Thesis (M.Env.St.)--University of Adelaide, Mawson Centre for Environmental Studies, 1998. / Bibliography: leaves 153-168.

Thesis (Ph. D. - Arid Lands Resources)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. - Water Resources Administration)--University of Arizona, 1983. / Bibliography: leaves 68-70.

Thesis (Ph. D. - Watershed Management)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references.

If informed and rational judgments are to be made concerning proposed large scale interbasin water diversions, it is imperative that competent positive analysis be undertaken by scientists of relevant disciplines. It is the primary purpose of this thesis to pull together into a single interrelated package, the economic theory needed to establish a framework for analyzing the economic efficiency and distributive impacts of interbasin water transfers. Accordingly, a model is developed such that efficiency implications of resource transfer schemes can be ascertained; the components of the model are identified so that direct regional income redistributive effects might be determined. The model is then extended to consider value in transit, intrafirm production interdependencies, interfirm production interdependencies, and indirect benefits and costs. Finally, a method is demonstrated for estimating one component of the efficiency model. The marginal value productivity of water in irrigated agriculture is estimated from secondary data sources using least-squares regression analysis. / Graduation date: 1970

This thesis addresses the issues of modelling a groundwater system in a data-scarce environment, the Yobe river basin, north east Nigeria. Despite significant investment in the past towards water resources developments, basic data on groundwater resources are limited. Short-term studies by Consultants contain some weaknesses and have not fully investigated the mechanisms of flow to and from the aquifer. Fieldwork studies conducted during this work and in the past (Alkali, 1995) showed that the shallow aquifer system is hydrogeologically complex. Concerns such as the relative magnitudes of recharge mechanisms to the aquifer, hydrologic conditions of the aquifer, a large change in river stage, presence of unconfined 'windows' for vertical recharge, and the fact that the region is located in a semi-arid region need to be addressed. This increased the concerns for the need to explore the system through modelling. Modeling can give insights into the whole system behaviour which other approaches cannot provide. Therefore modelling was carried out and it has provided valuable insights into the complex system. This thesis reports on the procedure of developing a groundwater model that is basic and exploratory based on limited data. Detailed conceptual model was developed using data from previous workers and from a fieldwork undertaken in this study. The conceptual model provided key hydrogeological information on the various physical processes and how they interact with the shallow Fadama alluvial aquifer. It describes the aquifer as around 10 m thick and about 4 km wide with the river partially penetrating it. The aquifer consists of areas that are confined and some that are unconfined. The river is ephemeral and its stage changes rapidly over 4 m. Recharge mechanisms to the aquifer consist of vertical recharge from rainfall and overland flooding through permeable topsoil, river to aquifer flow and 'leakage' through low permeability cover. The conceptual model was idealized and translated into a computational groundwater model using MODFLOW. The model investigated the role of each components of flow in determining the overall water balance of the system. The relationship between river stage and river coefficient in the study of river-aquifer interaction was investigated. Finally the response of the aquifer system to pumping was explored. Groundwater head output from the model was used in the calculation of the various flow components. The main findings and conclusions of the work are that: (i) a comprehensive conceptual model is fundamental in developing a numerical groundwater model; (ii) the exploratory model developed using limited data is plausible because it is hydrologically credible and fits the available data; (iii) the water balance shows that the river to aquifer flow dominates the recharge from rainfall and overland flooding. Contrary to initial belief, the largest river to aquifer flow occurs before the river reaches its peak; (iv) flows between river and aquifer are insensitive to variation of river coefficient with river stage. The limiting factor in the exchange of water between them is the hydraulic gradient and the transmissivity of the aquifer; (v) in representing the river with a constant river coefficient, the coefficient has a threshold value above which the river-aquifer interaction does not change significantly; (vi) over-pumping of the aquifer will decrease river flow to disadvantage of downstream users; (vii) the replenishment of the aquifer can be improved by pumping it at a modest rate.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / China Area Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Published in cooperation with Arizona Water Commission and Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona. / Introduction: In many communities, irrigated agricultural areas exist within a few miles of the wastewater treatment plant of a large municipality. At such locations a dual transfer of water may be effected, in which the treated wastewater would be used for irrigation and the high quality irrigation water supply would in turn be shifted to the municipal system for domestic use. An investigation of the technical, economic, and legal aspects of such an exchange system has been completed recently, with the Tucson region as a case study. The research was done at the University of Arizona under an allotment grant from the Office of Water Resources Research, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Published in cooperation with Arizona Water Commission and Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona. / INTRODUCTION: Arid lands will undoubtedly experience increased energy stresses in the near future because of increasing internal populations and external energy appetites. Many arid lands are underlain by vast quantities of energy fuels, but geothermal energy is one of the few environmentally acceptable energy alternatives for arid regions based on criteria of water consumption, efficiency of energy production and pollution characteristics. This report summarizes the published findings of the authors' search of existing data related to Arizona geothermal resources and of geological investigations undertaken by them to provide a comprehensive guide for exploration and to suggest further studies.

Published in cooperation with Arizona Water Commission and Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona.