Unique challenges posed by fire disturbance to water supply management and transfer agreements in a headwaters region

As a headwaters region, Colorado is a critical source of water for surrounding states and Mexico. But fuel densification and shifts in hydrometeorological processes, such as climate aridification and precipitation sharpening, are causing increasingly severe and erratic wildfire behavior and post-disturbance geomorphic hazards in and downstream of its forested source water areas. Human development patterns and inter and intra-state water rights agreements further complicate resource management. This is prompting land managers to consider progressive planning and management tools to mitigate fire-related degradation of water supply and irrigation systems. This narrative review examines aspects of Colorado's geography, demography, and hydrology that make its water supply systems and transfer agreements particularly vulnerable to landscape disturbance and then provides hazard mitigation recommendations. Readers are introduced to Colorado's water supply portfolio including how water is moved, stored, treated, and consumed; why those systems are vulnerable to wildfire disturbance; and how risk can be reduced before and after fires occur. Lessons learned are applicable to other source water areas facing similar challenges. By synthesizing our review findings, we identified numerous research and programmatic gaps including the need for more interdisciplinary studies; a lack of explicit research into how disturbance-driven hydromodification may hinder the ability of headwater regions to exercise their water rights and fulfill water transfer agreements (crucial for reducing potential future water conflict); an unresolved debate regarding the potential effects of forest treatments on water yield; and the need for additional funding to roll out tools and educational programs to communities experiencing severe wildfire activity for the first time.

Quantifying the potential seepage from porphyry copper tailing impoundments using a multi-isotopic approach

Porphyry-style copper deposits are characterized by low Cu grades and high tonnages, resulting in large mine tailing volumes disposed in impoundments. Due to the mining tailing sizes, waterproofing techniques cannot be applied along the dam base. Therefore, to minimize seepage towards the aquifers, pumping wells are usually installed as hydraulic barriers. Currently, there is a controversy over whether or not the water extracted from hydraulic barriers should be counted as the use of new water rights. Consequently, a growing interest to develop tools to trace and quantify the tailing impacts in groundwater and to determine the water pumped amount subjected to water rights exist. In the present study, isotope data (δ²H-H₂O, δ¹⁸O-H₂O, δ³⁴S-SO₄^2- and δ¹⁸O-SO₄^2-) are proposed as a tool to quantify tailings seepage towards groundwater and to assess hydraulic barriers effectiveness. To illustrate this approach usefulness, the Quillayes porphyry Cu tailing impoundment (Chile) case study is presented. The multi-isotopic approach revealed that tailing waters are highly evaporated showing high SO₄^2- content (~1900 mg L^-1) derived from primary sulfate ore dissolution, whereas freshwaters, derived from recharge water, have low SO₄^2- contents (10-400 mg L^-1) resulting from the interaction with geogenic sulfides from barren host rock. The δ²H and δ¹⁸O values of groundwater samples collected downstream from the impoundment suggest a mixing at different proportions of highly evaporated water from the mine tailing waters and non-evaporated regional fresh groundwater. Cl^-/SO₄^2-, δ³⁴S-SO₄^2-/δ¹⁸O-SO₄^2-, δ³⁴S-SO₄^2-/ln(SO₄^2-) and δ²H-H₂O/δ¹⁸O-H₂O mixing models allowed to determine that groundwater located closer to the impoundment had a mine tailing water contribution from 45 to 90 %, whereas those located farther away had lower contribution (5-25 %). Results confirmed the stable isotope usefulness to determine the water origin and to calculate the hydraulic barrier efficiencies and the pumped water proportions unrelated to the mining tailing subject to the water rights.

Paying for water in Turkey: an analysis of Turkish water legislation in light of the precedent criteria of the Turkish Constitutional Court

Water, which is a basic need for humans and the natural world, is a limited resource. It is a cyclical element and not a freely traded commodity. The right to access to water is acknowledged as a basic right because of the importance of water for human life, and for this reason, water is a topic in many human rights texts. The restricted availability of this global resource, which must be sustainable to maintain life, has increased its importance for countries and made its fair and just management necessary. Putting the proper methods into practice is a lot harder than it appears, however, because theories and practices did not sit well together from different perspectives and different ones were developed worldwide. These approaches vary according to countries' access to water, amount of water usage, level of development, and economic situation. Because of these variables, a number of international studies have been carried out to eliminate the strain on water resources. The focus of these studies is on the definition of water resources and the rights and principles of usage and ownership of water. This study views water as a commercial commodity, and its subject is the pricing strategies for water and the underlying legal basis of the acknowledgement of water resources in Turkey as a public asset.

Strategic analysis of a water rights conflict in the south western United States

A strategic analysis of the ongoing conflict between Nevada and Utah, over groundwater allocation at Snake Valley, is carried out in order to investigate ways on how to resolve this dispute. More specifically, the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution is employed to formally model and analyze this conflict using the decision support system called GMCR+. The conflict analysis findings indicate that the dispute is enduring because of a lack of incentive and opportunity for any party to move beyond the present circumstances. Continued negotiations are not likely to resolve this conflict. A substantial change in the preferences or options of the disputants, or new governance tools will be required to move this conflict forward. This may hold lessons for future groundwater conflicts. It is, however, increasingly likely that the parties will require a third party intervention, such as equal apportionment by the US Supreme Court.