TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Review of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Operations Support Tool for Water Supply SN - DO - 10.17226/25218 PY - 2018 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25218/review-of-the-new-york-city-department-of-environmental-protection-operations-support-tool-for-water-supply PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - New York City's water supply system is one of the oldest, largest, and most complex in the nation. It delivers more than 1.1 billion gallons of water each day from three upstate watersheds (Croton, Catskill, and Delaware) to meet the needs of more than eight million people in the City, one million people in Westchester, Putnam, Orange, and Ulster counties, and millions of commuters and tourists who visit the City throughout the year. The Catskill and Delaware portions, which make up about 90 percent of the supply, receive no filtration or treatment other than disinfection, except for rare instances of high turbidity when a coagulant is added to increase deposition of suspended solids. The remaining 10 percent of the supply comes from the Croton watershed and receives treatment via filtration. The drinking water supply is managed by the Bureau of Water Supply within the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP). To continue to avoid filtration of the Catskill/Delaware portion of the water supply, in 2007, NYC DEP reexamined its control of turbidity in the Catskill portion of the water supply, including both structural improvements to the system and operational changes. The Operations Support Tool (OST) was developed as part of these efforts. OST couples models of reservoir operations and water quality; it uses real-time data on streamflow, snow pack, water quality, reservoir levels, diversions, and releases; and it incorporates streamflow forecasts—all in order to predict future reservoir levels, water delivery to customers, and water quality within the system. These predictions inform the system operators, who then make decisions based on the most current data and forecasts. This report reviews the use of OST in current and future reservoir operations. It considers potential ways in which the City can more effectively use OST, makes recommendations for additional performance measures, and reviews the potential effects of climate change on the City's water supply to help identify and enhance understanding of areas of potential future concern with regard to the use of OST. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Understanding Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater SN - DO - 10.17226/13514 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13514/understanding-water-reuse-potential-for-expanding-the-nations-water-supply PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - In communities all around the world, water supplies are coming under increasing pressure as population growth, climate change, pollution, and changes in land use affect water quantity and quality. To address existing and anticipated water shortages, many communities are working to increase water conservation and are seeking alternative sources of water. Water reuse- the sue of treated wastewater, or "reclaimed" water, for beneficial purposes such as drinking, irrigation, or industrial uses- is one option that has helped some communities significantly expand their water supplies. Understanding Water Reuse summarizes the main findings of the National Research Council report Water Reuse: Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater. The report provides an overview of the options and outlook for water reuse in the United States, discusses water treatment technologies and potential uses of reclaimed water, and presents a new analysis that compares the risks of drinking reclaimed water to those of drinking water from traditional sources. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Final Report SN - DO - 10.17226/13314 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13314/review-of-the-st-johns-river-water-supply-impact-study PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Earth Sciences AB - The St. Johns River Water Management District is responsible for managing water resources in the St. Johns River basin, which comprises 23 percent of Florida. Approximately 4.73 million people (one-quarter of Florida's population) live in the area served by the District, which contains the growing cities of Jacksonville, Orlando, and Gainesville. In order to meet the increasing water supply needs of the District's residents and other water users, the District is considering supplementing its historical supply of groundwater with water from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha Rivers. To better understand the potential ecological impacts of such withdrawals, in 2008 the District began a large scientific study called the Water Supply Impact Study (WSIS). In late 2008, the Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) of the National Academies was asked to review the progress of the WSIS, including such scientific aspects as hydrologic and water quality modeling and how river withdrawals will affect wetlands, biogeochemical processes, plankton, benthos, the littoral zone, fish, and wetlands wildlife in the basin. For two and a half years, the WSTB Committee has followed the activities of eight District workgroups as they modeled the relevant river basins, determined the criteria to evaluate the environmental impacts of water withdrawals, evaluated the extent of those impacts, and coordinated with other ongoing projects. The first report of the Committee reviewed the Phase 1 hydrologic and environmental assessment tools and relevant data, and made recommendations regarding proposed work for the second phase of the WSIS. The Committee's second report focused on how the District was responding to the recommendations in its first report. The third Committee report primarily evaluated the hydrologic and hydrodynamic work being performed by the District. Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study, the fourth and final product of the Committee focuses on the ecological impact analyses conducted by the environmental workgroups, presents final thoughts about the hydrologic and hydrodynamic studies, and provides some overall perspectives on the WSIS. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater SN - DO - 10.17226/13303 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13303/water-reuse-potential-for-expanding-the-nations-water-supply-through PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Expanding water reuse—the use of treated wastewater for beneficial purposes including irrigation, industrial uses, and drinking water augmentation—could significantly increase the nation's total available water resources. Water Reuse presents a portfolio of treatment options available to mitigate water quality issues in reclaimed water along with new analysis suggesting that the risk of exposure to certain microbial and chemical contaminants from drinking reclaimed water does not appear to be any higher than the risk experienced in at least some current drinking water treatment systems, and may be orders of magnitude lower. This report recommends adjustments to the federal regulatory framework that could enhance public health protection for both planned and unplanned (or de facto) reuse and increase public confidence in water reuse. ER - TY - BOOK TI - Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 2 DO - 10.17226/12827 PY - 2009 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12827/review-of-the-st-johns-river-water-supply-impact-study PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Earth Sciences AB - This report is the second in a series providing ongoing advice to the St. Johns River Water Management District (the District) as it considers withdrawing additional water from the St. Johns River in east-central Florida for future public supply. The first report included a series of recommendations, some broad and others specific to the seven scientific workgroups that are conducting the Water Supply Impact Study (WSIS). A major focus of the present report is the District's responses to those recommendations. This report expresses thoughts and opinions on the District's efforts in that regard and is targeted at the District scientists that have conducted the WSIS. Much of this report focuses on particular areas where the committee concludes that additional or continued attention and work are warranted. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 3 DO - 10.17226/13052 PY - 2010 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13052/review-of-the-st-johns-river-water-supply-impact-study PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The St. Johns River Water Management District in northeast Florida is studying the feasibility of withdrawing water from the St. Johns River for the purpose of augmenting future public water supply. The District requested that its Water Supply Impact Study (WSIS) be reviewed by a committee of the National Research Council (NRC) as it progresses. This third report from the NRC committee focuses on the hydrology and hydrodynamics workgroup. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Review of the St. Johns River Water Supply Impact Study: Report 1 SN - DO - 10.17226/12733 PY - 2009 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12733/review-of-the-st-johns-river-water-supply-impact-study PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The St. Johns River is the longest river in Florida, containing extensive freshwater wetlands, numerous large lakes, a wide estuarine channel, and a correspondingly diverse array of native flora and fauna. Water resource management in the river's watershed is the responsibility of the St. Johns River Water Management District (the District). The District must provide water for the region's 4.4 million residents as well as numerous industrial and agricultural users, all while protecting natural systems within the river basin. With population growth in the watershed expected to surpass 7.2 million in 2030, the District, through its water resources planning process, has begun to identify alternative sources of water beyond its traditional groundwater sources, including the potential withdrawal of 262 million gallons per day from the St. Johns River. To more comprehensively evaluate the environmental impacts of withdrawing this water from the river, the District embarked on a two-year Water Supply Impact Study (WSIS), and requested the involvement of the National Research Council. The present volume reviews the Phase I work of the WSIS and provides recommendations for improving Phase II. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Public Water Supply Distribution Systems: Assessing and Reducing Risks: First Report SN - DO - 10.17226/11262 PY - 2005 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11262/public-water-supply-distribution-systems-assessing-and-reducing-risks-first PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The Water Science and Technology Board has released the first report of the Committee on Public Water Supply Distribution Systems: Assessing and Reducing Risks, which is studying water quality issues associated with public water supply distribution systems and their potential risks to consumers. The distribution system, which is a critical component of every drinking water utility, constitutes a significant management challenge from both an operational and public health standpoint. This first report was requested by the EPA, as the agency considers revisions to the Total Coliform Rule with potential new requirements for ensuring the integrity of the distribution system. This first report identifies trends relevant to the deterioration of drinking water quality in distribution systems and prioritizes issues of greatest concern according to high, medium, and low priority categories. Of the issues presented in nine EPA white papers that were reviewed by the committee, cross connections and backflow, new or repaired water mains, and finished water storage facilities were judged by the committee to be of the highest importance based on their associated potential health risks. In addition, the report noted that two other issues should also be accorded high priority: premise plumbing and distribution system operator training. This first report will be followed in about 18 months by a more comprehensive final report that evaluates approaches for risk characterization and identifies strategies that could be considered to reduce the risks posed by water-quality deteriorating events. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Watershed Management for Potable Water Supply: Assessing the New York City Strategy SN - DO - 10.17226/9677 PY - 2000 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9677/watershed-management-for-potable-water-supply-assessing-the-new-york PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Earth Sciences AB - In 1997, New York City adopted a mammoth watershed agreement to protect its drinking water and avoid filtration of its large upstate surface water supply. Shortly thereafter, the NRC began an analysis of the agreement's scientific validity. The resulting book finds New York City's watershed agreement to be a good template for proactive watershed management that, if properly implemented, will maintain high water quality. However, it cautions that the agreement is not a guarantee of permanent filtration avoidance because of changing regulations, uncertainties regarding pollution sources, advances in treatment technologies, and natural variations in watershed conditions. The book recommends that New York City place its highest priority on pathogenic microorganisms in the watershed and direct its resources toward improving methods for detecting pathogens, understanding pathogen transport and fate, and demonstrating that best management practices will remove pathogens. Other recommendations, which are broadly applicable to surface water supplies across the country, target buffer zones, stormwater management, water quality monitoring, and effluent trading. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Review of the New York City Watershed Protection Program SN - DO - 10.17226/25851 PY - 2020 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25851/review-of-the-new-york-city-watershed-protection-program PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - New York City's municipal water supply system provides about 1 billion gallons of drinking water a day to over 8.5 million people in New York City and about 1 million people living in nearby Westchester, Putnam, Ulster, and Orange counties. The combined water supply system includes 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes with a total storage capacity of approximately 580 billion gallons. The city's Watershed Protection Program is intended to maintain and enhance the high quality of these surface water sources. Review of the New York City Watershed Protection Program assesses the efficacy and future of New York City's watershed management activities. The report identifies program areas that may require future change or action, including continued efforts to address turbidity and responding to changes in reservoir water quality as a result of climate change. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Ninth Biennial Review - 2022 SN - DO - 10.17226/26706 PY - 2023 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26706/progress-toward-restoring-the-everglades-the-ninth-biennial-review-2022 PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Earth Sciences AB - Over the past century, the Everglades has been dramatically altered by drainage and water management infrastructure intended to improve flood management, urban water supply, and agricultural production. Less than half of the original Everglades remain, and these remnants compete for water with urban and agricultural interests, all the while being impaired by contaminated runoff. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was established in 2000 as a joint effort by the state and federal government to reverse the decline of the ecosystem. The multibillion project aims to restore the ecosystem over the course of 30 to 40 years by reestablishing the natural hydrological characteristics of the Everglades where feasible and ultimately creating a water system that serves both the natural and human needs of South Florida. Since 2004, a National Academies committee has provided a series of independent, peer-reviewed assessments of CERP progress. Implementation of CERP projects has occurred at a remarkable pace over the past two years due to record funding levels. Ecosystem responses are evident over large areas of the central and western Everglades after implementation of recent restoration initiatives. This progress in implementation has increased the importance of analyzing and synthesizing natural system responses. The committee review of ongoing progress highlights the need for rigorous scientific support for water quality improvement in stormwater treatment areas and modeling for a wider range of plausible climate conditions. Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Ninth Biennial Review - 2022 recommends the development of a multiagency Everglades restoration science plan to ensure the needed tools, research, analysis, and synthesis are available to support critical restoration management decisions. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Eighth Biennial Review - 2020 SN - DO - 10.17226/25853 PY - 2021 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25853/progress-toward-restoring-the-everglades-the-eighth-biennial-review-2020 PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Earth Sciences AB - During the past century, the Everglades, one of the world's treasured ecosystems, has been dramatically altered by drainage and water management infrastructure to improve flood management, urban water supply, and agricultural production. The remnants of the original Everglades now compete for water with urban and agricultural interests and are impaired by contaminated runoff from these two sectors. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a joint effort launched by the state and the federal government in 2000, seeks to reverse the decline of the ecosystem. The multibillion-dollar project was originally envisioned as a 30- to 40-year effort to achieve ecological restoration by reestablishing the natural hydrologic characteristics of the Everglades, where feasible, and to create a water system that serves the needs of both the natural and the human systems of South Florida. In establishing the CERP, Congress also requested that an independent scientific review be conducted on progress toward restoration with biennial reports. The National Academies' Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress has provided biennial reviews of restoration progress and advice on scientific and engineering issues that may impact progress since 2004. This eighth study of the series describes substantive accomplishments over the past 2 years and reviews developments in research, monitoring, and assessment that inform restoration decision making. Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Eighth Biennial Review - 2020 also reviews the recently developed Combined Operational Plan, which is a prerequisite for CERP progress in the central Everglades, and examines issues facing the northern and southern estuaries, including priorities for science to support restoration decision making. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Effectiveness and Impacts of Dust Control Measures for Owens Lake SN - DO - 10.17226/25658 PY - 2020 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25658/effectiveness-and-impacts-of-dust-control-measures-for-owens-lake PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - During the 20th century, the city of Los Angeles diverted surface water flowing into Owens Lake for water supply, transforming the large, closed-basin, saline lake into a small brine pool surrounded by dry playa. Under high winds, the exposed lakebed produced large amounts of airborne dust, resulting in the highest concentrations of airborne particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometers or less (PM10) in the United States. Since 2000, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, at the direction of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, has been constructing and implementing dust control measures on the dry lakebed, with the objective of meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM10 and the PM10 standards set by the state of California. Many of the dust control measures used at Owens Lake require large amounts of water, energy, and maintenance to sustain their performance. Effectiveness and Impacts of Dust Control Measures for Owens Lake evaluates the effectiveness of alternative solutions for their degree of PM10 reduction and the extent that they reduce use of water in controlling dust emissions. This report considers the associated energy and environmental and economic impacts of these proposed measures and assesses their durability and reliability. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security SN - DO - 10.17226/13449 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13449/himalayan-glaciers-climate-change-water-resources-and-water-security PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Earth Sciences KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - Scientific evidence shows that most glaciers in South Asia's Hindu Kush Himalayan region are retreating, but the consequences for the region's water supply are unclear, this report finds. The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is the location of several of Asia's great river systems, which provide water for drinking, irrigation, and other uses for about 1.5 billion people. Recent studies show that at lower elevations, glacial retreat is unlikely to cause significant changes in water availability over the next several decades, but other factors, including groundwater depletion and increasing human water use, could have a greater impact. Higher elevation areas could experience altered water flow in some river basins if current rates of glacial retreat continue, but shifts in the location, intensity, and variability of rain and snow due to climate change will likely have a greater impact on regional water supplies. Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security makes recommendations and sets guidelines for the future of climate change and water security in the Himalayan Region. This report emphasizes that social changes, such as changing patterns of water use and water management decisions, are likely to have at least as much of an impact on water demand as environmental factors do on water supply. Water scarcity will likely affect the rural and urban poor most severely, as these groups have the least capacity to move to new locations as needed. It is predicted that the region will become increasingly urbanized as cities expand to absorb migrants in search of economic opportunities. As living standards and populations rise, water use will likely increase-for example, as more people have diets rich in meat, more water will be needed for agricultural use. The effects of future climate change could further exacerbate water stress. Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security explains that changes in the availability of water resources could play an increasing role in political tensions, especially if existing water management institutions do not better account for the social, economic, and ecological complexities of the region. To effectively respond to the effects of climate change, water management systems will need to take into account the social, economic, and ecological complexities of the region. This means it will be important to expand research and monitoring programs to gather more detailed, consistent, and accurate data on demographics, water supply, demand, and scarcity. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Using Graywater and Stormwater to Enhance Local Water Supplies: An Assessment of Risks, Costs, and Benefits SN - DO - 10.17226/21866 PY - 2016 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21866/using-graywater-and-stormwater-to-enhance-local-water-supplies-an PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Chronic and episodic water shortages are becoming common in many regions of the United States, and population growth in water-scarce regions further compounds the challenges. Increasingly, alternative water sources such as graywater-untreated wastewater that does not include water from the toilet but generally includes water from bathroom sinks, showers, bathtubs, clothes washers, and laundry sinks- and stormwater-water from rainfall or snow that can be measured downstream in a pipe, culvert, or stream shortly after the precipitation event-are being viewed as resources to supplement scarce water supplies rather than as waste to be discharged as rapidly as possible. Graywater and stormwater can serve a range of non-potable uses, including irrigation, toilet flushing, washing, and cooling, although treatment may be needed. Stormwater may also be used to recharge groundwater, which may ultimately be tapped for potable use. In addition to providing additional sources of local water supply, harvesting stormwater has many potential benefits, including energy savings, pollution prevention, and reducing the impacts of urban development on urban streams. Similarly, the reuse of graywater can enhance water supply reliability and extend the capacity of existing wastewater systems in growing cities. Despite the benefits of using local alternative water sources to address water demands, many questions remain that have limited the broader application of graywater and stormwater capture and use. In particular, limited information is available on the costs, benefits, and risks of these projects, and beyond the simplest applications many state and local public health agencies have not developed regulatory frameworks for full use of these local water resources. To address these issues, Using Graywater and Stormwater to Enhance Local Water Supplies analyzes the risks, costs, and benefits on various uses of graywater and stormwater. This report examines technical, economic, regulatory, and social issues associated with graywater and stormwater capture for a range of uses, including non-potable urban uses, irrigation, and groundwater recharge. Using Graywater and Stormwater to Enhance Local Water Supplies considers the quality and suitability of water for reuse, treatment and storage technologies, and human health and environmental risks of water reuse. The findings and recommendations of this report will be valuable for water managers, citizens of states under a current drought, and local and state health and environmental agencies. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta SN - DO - 10.17226/13394 PY - 2012 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13394/sustainable-water-and-environmental-management-in-the-california-bay-delta PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Earth Sciences AB - Extensively modified over the last century and a half, California's San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary remains biologically diverse and functions as a central element in California's water supply system. Uncertainties about the future, actions taken under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and companion California statues, and lawsuits have led to conflict concerning the timing and amount of water that can be diverted from the Delta for agriculture, municipal, and industrial purposes and concerning how much water is needed to protect the Delta ecosystem and its component species. Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta focuses on scientific questions, assumptions, and conclusions underlying water-management alternatives and reviews the initial public draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan in terms of adequacy of its use of science and adaptive management. In addition, this report identifies the factors that may be contributing to the decline of federally listed species, recommend future water-supple and delivery options that reflect proper consideration of climate change and compatibility with objectives of maintaining a sustainable Bay-Delta ecosystem, advises what degree of restoration of the Delta system is likely to be attainable, and provides metrics that can be used by resource managers to measure progress toward restoration goals. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Drinking Water Distribution Systems: Assessing and Reducing Risks SN - DO - 10.17226/11728 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11728/drinking-water-distribution-systems-assessing-and-reducing-risks PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Protecting and maintaining water distributions systems is crucial to ensuring high quality drinking water. Distribution systems -- consisting of pipes, pumps, valves, storage tanks, reservoirs, meters, fittings, and other hydraulic appurtenances -- carry drinking water from a centralized treatment plant or well supplies to consumers’ taps. Spanning almost 1 million miles in the United States, distribution systems represent the vast majority of physical infrastructure for water supplies, and thus constitute the primary management challenge from both an operational and public health standpoint. Recent data on waterborne disease outbreaks suggest that distribution systems remain a source of contamination that has yet to be fully addressed. This report evaluates approaches for risk characterization and recent data, and it identifies a variety of strategies that could be considered to reduce the risks posed by water-quality deteriorating events in distribution systems. Particular attention is given to backflow events via cross connections, the potential for contamination of the distribution system during construction and repair activities, maintenance of storage facilities, and the role of premise plumbing in public health risk. The report also identifies advances in detection, monitoring and modeling, analytical methods, and research and development opportunities that will enable the water supply industry to further reduce risks associated with drinking water distribution systems. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Hydrologic Effects of a Changing Forest Landscape SN - DO - 10.17226/12223 PY - 2008 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12223/hydrologic-effects-of-a-changing-forest-landscape PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Earth Sciences AB - Of all the outputs of forests, water may be the most important. Streamflow from forests provides two-thirds of the nation's clean water supply. Removing forest cover accelerates the rate that precipitation becomes streamflow; therefore, in some areas, cutting trees causes a temporary increase in the volume of water flowing downstream. This effect has spurred political pressure to cut trees to increase water supply, especially in western states where population is rising. However, cutting trees for water gains is not sustainable: increases in flow rate and volume are typically short-lived, and the practice can ultimately degrade water quality and increase vulnerability to flooding. Forest hydrology, the study of how water flows through forests, can help illuminate the connections between forests and water, but it must advance if it is to deal with today's complexities, including climate change, wildfires, and changing patterns of development and ownership. This book identifies actions that scientists, forest and water managers, and citizens can take to help sustain water resources from forests. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Lauren Everett TI - Groundwater Recharge and Flow: Approaches and Challenges for Monitoring and Modeling Using Remotely Sensed Data: Proceedings of a Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/25615 PY - 2019 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25615/groundwater-recharge-and-flow-approaches-and-challenges-for-monitoring-and PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences AB - Water of appropriate quantity and quality is essential for drinking, sanitation, and food, energy, and industrial production for any society and is derived for most needs from surface- or groundwater sources. Studies suggest that groundwater use in irrigation globally is increasing in total volume as well as a percentage of all water used for irrigation, with the demand for groundwater resources increasing as available primary surface water supplies are depleted. Particularly in arid regions, groundwater may be the most accessible water supply for any purpose, leaving groundwater withdrawals concentrated in areas that are already experiencing water stress. Even in the presence of direct ground observations and measurements of the water table, quantitative evaluation of groundwater storage, flow, or recharge at different scales requires remotely sensed data and observations applied to groundwater models. Resolving the interaction of groundwater storage, flow, and recharge at a scale at which basins are managed requires remotely sensed data and proxy data. In June 2019, the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop to identify scientific and technological research frontiers in monitoring and modeling groundwater recharge and flow in various regions of the world. The goals of the workshop were to assess regional freshwater budgets under major use scenarios, including agriculture, industry, and municipal; examine state of the art research frontiers in characterizing groundwater aquifers, including residence time, quantity, flow, depletion, and recharge, using remotely sensed observations and proxy data; discuss groundwater model uncertainties and methods for mitigating them using sparse ground observations or data and other approaches; and consider our ability to detect which water management strategies that affect groundwater flow and recharge are being used and any changes in their use over time. This publication summarizes workshop presentations and plenary discussions. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Confronting the Nation's Water Problems: The Role of Research SN - DO - 10.17226/11031 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11031/confronting-the-nations-water-problems-the-role-of-research PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - In order to confront the increasingly severe water problems faced by all parts of the country, the United States needs to make a new commitment to research on water resources. A new mechanism is needed to coordinate water research currently fragmented among nearly 20 federal agencies. Given the competition for water among farmers, communities, aquatic ecosystems and other users—as well as emerging challenges such as climate change and the threat of waterborne diseases—Confronting the Nation's Water Problems concludes that an additional $70 million in federal funding should go annually to water research. Funding should go specifically to the areas of water demand and use, water supply augmentation, and other institutional research topics. The book notes that overall federal funding for water research has been stagnant in real terms for the past 30 years and that the portion dedicated to research on water use and social science topics has declined considerably. ER -