GWEN: integrated water-supply and nature development plan for the Belgian west-coast hydrogeologic aspects focusing on the covered mudflats close to the French-Belgian border
Van Camp, M.; Martens, K.; Walraevens, K. (2002). GWEN: integrated water-supply and nature development plan for the Belgian west-coast hydrogeologic aspects focusing on the covered mudflats close to the French-Belgian border, in: Boekelman, R.H. et al. (Ed.) Proceedings SWIM17 Delft 2002: Proceedings of the 17th Salt Water Intrusion Meeting, Delft 6-10 May 2002. pp. 461-468
In: Boekelman, R.H. et al. (Ed.) (2002). Proceedings SWIM17 Delft 2002: Proceedings of the 17th Salt Water Intrusion Meeting, Delft 6-10 May 2002. Delft University of Technology: Delft. ISBN 90-800089-8-2. 499 pp., more
|
| Available in | Authors |
|
Document type: Conference paper
|
| Keywords |
Brackish water; Fresh water |
| Abstract |
Water supply in coastal regions often deals with severe constraints and limitations. At one side the possibilities for exploitation are determined by the hydrodynamics and hydrochemistry of the aquifer system. But on the other hand water exploitation from a phreatic aquifer will significantly affect the ecological equilibrium, which is usually already very fragile in this regions. So, realistic exploitation alternatives should represent a compromise between hydrogeological, economical and ecological values. In order to weight multiple scenarios, the different involved aspects should be quantified numerically so they can be compared. The method proposed here is to use multicriteria analyses with scaled scores and weighting factors. The proposed methodology was applied during two case studies along the western Belgian coast. The one presented here concerns a region close to the French- Belgian border, in which different alternatives for the present situation with water exploitation in the dunes are considered. As the final total scores for the hydrogeological and ecological impacts are compared, it seems that the best compromise is obtained for alternatives for which both scores have comparable values. Economical benefit is then coupled to minimal ecological impact. The proposed method can help management and government departments in choosing between different pumping alternatives when hydrogeological, economical and ecological constraints and limitations have to be balanced and combined into a single executive. |
|
