Ground water serves as the main source of drinking water for 50% of the United States as a whole—and for 97% of rural populations, in particular. In addition to public concern with point sources of contamination, such as landfills and hazardous waste disposal sites, current attention has now come to focus on the overall quality of ground-water resources. Regional Ground-Water Quality offers the first detailed guidance for conducting ground-water quality investigations in a regional context. This exceptional volume combines hydrogeologic and geochemical principles, as well as statistical principles, within a unique conceptual framework that helps readers produce efficient, meaningful, and successful ground-water assessments. Regional Ground-Water Quality will be a valuable resource when first approaching a regional-scale study and when designing specific regional-scale studies. Throughout the book, topics emphasize the value of studying regional ground-water quality at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Up-to-date coverage of essential processes and methodologies includes: multi-scale design concepts for regional ground-water quality studies the fate and transport of organic and inorganic materials, including nitrates, pesticides, pathogens, acid precipitation, natural radionuclides, saltwater intrusion, and problems in karst aquifers basic concepts of organic and inorganic chemistry a review of environmental isotopes and geochemical modeling statistical concepts for ground-water quality surveys and geostatistical analysis the effects of surface-water/ground-water interactions on ground-water quality the relationship between ground-water quality and land use regional geochemistry principles Readers will be brought completely up to date with the latest research in ground-water assessments, such as novel methods for dating young ground water, including the use of CFCs, tritium/helium-3, and krypton-85. The book also examines the uses of organic compounds as time and source markers, ground-water vulnerability analyses, applications of subsurface microbiology at the regional scale, and design of well-water surveys. Invaluable case studies drawn from international projects graphically demonstrate concepts discussed in the book. These case studies describe successful regional ground-water assessment efforts conducted in various areas and include a look at the uses and limitations of existing ground-water quality data. A first-of-its-kind resource, Regional Ground-Water Quality will be essential reading for scientists and engineers in hydrology, water resources, agricultural sciences, and environmental sciences. It will also be of interest to engineers and R&D personnel in government, industry, and private consulting, as well as to professionals involved with the design and interpretation of studies.

Rural Water Systems for Multiple Uses and Livelihood Security covers the technological, institutional, and policy choices for building rural water supply systems that are sustainable from physical, economic, and ecological points-of-view in developing countries. While there is abundant theoretical discourse on designing village water supply schemes as multiple use systems, there is too little understanding of the type of water needs in rural households, how they vary across socio-economic and climatic settings, the extent to which these needs are met by the existing single use water supply schemes, and what mechanisms exist to take care of unmet demands. The case studies presented in the book from different agro ecological regions quantify these benefits under different agro ecological settings, also examining the economic and environmental trade-offs in maximizing benefits. This book demonstrates how various physical and socio-economic processes alter the hydrology of tanks in rural settings, thereby affecting their performance, also including quantitative criteria that can be used to select tanks suitable for rehabilitation. - Covers interdisciplinary topics deftly interwoven in the rural context of varying geo-climatic and socioeconomic situations of people in developing areas - Presents methodologies for quantifying the multiple water use benefits from wetlands and case studies from different agro ecologies using these methodologies to help frame appropriate policies - Provides analysis of the climatic and socioeconomic factors responsible for changes in hydrology of multiple use wetlands in order to help target multiple use water bodies for rehabilitation - Includes implementable models for converting single use water supply systems into multiple use systems

In the quest to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of water and wastewater services, many communities in the United States are exploring the potential advantages of privatization of those services. Unlike other utility services, local governments have generally assumed responsibility for providing water services. Privatization of such services can include the outright sale of system assets, or various forms of public-private partnershipsâ€"from the simple provision of supplies and services, to private design construction and operation of treatment plants and distribution systems. Many factors are contributing to the growing interest in the privatization of water services. Higher operating costs, more stringent federal water quality and waste effluent standards, greater customer demands for quality and reliability, and an aging water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure are all challenging municipalities that may be short of funds or technical capabilities. For municipalities with limited capacities to meet these challenges, privatization can be a viable alternative. Privatization of Water Services evaluates the fiscal and policy implications of privatization, scenarios in which privatization works best, and the efficiencies that may be gained by contracting with private water utilities.

Small communities violate federal requirements for safe drinking water as much as three times more often than cities. Yet these communities often cannot afford to improve their water service. Safe Water From Every Tap reviews the risks of violating drinking water standards and discusses options for improving water service in small communities. Included are detailed reviews of a wide range of technologies appropriate for treating drinking water in small communities. The book also presents a variety of institutional options for improving the management efficiency and financial stability of water systems.

The spectacular industrial and economic development of the twentieth century was achieved at a considerable environmental cost. The increasingly precarious position of water, the most valuable of natural resources, reflects this trend. Today we have come to realise that concepts of sustainable development need to

Zsfassung in dt. u. engl. Sprache.

The Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) is an emerging approach to managing the entire urban water cycle in an integrated way, which is key to achieving the sustainability of urban water resources and services. The IUWM incorporates: the systematic consideration of the various dimensions of water, including surface and groundwater resources, quality and quantity issues; the implication that while water is a system it is also a component which interacts with other systems; and the interrelationships between water and social and economic development. Integrated Urban Water Management: Arid and Semi-Arid Regions – the outcome of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme project on the topic – examines the integrated management of water resources in urban settings, focusing on issues specific to arid and semi-arid regions and on what make them different from other regions. The urban water management system is considered herein as two integrated major entities; water supply management and water excess management. The first six chapters provide an overview of the various aspects of IUWM in arid and semi-arid regions, with emphasis on water supply technologies, such as artificial recharge, water transfers, desalination, and harvesting of rainfall. Water excess management is examined in the context of both the stormwater management system and the floodplain management system. Case studies from developed and developing countries are presented in order to emphasize the various needs and challenges of water management in urban environments in arid and semi-arid regions around the world.