Two areas essential for water sustainability are
water quanity
- the sources are renewable
- the volumes used are returned for further use
water quality
- utility is not impaired for further use
The LCA presents technical challenges and tradeoffs
not all water quality standards can be applicable to all situations
want the resulting indicator to inform decisions
Need to collect information
completeness - make sure all categories of water
accounts - divide up the categories of water resources
collect information on quality - pollution level
calculate the totals - add up
An appropriate set of indicators
distill the information
indicate movement (toward or away from a goal)
support good decisions
--> need a battery of indicators
Definitions of water resources
- in-stream water use (such as a dam)
- off-stream water use (pumping from an aquifer)
- surface water
- groundwater
- water release or return (release after off-stream use)
- water use (return of water that was used)
- water consumption (loss of water from off-stream use, such as evaporation
from irrigation)
- water depletion (withdrawal from a source that is not replenished)
Indicators of water quality and degradation of that quality
- eutrophication (addition of nutrients that support algal growth)
- problematic because the nutrient status of the recieving water needs to
be characterized
- dissolved oxygen demand
- themal
- pathogenic microorganisms
- contaminated water kills millions of children per year
- color and turbidity
- suspended solids
- toxicity
- accute
- chronic
- interactions
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