• Principles of Sustainability
Outline
• Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable
• Indicator Examples
Alan D. Steinman, Ph.D.
Annis Water Resources Institute
Grand Valley State University
Muskegon, MI 49441
• Criteria & Indicators
Language in PA No. 148:
(a) Sec. 32803 (2): The council shall
Study the sustainability of the state’s groundwater use and whether the state should provide additional oversight of groundwater withdrawals
Principles of Sustainability
Brundtland Commission(World Environment and Development Commission, 1987)
Sustainable development:
• meets the needs of the present while not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• encompasses the environmental, economic, and social systems and their contribution to meeting human needs.
Principles Regarding Sustainability in Water Resources
“The sustainable development of water resources is a multi-dimensional way of thinking about the interdependencies among natural, social, and economic systems in the use of water. In this view, our efforts to achieve economic vitality should occur in the context of the enhancement and preservation of ecological integrity, social well-being, and security.”
Source: Kranz, Gasteyer, Heintz, Shafer, and Steinman (2004)
Sustainability of Water Resources
Involves: - policies, plans, and activities that improve equality of access to water - recognizes that there are limits and boundaries of water use beyond which ecosystem behavior might change in unanticipated ways - requires consideration of interactions occurring across different geographic scales: global, national, regional, and local - challenges us to look to the future and to assess and understand the implications of decisions made today on the lives and livelihoods of future generations and the ecosystems upon which they depend.
Source: Kranz, Gasteyer, Heintz, Shafer, and Steinman (2004)
Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable
Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable(SWRR)
Purpose:
Serve as a forum to share information and perspectives that will promote better decisionmaking in the US regarding the sustainable development of our nation’s water resources
http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/swrr/
The Sustainable Roundtables are
public/private efforts to develop sets
of national-scale sustainability criteria
and indicators for the nation’s
resources
Sustainable Roundtables exist for
fresh water, forest, rangeland, and
minerals
Participants include Federal
agencies, as well as
representatives of industry,
academia, Tribal governments
and NGO’s.
The Roundtables are developing
a comprehensive set of criteria
and indicators to assess our
progress toward sustainable
resource management.
There are many definitions of Sustainable Development
because there is disagreement about how to balance the
economic, social, and environmental dimensions of
sustainability.
Progress toward social, economic, and environmental
sustainability, however it is defined, can be tracked through
the use of criteria and indicators.
Criteria and Indicators
What is meant by the use of criteria and indicators
• Criteria: technical properties that help to choose an indicator
• Criteria should not be directional (SWRR)
• Example:– Inappropriate: increase water for the
environment
– Appropriate: adequate water supply and timing for the environment
What is meant by the use of criteria and indicators
• Indicators: measurements that track conditions over time; should be scientifically defensible, quantifiable, consistent, and understandable
• Examples:– Groundwater quality
– Groundwater withdrawal depth
Background (SWRR)
• The indicators sets should consider all aspects
of resource systems so as to provide a balanced
outlook;
• The indicators are national scale, though many
are based on local data; and
• The indicators are not intended to be used for
new regulatory development and there are no
associated reporting requirements.
Use of Indicators
• The indicators will contribute to the
Congressionally mandated 2005 Update of the
2000 Resource Planning Act Assessment;
• The indicators will be refined over time and may become part of the overall indicator set used in the US to assess our progress toward a sustainable America; and
• The indicators will support an informed debate about water systems and their contribution to sustainability
Develop Sustainable Water ResourcesGOAL
CRITERIA
INDICATORS
MEASURES
Residential water supply
Adequate water supply
Ecosystem water supply
Agricultural & utility water supply
HydroperiodNatural
variabilityWater
demandsReservoir
stageWater
demandsReservoir
stage
Natural Capital Economic Capital Social Capital
Relationship among goal, criteria, indicators and measures within capital.
Adequate Water Supply for Agriculture
Proportion Groundwater/Surface Water
Supply
GOAL
CRITERIA
INDICATORS
Develop Sustainable Water ResourcesEconomic Capital System Ex.
Present Flow
Rate/10 yr Average
Flow
Adequate Water Supply for Electric
Production
Mean Reservoir
Depth
Water Quality
Groundwater
Withdrawal Depth
Irrigation Water Cost
Snow Pack
Condition
Annual Precipitation
RateWater
Recycling
Examples of sustainability indices
Universal Sujoy, Goldstein and Summers (USGS) Sustainability Indices
• Water Supply Sustainability Index
• Thermoelectric Cooling Constraint Index
• Based on easily accessible data
• Include multiple assumptions• Unquantified uncertainties• Basis for more detailed
analysis of sustainability issues• A Survey of Water Use and
Sustainability in the United States with a Focus on Power Generation (EPRI 1005474)
Dom es tic U se7%
Com m ercial Us e3%
Indust ria l U se8%
Therm oe lec tric Us e39%
M ining Us e1%
L ives toc k Us e2%
Irr igation Us e40%
Freshwater Withdrawal
Annual, Cumulative Monthly Precipitation Minus ET, Ave. 1934-2002
Groundwater Withdrawal/Available Precipitation (1995)
Summer Deficit 1995 Using 3-Year Rolling Average Minimum
Precipitation
Change in Summer Deficit, Business as Usual, 1995-2025
Water Supply Sustainability Index: EPRI
• Extent of development of available renewable water: – use of available precipitation
• Sustainable groundwater use: – ratio of groundwater withdrawal to available precipitation
• Environmental regulatory limits on freshwater withdrawals:– number of aquatic endangered species
• Susceptibility to drought: – summer deficit during low precipitation years
• Growth of water use: – Increase of freshwater withdrawals from 1995 to 2025
• New requirements for storage or withdrawal from storage:– increase in summer deficit from 1995 to 2025
Developing Indicators of Freshwater Ecosystems
Dan TunstallWORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE
WRI Indicators
Value Indicators
Condition Indicators
Risk indicators
Value Indicators
• What is the extent and location of each ecosystem or habitat type?
• What is the distribution of goods and services derived by the ecosystem (e.g., priority areas for the conservation of particular species)
• What is the quantity and value of the good or service being produced?
Condition Indicators
• How has the ecosystem changed through time?
• What pressures and changes is it experiencing today?
• Is the capacity of that system to provide that service being enhanced or diminished over time?
• What is the condition and changing capacity of the ecosystem?
Risk Indicators
• What pressures and changes is the ecosystem experiencing today?
• What are the potential threats to species or ecosystems?
• Where are the areas at risk? (Projections of key threats and pressures)
Summary
• Sustainability must take into account the environmental, economic, and social sectors
• Criteria and indicators are useful ways to characterize and track sustainability
• Recommend that the council develop groundwater criteria and indicators to assess sustainability for final report