Introduction To Watershed Management

"Sprawl" - the spread of development from urban centers into the countryside - is recognized as one of the most serious threats to watershed functionality and health. Introduction to Watershed Development: Understanding and Managing the Impacts of Sprawl presents a logical framework to measure, minimize, and manage the problem of development. From the viewpoint of understanding the responses of watersheds to sprawl, this book addresses issues such as: how water bodies are linked to the land, what the horizon issues and problems are in watershed management, which surveying approaches can be used to monitor the change to watersheds, and how new, water-sensitive developments can be planned. Exploring what landscape architecture approaches cna be used to mitigate the problems of development, Introduction to Watershed Development is Robert L. France's distinctive and extremely well-informed perspective on watershed management, culled from the author's many years of research, scholarship, consulting, and teaching. -- from back cover.

An integrated framework for water resources management It has been said that "water is the next oil." A strong global consensus has begun to develop that effective water management must start at the watershed level, and that water management actions must be taken in the context of watersheds, and the human communities in them. Integrated Watershed Management: Principles and Practice, Second Edition presents a flexible, integrated framework for watershed management that addresses the biophysical, social, and economic issues affecting water resources and their use. Comprehensive in scope and multidisciplinary in approach, it equips readers with the necessary tools and techniques to develop sound watershed management policy and practice—from problem definition and goal setting to selecting management strategies and procedures for monitoring implementation. Ten years of practice have demonstrated that the core concepts presented in the first edition of this book remain true and important. This Second Edition is fully updated to reflect current practice and recent experience in watershed management, including: New coverage of strategies for the selection and evaluation of public engagement processes Sampling, data management, and computer simulation technologies Recent legislative changes International watershed issues Many new case studies Water resources planning and management is not just a technical challenge; it is also a social challenge, and an opportunity. It is, ultimately, a framework for human societies to shape, protect, and improve the environment in which they live. Providing a rational framework for the development of water resources management strategies, Integrated Watershed Management, Second Edition is a one-stop resource for upper-level students and professionals in environmental science, natural resource management, and environmental engineering.

Watershed management is an integrated approach that evaluates system-wide implications of natural resource problems. It has received considerable attention among communities and resource managers as an appropriate approach to deal with complex problems. Problem-solving is an important aspect of watersheds that involves diagnosis, assessment, solution, and implementation issues that often mean processing an enormous amount of information. A typical problem requires compilation of information from a variety of sources and is time consuming. This book will use a problem-based approach to present information on each problem facing watersheds. The subject area derives from a variety of disciplines and experiences and is presented clear and systematically throughout for easy reading and understanding. The problems covered in the book are major ones facing watersheds through the globe. The first chapter introduces principles of watershed management and is followed by chapters that are problem specific. Each problem is dealt with systematically with introduction, analysis, strategies, and further references. Watershed Management provides a valuable reference to professionals, students, scientists, and common citizens who are interested in learning about the variety of problems and approaches in watershed management.

This new edition is a major revision of the popular introductory reference on hydrology and watershed management principles, methods, and applications. The book's content and scope have been improved and condensed, with updated chapters on the management of forest, woodland, rangeland, agricultural urban, and mixed land use watersheds. Case studies and examples throughout the book show practical ways to use web sites and the Internet to acquire data, update methods and models, and apply the latest technologies to issues of land and water use and climate variability and change.

Land use and water resources are two major environmental issues which necessitate conservation, management, and maintenance practices through the use of various engineering techniques. Water scientists and environmental engineers must address the various aspects of flood control, soil conservation, rainfall-runoff processes, and groundwater hydrology. Watershed Management and Applications of AI provides the necessary principles of hydrology to provide practical strategies useful for the planning, design, and management of watersheds. The book also synthesizes novel new approaches, such as hydrological applications of machine learning using neural networks to predict runoff and using artificial intelligence for the prediction of groundwater fluctuations. Features: Presents hydrologic analysis and design along with soil conservation practices through proper watershed management techniques Provides analysis of land erosion and sediment transport in watersheds from small to large scale Includes estimations for runoff using different methodologies with systematic approaches for each Discusses water harvesting and development of water yield catchments This book will be a valuable resource for students in hydrology courses, environmental consultants, water resource engineers, and researchers in related water science and engineering fields.

Coastal watersheds differ from others by their unique features, including proximity to the ocean, weather and rainfall patterns, subsurface features, and land covers. Land use changes and competing needs for valuable water and land resources are especially more distinctive to such watersheds. This book covers recent research relevant to coastal watersheds. It addresses the impact of a stream’s chemical, biological, and sediment pollutants on the quality of the receiving waters, such as estuaries, bays, and near-shore waters. The contents of the book can be divided into three sections; a) overview of hydrological modelling, b) water quality assessment, and c) watershed management. This book differs from other hydrology books by dealing with coastal watersheds which are characterized by their unique features: including weather and rainfall patterns, subsurface characteristics, and land use and cover. In addition to academia, the book should be of interest to organizations concerned with watershed management, such as local and federal governments and environmental groups. Overall, the book is expected to satisfy a great need toward understanding and managing critical areas in many parts of the world.

As human populations expand and demands upon natural resources increase, the need to manage the environments in which people live becomes more important but also more difficult. Land and water management is especially critical as the use of upstream watersheds can drastically affect large numbers of people living in downstream watersheds. An integrated approach that stresses both the importance of participatory planning and the institutional and technical constraints and opportunities is therefore necessary. The institutional and technical context for managing watersheds and river basins, including the involvement of both the public and private sectors, is also examined.