Optimizing Water Use Where Resources Are Scarce

OUR CHALLENGE

When operating in hyper arid regions of the world, typical water management strategies are not enough to prevent irreversible damage and to secure reliable supply.  Instead, water resources need to be managed at a broad scale, both spatially and temporally, to optimize use.  This strategy requires a thorough understanding of surface and groundwater resources and how they interact as the climate backdrop continues to change. The problem we faced was how to optimize the conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater in a hyper arid region where water is extremely scare.

OUR APPROACH

Integral’s scientists developed a hydrologic monitoring program to evaluate changes in water resources.  The monitoring program provided a foundation for developing numerical models, which were used to help distinguish impacts from operations changes related to climate and to optimize water use.

OUR IMPACT

The insights we gained through monitoring and modeling helped optimize the location and timing of surface and groundwater withdrawals by minimizing impacts and providing reliable supply of fresh water.  We shared these insights to educate corporate and local stakeholders about how water management actions were taken to operate in a sustainable way.  Our approach—using a science-based decision-making framework—fosters transparency which, in turn, strengthens trust between industry and the communities where they operate.