The energy-water nexus represents a complex system of correlated resources, with particular relevance to thermoelectric power plants. Since thermoelectric power plants typically depend on water for cooling, these facilities are prone to water-related challenges. At the same time, large water withdrawals for power plants can adversely impact other water users in a watershed. This work aims to evaluate water impacts on Texas power plant operations and the associated effects these power plants have on water availability. An evaluation of the water impacts on power generation in Texas was completed through four analyses: 1) water availability effects of changing cooling technologies, 2) economic value of drought resiliency through use of alternative cooling technologies, 3) dynamic impacts of reservoir storage on power generation operations, and 4) potential for reclaimed water as a cooling source. Based on the results of these analyses, the following general conclusions were drawn [bulleted list]: [bullet] Use of alternative cooling technologies decreases water withdrawals at the expense of additional energy and water consumption. However, the reduced withdrawals for power plants leaves more water in the stream for other water users, including instream flows. [bullet] Alternative cooling technologies incur additional capital costs, but gain value from reduced water withdrawals. The lower withdrawal requirements make such facilities more resilient to drought, which can have economic value from additional generation during possible drought-related curtailment or suspension. [bullet] Changing surface water reservoir storage at power plants has dynamic impacts on power generation operations, as well as other users in a river basin. Generally, decreasing power plant reservoir storage benefits other users in the basin. Instances arise where both beneficial and detrimental impacts are also observed. [bullet] Reclaimed water can be a technologically and economically feasible cooling source for many existing power plants. The future suitability of using reclaimed water for power plant cooling depends on water pipeline construction costs, reclaimed water flow, and water stress [end of bulleted list]. These general conclusions, along with further details, provide insight into the relationship between water resources and thermoelectric power plants. As resources become increasingly strained, understanding and responding to tradeoffs within the energy-water nexus, through such analyses, might become imperative for sustainable resource management. / text

In most cases, a city provides water and wastewater service within its boundaries, but when development occurs outside city limits or when the city cannot provide services, there must be some method for paying for the water and wastewater services. In Texas, a developer can create a Municipal Utility District (MUD), which is a political subdivision authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to provide water, wastewater, drainage and other services within its boundaries. In this arrangement, the infrastructure is paid for through bonds; and these bonds are then paid back through a tax levied on the homeowners within the MUD boundaries. Developers often form MUDs when there is not another financially feasible option for the infrastructure. Often the city nearest to the MUD may feel that it is losing developmental control and can see MUDs (that have bond debt) as a hindrance to growth through annexation. In the city of Austin, MUD development allowed development to occur in sensitive areas in which the city did not wish to see growth. In 1997 the city eradicated many MUDs through annexation, in which the city assumed significant MUD debt. With substantial growth and a new state highway under construction, MUDs are still continuing to form in the Central Texas Region. Without a clear plan and significant regional cooperation, Austin has little control over the development of MUDs. But with regional cooperation and a vision for future growth, MUDs can become a funding mechanism for accommodating healthy and well planned growth consistent with a larger vision. / text

Many parts of the United States are facing water shortages. Planners have to ensure that there will be an adequate water supply to meet the needs of the growing population. Though many places encourage water conservation, and some even enforce water restrictions, this is not always enough to make up for the shortages. Thus, alternative water sources need to be considered in some cases. The states of Texas and Florida both face uncertainties with their future water supply. To meet the needs of their current and future populations, both states have recently been using desalination at a large scale to supplement their water supplies. This report examines the desalination facilities in El Paso, Texas and Tampa Bay, Florida to determine if desalination is a feasible water supply and to explore the consequences of pursuing the development of this water resource. / text

Water availability, supply, accessibility, and quality issues are becoming urgent issues around the globe. Planning and management of water resources is both complicated and different in every state for every type of water resource. Estuaries are among the most important ecosystems in the world, in terms of their ecological and economic value. The many problems facing estuaries across the nation led to an effort by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect these valuable resources and to characterize their conditions. The National Estuary Program (NEP) was established in 1987, under an amendment to the Clean Water Act to address estuarine issues and planning. Three NEP case studies, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, San Francisco Bay Estuary Program, and Tampa Bay Estuary Program provide insight into the functions, capacities and potential of the NEP. Estuary Programs can be located in a variety of institutional settings, and these case studies evaluate the institutional structure of the individual estuary program in the context of their state political environments. These programs provide interesting management and planning challenges, as estuaries do not conform to exact political jurisdictions, so NEP’s define their management areas according to watershed boundaries and their ecosystems in an effort to provide comprehensive estuarine planning and management. This professional report will evaluate these three case studies to determine the role of the NEP in regional water planning and estuarine management. / text

This report uncovers relationships between water quality and quality of life (QOL) through urban design. It shows that Smart Growth (a type of urban design) is a reasonable management practice for stormwater that can also positively affect our quality of life. This study is meant to support and inspire further research on how to link quantitative measurements of QOL with quantitative measurements of water quality through urban design characteristics. The report will introduce an ongoing study by PhD candidate, Suzanne Pierce, as her and her team currently combine water quantity/quality science with decision making. They are using the stakeholder process I served on, The Barton Springs Regional Water Quality Plan 2005, as a test bed for their creation. My hope is that this study will serve as a collection of data that Pierce’s group can draw from as they get closer to illustrating design choices for stakeholders as well as linking those choices to water quality and QOL. / text

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between the impacts of climate change and transboundary water management (TWM) mechanisms. The thesis does so through a case study of the transboundary water agreements between Israel, Palestine and Jordan – states that share the transboundary waters in the Jordan River Basin (JRB), a basin that lies in a region of high political tensions and decreasing precipitation. By using empirical climate data on precipitation, temperature and general climate change projections for the basin, the author seeks to understand how these environmental changes will challenge TWM in the JRB. By using qualitative methods to examine the water agreements through the method of process tracing, the thesis seeks to understand how the water agreements are constructed to handle changes in waterflow due to climate change. The results show that the transboundary mechanisms, the water agreements and Joint Water Committees (JWC), managing the transboundary waters in the JRB, possess weak mechanisms to manage changes in waterflow. As a consequence, the whole basin might experience increasing political pressures in the future over the fulfilment of water allocation provisions. The thesis further suggests that the TWM structures in the case lack awareness and mechanisms to handle climate change impacts. On the other hand, the JWCs have an institutional capacity, expertise, and mandate in managing these potential risks in the future. However, incidents in the past, manifest that decreased waterflow leads to increasing political tensions and conflicts between the states in the basin due to the lack of conflict resolution mechanisms in the TWM structures. In order to establish a sustainable TWM in the JRB, the suggested recommendation is that climate change impacts ought to be embedded into the water agreements by incorporating flexible mechanisms for water allocation. In addition, the conflict resolution mechanisms should be strengthened.

Im Rahmen wasserwirtschaftlicher Planungen ist eine Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Zielsetzungen zu berücksichtigen. Diese ergeben sich u. a. aus den Vorgaben der EU-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie (EUWRRL), dem Leitbild einer nachhaltigen Landnutzung, dem Hochwasserschutz und der Freizeitnutzung. In der Praxis ist die Umsetzung dieser Ziele eine anspruchsvolle Aufgabe, für die geeignete Hilfsmittel entwickelt werden müssen. Zu diesem Zweck unterstützte die Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) für drei Jahre (06/2002 - 06/2005) ein Verbundprojekt zur Entwicklung von „Verbesserten Ansätzen für Wasser- und Stoffstrommanagement in intensiv genutzten kleinen Einzugsgebieten auf der Grundlage von integrierten Nutzen- und Risikobewertungen (wsm300)“.

Drainage area is a measure of the number of acres feeding into a creek. Drainage area threshold is the amount of acreage required for the creek to be included on a map. Watersheds mapped according to higher drainage area thresholds will show creek systems that are shorter and concentrated at the bottom of the watershed. Watersheds mapped according to lower drainage area thresholds show creek systems that are longer and extend further up the watershed. Since all watersheds are subject to different land uses, soil types, geology, etc., they should be mapped according to different drainage area thresholds. Headwaters are where creeks begin. There is empirical evidence that properly functioning headwaters significantly reduce erosion, improve water quality, slow stormwater flows, and provide habitat. If municipalities use lower drainage area thresholds to define their creeks, they can include more headwaters in their creek setback requirements. This professional report identifies the Harris Branch watershed as being under relatively more pressure to develop and exhibiting more environmental risk than other watersheds in Austin, Texas’ Desired Development Zone. Creeks in the watershed are redrawn according to reduced drainage area thresholds using a simple ArcGIS analysis. The analysis reveals a critical mass where creek setbacks appear to be too extensive. If creeks with a drainage area of 5 acres are protected by development code, the setbacks created have excessive branching that could be too restrictive for development. A critical mass ratio should be considered when determining which drainage area threshold is most appropriate for a watershed. The critical mass ratio is equal to the number of branches allowed per a specified distance of creek centerline. The process of identifying this critical mass ratio can help growing cities find a balance between the need to encourage development in designated areas and the need to protect natural creek systems everywhere. I recommend that municipalities review the effects of reducing drainage area threshold for each watershed, and then identify the drainage area threshold that, when protected by setback requirements, allows for extended and connected greenways as well as an increase in density. / text

This thesis project addresses Islamic water management by presenting case studies on regional water issues and analyzing the extent to which Muslim-majority states behave in a way consistent with Islamic shariah law. The case studies presented in this thesis address both international cooperation related to the management of trans-boundary water basins (the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates River Basins) and domestic water management strategies employed by Muslim-majority states in the MENA region (Jordan and Yemen). In each case, it is not clear that there is consistency between the Islamic ideals discussed by academics and the actual techniques employed by various states. In international attempts at managing the shared waters of the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates Basins, the fact that many riparian states have Muslim-majority populations does not appear to make the management of trans-boundary resources any easier or more successful. The implications for Islamic water management at the domestic level is also unclear – with shariah playing a positive role in Jordanian attempts at water conservation but promoting the over-exploitation of resources in Yemen. Although shariah appears to play a limited role in the management of trans-boundary water resources, it seems to be better suited for informing how states internally manage their endowments of freshwater resources. / text

Because water is not equitably distributed in time and place, in the right quantity with the adequate quality, water planning and management is used to redistribute the resource in such a way that tries to satisfy the necessities of water users, including the environment. Policies are proposed to improve the water management, however, selecting the best alternative can be difficult when tradeoffs among alternatives improve certain aspects of the planning and management and worsen others. This research establishes a methodology to evaluate water management policies in order to clearly and systematically identify policies that improve the water management. First, each water user, system or environmental requirement are evaluated using performance criteria. Second, performance criteria are summarized using the Sustainability Index. Finally, individual Sustainability Indices are grouped using the Sustainability by Group Index. The Sustainability by Group Index makes it possible to compare groups of water users and regions at a glance. This methodology has been successfully applied in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin, a transboundary basin between the United States and Mexico. A set of scenarios was defined by water users, authorities and environmental organizations of the basin from both countries. A water resources planning model was constructed to represent the water management of the basin. The model was used to evaluate several scenarios and the benefits or damages that each policy provides. Two winning scenarios (called Meta-scenarios) that improve the management for water users, the environment and international treaty obligations were identified. Meta-scenario A is an immediate action scenario that includes: buyback of water rights, improvement in irrigation infrastructure, water demand reduction for irrigation districts in Mexico and the US, groundwater banking and the inclusion of environmental flows. Meta-scenario B is a short term scenario that includes the policies of Meta-scenario A plus expanded buyback of water rights, additional improvements in infrastructure and sharing of water savings between farmers in the US and Mexico. Results have been presented to decision makers and water users in both countries who will ultimately decide if they should implement the suggested policies. Most importantly, some alternative policies are now known that can help to improve the water management in the basin, for whom and where. / text