The Role of Hydrology in
Water Resources Management

Edited by Hans-Jürgen Liebscher, Robin Clarke, John Rodda, Gert Schultz, Andreas Schumann, Lucio UbertiniGordon Young

IAHS Publ. 327 (2009)ISBN 978-1-901502-94-7, 332 + xii pp. Price £67.00

The outcome of a symposium that discussed ways in which hydrologists can contribute most effectively to the planning and management of freshwater projects, including the efficient operation of existing systems faced with new socio-political situations, and how water resource managers can capitalise on the hydrological expertise available to them. The contributions discuss these topics and consider the need to include more environmental, social and economic aspects in the planning and management of such projects, while keeping in mind the sustainability of water resource systems and related projects.
  • Integrated Water Resources Management
  • Hydrology and Dams
  • Hydrology for Flood Protection
  • Hydrology and Water Supply Systems
  • Hydrology for Groundwater Management and Hydrology for the Protection of Ecosystems
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Abstracts of the papers in this volume can be seen at:

with information about other IAHS publications and IAHS activities
This symposium was convened by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) as a contribution to the International Hydrology Programme (IHP-UNESCO) with the support of the Italian National Committees for the IHP and for IAHS and a number of other Italian bodies, both governmental and non governmental.

Contents

Preface Hans-Jürgen H. Liebscher & Lucio Ubertini / v
INTRODUCTION – The role of hydrology in water resources management Hans-Jürgen H. Liebscher / 1
1 / Integrated Water Resources Management
Challenges for water managers: can science help to solve the problems?
Gordon J. Young / 9
On the complementary roles of the hydrological analyst and the decision-maker in water resources management Robin T. Clarke / 18
Requirements for hydrological models to be used as part of decision support systems in integrated water resources management Uwe Haberlandt,
Imke Buchwald, Sven Van Der Heijden & Alexander Verworn / 29
The Hydrological Atlas of Austria – comprehensive transfer of hydrological knowledge and data to engineers, water resources managers and the public
Josef Fürst, Reinhold Godina, Hans Peter Nachtnebel & Franz Nobilis / 36
Integrated scenarios of long-term river runoff changes within large river basins in the 21st century A. G. Georgiadi, N. I. Koronkevich, I. P. Milyukova,
E. A. Barabanova & A. V. Kislov / 45
A distributed package for sustainable water management: a case study in the Arno basin Fabio Castelli, Giovanni Menduni & Bernardo Mazzanti / 52
Integrated real-time data access and monitoring systems for hydrological investigations and water resources management Hermann Stadler, Paul Skritek, Christian Kollmitzer, Erich Klock, Wolfgang Zerobin & Andreas Farnleitner / 62
Hydrological model and WEB-GIS for water resource management at a basin scale Michele Bellezza, Stefano Casadei & Arnaldo Pierleoni / 72
Characterizing the multi-criteria parameters of an integrated water management model for the Annaba region, Algeria B. Aoun-Sebaiti, A. Hani, S. Lallahem,
L. Djabri & E. Carlier / 80
An interaction approach to water resource management in Mediterranean countries Immacolata Caruso & Tiziana Vitolo / 91
The consequences of hydrological events on steep coastal watersheds: the Costa d’Amalfi, eastern Tyrrhenian Sea Crescenzo Violante, Chiara Biscarini,
Eliana Esposito, Flavia Molisso, Sabina Porfido & Marco Sacchi / 102
The management of Lake Maggiore water levels: a study of low water episodes Elisabetta A. Carrara, Walter Ambrosetti & Luigi Barbanti / 115
2 / Hydrology and Dams
Hydrological risk and flood management using hydraulic structures
A. Schumann / 127
Climate change and water resources: an approach to adaptive management
Guenther Pacher, Marie Minville, Anne Frigon, René Roy & Michel Slivitzky / 136
Integrated water resources management: development of data parsimonious models for reservoir planning Adebayo Adeloye / 144
Integrated hydrological data in a hydropower cascade Isabella Pallavicini
Azeb Asnake / 151
3 /

Hydrology for Flood Protection

Long-range hydrological forecasts and predictions: efficiency, failures, and scientific background (Russian experience) Lev Kuchment / 165
Flood protection and risk management: the case of TescioRiver basin
Piergiorgio Manciola, Silvia Di Francesco & Chiara Biscarini / 174
Water resources management for the TerekRiver delta (Western Caspian Region)
Olga Gorelits, Igor Zemlianov1 & Vladimir Kryjov / 184
4 / Hydrology and Water Supply Systems
Sustaining water resources in South East England John C. Rodda / 193
Water supply management of the New York Metropolitan area and future challenges from population growth and global climate change Yuri Gorokhovich
Victor Goldsmith / 204
System hydrology models for managing the salinity of Lake Kinneret, Israel
Alon Rimmer / 212
Climate change and water resources: scenarios of low-flow conditions in the UpperDanubeRiver Basin Wolfram Mauser & Thomas Marke / 225
Hydrological consequences of a changing climate: the Umgeni Water Utility case study Mark Summerton & Roland Schulze / 237
Deriving optimal information from inadequate data collection networks for water allocation in Ghana Christine Young, Sven Jacobi & Kodwo Andah / 247
Operational applications of radar rainfall data in urban hydrology
Federico Lombardo, Valeria Montesarchio, Francesco Napolitano, Fabio Russo & Elena Volpi / 258
5 / Hydrology for Groundwater Management and Hydrology for the Protection of Ecosystems
Water resources and management in Libya Ali Geath Mahmoud Eljadid / 269
Reframing groundwater vulnerability assessment for a better understanding between decision makers and hydrogeologists A. Dassargues, I. C. Popescu,
J. Beaujean, J. M. Lemieux & S. Brouyere / 278
On the potential of Life Cycle Assessment in water resources management: focus on groundwater Peter Bayer, Stephan Pfister & Stefanie Hellweg / 285
Hydrological simulations of water-management scenarios in support of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Eric D. Swain, Melinda Lohmann & Jeremy Decker / 296
Blue Ecology and climate change: interweaving cultural perspectives on water, an indigenous case study Michael D. Blackstock / 306
A new approach for assessing minimum flow in ephemeral streams
Angela Candela, Mario Santoro & Gaspare Viviani / 314
Plot scale measurements of rainfall erosion losses in central Italy F. Todisco,
F. Mannocchi, L. Vergni A. Vinci / 324
Key word index / 331

The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium heldon the island of Capri, Italy, October 2008). IAHS Publ. 327, 2009, 9-17

Challenges for water managers: can science help to solve the problems?

Gordon J. Young

34 Vincent Avenue, PO Box 878, Niagara on the Lake, OntarioL0S 1J0, Canada

Abstract Water pervades all human activities and thus is of fundamental importance for basic human well-being, for economic and social development, and for physical security. Water is also vital for the maintenance of the natural ecosystems on which we all ultimately depend. Thus water managers must be concerned with a large variety of issues, including water-related health issues (safe drinking water, sanitation and water-related diseases), the availability of water for food production, the water needs for energy and industrial production, and the safeguarding of societies from the ravages of floods, droughts and pollution spills. These human needs must always be balanced with consideration for the natural environment. These issues are not independent of each other – they are interlinked and thus must be treated in an integrated manner. The settings in which water managers find themselves are highly varied from region to region and country to country. Not only are climates and hydrologies extremely diverse, but the ways in which societies organize themselves are equally varied. Governance systems are based on the cultures, the religions and the attitudes of peoples. They link to the political settings, to the effectiveness of institutions, to legislative frameworks and to financial instruments. Water managers must find solutions to the challenges facing them, considering the constraints of the systems within which they work. Thus different solutions must be considered for different circumstances. Sciences (hydrological, political, social, economic) provide knowledge and understanding of the systems involved. All are essential in informing water managers in their decision-making. Hydrological science is of vital importance, but is just one of many relevant sciences.

Key words governance; health; economic development; integrated management

The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium heldon the island of Capri, Italy, October 2008). IAHS Publ. 327, 2009, 18-23

On the complementary roles of the hydrological analyst and the decision-maker in water resources management

ROBIN T. CLARKE

Instituto de Pesquisas Hidráulicas,Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS Brazil

AbstractDecisions about water resource management are made in the presence of uncertainty about future events, whether these be reservoir inflows, water demand, or the consequences of climate change. The framework for any decision-making process therefore consists of the following elements: (a) a list of future events that may or may not occur; (b) the probabilities of these events; (c) a list of possible decisions, from which one – the “optimum” – must be selected by the decision-maker; (d) measures of the consequences of each decision according to which uncertain event occurs. These consequences may sometimes be expressed in monetary terms (losses), but more often must be expressed in terms of utility. When the optimal decision is that which maximizes expected utility (minimizes expected loss), the paper discusses the roles of the hydrologist and the decision-maker in assessing the elements (a) to (d) above, showing how these roles complement each other. In particular the role of the hydrologist in determining probabilities (item (b) of the above) is discussed, in the context where probabilities must be evaluated for events which have not occurred in the past. The paper also shows why maximizing expected utility (or minimizing expected loss, when consequences can be expressed in terms of money) is better than minimizing the maximum loss (MINIMAX) criterion for selecting the best decision.

Key words risk; probability; decision-making; degrees of belief

The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium heldon the island of Capri, Italy, October 2008). IAHS Publ. 327, 2009, 24-28

The contribution of the legal aspect of hydrology to the management of international water resources

VASILIKI-MARIA TZATZAKI

7 Petrou Sindika Street, 54643, Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract Hydrology as a general science, comprises different aspects, one of which is legal. While the technical aspects of hydrology could never be neglected in the management of international freshwater resources, the legal aspect could prove to be of equal importance. Respect for the law that governs the management of international rivers, lakes and aquifers is necessary in order to provide sustainable development and to avoid potential conflicts between riparian states. Therefore, this paper examines the contribution of international law in the management of international water resources; in particular with the legal principles, as they are incorporated in the United Nations (UN) Convention of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses and their effect in the sound and integrated management of water resources that are shared between two or more states. It argues that the purpose of the drafters of the Convention was to create an international legal framework in order to facilitate the management of water resources.

Key words UN Convention; cooperate; equity; ecosystems; sustainable development

The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium heldon the island of Capri, Italy, October 2008). IAHS Publ. 327, 2009, 29-35

Requirements for hydrological models to be used as part of decision support systems in integrated water resources management

Uwe Haberlandt, IMKE BUCHWALD, SVEN VAN DER HEIJDEN & ALEXANDER VERWORN

Institute of Water Resources Management, Hydrology and Agricultural Hydraulic Engineering,
Leibniz University of Hannover, Appelstr. 9a, D-30167 Hannover, Germany

Abstract Today there are numerous hydrological models available for calculating water balance components at different spatial and temporal scales. So, a selection of one suitable hydrological model, which serves as a module in a more complex decision support system for integrated water resources management, should not be a problem. However, more closely reviewing the specific requirements of hydrological modelling in IWRM reveals that not many models really fulfil all the needs. This contribution presents a hybrid modelling framework for IWRM, discusses requirements of a hydrological model as part of such a system, and then compares the three different hydrological models: HEC-HMS, WASIM-ETH and SWAT regarding their suitability for such a task. The results show that none of the models fulfils all requirements in an optimal sense, and that there is still a lot of work to do on hydrological modelling for integrated water resources management.

Key words hydrological model; water balance; integrated water resources management; metamodel;
decision support system

The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium heldon the island of Capri, Italy, October 2008). IAHS Publ. 327, 2009. 36-44

The Hydrological Atlas of Austria – comprehensive transfer of hydrological knowledge and data to engineers, water resources managers and the public

Josef Fürst1, Reinhold Godina2, Hans Peter Nachtnebel1 & Franz Nobilis2

1University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna, Institute of Water Management,
Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria

2Department VII/3 - Water Balance at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry,
Environment and Water Management, Marxergasse 2, A-1030 Vienna, Austria

Abstract The Hydrological Atlas of Austria (HAA) is presented as an effective and efficient tool to provide spatial hydrological information consistently for the whole country to engineers, water resources managers and the public. The information is cartographically communicated on 52 map sheets, with a total of more than 100 thematic maps. The structure of the atlas shows the different components of the hydrological cycle; it has chapters considering water and mass balances, and covers the themes of water management as well as those of water-related environmental issues. Being a dual-mode product, the printed version is accompanied by a digital, GIS-based version on CD-ROM, including convenient viewing software and the data sets in industry-standard GIS formats. Only one year after publication, a wide range of applications is reported, both by administrative institutions and civil engineers.

Key words hydrology; water resources; hydrological atlas; information system; GIS; Austria

The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium heldon the island of Capri, Italy, October 2008). IAHS Publ. 327, 2009, 45-51

Integrated scenarios of long-term river runoff changes within large river basins in the 21st century

A. G. Georgiadi1, N. I. Koronkevich1, I. P. Milyukova1,
E. A. Barabanova1 & A. V. Kislov2

1 Institute of Geography, RussianAcademy of Sciences, Staromonetny Lane, 29, 119017 Moscow, Russia

2 Geographical Faculty, GSP-2 Vorobievy gory, Moscow State University, Russia

Abstract Global and regional climate changes and anthropogenic impacts are the leading factors determining the future state of large river basin water systems which play important roles in the economic development of Russia. That is why it is necessary to create integrated scenarios of river runoff changes within large river basins. Such scenarios should make one of the main bases for ecologically safe management of water systems in the future. Integrated scenarios include the following components: (a) Scenarios of global climate change and methods of their assimilation. (b) Scenarios of hydrological consequences caused by climate changes. (c) Scenarios of hydrological consequences of socio-economic development, including changes in the water management complexes. Results of development of integrated scenarios are submitted by the example of LenaRiver basin – one of the largest rivers of Northern Eurasia. It is especially important for permafrost regions of Russia which covers two thirds of its territory.

Key words scenarios of global climate warming; water management complex; river runoff changes;
monthly water budget model;LenaRiver basin

The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium heldon the island of Capri, Italy, October 2008). IAHS Publ. 327, 2009, 52-61

A distributed package for sustainable water management: a case study in the Arno basin

FABIO CASTELLI1, GIOVANNI MENDUNI2 & BERNARDO MAZZANTI2

1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Firenze, Firenze, Italy

2ArnoBasin Authority, Firenze, Italy

Abstract MOBIDIC (MOdello di Bilancio Idrologico DIstribuito e Continuo) is a distributed hydrological modelling package for various applications. The main innovations concern: (a) the coupling of the water balance in the soil and vegetation with the surface energy balance, to the benefit of evapotranspiration computation and the use of remotely-sensed maps for calibration and validation; (b) the interaction between groundwater and surface water bodies, (c) the capability of easily managing data on withdrawals of water, reservoir operation and environmental flow. MOBIDIC-WRM can be used as an effective tool for the evaluation of basin scenarios (e.g. effects of changes in land cover/deforestation and irrigation strategies, exploitation policies for groundwater). It provides a reliable hydrological base for the assessment of crisis indicators such as vegetation stress and lack of environmental flow. In this work we present an application in the Arno basin, central Italy. The outcome of applying the package in order to determine the water budget management strategies is discussed.

Key words water resources monitoring and control; distributed hydrological models; remote-sensing;
soil-atmosphere fluxes; environmental flow

The Role of Hydrology in Water Resources Management (Proceedings of a symposium heldon the island of Capri, Italy, October 2008). IAHS Publ. 327, 2009., 62-71

Integrated real-time data access and monitoring systems for hydrological investigations and water resources management

HERMANN STADLER1, PAUL SKRITEK2, CHRISTIAN KOLLMITZER2, ERICH KLOCK1, WOLFGANG ZEROBIN4& ANDREAS FARNLEITNER3

1Joanneum Research, Institute of Water Resources Management, Hydrogeology and Geothermics, Elisabethstrasse 16, A8010 Graz, Austria

2University of Applied Sciences, FH-Technikum Vienna, Hoechstaedtplatz 5, A-1200 Vienna, Austria