Learning Objectives
Appreciate the need for monitoring as a basis for river basin planning and enforcement of water allocation and pollution control.
Learn the methods and management of monitoring water resources and water use.
Learn the methods and management of monitoring pollution and water quality.
1. Introduction
Monitoring of water resources, water quality, water use and pollution discharges is essential for effective water resources management. Even if it is not given as a direct regulatory responsibility the river basin organisations thus need to address monitoring as one of their basic functions for conducting water resources management at the basin scale.
This module addresses the two major reasons for monitoring: planning and enforcement (Section 2) and describes the methodology and management for monitoring surface and groundwater resources (Section 4), water use (Section 5) and water quality and pollution discharge (Section 6).
The link to water resource management functions of basin planning, water allocation and pollution control is therefore obvious. However, also the links to other functions are important to note. Monitoring of compliance and acceptance of produced data is difficult without the involvement of the stakeholders. Similarly, financial management tools such as water tariffs and the polluter-pays-principle are essential to find the economical resources for measurements and to motivate self-monitoring. Information management is also important to disseminate the monitored information. Measurements are never meaningful if the results are gathering dust and are not analysed, presented and used.