Integrated Water Resource Management

As defined by the Global Water Partnership, integrated water resource management is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. Resources available within this theme provide guidance on how to conserve and restore watersheds, reduce pollution, adapt to climate change and reduce risks from floods and droughts.

Integrated Water Resource Management Resources

Economies of Scale and Scope in River Basin Management

Published: 
November 15, 2004
Pacific InstituteiDE
New approaches to water planning, like Integrated Water Resources Management, are growing in popularity, but have often gotten bogged down, or even been abandoned, because stakeholders don't feel they are getting enough out of these efforts. Economies of scale and scope are the payoff for the...Read more

California Water 2030: An Efficient Future

Published: 
September 15, 2005
Pacific Institute
The report details how smart technology, strong management, and appropriate rates and incentives can allow the state to meet its needs well into the future with less water. The report concludes that California can cut its wasteful use of water by 20 percent in the next 25 years while satisfying a...Read more

Understanding and Reducing the Risks of Climate Change for Transboundary Waters

Published: 
December 1, 2009
Pacific Institute
This report outlines some of the risks that climate change poses to transboundary water agreements. In the following sections, the Pacific Institute defines the extent and general characteristics of transboundary rivers and aquifers and describe some of the institutional structures that have been...Read more

Clearing the Waters: A Focus on Water Quality Solutions

Published: 
March 22, 2010
Pacific Institute
This report released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for World Water Day, March 22, 2010, lays out steps and solutions to address our urgent water-quality challenges––and they start with awareness and will to action.Read more

Overview of Greywater Reuse: the Potential of Greywater Systems to Aid Sustainable Water Management

Published: 
November 18, 2010
Pacific Institute
This paper provides a broad overview of the state of greywater implementation and policy, with a special emphasis on the Middle East. It examines the potential of greywater to reduce the water and energy intensity of water uses, and it analyzes key issues that must be addressed for greywater to be...Read more

Human Costs of Nitrate-contaminated Drinking Water in the San Joaquin Valley

Published: 
March 1, 2011
Pacific Institute
This research finds that nitrate contamination of groundwater has wide-reaching effects on California's health, economic vitality, and environmental well being, disproportionately affecting low-income households and Spanish-speaking residents.Read more

Policy Options for Water Management in the Verde Valley, Arizona

Published: 
June 24, 2011
Pacific Institute
This report examines possible futures for the Verde River within the Verde Valley. The researchers provide information for stakeholders and decision-makers on the river's resources, economic value, and tools for promoting sustainable water management.Read more

Water for Energy: Future Water Needs for Electricity in the Intermountain West

Published: 
November 3, 2011
Pacific Institute
This analysis evaluates future water needs for different energy futures and identifies a growing risk of conflicts between electricity production and water availability in the U.S. Intermountain West. The new report also identifies strategies to ensure the long-term sustainable use of both...Read more

Water-use Efficiency and Productivity: Rethinking the Basin Approach

Published: 
December 4, 2011
Pacific Institute
This article analyzes three fundamental flaws in the traditional approach to water-efficiency or the “basin approach,” including the assumption that all consumptive water use is beneficial, a lack of attention to water productivity measures, and the numerous, important “co-benefits” that are...Read more

Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS): Recommendations for a Robust and Sustainable Approach

Published: 
March 14, 2012
Pacific Institute
This report examines Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS), a water-provision and management approach that has emerged as a way to realize the poverty alleviation potential of water projects. By connecting livelihoods to water supply, MUS seeks to improve nutrition, boost income, and help the rural and...Read more

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