Water resource management methods comprise the systematic planning, allocation, regulation, and monitoring of surface water, groundwater, and related infrastructure to optimize availability, reliability, and quality under hydrological, ecological, and socio‑economic constraints. Core methodological components include hydrologic and hydrogeologic modeling, demand forecasting, reservoir and aquifer operation rules, conjunctive use strategies, environmental flow assessment, and water quality management. They frequently incorporate decision-support tools such as optimization, multi-criteria analysis, and integrated water resources management (IWRM) frameworks, enabling coordination across sectors and scales. Methods also encompass instruments for governance and implementation, including abstraction licensing, allocation regimes, pricing schemes, and adaptive management based on continuous data and performance evaluation.
The economic costs of drought could rise by more than one-third in the next 10 years without urgent reforms to water policies and irrigation systems, especially in resource-limited countries, according to new analysis.
Environment
Jun 24, 2025
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If you live in the Southwest, you've likely heard the grim warning: water is in short supply. Due to rising temperatures, increased water demand, and relaxed regulations, the Western United States is facing a critical situation. ...
Environment
Jun 24, 2025
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23
Irrigation is widely promoted as a powerful tool to combat hunger and malnutrition, boosting agricultural output, food security, and rural livelihoods. But a new Policy Brief by the United Nations University Institute for ...
Environment
Jun 24, 2025
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29
A market-based approach to managing water in the Colorado River basin could provide more reliable supplies for farmers, communities, and industry amid ongoing drought and excess demand. The right market design and a little ...
Environment
Jun 20, 2025
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48
Mauritius's water supplies are running very low. As a small island, it is affected by tropical cyclones, rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and a warming ocean. Rainfall levels have decreased by 8% over the last 10 years.
Environment
Jun 18, 2025
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24
The water beneath our feet that we use to bathe, drink and water crops is vanishing faster than ever in the Colorado River Basin, according to a new study.
Environment
Jun 16, 2025
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56
Atmospheric rivers are responsible for most flooding on the West Coast of the U.S., but they also bring much-needed moisture to the region. The size of these storms doesn't always translate to flood risk, however, as other ...
Environment
Jun 12, 2025
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40
As the population grows and urbanization and agro-industrial activity increase, the demand for freshwater is expected to rise by 55% by 2050. Experts project that this increase in demand will strongly impact a scenario already ...
Environment
Jun 9, 2025
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56
England is facing a water crisis. The UK government has just announced plans to fast-track two massive reservoir projects in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, warning that without them, we could run out of drinking water by ...
Environment
Jun 3, 2025
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20
Concerningly low amounts of water are flowing from the Rocky Mountain snowpack this spring, a summer of drought looms across swaths of the West, and the negotiators tasked with devising a sustainable long-term water plan ...
Environment
Jun 2, 2025
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