Events
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23 Sep 2015 – Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
The Value of Groundwater
Groundwater is a valuable resource primarily because:
•it provides a reservoir of clean fresh water, relatively free from chemical and microbiological contamination, which can be used for drinking water supply with minimal treatment and minimum infrastructure (if used in situ);
•it sustains river and stream flow during periods of dry weather, which dilutes discharges and maintains aquatic life, recreational use and visual appeal;
•it supports some wetlands where it discharges to surface (this can have enormous ecological importance as well as recreational opportunities);
•subsidence of the ground surface can result from lowering of groundwater levels from over-abstraction or land drainage.
The benefits that groundwater provides can be monetised to compare different benefits and to compare them with the costs of pollution or of enhancing the resource. Particular knowledge gaps are related to carbon sequestration, regulation of flood flow, prevention of subsidence, ecological impacts.Organised by The IAH Netherlands National Chapter and the Netherlands Hydrological Society.
http://www.hydrology.nl/iahevents/478-the-value-of-groundwater-23-september-2015.html info@hydrology.nl