Waterworks Archive

Water management requires a holistic approach

by Lyle V.A. Sendlein
Director
KWRRI, University of Kentucky

The availability of good quality water for the many uses required to maintain a comfortable standard of living still remains a problem for us in Kentucky. The problem is different for those who receive their water from municipalities or private companies than for those who must provide their own source.

Water is used in different places and in different ways, including household drinking and cleaning, industrial manufacturing processes, and agricultural irrigation, to name just a few. An important aspect about water is that after it is used, it sometimes becomes a waste product that must be managed. Most homes that receive water from municipalities generally are hooked up to sewer lines, so the waste water is handled for them. Industrial plants that use large quantities of water must treat their waste on-site in their own treatment facilities before discharging either to local streams or sewer lines. Water used in some agricultural activities may need treatment before release to local streams.

Most individuals do not worry directly about water supply or treatment of discharge, because it is taken care of for them and they pay a tax to cover the cost. However, as the population increases, so does the problem of sufficient water availability. Population densities in cities and towns are increasing, causing an increase in water use. The increased population density, makes it more difficult to provide adequate water during drought conditions.

Several communities in Kentucky experienced a "mini-drought" in the summer of 1988 requiring the restriction of water use. The 1988 drought was very short and not as bad as the droughts of 1953 or 1930. Planning for an extreme event such as a drought is very expensive and risky but essential if a reliable water supply is required.

Most of the water used in Kentucky comes from surface-water systems such as rivers and streams. Often these streams are dammed to provide storage of the water. For those individuals and communities that do not have access to surface water, ground water becomes their only source. Relying on ground water can be a "hit-or-miss" proposition in Kentucky. Availability is a problem for some areas, while contamination of the ground water from surface activities is a problem in other areas.

Recent developments in water management have shown that a holistic approach to water planning has many advantages. That is, planning for larger areas and more people is better than each individual or each town doing its own planning without knowing what is going on in the surrounding area. Local natural water supplies typically are related to large natural features that may encompass several local sites, so it is better to plan on a larger scale. Because water is withdrawn, used, treated, and discharged back into local streams, the quantity of water available is not the only concern. Water quality also must be considered. Water availability and quality can be better managed by selecting a sufficiently-large planning unit.

Kentucky receives sufficient precipitation to supply a significant volume of water to work with. Natural drainage systems have developed, which divide the water movement into drainage basins. The area drained by a single stream is called a watershed. Smaller streams empty into larger streams, adding to that stream's watershed. For example, the Kentucky River drains an area of over 7,000 square miles, and it's drainage basin includes stream basins such as the Red River, Elkhorn Creek, Dix River, Station Camp Creek, etc.

Almost all water used may end up in surface streams, even water discharged to on-site disposal systems. The used water mixes with rainfall collected by the various streams that empty into the drainage basin. Some dilution takes place, but many constituents are transported downstream where another community withdraws the water for its use. Because the water is reused many times as it flows downstream, it is essential that this be taken into consideration in the planning process.

Planning for the allocation of this resource seems to be best suited on a drainage-basin basis. Within the drainage basin, some water users will get their water from the main-stem river, some from secondary streams that drain into the main stem, and some from ground water. The disposal of the waste water is also variable. Some of the waste water will go to the municipal treatment plant, some to smaller plants and some to on-site disposal systems. Planning for this range of uses and disposal requires more sophisticated data management systems, which are becoming available. Add to the mix the ever-enlarging distribution and waste collection systems, and planning becomes even more critical.

An additional challenge to the water-use issue is the need to avoid any negative impact on the ecological systems that exist in the basin. Drainage-basin planning (often called watershed management) allows for this additional requirement to be part of the planning mix.

With the development of data base management systems, commonly referred to as GIS (Geographical Information Systems), the consideration of the many interrelated variables can be achieved through different levels of analysis ranging from simulation models of various technical, social and economic elements of the drainage system to consensus groups that focus on the balance between competing uses.

Several initiatives are underway within the KY Division of Water, the U.S. Geological Survey, the KY Geological Survey and State universities to maximize our planning ability for the wise use and responsible discharge of water. If you are interested in expressing your ideas or learning more about these initiatives, you can contact me at by phone at 606-257-1299 or by e-mail at sendlei@pop.uky.edu.

Last modified: December 5, 1996
Copyright © 1996 Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute
University of Kentucky