Urbanization has been identified as one of the issues with the greatest environmental impacts on water resources. This study aims to make an environmental diagnosis of urban water management with a ...systematic approach in a basin with great hydrogeological complexity. We have analyzed urban water management in the Langueyú basin, Argentina, in the period comprehended between 1940 and 2015 in which the city has had a disordered urban growth. It showed that the lack of integrated management together with urban expansion have resulted in a process of building densification and infrastructure that favors the recurrence and magnitude of exceptional hydrological events. This has been accompanied by a spatial displacement of these events and a lack of sanitary services with the same sense of urbanization. It was also demonstrated that the lack of integrated water management this not only had consequences on the Tandil city services associated with the urban hydrological cycle, but also on the quality of its surface water resources (contamination of streams in its urban section) and groundwater (elevation of nitrates levels in water from wells water supply). The absence of a systemic approach to the problem has not considered the relationships between the subsystems involved in water management. This management has been based mainly on the application of structural measures. The main non-structural measure carried out has been to expand the regulations and some neighbor's struggle movements. Other non-structural measures promoted by several actors involved in urban water management, such as authorities, should be carried out in order to raise awareness amongst the population on the importance of water resource protection, especially in areas with hydrogeological limitations.
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•Urban water management (UWM) is an organizing axis of space.•Urban water cycle includes different subsystems closely and complexly linked.•UWM should have a systemic approach that is necessary to address that complexity.•Structural measures only are not enough for a sustainable UWM.•Sustainable UWM requires non-structural measures with different stakeholders.
The objective of this work is to compare the chemical composition and the spatial and temporal variabilities of groundwater in two basins, the Langueyú and Del Azul creeks basins, located in the ...Pampean plain, Buenos Aires province (Argentina). The Pampean plain is the most productive region in Argentina, agriculture and livestock being the main economic activities. Groundwater is the principal water resource in the region, with a strong and growing demand for human supply and for agriculture and industrial activities. Several sampling campaigns were carried out on shallow wells of the two studied basins along a period of 3 years (2010–2013) to identify seasonal variations. Electrical conductivity, pH, bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium were determined following standard methods. For hydrochemical interpretation, descriptive statistical analyses, matrix augmentation principal component analysis, MA-PCA, and multidimensional principal component analysis, N-PCA (Parafac and Tucker3 models), were applied to the hydrochemical datasets from both basins. Three main hydrochemical processes have been identified in both basins: saline enrichment in the groundwater flow direction caused by dissolution of carbonates; exchange of calcium and magnesium by sodium in the same direction, and located areas of nitrate pollution. The paper shows that N-PCA is a good tool to deepen in the understanding of the hydrochemical features of groundwater from two neighbour basins, simplifying the analysis of large amounts of data, as well as establishing relations between the compared basins. Therefore the work is considered an interesting contribution to the study of groundwater resources with a regional scope. This knowledge is essential in basins with high socio-economic interests it causes a direct impact on resources management.
Introduction: water management is of paramount importance in productive activities, such as agriculture, livestock and industry, due to its direct impact on both the quality and the availability of ...this valuable resource. However, groundwater management is usually addressed under a non-integrated approach which originates a high risk of pollution as well as water shortage for food and animal production in the agro-industrial systems. Objective: to analyze water quality for human consumption, hydrogeological features, water demand, and discharge of liquid effluents on soil and surface water. Methods: we carried out a diagnostics of water management in an agro-industrial school located in Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The production system includes a bovine dairy farm; calf, pork and rabbit breeding; beekeeping; poultry farming; dairy and cheese factory; agriculture and fodder area; processing of meat, and orchard. To perform the analysis, we calculated water requirements for six productive activities and evaluated the hydrological features of the area through water table measurements considering the groundwater flow sense. We analyzed the groundwater quality seasonally during a period of a year through five water samples. We considered microbiological and physicochemical parameters and they were compared with recommended level by law, and we carried out the monitoring of residual chlorine during a week. Also, we evaluated the generation and disposal of effluents. Results: water was suitable for human consumption, although we detected variations in its quality indicators. We determined that the main issues hindering an integrated water management were the diversified production developed with high volumes of water demanded, the water quality deterioration by the agro-industrial productions carried out, and the hydrogeological features of the area. In addition, we measured a high water demand which is in conflict with groundwater shortage and the complex hydrological conditions of extraction in the studied area. Conclusion: this study demonstrated the usefulness of applying effective strategies to act on environmental-priority subjects and to develop good practices regarding water management from an integrated approach.
The knowledge about the quantity, quality and dynamics of water resources is one of the key points to move towards their integrated management. The aim of this work was to characterize the water ...dynamics of the Lago del Fuerte reservoir basin, in the city of Tandil, and carry out a hydrological balance of the water body in order to generate basic information for decision-making and for future researchs. The lake has presented eutrophication problems. It is located in a hilly watershed, which has undergone land use changes in recent years. The methodology combined the use of previous information, field measurements and hydrological parameters estimations. The surface and groundwater dynamics of the basin were evaluated, and the hydrological balance of the lake was determined. The main water income was superficial, through tributary streams, while to a lesser extent water entered by groundwater and by direct precipitation. Most of the water exited through the dam and a smaller proportion through evaporation. The inlet volumes were similar to the outlet volumes, despite the excess water for the period, with negligible storage variation, due to the type of discharge from the dam.
El conocimiento sobre la cantidad, calidad y dinámica de los recursos hídricos es uno de los puntos cruciales para tender hacia su gestión integrada. El objetivo fue caracterizar la dinámica hídrica de la cuenca del embalse Lago del Fuerte, de la ciudad de Tandil, y efectuar un balance hidrológico del cuerpo de agua con el propósito de generar información de base para la toma de decisiones y futuras investigaciones. El lago ha presentado problemas de eutrofización. Se encuentra emplazado en una cuenca serrana, la cual ha experimentado en los últimos años cambios en los usos del suelo. La metodología combinó la utilización de información antecedente, mediciones en campo y estimaciones de parámetros hidrológicos. Se evaluó la dinámica hídrica superficial y subterránea de la cuenca y se determinó el balance hidrológico del lago. El principal ingreso de agua al lago fue superficial, mediante los arroyos afluentes, mientras que en menor medida ingresó agua subterráneamente y por precipitación directa. El mayor egreso se dio por la salida del embalse y una proporción menor por evaporación. Los volúmenes de entrada y salida fueron similares, a pesar del exceso hídrico del período, con una variación de almacenaje despreciable, debido al tipo de descarga de la presa.
El área de estudio del presente trabajo es la cuenca del arroyo Langueyú, en la cual el recurso hídrico subterráneo constituye la fuente de agua para la ciudad de Tandil y su espacio periurbano y ...rural. La cuenca tiene sus nacientes en el sistema serrano de Tandilia y se desarrolla en sentido NE, hacia la cuenca del río Salado. La ciudad de Tandil se encuentra atravesada por el curso del arroyo Langueyú y sus afluentes, siendo el primero utilizado como sumidero de efluentes pluviales, cloacales, previo tratamiento, e industriales. Por otra parte, estudios antecedentes probaron que la explotación del recurso para el suministro de agua de red ha provocado alteraciones en la hidrodinámica natural del acuífero, especialmente por la disposición concentrada de las perforaciones más antiguas, que además se ubican en cercanías al sector de descargas de efluentes al arroyo. Considerando este contexto se planteó como objetivo del trabajo realizar un análisis de la relación arroyo-acuífero en el sector de mayor alteración antrópica y evaluar la importancia de los resultados respecto a la gestión de los recursos hídricos en la cuenca. Para ello, en el sector de mayor afectación, se midieron los niveles del agua subterránea (en pozos particulares) y del pelo de agua del arroyo, en noviembre de 2013 y marzo de 2014. Se evaluó además la importancia de la relación arroyo-acuífero respecto a la gestión de los recursos hídricos en la cuenca. Se comprobó la inversión de la relación natural arroyo-acuífero en el área estudiada, generando un carácter influente del arroyo respecto al acuífero. También se vio modificado el aporte de caudal subterráneo entre los distintos sectores geomorfológicos de la cuenca. El riesgo de contaminación del medio subterráneo que implica esta situación, plantea la necesidad de llevar adelante un estudio en profundidad y un monitoreo para definir con precisión las características de ese riesgo.
Abstract
The study area of this work is the Langueyú creek basin, in which groundwater is the water resource for Tandil city and its peri-urban and rural areas. The basin has its headwaters in the Tandilia hills system and develops in NE direction, towards the Salado river basin. The Tandil city is crossed by the Langueyú creek and its tributaries, the first being used as storm drain, sewer, pretreatment, and industrial effluents. Moreover, background studies proved that the resource exploitation for water supply has modified the natural hydrodynamics of the aquifer, especially in the effluents discharge sector due to the concentrated disposition of the oldest wells. Considering this context, the work objective was analyzing the creek-aquifer relationship in the higher anthropogenic disturbance sector and assessing the importance of the results regarding the water resources management in the basin. Groundwater (in private wells) and creek water levels were measured in November 2013 and March 2014. Also the importance of creek-aquifer relationship regarding to the water resources in the basin was evaluated. An inversion of natural creek-aquifer relationship was found, being the creek influent regarding to the aquifer. Also the contribution of groundwater flow between the geomorphological sectors of the basin was modified. Due to the contamination risk of groundwater involving in this situation is necessary do a deep study and monitoring to define with precision the characteristics of this risk.
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