Unconventional Water Resources

The world is faced with a growing number of complex and interconnected challenges. Water is among the top 5 global risks in terms of impacts, which would be far reaching beyond socio-economic challenges, impacting livelihoods and wellbeing of the people. As freshwater resources and population densities are unevenly distributed across the world, some regions and countries are already water scarce. Water scarcity is expected to intensify in regions like the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which has 6% of the global population, but only 1% of the world’s freshwater resources. Climate change adds to this complexity as it is leading to rainfall uncertainty and extended droughts periods, mostly in arid areas. Increasing water scarcity is now recognized as a major cause of conflict, social unrest and migration and at the same time water is increasingly considered as an instrument for international cooperation to achieve sustainable development. Tapping and assessing sustainably every available option in water-scarce areas is needed as pressure continues to build on limited water resources. The stark fact is that conventional water provisioning approaches relying on snowfall, rainfall and river runoff are not enough to meet growing freshwater demand in water-scarce areas. Water-scarce countries need a radical re-think of water resource planning and management that includes the creative exploitation of a growing set of viable but unconventional water resources for food production, livelihoods, ecosystems, climate change adaption, and sustainable development. Unconventional water resources are generated as a by-product of specialized processes; need suitable pre-use treatment; require pertinent on-farm management when used for irrigation; or result from a special technology to collect/access water.

This unique volume presents up-to-date information and the latest research findings on unconventional water resources in Egypt and their connections to agriculture. It investigates how to cope with the severe shortage of water and how to improve the irrigation system’s efficiency. The main aspects addressed include: · History of drainage and drainage projects in Egypt · Towards the integration of irrigation and drainage water · Assessment of drainage systems and environmental impact assessment of irrigation projects · Maximizing the reuse of agricultural drainage water and agricultural waste to improve irrigation efficiency · Developing alternative water resources, such as desalination, for greenhouses · Drainage water quality assessment, microbial hazards and improvement of green and cost-effective technologies for treatment of agricultural drainage water and wastewater for reuse in irrigation · Towards the sustainable reuse of water resources in Egypt · Options for securing water resources in Egypt, and challenges and opportunities for policy planners This book and the companion volume Conventional Water Resources and Agriculture in Egypt are vital resources for researchers, environmental managers and water policy planners – and for all those seeking information on wastewater reuse, green and cost-effective technologies for improving water quality.

This unique volume presents up-to-date information and the latest research findings on unconventional water resources in Egypt and their connections to agriculture. It investigates how to cope with the severe shortage of water and how to improve the irrigation system’s efficiency. The main aspects addressed include: · History of drainage and drainage projects in Egypt · Towards the integration of irrigation and drainage water · Assessment of drainage systems and environmental impact assessment of irrigation projects · Maximizing the reuse of agricultural drainage water and agricultural waste to improve irrigation efficiency · Developing alternative water resources, such as desalination, for greenhouses · Drainage water quality assessment, microbial hazards and improvement of green and cost-effective technologies for treatment of agricultural drainage water and wastewater for reuse in irrigation · Towards the sustainable reuse of water resources in Egypt · Options for securing water resources in Egypt, and challenges and opportunities for policy planners This book and the companion volume Conventional Water Resources and Agriculture in Egypt are vital resources for researchers, environmental managers and water policy planners – and for all those seeking information on wastewater reuse, green and cost-effective technologies for improving water quality. .

This unique volume focuses on Egypt’s conventional water resources and the main water consumer: Egypt’s agriculture. It provides an up-to-date overview and the latest research findings, and covers the following main topics: · History of irrigation and irrigation projects · Key features of agriculture, the administrative and legal framework in Egypt · Land resources for agriculture development · Food insecurity due to water shortages and climate change; resulting challenges and opportunities · Assessment of water resources for irrigation and drinking purposes · Impacts of upstream dams, such as the GERD and Tekeze Dam, on Egypt’s water resources and crop yield · Sustainable use of water resources and the future of mega irrigation projects · Quantity and quality of water in Egypt’s water resources bank This book and the companion volume Unconventional Water Resources and Agriculture in Egypt offer invaluable reference guides for postgraduates, researchers, professionals, environmental managers and policymakers interested in water resources and their management worldwide.

Examining the current literature, research, and relevant case studies, presented by a team of international experts, the Urban Water Reuse Handbook discusses the pros and cons of water reuse and explores new and alternative methods for obtaining a sustainable water supply. The book defines water reuse guidelines, describes the historical and curren

This book covers the latest technologies and challenges for water reuse and unconventional water resources. It presents a comprehensive overview of water reuse as a key approach toward a sustainable solution, and it offers an important multidisciplinary perspective. The book brings together topics spanning from water treatment technologies to social expectation and acceptance, from integrated decisional platforms for policymakers to industrial symbiosis, and from environmental sustainability to legislation aspects. It appeals to both academic and non-academic lecturers, being a valuable resource for teaching and research. Divided into 4 parts, the book begins with an introduction to water quality and quantity evaluation and the opportunities and challenges of conventional and unconventional water sources. In the second part of the book, readers will learn about the established and innovative strategies for water reuse, including the recent advances in water and the analytical challenges. In Part 3, expert contributors examine policies, plans and regulations for water reuse, with a focus on the European Union Regulation 2020/741. The final part of this book offers a perspective on wastewater reuse in practice, including several case studies of successful water reuse initiatives. Given its breadth, this book is a valuable resource for PhD students, post-doc researchers, and professionals from water utilities and diverse water user sectors such as agriculture and industry. The book caters to those seeking to deepen their knowledge and contribute to innovative solutions for sustainable water reuse. It also supports and advances the UN’s sustainable development goals, in particular SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

In December 2002, a group of specialists on water resources from the United States and Iran met in Tunis, Tunisia, for an interacademy workshop on water resources management, conservation, and recycling. This was the fourth interacademy workshop on a variety of topics held in 2002, the first year of such workshops. Tunis was selected as the location for the workshop because the Tunisian experience in addressing water conservation issues was of interest to the participants from both the United States and Iran. This report includes the agenda for the workshop, all of the papers that were presented, and the list of site visits.

Decision-Making in Water Resource Policy and Management: An Australian Perspective presents the latest information in developing new decision-making processes. Topics covered include key aspects of water resources planning, recent water resource policy changes in irrigation, urban, and environmental considerations, the evolution of a water market, a number of case studies that provide real examples of improved decision-making, transfer of the Australian experience overseas, and challenges for the future. Many countries are experiencing major water scarcity problems which will likely intensify with the continued impacts of climate change. In response to this challenge, there is increased worldwide focus on the development of more sustainable and integrated water resource policies. The Australian experience over the past three decades has led to major improvements in the decision-making processes in water resources policy and management, particularly in response to drought and climate change, providing a great model on which other nations can use and adapt. This information is essential to early to mid-career practitioners engaged in policy, planning and operational roles in all fields of water resource policy and management, and catchment management. Summarizes key results from three decades of changes in Australian water resource policy Illustrates how Australian knowledge is being used in other countries and how this might be expanded Provides international practitioners with real examples of where and how the Australian knowledge is assisting in other situations

Produced waterâ€"water from underground formations that is brought to the surface during oil and gas productionâ€"is the greatest volume byproduct associated with oil and gas production. It is managed by some combination of underground injection, treatment and subsequent use, treatment and discharge, or evaporation, subject to compliance with state and federal regulations. Management of these waters is challenging not only for industry and regulators, but also for landowners and the public because of differences in the quality and quantity of produced water, varying infrastructure needs, costs, and environmental considerations associated with produced water disposal, storage, and transport. Unconventional oil and gas development involves technologies that combine horizontal drilling with the practice of hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is a controlled, high-pressure injection of fluid and proppant into a well to generate fractures in the rock formation containing the oil or gas. After the hydraulic fracture procedure is completed, the injected fluid is allowed to flow back into the well, leaving the proppant in the newly created fractures. As a result, a portion of the injected water returns to the surface and this water is called "flowback water" which initially may mix with the naturally occurring produced water from the formation. The chemistry and volume of water returning to the surface from unconventional oil and gas operations thus changes during the lifetime of the well due to the amount of fluid used in the initial stage of well development, the amount of water naturally occurring in the geologic formation, the original water and rock chemistry, the type of hydrocarbon being produced, and the way in which production is conducted. The volume and composition of flowback and produced waters vary with geography, time, and site-specific factors. A workshop was conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to highlight the challenges and opportunities associated in managing produced water from unconventional hydrocarbon development, and particularly in the area of potential beneficial uses for these waters. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.