Groundwater model aids sustainable resource management
Adequate access to water resources is vital for a region's social and economic survival, but this needs to take place within an environmentally sustainable framework. In central Spain, the regions' falling groundwater levels are coming under increasing pressure as they are used for irrigation in the important agricultural sector of the local economy. Combined with an extended drought, this has had a severe impact on the surrounding wetlands and river basins. The need for an effective, long-term sustainable management strategy is therefore particularly acute, and a computer model of groundwater supplies in central Spain has been developed to aid resource management decisions. The groundwater model is based on input data from the river catchment area, and calculates the level of water resources available. The model allows different management scenarios to be assessed theoretically, and decisions made that allow more sustainable management of this vital natural resource.
