Megdal Sharon B, Gerlak Andrea K, Huang Ling-Yee, Delano Nathaniel, Varady Robert G, Petersen-Perlman Jacob D
Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona, 350 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA.
School of Geography and Development and Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona, 803 E. First St., Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA.
Environ Manage. 2017 May;59(5):718-735. doi: 10.1007/s00267-017-0830-7. Epub 2017 Feb 8.
Groundwater is an increasingly important source of freshwater, especially where surface water resources are fully or over-allocated or becoming less reliable due to climate change. Groundwater reliance has created new challenges for sustainable management. This article examines how regional groundwater users coordinate and collaborate to manage shared groundwater resources, including attention to what drives collaboration. To identify and illustrate these facets, this article examines three geographically diverse cases of groundwater governance and management from the United States Sun Belt: Orange County Water District in southern California; Prescott Active Management Area in north-central Arizona; and the Central Florida Water Initiative in central Florida. These regions have different surface water laws, groundwater allocation and management laws and regulations, demographics, economics, topographies, and climate. These cases were selected because the Sun Belt faces similar pressures on groundwater due to historical and projected population growth and limited availability of usable surface water supplies. Collectively, they demonstrate groundwater governance trends in the United States, and illustrate distinctive features of regional groundwater management strategies. Our research shows how geophysical realities and state-level legislation have enabled and/or stimulated regions to develop groundwater management plans and strategies to address the specific issues associated with their groundwater resources. We find that litigation involvement and avoidance, along with the need to finance projects, are additional drivers of regional collaboration to manage groundwater. This case study underscores the importance of regionally coordinated and sustained efforts to address serious groundwater utilization challenges faced by the regions studied and around the world.
地下水正日益成为重要的淡水资源，尤其是在地表水水资源已被充分利用或过度分配，或者由于气候变化而变得越来越不可靠的地区。对地下水的依赖给可持续管理带来了新的挑战。本文探讨了区域地下水使用者如何协调与合作以管理共享的地下水资源，包括关注推动合作的因素。为了识别和阐述这些方面，本文研究了美国阳光地带三个地理位置不同的地下水治理与管理案例：南加州的橙县水区；亚利桑那州中北部的普雷斯科特积极管理区；以及佛罗里达州中部的佛罗里达中部水资源倡议。这些地区有着不同的地表水法律、地下水分配和管理法律法规、人口统计学、经济、地形和气候。选择这些案例是因为由于历史和预计的人口增长以及可用地表水供应有限，阳光地带在地下水方面面临着类似的压力。总体而言，它们展示了美国的地下水治理趋势，并说明了区域地下水管理策略的独特特征。我们的研究表明地球物理现实和州级立法如何促使和/或刺激各地区制定地下水管理计划和策略，以解决与其地下水资源相关的具体问题。我们发现，参与和避免诉讼，以及为项目融资的需求，是区域合作管理地下水的额外推动因素。本案例研究强调了区域协调和持续努力对于应对所研究地区及全球面临的严重地下水利用挑战的重要性。
