Is NonrenewableGroundwater Management Inconsistent With IWRM?

Session 3.4.2 – 5th World Water ForumIstanbul, Turkey, 20 March 2009

Michael E. Campana(aquadoc@oregonstate.edu)

Director, Institute for Water and WatershedsProfessor of Geosciences

Oregon State University , USAand

National Ground Water Association (www.ngwa.org)American Water Resources Association (www.awra.org)ICIWaRM – International Center for Integrated WaRM

Yes!Yes!No!No!

No OpinionNo Opinion

•Limited replenishment (recharge)•Limited replenishment, large storage•Replenished, but over long time scales•Water is being mined (extraction > recharge)•‘Decoupled’ from hydrological cycle

What Is Nonrenewable What Is Nonrenewable Groundwater?Groundwater?

“Nonrenewable groundwater is like pornography. I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.” M. Campana (apologies to former US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart)

What Is Nonrenewable What Is Nonrenewable Groundwater? Groundwater?

A Proposed ‘Definition’A Proposed ‘Definition’

•In some USA states, NR GW can fall outside the realm of ‘renewable’ groundwater and elude regulation.•Case in point: state of New Mexico, where non-potable groundwater deeper than 800 m that is isolated from drinking water aquifers cannot be regulated by state water officials.•Developers want this water, which will have to be desalted. One estimate: 18,500 km3!•Rush to pump this water (>370 MCM/year) before New Mexico decides to regulate it. Chaos?

(Non) Management of (Non) Management of NonrenewableNonrenewable

Groundwater – New Mexico, Groundwater – New Mexico, USAUSA

“…government-mandated unitization of groundwater … is a solution to excessive access and drawdown … a single “unit operator” extracts from and develops the reservoir. All other parties share in the net returns as share holders.” – Gary Libecap (2005)http://www.u.arizona.edu/~libecapg/downloads/TheProblemOfWater.pdf

Management of Management of Nonrenewable Groundwater: Nonrenewable Groundwater: New Paradigm? Unitization New Paradigm? Unitization

The unitization concept, borrowed from the reservoir (petroleum) engineering field, is currently being developed by Todd Jarvis and Gary Libecap for groundwater resources.

Stay tuned!

Management of Management of Nonrenewable GroundwaterNonrenewable Groundwater

Unitization - MoreUnitization - More

Unıtızatıon: Unıtızatıon: Application to Application to Nonrenewable Groundwater?Nonrenewable Groundwater?

Unıtızatıon: Unıtızatıon: Application to Application to Nonrenewable Groundwater?Nonrenewable Groundwater?

• Maximize recovery and beneficial use of Maximize recovery and beneficial use of resource that is not “renewed” like other similar resource that is not “renewed” like other similar “mined” resources“mined” resources

• May promote groundwater development on USA May promote groundwater development on USA federal landsfederal lands

• Boundaries of groundwater compartments can Boundaries of groundwater compartments can be reasonably well-definedbe reasonably well-defined

• Well interference issues and costs minimizedWell interference issues and costs minimized• The real benefit is in the emerging use of ASR The real benefit is in the emerging use of ASR

applications to “mined” aquifers – similar to applications to “mined” aquifers – similar to secondary and tertiary oil recovery operationssecondary and tertiary oil recovery operations

(courtesy of Todd Jarvis)(courtesy of Todd Jarvis)

Groundwater Unit Boundaries?Groundwater Unit Boundaries?Groundwater Unit Boundaries?Groundwater Unit Boundaries?

Diagram courtesy of Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian ReservationDiagram courtesy of Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

•Nonrenewable groundwater management is no more inconsistent with IWRM than is renewable groundwater management.•Use of the catchment scale and sustainability requirement could preclude inclusion of nonrenewable groundwater in IWRM. •However, as water resources become further stressed by climate change, population growth, etc., nonrenewable groundwater will become more important as a water source, if only as a buffer or temporary supply.•Recommendation: We do need to consider NR GW as a component of IWRM and devise ways to manage it, preferably in conjunction with Aquifer Storage & Recovery and Artificial Recharge (ASR & AR).

My TakeMy Take

NGWA-OSU-UNESCO-World NGWA-OSU-UNESCO-World BankBank

First International Conference First International Conference on Nonrenewable Ground on Nonrenewable Ground

WaterWaterPortland, Oregon, USAPortland, Oregon, USA

13-14 October 200813-14 October 2008Summary available at:Summary available at:

http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/filhttp://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/files/nonrenewable_gw_conference_report_oces/nonrenewable_gw_conference_report_oc

t2008.pdft2008.pdfVery successful!Very successful!

Plans for 2Plans for 2ndnd Conference in 2010 or Conference in 2010 or 20112011

•Visit WaterWired blog and search on ‘nonrenewable groundwater’ or ‘desalination’ (NM case): aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired•This presentation will be posted on WaterWired blog•UNESCO Publication, Series on Groundwater No. 10 (2006), edited by S. Foster and D. Loucks (see NR GW conference report for citation and URL)•World Bank Briefing Note No. 11 (2003), by S. Foster et al. (see NR GW conference report for citation and URL)

More InformationMore Information

• Jarvis, W. Todd, 2006. Transboundary groundwater: geopolitical consequences, commons sense, and the law of the hidden sea. PhD dissertation, Oregon State University. Available at: http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/dspace/handle/1957/3122

More InformationMore Information