Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-kwt9d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-14T00:41:45.390Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

19 - Managing and Mitigating Hydrologic Systems

from Part VI - Water

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

Chadwick Dearing Oliver
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
Get access

Summary

Sometimes hydrologic systems have been altered with unintended consequences. Agriculture and city drains have sent water to oceans without recharging the groundwater, thus allowing salt water intrusion into coastal aquifers. Large dams often block fish migrations, although fish ladders offer partial solutions; large dams also catch sediment and release sediment-free water which can scour and lower downstream alluvial floodplains. River diversions and irrigation systems sometimes take fish into irrigation ditches unless appropriate guards are installed. Watersheds not managed to protect erosion can cause a reservoir to fill with silt. All above consequences can be partially mitigated, although tradeoffs are incurred. Water shortages are mitigated by conserving water through efficient use; by recycling and treating/reusing water; and by obtaining more water sustainably. Rainwater rooftop harvesting is common in some places; artificial glaciers and tapping glacial lakes can provide water in mountain regions; and desalinization is becoming efficient. Water is occasionally shipped in pipelines. If fossil fuels become less used, some oil pipeline may be used to ship water instead.

Information

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×