Resilience, Decision‐making, and Environmental Water Releases

Chu, Long; Grafton, R. Quentin; Stewardson, Michael J.

doi:10.1029/2018ef000879

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…This task is exacerbated in dryland regions of the world, where human demands for water are high but rainfall and runoff are low and unpredictable (Petts 2017; Chu et al . 2018). Rivers in these regions are often characterised by their extreme hydrological variability (Walker et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoring the ecological integrity of a dryland river: Why low flows in the Barwon–Darling River must flow

Mallen‐Cooper¹,

Zampatti

2020

Eco Management Restoration

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For dryland rivers globally, understanding hydro-ecological function is fundamental to informing trade-offs between consumptive water use and aquatic ecosystem integrity. The Barwon-Darling is an Australian dryland river system recognised for its hydrological variability, which is considered a primary driver of the riverine ecosystem. Emphasis has been placed on extremes of zero flow and flood but examining low flow hydrology and hydraulicsthrough historical and modern droughtsdemonstrates that under natural conditions, the river system also exhibits persistent and predictable flow characteristics. From 1885 to 1950, prior to flow regulation, the Barwon-Darling flowed 92% of the time, and throughout severe droughts (1895-1903 and 1939-1945) the river system was characterised by: near-perennial flows (85% of the time), with lotic (flowing water) habitats; and near-annual, in channel, flow pulses. Furthermore, evidence of lotic biota is found consistently in Aboriginal middens dating over the past 15,000 years, thus indicating the long-term persistence of lotic conditions. We propose these consistent hydrological and hydrodynamic features have shaped the ecology of aquatic biota in the Barwon-Darling River but are now experiencing unprecedented change. Flow storage and diversion have increased the frequency and duration of zero flows in some reaches, but arguably the most substantial impacts, along the entire river, are on: (i) low flows, which are now frequently below lotic thresholds, and (ii) the magnitude of near-annual flow pulses, which are reduced by over 90%. Consequently, in modern droughts, the river becomes predominantly lentic (still-water), an impact that is exacerbated by weirpools which create artificial lentic conditions for approximately 1000 km (40%) of river. The ecological impacts of these changes are increasingly apparent, with the loss of lotic biota and a reduction in biodiversity. An ecohydraulic perspective explains present impacts, provides new directions and some immediate solutions for river management, and clarifies choices for stakeholders.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoring the ecological integrity of a dryland river: Why low flows in the Barwon–Darling River must flow

Mallen‐Cooper¹,

Zampatti

2020

Eco Management Restoration

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“…The second modelling approach refers to the viability (or viable control) method (Aubin 1990, Bene et al 2001, Bene and Doyen 2018. As surveyed by Oubraham and Zaccour (2018), viability has been applied to several renewable resource management including reservoir and groundwater management (Alais et al 2017, Chu et al 2018, Pereau 2018. Its aim is to identify the conditions that allow desirable objectives or constraints to be fulfilled over time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimality Versus Viability in Groundwater Management with Environmental Flows

Péreau

Pryet

Rambonilaza

2019

Ecological Economics

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The protection of environmental flows is a main challenge pursued by water regulating agencies in their groundwater management policies. A stylised hydro-economic model with natural drainage is used to compare the outcome of the optimal control approach in which environmental flows are introduced as an externality with the viable approach in which environmental flows are modelled as a constraint to satisfy. The optimal and viable paths for the water table, water extraction for irrigation and environmental flows are analytically derived together with their long term values. We show how results are sensitive to some key parameters like the discount factor and the monetary value of the externality in the optimal control approach. We show how the value of the environmental flows target in the viable approach can be derived from the optimal control approach. Numerical simulations based on the Western La Mancha aquifer illustrate the main results of the study.

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“…The process is flexible, is applicable across different institutional contexts and can implement methods already developed in relation to evaluating the resilience of water management in the MDB (Chu et al . ).…”

Section: The “Do's” and “Do Nots” Of Water Reformmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Further, Chu et al . () find that, if resilience of the Basin environment is an objective, then water infrastructure investments are an inferior method of achieving this goal compared to limits on overall extractions. Finally, Wheeler () provides an overview that the quantified benefits of water reform outweigh the costs by up to three times.…”

Section: Net Change In Environmental Flows Cost‐effectiveness and Ecmentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy review of water reform in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia: the “do's” and “do'nots”

Grafton

2019

Aus J Agri & Res Econ

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The water reforms undertaken in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia since 2007 have been viewed as a model for other countries seeking to respond to water insecurity. Here, a policy review is provided of this water reform and whether it delivers on key environmental objectives in the 2007 Water Act (the Act). The evaluation includes a review of the 2012 Basin Plan, a key instrument of the Act, and complementary policies associated with the acquisition of water entitlements for the environment via direct (reverse tenders) and indirect (infrastructure subsidies) means. Using the objects of the Act as a benchmark, an evaluation is provided of the following: (i) planned reductions in irrigation water extractions in the 2012 Basin Plan; (ii) risks associated with the 2018 amendments to the Basin Plan that, collectively, allow for an increase in irrigation water extractions of some 22 per cent, relative to the sustainable diversion limits specified in the 2012 Basin Plan; (iii) Basin‐scale environmental outcomes achieved, as of the end of 2018; and (iv) economic effects of direct and indirect methods of acquiring water for the environment. Findings from the review generate the “Do's” and “Do Nots” of water reform for Australia, and possibly other countries, when managing the trade‐offs between water for irrigation and the environment.

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Resilience, Decision‐making, and Environmental Water Releases

Cited by 7 publications

References 51 publications

Restoring the ecological integrity of a dryland river: Why low flows in the Barwon–Darling River must flow

Restoring the ecological integrity of a dryland river: Why low flows in the Barwon–Darling River must flow

Optimality Versus Viability in Groundwater Management with Environmental Flows

Policy review of water reform in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia: the “do's” and “do'nots”

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