwater systems also means that they cannot be perfectly characterized by field‐methods alone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater Plans in the United States: Regulatory Frameworks and Management Goals

Gage

Milman

2020

Groundwater

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Groundwater management plans are an important tool for preventing and addressing degradation and depletion of the resource. Through plans, water users and regulators set forth goals and identify strategies to address the needs of multiple resource users while considering physical constraints of the groundwater resource. This research examines the status of groundwater management plans in the United States, identifying in which states groundwater management plans are produced and the circumstances that lead to the inclusion of quantifiable goals in those plans. Findings indicate that legal and regulatory requirements for quantifiable goals can lead to the development of more comprehensive groundwater management plans, and, that such goals can be set even when uncertainties exist.

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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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Protecting groundwater levels and ecosystems with simple management approaches

Cited by 15 publications

References 60 publications

Managing Groundwater to Ensure Ecosystem Function

Managing Groundwater to Ensure Ecosystem Function

Groundwater Plans in the United States: Regulatory Frameworks and Management Goals

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

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