Sustainability Criteria for Water Resource Systems

An international group of experts review guidelines for achieving sustainability in water resource systems.

Daniel P. Loucks (Edited by), John S. Gladwell (Edited by)

9780521089173, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 30 October 2008

156 pages, 25 b/w illus. 5 tables
28 x 21 x 0.8 cm, 0.37 kg

Review of the hardback: '… an important contribution to the debate surrounding sustainable development and the planning and management of water resources.' P. Wouters, Resources Policy

Water resources professionals have an obligation to conceive and manage water resource systems such that they will fully contribute to an improved quality of life for all humans, now and into the future. Those water resource systems that will be able to satisfy the changing demands that will inevitably be placed on them, without significant system degradation, can be called 'sustainable'. An international group of experts have reviewed various guidelines for achieving greater degrees of sustainability and the extent to which they have been applied in a number of case studies. Approaches for measuring and modelling sustainability are provided. Ways in which these measures and models might be used when evaluating alternative designs and operating policies are illustrated. The monograph will be particularly valuable for practising engineers and planners, and as a supplementary text for graduate students in civil and environmental engineering, hydrology, geography and economics.

Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Sustainability issues and challenges
3. Defining sustainability
4. Measuring sustainability
5. Sustainability guidelines and case studies
6. Economic sustainability criteria
7. Ecological and environmental sustainability criteria and approaches
8. International and social aspects of sustainability
9. Sustainability and modeling technology
10. Sustainability, hydrologic risk and uncertainty
11. Equity, education and technology transfer
12. Conclusions
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Limnology [freshwater RBKF]