Introducing Sustainability Issues to the Water Management
249
water was found. The groundwater resources are exploited neither bearing in mind
economic aspects (e.g., analyzing costs, scrutinizing, or optimizing usage patterns)
nor considering environmental or hydraulic viewpoints (e.g., how will the
associated drawdown affect other interests on the same resource).
Numerous estimates exist of the renewable amount of groundwater of the
EMA that can be utilized without depleting it, ranging between 130 (CDM 1997)
and more than 300 mcmyea(i. However, the amount of water utilized from the
Eastern Mountain and Northeastern Aquifers is also used to supply other regions
outside of the Lower Jordan basin, which have historic use rights, and it is
therefore not appropriate to exclusively use this quantity as a determination of the
available groundwater for the area.
A comprehensive aquifer monitoring program needs to be developed, to
further investigate the influence of the complex geologic and climatic conditions
on the availability of EMA groundwater resources (Gutman and Zukerman 1995).
Lateral groundwater flows between distinct aquifer units represent the most
uncertain components. In particular, representative groundwater quality
measurement campaigns have to be designed in order to get early indications of
deterioration trends. Otherwise, it will not be clear what amount of good quality
water is available. Moreover, detailed hydrogeological work needs to be done to
obtain a better insight into the recharge mechanisms.
Currently, only monthly spring discharge and pumping volume sums are
recorded on the Palestinian side (ARB 1998), with readings of groundwater levels
or surface runoff almost completely missing. So far, the Israeli administration
does not release detailed, but only regional, averaged yearly sums for spring
discharge, pumping volume, and groundwater heads. Increasing the amount of
data to be analyzed is also necessary, since many hydrological parameters show
large temporal and spatial variations, which in tum causes uncertainty in
predictions. In some instances, measured data have not been shared among the
regional countries. The resulting database should be sufficient to apply modem
computer-aided management tools for subsurface and surface water resources.
3 Sustainability Issue
Due to the continuing and widespread deterioration of quality and quantity of
water resources, hydrologists have started to adopt the concept of sustainability to
the Lower Jordan Valley. Sustainability represents a framework with which
specific measures can be designed in a consistent and comparable way. Often
guidelines are sought to cope with contradicting interests.
Sustainability objectives can be generally described as any improvement of the
current and future conditions of the medium itself (Le., water quality and quantity)
and of its use. Priorities with respect to sustainability goals depend on what is
currently needed at most for the developmental stage of a society. This may lead
to the fact that the same sustainability objectives might be of dissimilar
importance due to transient social values. Sustainability always envisions long-
249
water was found. The groundwater resources are exploited neither bearing in mind
economic aspects (e.g., analyzing costs, scrutinizing, or optimizing usage patterns)
nor considering environmental or hydraulic viewpoints (e.g., how will the
associated drawdown affect other interests on the same resource).
Numerous estimates exist of the renewable amount of groundwater of the
EMA that can be utilized without depleting it, ranging between 130 (CDM 1997)
and more than 300 mcmyea(i. However, the amount of water utilized from the
Eastern Mountain and Northeastern Aquifers is also used to supply other regions
outside of the Lower Jordan basin, which have historic use rights, and it is
therefore not appropriate to exclusively use this quantity as a determination of the
available groundwater for the area.
A comprehensive aquifer monitoring program needs to be developed, to
further investigate the influence of the complex geologic and climatic conditions
on the availability of EMA groundwater resources (Gutman and Zukerman 1995).
Lateral groundwater flows between distinct aquifer units represent the most
uncertain components. In particular, representative groundwater quality
measurement campaigns have to be designed in order to get early indications of
deterioration trends. Otherwise, it will not be clear what amount of good quality
water is available. Moreover, detailed hydrogeological work needs to be done to
obtain a better insight into the recharge mechanisms.
Currently, only monthly spring discharge and pumping volume sums are
recorded on the Palestinian side (ARB 1998), with readings of groundwater levels
or surface runoff almost completely missing. So far, the Israeli administration
does not release detailed, but only regional, averaged yearly sums for spring
discharge, pumping volume, and groundwater heads. Increasing the amount of
data to be analyzed is also necessary, since many hydrological parameters show
large temporal and spatial variations, which in tum causes uncertainty in
predictions. In some instances, measured data have not been shared among the
regional countries. The resulting database should be sufficient to apply modem
computer-aided management tools for subsurface and surface water resources.
3 Sustainability Issue
Due to the continuing and widespread deterioration of quality and quantity of
water resources, hydrologists have started to adopt the concept of sustainability to
the Lower Jordan Valley. Sustainability represents a framework with which
specific measures can be designed in a consistent and comparable way. Often
guidelines are sought to cope with contradicting interests.
Sustainability objectives can be generally described as any improvement of the
current and future conditions of the medium itself (Le., water quality and quantity)
and of its use. Priorities with respect to sustainability goals depend on what is
currently needed at most for the developmental stage of a society. This may lead
to the fact that the same sustainability objectives might be of dissimilar
importance due to transient social values. Sustainability always envisions long-