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A Hidden Treasure

A Hidden Treasure. Most extracted natural resources in the world with a global withdrawal rate of 600-700 km3/year Source of freshwater for more than half of humanity. Source of drinking water In Europe = 60-99% In U.S. = 50-97% Global fresh ground water reserves:

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A Hidden Treasure

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  1. A Hidden Treasure • Most extracted natural resources in the world with a global withdrawal rate of 600-700 km3/year • Source of freshwater for more than half of humanity • Source of drinking water • In Europe = 60-99% • In U.S. = 50-97% • Global fresh ground water reserves: • 100 x more ground water than all lakes, rivers, creeks, wetlands water, etc. combined

  2. Global Transboundary Watersheds >260 international watercourses >40% of humanity Source: http://pdf.wri.org/watersheds_2003/gm1.pdf

  3. >90 in Europe • 38 in Africa • 72 in the Americas Source: http://www.whymap.org

  4. Legal Issues • What laws or principles apply to transboundary aquifers? • The same laws as for surface waters? Why/why not? • Should the same law apply to purely domestic ground water resources? • Should the same law apply equally to aquifers that are disconnected from the hydrologic cycle? • Should ground water be treated like other sub-surface natural resource (e.g., oil, gas, minerals, etc.)? • How do you manage/allocate/regulate something you cannot see?

  5. Ground Water • What is ground water? • water occupying voids, cracks or other spaces between particles of clay, silt, sand, gravel or rock within the saturated zone of a geologic formation • What is an aquifer? • a permeable geologic formation (such as sand or gravel) that has sufficient water storage and transmitting capacity to provide a useful water supply via wells and springs

  6. Animated Aquifer: http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/groundwater/

  7. water flow water flow water table Unconfined Aquifer

  8. Ground Water • Unique characteristics of aquifers • Unconfined Aquifer – aquifer bounded by an impermeable base layer of rock or sediments and overlain by layers of permeable materials extending from the land surface to the impermeable base of the aquifer • Confined Aquifer – aquifer contained between two impermeable layers – the base or “floor”, and the “ceiling” strata – that subject the stored water to pressure exceeding atmospheric pressure • Recharging Aquifer – Aquifer that is connected to the hydrologic cycle and has a continuous source of recharge • Non-Recharging Aquifer – Aquifer that is completely detached from the hydrologic cycle and obtains insignificant or no recharge • Effluent (Gaining) Relationship – ground water table (located at higher elevation than intersected stream channel) slopes downward toward and recharges the stream • Influent (Losing) Relationship – ground water table slopes downward from the stream, and water percolates from the stream into the underlying aquifer recharging the aquifer

  9. Model 1 Unconfined aquifer that is linked hydraulically with a river, both of which flow along an international border (i.e., the river forms the border between two States). From : Eckstein, Gabriel & Eckstein, Yoram, A Hydrogeological Approach to Transboundary Ground Water Resources and International Law, 19 Am. U. Int’l L. Rev. 201 (2003) – http://internationalwaterlaw.org//bibliography/articles/igw-models/index.html

  10. Model 2 Unconfined aquifer intersected by an international border and linked hydraulically with a river that is also intersected by the same or another international border. From : Eckstein, Gabriel & Eckstein, Yoram, A Hydrogeological Approach to Transboundary Ground Water Resources and International Law, 19 Am. U. Int’l L. Rev. 201 (2003) – http://internationalwaterlaw.org//bibliography/articles/igw-models/index.html

  11. Model 3 Unconfined aquifer that flows across an international border and that is hydraulically linked to a river that flows completely within the territory of one state From : Eckstein, Gabriel & Eckstein, Yoram, A Hydrogeological Approach to Transboundary Ground Water Resources and International Law, 19 Am. U. Int’l L. Rev. 201 (2003) – http://internationalwaterlaw.org//bibliography/articles/igw-models/index.html

  12. Model 4 Unconfined aquifer that is completely within the territory of one state but that is hydraulically linked to a river flowing across an international border (in such cases, the aquifer is almost always located in the downstream State) From : Eckstein, Gabriel & Eckstein, Yoram, A Hydrogeological Approach to Transboundary Ground Water Resources and International Law, 19 Am. U. Int’l L. Rev. 201 (2003) – http://internationalwaterlaw.org//bibliography/articles/igw-models/index.html

  13. Model 5 Confined aquifer that traverses an international boundary with a recharge zone (possibly in an unconfined portion of the aquifer) located in one state; or a domestic aquifer with a recharge zone (possibly in an unconfined portion of the aquifer) that traverses an international boundary From : Eckstein, Gabriel & Eckstein, Yoram, A Hydrogeological Approach to Transboundary Ground Water Resources and International Law, 19 Am. U. Int’l L. Rev. 201 (2003) – http://internationalwaterlaw.org//bibliography/articles/igw-models/index.html

  14. Model 6 Transboundary aquifer constituting a non-renewable water resource • Such aquifers contain paleo or ancient waters and may be confined or unconfined, and fossil or connate • Key feature is that they are not a part of the hydrologic cycle. From : Eckstein, Gabriel & Eckstein, Yoram, A Hydrogeological Approach to Transboundary Ground Water Resources and International Law, 19 Am. U. Int’l L. Rev. 201 (2003) – http://internationalwaterlaw.org//bibliography/articles/igw-models/index.html

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