principles of sustainability outline sustainable water resources roundtable indicator examples alan...

• Principles of Sustainability

Outline

• Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable

• Indicator Examples

Alan D. Steinman, Ph.D.

Annis Water Resources Institute

Grand Valley State University

Muskegon, MI 49441

• Criteria & Indicators

Language in PA No. 148:

(a) Sec. 32803 (2): The council shall

Study the sustainability of the state’s groundwater use and whether the state should provide additional oversight of groundwater withdrawals

Principles of Sustainability

Brundtland Commission(World Environment and Development Commission, 1987)

Sustainable development:

• meets the needs of the present while not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

• encompasses the environmental, economic, and social systems and their contribution to meeting human needs.

Principles Regarding Sustainability in Water Resources

“The sustainable development of water resources is a multi-dimensional way of thinking about the interdependencies among natural, social, and economic systems in the use of water. In this view, our efforts to achieve economic vitality should occur in the context of the enhancement and preservation of ecological integrity, social well-being, and security.”

Source: Kranz, Gasteyer, Heintz, Shafer, and Steinman (2004)

Sustainability of Water Resources

Involves: - policies, plans, and activities that improve equality of access to water - recognizes that there are limits and boundaries of water use beyond which ecosystem behavior might change in unanticipated ways - requires consideration of interactions occurring across different geographic scales: global, national, regional, and local - challenges us to look to the future and to assess and understand the implications of decisions made today on the lives and livelihoods of future generations and the ecosystems upon which they depend.

Source: Kranz, Gasteyer, Heintz, Shafer, and Steinman (2004)

Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable

Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable(SWRR)

Purpose:

Serve as a forum to share information and perspectives that will promote better decisionmaking in the US regarding the sustainable development of our nation’s water resources

http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/swrr/

The Sustainable Roundtables are

public/private efforts to develop sets

of national-scale sustainability criteria

and indicators for the nation’s

resources

Sustainable Roundtables exist for

fresh water, forest, rangeland, and

minerals

Participants include Federal

agencies, as well as

representatives of industry,

academia, Tribal governments

and NGO’s.

The Roundtables are developing

a comprehensive set of criteria

and indicators to assess our

progress toward sustainable

resource management.

There are many definitions of Sustainable Development

because there is disagreement about how to balance the

economic, social, and environmental dimensions of

sustainability.

Progress toward social, economic, and environmental

sustainability, however it is defined, can be tracked through

the use of criteria and indicators.

Criteria and Indicators

What is meant by the use of criteria and indicators

• Criteria: technical properties that help to choose an indicator

• Criteria should not be directional (SWRR)

• Example:– Inappropriate: increase water for the

environment

– Appropriate: adequate water supply and timing for the environment

What is meant by the use of criteria and indicators

• Indicators: measurements that track conditions over time; should be scientifically defensible, quantifiable, consistent, and understandable

• Examples:– Groundwater quality

– Groundwater withdrawal depth

Background (SWRR)

• The indicators sets should consider all aspects

of resource systems so as to provide a balanced

outlook;

• The indicators are national scale, though many

are based on local data; and

• The indicators are not intended to be used for

new regulatory development and there are no

associated reporting requirements.

Use of Indicators

• The indicators will contribute to the

Congressionally mandated 2005 Update of the

2000 Resource Planning Act Assessment;

• The indicators will be refined over time and may become part of the overall indicator set used in the US to assess our progress toward a sustainable America; and

• The indicators will support an informed debate about water systems and their contribution to sustainability

Develop Sustainable Water ResourcesGOAL

CRITERIA

INDICATORS

MEASURES

Residential water supply

Adequate water supply

Ecosystem water supply

Agricultural & utility water supply

HydroperiodNatural

variabilityWater

demandsReservoir

stageWater

demandsReservoir

stage

Natural Capital Economic Capital Social Capital

Relationship among goal, criteria, indicators and measures within capital.

Adequate Water Supply for Agriculture

Proportion Groundwater/Surface Water

Supply

GOAL

CRITERIA

INDICATORS

Develop Sustainable Water ResourcesEconomic Capital System Ex.

Present Flow

Rate/10 yr Average

Flow

Adequate Water Supply for Electric

Production

Mean Reservoir

Depth

Water Quality

Groundwater

Withdrawal Depth

Irrigation Water Cost

Snow Pack

Condition

Annual Precipitation

RateWater

Recycling

Examples of sustainability indices

Universal Sujoy, Goldstein and Summers (USGS) Sustainability Indices

• Water Supply Sustainability Index

• Thermoelectric Cooling Constraint Index

• Based on easily accessible data

• Include multiple assumptions• Unquantified uncertainties• Basis for more detailed

analysis of sustainability issues• A Survey of Water Use and

Sustainability in the United States with a Focus on Power Generation (EPRI 1005474)

Dom es tic U se7%

Com m ercial Us e3%

Indust ria l U se8%

Therm oe lec tric Us e39%

M ining Us e1%

L ives toc k Us e2%

Irr igation Us e40%

Freshwater Withdrawal

Annual, Cumulative Monthly Precipitation Minus ET, Ave. 1934-2002

Groundwater Withdrawal/Available Precipitation (1995)

Summer Deficit 1995 Using 3-Year Rolling Average Minimum

Precipitation

Change in Summer Deficit, Business as Usual, 1995-2025

Water Supply Sustainability Index: EPRI

• Extent of development of available renewable water: – use of available precipitation

• Sustainable groundwater use: – ratio of groundwater withdrawal to available precipitation

• Environmental regulatory limits on freshwater withdrawals:– number of aquatic endangered species

• Susceptibility to drought: – summer deficit during low precipitation years

• Growth of water use: – Increase of freshwater withdrawals from 1995 to 2025

• New requirements for storage or withdrawal from storage:– increase in summer deficit from 1995 to 2025

Developing Indicators of Freshwater Ecosystems

Dan TunstallWORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE

WRI Indicators

Value Indicators

Condition Indicators

Risk indicators

Value Indicators

• What is the extent and location of each ecosystem or habitat type?

• What is the distribution of goods and services derived by the ecosystem (e.g., priority areas for the conservation of particular species)

• What is the quantity and value of the good or service being produced?

Condition Indicators

• How has the ecosystem changed through time?

• What pressures and changes is it experiencing today?

• Is the capacity of that system to provide that service being enhanced or diminished over time?

• What is the condition and changing capacity of the ecosystem?

Risk Indicators

• What pressures and changes is the ecosystem experiencing today?

• What are the potential threats to species or ecosystems?

• Where are the areas at risk? (Projections of key threats and pressures)

Summary

• Sustainability must take into account the environmental, economic, and social sectors

• Criteria and indicators are useful ways to characterize and track sustainability

• Recommend that the council develop groundwater criteria and indicators to assess sustainability for final report