Stationarity Is Dead: Whither Water Management?

Milly, P. C. D.; Betancourt, Julio L.; Falkenmark, Malin; Hirsch, Robert M.; Lettenmaier, Dennis P.; Stouffer, Ronald J.

doi:10.1126/science.1151915

Cited by 3,672 publications

(2,360 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…While we recognize this is a potentially restrictive assumption, it is consistent with current management practice and allows our results to be easily compared with recommended water quality criteria. Developing strategies for assessing a water body based on a changing pollutant concentration probability distribution is an area for additional research (25).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Assessment of Fecal Indicator Bacteria-Based Water Quality Standards

Gronewold

Borsuk

Wolpert

et al. 2008

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are commonly used to assess the threat of pathogen contamination in coastal and inland waters. Unlike most measures of pollutant levels however, FIB concentration metrics, such as most probable number (MPN) and colony-forming units (CFU), are not direct measures of the true in situ concentration distribution. Therefore, there is the potential for inconsistencies among model and sample-based water quality assessments, such as those used in the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program. To address this problem, we present an innovative approach to assessing pathogen contamination based on water quality standards that impose limits on parameters of the actual underlying FIB concentration distribution, rather than on MPN or CFU values. Such concentration-based standards link more explicitly to human health considerations, are independent of the analytical procedures employed, and are consistent with the outcomes of most predictive water quality models. We demonstrate how compliance with concentration-based standards can be inferred from traditional MPN values using a Bayesian inference procedure. This methodology, applicable to a wide range of FIB-based water quality assessments, is illustrated here using fecal coliform data from shellfish harvesting waters in the Newport River Estuary, North Carolina. Results indicate that areas determined to be compliant according to the current methods-based standards may actually have an unacceptably high probability of being in violation of concentration-based standards.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Assessment of Fecal Indicator Bacteria-Based Water Quality Standards

Gronewold

Borsuk

Wolpert

et al. 2008

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…For example, glacier retreat may increase runoff in the short-term, but in the long-term, may reduce dry-season flow (Bury et al 2013), potentially increasing the need for land management to increase groundwater recharge. Monitoring programs associated with watershed investment projects must account for changing climate by thoroughly evaluating assumptions about expected hydrologic response under business-asusual conditions (Milly et al 2008).…”

Section: Implementing Programs For Water Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing water services in tropical regions: From land cover proxies to hydrologic fluxes

Ponette‐González

Brauman

Marín-Spiotta

et al. 2014

Ambio

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Watershed investment programs frequently use land cover as a proxy for water-based ecosystem services, an approach based on assumed relationships between land cover and hydrologic outcomes. Water flows are rarely quantified, and unanticipated results are common, suggesting land cover alone is not a reliable proxy for water services. We argue that managing key hydrologic fluxes at the site of intervention is more effective than promoting particular land-cover types. Moving beyond land cover proxies to a focus on hydrologic fluxes requires that programs (1) identify the specific water service of interest and associated hydrologic flux; (2) account for structural and ecological characteristics of the relevant land cover; and, (3) determine key mediators of the target hydrologic flux. Using examples from the tropics, we illustrate how this conceptual framework can clarify interventions with a higher probability of delivering desired water services than with land cover as a proxy.

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“…Conventional water resources management has been dominated historically by engineers and the 'hard-path' approach focusing on infrastructure as the dominant solution (Milly et al 2007;Brouwer and Hofkes 2008;Savenije and Van der Zaag 2008). While useful in many regards, this approach addresses the physical water sector in isolation and social factors are generally considered as exogenous inputs, thus neglecting the dynamic interaction and feedback between physical and social processes (Giacomoni et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of newspaper coverage of water issues in Australia during 1843–2011

Wei

Western

et al. 2014

AMBIO

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News accounts both reflect and influence public opinion through their noted 'agenda-setting' capability. We examined newspaper articles in Australia's The Sydney Morning Herald from 1843 to 2011 to observe the evolution of media coverage on water issues related to water resources management. The results showed that water supply-related articles have dominated the reporting of water issues since 1843. This emphasis is reflected in the institutions involved and their related policy/management initiatives, as well as the themes of the articles. Extreme events such as flooding and drought have punctuated the historical record of reports on water issues. An economic development-driven tone was overwhelmingly predominant in newspaper articles (85 % of the total); however, there has been a marked decline in the importance of development-driven tone relative to environmental-sustainability oriented tone of articles since 1994. People from academia and NGOs were rarely quoted. Inclusion of wider range stakeholders should be considered as a strategic break-through and natural events should be considered as an ''opportunity'' to change public opinion on water issues for environmental sustainability.

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Stationarity Is Dead: Whither Water Management?

Cited by 3,672 publications

References 15 publications

An Assessment of Fecal Indicator Bacteria-Based Water Quality Standards

An Assessment of Fecal Indicator Bacteria-Based Water Quality Standards

Managing water services in tropical regions: From land cover proxies to hydrologic fluxes

Evolution of newspaper coverage of water issues in Australia during 1843–2011

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