Measures of sustainability and their utilization in practical water management planning

For more than 10 years, sustainable development of water resources has been discussed and debated by experts in the field. Although the concept and ideals of sustainable water resources development are well accepted, bridging the gap between theory and practice has been more difficult. One of the main issues has been the measurement of relative sustainability. While some methods have been proposed for incorporating sustainability into the water resources planning process, few have been tested in a practical setting. This paper is based on the research that examined three sustainability criteria: reversibility, risk and equity in the context of groundwater use in the Assiniboine Delta Aquifer (ADA) region, Manitoba, Canada. The criteria were used to evaluate three separate policy structures that could be used to manage the aquifer. The data were collected from different sources (government, industry, stakeholder preferences and expert opinion). A complete understanding of the sustainability of groundwater use in the ADA requires a multiple-criteria decision-making process that includes the results of the three sustainability criteria and traditional decision-making tools such as benefit-cost analysis and environmental assessment. Recommendations for improving the sustainability criteria include refinement of the tools used to collect the data for the risk criteria, further development of the proportionality-and need-based aspects of the equity criteria and further work into the issue of expert opinion. Recommendations for the future management of the ADA include investigation of modifications to the Water Rights Act and continued consultation of stakeholders.