Can hydrology address water crisis issues?

A water crisis is usually caused by people, people are the ones affected by it, and people are the ones who can solve it

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own.

The water crisis, happening nationwide but not uniformly, cannot be solved by understanding hydrology alone. It is certainly a part of the picture, but it requires us to have an understanding of how surface waters interact with groundwater, climate effects over time, permitting processes, state/federal/local regulations, and our own willingness to be a part of the solution.

Methods to solve problems involve community meetings, outreach and education, regulator expertise and cooperation, and stakeholder buy-in. This is because a water crisis is caused by people, people are the ones affected by it, and people are the ones who can solve it.

Technical software is available to solve a water crisis; dynamic simulation is often involved. Dynamic simulation mathematically integrates and balances things like:

surface water modeling (predictions),
groundwater modeling (predictions) of aquifer levels,
new potential sources of water
storage capacity of a water distribution system,
water supplies,
transportation of water supplies (pipelines),
anticipated conservation
permit requirements
compliance metrics
and any other system-specific requirements.

This sounds overwhelming, and it is, which is why programs like GoldSim and ExtendSim were created. Trying to put all of these calculations into Excel is just too much.

In 2016 I worked to help the Albuquerque and Bernalillo County Water Authority come up with a 100-year plan to ensure water was available for residents well into the future. Our team at Jacobs supported the Authority to come up with an integrated solution that combined all of above factors with anticipated climate change. It is located here.

I also worked to create a dynamic simulation model for the El Paso Water Utility. You can read more about it here.

ABCWUA Water 2120: Securing our Water Future

Dynamic simulation was used to create and evaluate multiple water resource strategies. No matter the inputs, conservation of water, which in effect limits water demand, was among the best options to hold off a water crisis.

Home

Affiliate Links

There are now countertop reverse osmosis (RO) systems available for home use. I truly never believed this day would come.

On top of having this incredible technology at our fingertips, Waterdrop is also offering $50 off of the Waterdrop D6 600GPD Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System, just click below.

Shop Now for $50 OFF $350 on Waterdrop D6 600GPD Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System

Every Drop offers great refrigerator filters, for every refrigerator, available at 20% off indefinitely. The best part is not having to track schedules when you sign up for automatic replacement shipments. They walk you through finding your make and model refrigerator on their site. It's easy, I know because did it myself!