Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 8.1
Manipulation of hydrological processes of concern to water resource management
Hydrological process
Human intervention
Impact
Precipitation
Cloud seeding
Increase rainfall (?)
Evaporation
Irrigation
Increase evaporation rates
Change vegetation cover
Alter transpiration and interception rates
Change rural to urban
Increase evaporation rates
Storage
Change land use
Alter infiltration rates
Aquifer storage
Manipulating groundwater storage
and recovery (ASR)
Land drainage
Lowering of local water tables
Building reservoirs
Increasing storage
Runoff
Change land use
Alter overland flow rates
Land drainage
Rapid runoff
River transfer schemes
Alter river flow rates
Water abstraction
Removing river water and groundwater
for human consumption
Case study
CHANGING STRUCTURES OF WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT -
ENGLAND AS AN EXAMPLE
The major issues of concern for water resource
management in England are: water supply; waste
disposal; pollution and water quality; and fisheries/
aquatic ecosystems management. Other inter-
related issues that come into water resource
management are flood defence and navigation.
Historically it is the first three that have dominated
the political agenda in setting up structures to
carry out water resource management in England.
water resource management resided firmly at the
local council level. This system continued until
the Water Act of 1973 was passed, a bill that
caused a major shake up of water resource manage-
ment in England and Wales. The major aim of the
1973 act was to introduce holistic water manage-
ment through administrative boundaries that
were governed by river catchments rather than
political districts. There was some success in this
regard with Regional Water Authorities (RWAs)
taking over the water management issues listed
above from local councils and other bodies. One
of the difficulties with this management structure
was the so-called 'poacher-gamekeeper' problem
whereby the RWAs were in charge of both waste
disposal and pollution control; creating a conflict
of interest in water management. Throughout
their existence the RWAs operated from a dimin-
ishing funding base which led to a lack of
investment in waste treatment facilities. It was
History of change
Towards the end of the nineteenth century great
municipal pride was taken in the building of
reservoirs to supply water to urban centres in
England. At the same time many sewage treat-
ment works were built to treat waste. These were
built and run by local councils and replaced a
previously haphazard system of private water
supply and casual disposal of waste. At this stage
