Groundwater Management Practices

Groundwater is an indispensable resource in many parts of the world, where it supports domestic water supply, irrigated agriculture, and industry. Its increased, and often intensive, use during the last half century has created problems and raised concerns regarding the potential depletion of local aquifers, water quality degradation, and various geologic hazards such as land subsidence and sinkholes.

Groundwater Management Practices includes contributions by experts from several countries who describe different groundwater management practices in their part of the world. These experts discuss measures and actions in response to the challenges associated with the sustainability of groundwater use and the protection of the groundwater environment, as well as the evolution of the legal and institutional frameworks needed for their implementation.

The book discusses past and present practices and various aspects of the regulatory and legal framework of groundwater management in Japan, China, India, Iran, Australia, the United States, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, and the European Union. It reviews recent efforts to improve the management of transboundary aquifer resources.