Groundwater resources : balancing perspectives on key issues affecting supply and demand

Sustainable groundwater management requires (a) maximizing the use of aquifer storage to reduce water-supply costs while limiting environmental impacts, and (b) maximizing groundwater protection to reduce water-supply treatment needs while not unduly restricting land-use activities. These key issues are evaluated from the experience of a recent and comprehensive national strategic study, involving detailed consultation with many stakeholders with an interest in groundwater resources. Such balances are not easy to achieve because groundwater systems are complex to analyse and slow to respond to change, resulting in considerable uncertainty in assessment and prediction without in-depth research and high-resolution monitoring. Current institutional and regulatory arrangements for the water sector in England and Wales do not appear to be achieving the best possible use of aquifer storage and optimal investment in groundwater protection.