9th International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge ISMAR9CALLTOACTION

SUSTAINABLEGROUNDWATERMANAGEMENTPOLICYDIRECTIVESJune2016,MexicoCity,Mexico

BackgroundThisdocumentwasdevelopedfordecision-makersandthepublictoinform,engageandeducatestakeholders on the critical need for addressing our shrinking groundwater resources now,before it is too late, during two working sessions at the International Association ofHydrogeologistsInternationalSymposiumforManagedAquiferRechargeinJune2016inMexicoCity, Mexico. A working group further refined the document in the weeks following ISMAR-Mexico,asindicatedbelow.

PrincipalAuthors• RobertoRamírezdelaParra,NationalWaterCommission(CONAGUA),Mexico• FernandoJ.GonzálezVillarreal,NationalAutonomousUniversityofMexico(UNAM),Mexico• TimothyKevinParker,ParkerGroundwaterManagement,UnitedStatesofAmerica• RubénChávezGuillén,NationalWaterCommission(CONAGUA),Mexico• FernandoGonzálezCáñez,MexicoValleyWaterBoard(OCAVM),NationalWater

Commission(CONAGUA),Mexico• AdrianaPalmaNava,NationalAutonomousUniversityofMexico(UNAM),Mexico

ContributingAuthors• BillAlley,NationalGroundWaterAssociation,USA• BobBower,GolderAssociates,NewZealand• PeterDillon,Aqueon,Australia• RussellMartin,Aqueon,Australia• SharonMegdal,UniversityofArizona,USA• AristidesPetrides,OregonStateUniversity,USA• AndrewRoss,AustralianNationalUniversity,Australia• YanZheng,ColumbiaUniversity,USA

RelatedLiterature• FAO,UNESCO-IHP,IAH,WBGandGEF–March2016.

GlobalFrameworkforActiontoachievetheVisiononGroundwaterGovernance.http://www.groundwatergovernance.org/fileadmin/user_upload/groundwatergovernance/docs/GWG_FRAMEWORK_EN.pdf

• CaliforniaSustainableGroundwaterManagementAct,2014.http://www.water.ca.gov/cagroundwater/legislation.cfm

• EuropeanCommission,EuropeanCommunities2008.GroundwaterProtectioninEurope,BrochureontheNewGroundwaterDirective,ConsolidatingtheEURegulatoryFramework.http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/groundwater/pdf/brochure/en.pdf

• Directive 2006/118/EC of the European Parliament and Council of 12December 2006 ontheprotectionofgroundwateragainstpollutionanddeterioration.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02006L0118-20140711

ISMAR9Websitewww.ismar9.org

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9th International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge ISMAR9CALLTOACTION

SUSTAINABLEGROUNDWATERMANAGEMENTPOLICYDIRECTIVESJune2016,MexicoCity,Mexico

IntroductionWateristrulypreciousandessentialforlife,butlimitedandfiniteinextentoccurringassurfacewater(lakes,riversandwetlands)at the land’ssurface,andasgroundwater inaquifersbelowtheground.Surfacewaterconstitutes3%oftheworld’sfreshwatersandisvisible,measurableandmanageable;groundwaterconstitutes97%of freshwaterand isoutofsight,generallynotwell measured, and therefore more difficult to understand, manage and protect in terms ofquantityandquality.Groundwaterandsurfacewaterareintricatelylinked,withgroundwaterprovidingbaseflowtosurfacewatersystems(feedingwatertoriversandwetlands),andactingasabuffertosupplywaterduringdryperiodsanddroughts.

Groundwater is increasingly relied on globally for water supply and food security, yet is notbeingadequatelyinvestedin,regulated,managedorsustainedonaglobalbasis.Itisacommonpool resource, highly susceptible to overuse, resulting in the classic tragedy of the commons,withdepletioninmanyareasoftheworld.Currentandemergingchallengestomaintainingthequantityandqualityofgroundwaterresourcesincludeclimatechangeandvariability,pressuresfromagrowingpopulation,increasingurbanization,andlargeagriculturaldemands.Sustainablegroundwater management should be implemented throughout the world, and done soconsistentwiththefollowingpolicydirectives.I.Recognizeaquifersandgroundwaterascriticallyimportant,finite,valuableandvulnerableresources.Aquifersareporous,subsurfacegeologicmaterialscontaininggroundwater thatprovides50%of global water needs and water supply resiliency through droughts, and are therefore veryvaluableresources.Thegroundwatercontainedwithinaquifersispartofthehydrologicsystem,and in many places strongly connected with surface water bodies. Groundwater is not anunlimitedresource,althoughgenerallyshallowsystemsmayberenewableonashort-to long-termbasis.Manyaquiferscontainveryoldgroundwaterdeposited1,000’sofyearsagoandarenon-renewable unless purposefully recharged through managed aquifer recharge. Sincegroundwaterisunderground,itisnotvisible,generallynotwellunderstood,andwidelythoughttobeendlessinextent.

II.Haltthechronicdepletionofgroundwaterinaquifersonaglobalbasis.Today,groundwatersuppliesinmanyoftheworld’saquifersareunsustainable,resultingfromoverexploitationandalackofproactivemanagement.Evidenceofdepletionincludeschronicallydeclining groundwater levels, loss of groundwater storage, water quality degradation, landsurfacesubsidence, seawater intrusion, surfacewaterdepletionand lossof springs,base flow,and associated groundwater dependent ecosystems. Depletion can cause irreversible damageanddeprivefuturegenerationsoftheresource.Actionsneedtobetakenimmediatelytoinvestthe required resources to regulate and activelymanage groundwater quantity and quality asneeded to halt chronic depletion,water quality degradation, and achieve sustainability in thenext25years.

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9th International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge ISMAR9CALLTOACTION

SUSTAINABLEGROUNDWATERMANAGEMENTPOLICYDIRECTIVESJune2016,MexicoCity,Mexico

III. Aquifer systems are unique, need to be well understood, and groundwatershouldbeinvisiblenomore.All aquifer systems are unique and diverse in physical characteristics and other features. Assuch, aquifer systems can be complex, difficult and expensive to evaluate, but must be wellunderstood for effective management. Increasing the knowledge on aquifers is essential todeveloping a foundation for sustainable management of groundwater resources. The basicelements include but are not limited to, the nature of the aquifer geometry and chemical andphysical characteristics, local hydrologic cycle and interconnectedness of aquifers, confininglayers (aquitards) and overlying local and regional surface water systems, groundwaterflowpaths and gradients, water budget and availability, current and future demands on thesystem,andanassessmentofhowlandusesandclimatechangemayaffectlocalhydrologyandwater quality. This information is expensive to collect because of the subsurface nature ofgroundwater,andsignificantinvestmentsofresourcesareneededtoincreaseindependentdatacollection and dissemination in order to improve understanding over time. Needed also arecontinuedeffortsto improvetoolsandinnovativetechnologiesfor lesscostlyandhighervalueinformation,resultinginbetterunderstandingandmanagementofgroundwaterresources.Thegovernment and private industry should help provide the resources to support academia totrainthefutureworkforce,managersandscientists,andforresearchtodevelopimprovedtoolsand technologies, all necessary to better manage groundwater in the future. Finally, theknowledgeanddataonaquifersystemsshouldbesharedwidelysothatgroundwatershouldbeinvisiblenomore.

IV. Groundwater must be sustainably managed and protected, within anintegratedwaterresourceframework.Sustainable management of groundwater includes increasing and sustained investment ingroundwater,appropriatepoliciesandregulations,legalframework,institutionswithsufficientauthority and accountability, and development and implementation of comprehensive andadaptablemanagementplans.The legal frameworkshouldaddresstheprocessandactionsforassigning, accounting, and allocating water rights, andmechanism for resolving conflicts anddisputes. Groundwater management institutions should cover the entirety of each aquifersystem,includingrechargesourceareasandconnectedsurfacewatersystems,andshouldhavethe authority and accountability to sustainably manage groundwater. The groundwatermanagement institutions should consider the interests of all beneficial uses and users ofgroundwater, and be integrated with surface water management institutions to manageconnected systems. Institutions should have the authority to conduct studies, register andmonitorwells,measure and regulate extraction, implement capital projects, freely share dataand information and assess fees to cover the cost of groundwater sustainability. Responsiblemanagement institutions should ensure that all share the cost of groundwater sustainabilityequitably. Federal or state governments should provide the backstop and intervention asnecessary if groundwater management institutions are unsuccessful in sustainably managinggroundwaterintheirjurisdictionalareas.

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9th International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge ISMAR9CALLTOACTION

SUSTAINABLEGROUNDWATERMANAGEMENTPOLICYDIRECTIVESJune2016,MexicoCity,Mexico

Management plans should include a sustainability goal, measurable objectives, an adequateunderstanding of the physical system and hydrology, monitoring program and protocols, aplanning horizon of no less than 50 years, management component projects and actions toachieve sustainability, and integrationof landusedecisions.Management componentprojectsand actions to be considered in management plans include conservation, water reuse,stormwater capture, managed aquifer recharge and demand reduction. Recycled water andstormwatershouldbeput tobeneficialuseanddevelopedasresources.Watermarkets,watertradesandtransfersshouldalsobetoolsemployedinsustainablegroundwatermanagement.V.ManagedAquiferRechargeshouldbegreatlyincreasedglobally.Managedaquiferrecharge(MAR),definedastheincreaseingroundwaterrechargeovernaturalinfiltrationprocessesasaresultofinterventionsdesignedtoenhancegroundwaterstorageandquality, isrecognizedasakeygroundwatermanagementcomponentthat isutilizedwidelyforlong-term sustainability.MAR is a versatile technology that helps to increase the storage andavailability of water from aquifers, may improve the quality of groundwater through naturalsubsurface treatment processes, and increase groundwater storage to supplement suppliesduringdrycyclesorsevereandprolongeddroughts.Thismakes it importanttopromoteMARapplication inmanagementplans,provideappropriate incentives for localusers to implementMAR, and institute training of specialized personnel in this area. MAR needs to be employedmuch more widely in order to replenish depleted aquifer systems, and sustain groundwaterresources in the future. MAR should be implemented where economically viable in suitableaquifersthatcanacceptasufficientquantityandqualityofwateratanadequaterechargerate,withinareaswheregroundwateruseisbeingactivelymanaged.VI.Effectivegroundwatermanagementrequirescollaboration,robuststakeholderparticipationandcommunityengagement.Groundwater is a shared, local resource, and collaboration and robust participation ofcommunitystakeholdersandleadershipoverlyingtheaquifersystem,includingstewardsoftheenvironment, provide invaluable tools and a pathway toward the collective action needed tomanagegroundwaterresourcessustainably.Communityengagementisanimportantsocialtooland can be a driving force for fostering trust, acceptance, and support for the managementactionsandcosts,andultimatecompliancetoadheretotheactionsimplemented.Premisedontheprinciple that thoseaffectedby themanagementdecisionshavea fundamental right tobeinvolved in the decision-making process, community engagement should include encouraginglocal leadership inkeyroles tonurturesounddecisionsandpromotecompliancewithneededactions. Management institutions will need to identify and engage these varied interests anddeterminehowtheirinvolvementwillbeintegratedintothedecision-making,coordination,andimplementation processes necessary to achieve groundwater sustainability. Further, theengagement of the local community is an ongoing and never ending process to achieve andmaintainresourcesustainability.

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