Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
at the level of the hydrologic system: what will the effect of pumping
in the aquifer be on the systems on which it depends or which are
dependent on it?
at the level of a basin including several hydrologic systems.
One could compare surface waters, easily accessible yet vulnerable,
to groundwater, protected but diffi cult to use, but surface water and
groundwater cannot be dissociated as they belong to one continuous
cycle. Groundwater contributes to the feeding of watercourses and rivers,
and therefore plays a primary role in the quantitative and qualitative
maintenance of surface water resources and the preservation of humid
areas. Inversely, rivers participate in infi ltration and in recharge of aquifers.
Their respective interactions must be correctly understood in order to
enable the effective management of the resource in its entirety. In France,
SDAGE (Organisational Systems for the Development and Management
of Water) have been defi ned for every great basin as a function of the
current state and the development, conservation, or rehabilitation goals
for aquatic environments. The SDAGE have legal status, and are taken into
account by the State and by local communities, in the context of decisions
to be made with respect to water. Aquifers were classifi ed based on their
strategic interest and their potential, and action plans were defi ned in order
to acquire a better understanding of groundwater resources.
Aquifer management must obey several constraints:
technical: what are the currently available solutions for a given
problem?
economic: are the solutions economically justifi able?
social: is the chosen procedure acceptable to society?
environmental: are the solutions compatible with protection of the
environment?
Management can be passive if the exploiter just considers regulating
extraction as a function of the aquifer's capacities. It can be active if the
aquifer is considered to be a complex entity, including three functions
(Detay, 1997):
capacitative: the aquifer allows storage of a certain quantity of
water;
conductive: between the entry and exit points, water fl ows, transmits
pressure and transports elements;
reactive: the water seeping into the ground undergoes a series of
physico-chemical and biological reactions that modify its composition
and participate in its purifi cation.
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