ist International Symposiuin on Transboundary Waters Management AMH First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management WATER DATA MANAGEMENT ALONG THE BOUNDARIES OF CANADA/USA, MEXICO/USA, AND SYRIA/LEBANON McLaurin, 1 ian@mclaurin.ca ABSTRACT Managing transboundary waters denands collecting data on the quantity and quality of waters and sharing, that information across the boundary. Various aspects of acquiring and disseminating water data are described here for three boundary areas ‘Through an International Stations program, the governments of Canada and the United States of America (USA) share the operation and data from monitoring stations all along their boundary. ‘The Secretariat of the Lake of the Woods Control Board collates the data from both sides of the Canada/USA boundary in the Lake of the Woods area. Automated data collection and telemetry systems, and real-time data dissemination are important features of this transboundary water managemers system, ‘The Comisién Nacional del Agua, which provides much of Mexico’s water quantity and water quality data, is. upgrading its system for data collection and dissemination, Telemetric monitoring stations were installed recently in the Rfo Bravo/Rio Grande basin which is shared with the USA. An Intranet-based data collection and dissemination system for that data, and more, was implemented in 2001. Lebanon and Syria have begun a program to build management capacity in the Nahr el Kabir watershed tocated on their boundary. The international water monitoring and data dissemination program is in its initial stages of development. Introduction Managing water requires controlling its supply, use, or quality. To do so it must be quantified. ‘The most basic surface water measurements are the river flow rates and the storage volumes in lakes and reservoirs. This paper describes data collection in three boundary areas and, ware importantly, data and information dissemination to water managers on both sides of the boundaries. The author has worked with the watersheds and systems described here. The data collection and dissemination systems demonstrate different levels of maturity presenting different opportunities and challenges to the professional. The Canada/USA boundary has seen a long history. of cooperative data collection and dissemination. On the Mexican side of its boundary 551First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management with USA there have been recent technological advances. Syria and Lebanon have just begun development of a modem international water management and data collection and dissemination system in one of their watersheds. International Stations on the Canada/USA Boundary Only certain of the water monitoring stations in the Canada/USA boundary area are designated as International Station (Huberman, 1985). This designation is granted in one of two manners: either by the Intemational Joint Commission (JC) when a station is required to support its activities, or by bilateral diplomatic approval upon the recommendation of the water monitoring agencies. ‘The primary operational responsibility for constructing, maintaining, and operating the station will fall to either one of the two water monitoring agencies. They are the Water Resources Division of the US Geological Survey (USGS) of the United States Department of the Interior, or the Water Survey of Canada (WSC) of Environment Canada. The critical feature of the International Station (IS) designation is the joint approval and publication of the data from the site. ‘An IS is normally within a kilometer or two of where the river crosses the boundary or on a boundary river at a significant point. Boundary water management requirements might necessitate the designation of an 1S well away from the boundary, but such stations generally receive a unofficial designation as “support” or “semi-international” stations. ‘The daté from support stations are often used as supportive evidence of the data at the International Stations, Each activity area of the IJC has a specific set of reasons and procedures for the IS designation, ‘The bilateral diplomatic approval path offers wider applicabifity. The International des offers operational effectiveness and data veracity. For example, a cableway with towers in both countries can only be operated as an international station. Joint verification and approval of the data on transboundary water flows reduces controversy in boundary water management, The IS designation process begins when officials of USGS and WSC discuss the feasibility for 1S designation for a new or existing station. Once a consensus has been reached, the agency in which the station would be predominately located would request that its foreign afi department initiate a diplomatic exchange of notes with the other's foreign affairs department to designate the station as an “International Station.” Normally, the country in which the data recorder is located is responsible for the operation of the IS. Its agency has the primary responsibility for constructing, maintaining and operating the station to its usual standards. The other country’s agency can visit the station to inspect the equipment and take measurements. The number of visits will vary according to the need and location, but the norm is for three visits per year by the non-operating agency. The host agency provides permits or letters to present (0 the immigration and customs officers to facilitate the boundary crossings. As soon as possible after a field visit, the visiting agency provides to the operating agency, the originals of any visit notes, such as from discharge measurements. The records, such as the daily mean flows or water levels, computed by the operating agency are Jointly reviewed annually with the other agency, either through correspondence, or more usually, in a meeting in one of their two local offices. ‘The review may include comparisons to neighboring stations, verification against field measurements, and examinations of methodologies. Other subjects of mutual interest, such as new monitoring technologies, are often discussed at these meetings. When both agencies agree on the records, they are jointly approved by signatures and added to the official databases and publications of both countries. 552First {ternational Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management ‘As well as providing a verified and common dataset for the water managers in the boundary area, the IS procedures form a basis of cooperation between the water monitoring agencies. Supporting an International Control Board ‘At the midpoint of the Canada/USA boundary, waters from the Rainy River basin drain from wilderness areas in Ontario, Canada, and Minnesota, USA, through a chain of lakes and rivers along the boundary into the 3,850 km? of the Lake of the Woods. From there the water drains through the Winnipeg River in Canada, The Lake of the Woods Control Board Secretariat (LWCBS) manages the regulation of the flow of these waters for the purposes of (in no particular order) flood protection, wild rice production, hydroelectric power generation, fisheries, municipal water supply, recreational use, and wildlife management (Walden, 1992). The LWCBS is a five- person office in Ottawa, Canada, supporting three Boards: 1) the Lake of the Woods Control Board established by provincial legislation, 2) the International Lake of the Woods Control Board established by Canada/USA Treaty, and 3) the International Rainy Lake Board of Control established by the JC. Both countries are represented equally on the International Boards. ‘The Boards and the Secretariat initiated operations in 1919. These Boards have varying degrees of jurisdiction over six flow control points operated by paper mills and hydroelectric utilities. A high proportion of people in the area are employed in water-based business activities and/or live in homes that border on one of the controlled water bodies. As such, they take a keen interest in the activities of the LWCBS and the Boards. ‘The LWCBS uses data from several sources (Cousins, 2002). Most of the water level, river flow and precipitation gauges are operated by WSC or USGS. They use electronic data loggers manufactured by Valcom, Sutron, Bristol, and others. Real-time data telemetry has been used in this area for over 25 years. LWCBS uses software of their own construction and the Telnet Internet protocol, to collect the data from NESDIS for the 31 sites equipped with GOES satellite transmitters. ‘The software, mainly written in Visual Basic, also retrieves the data daily from the 13 telephone-based loggers. The companies operating the control structures use the Internet file transfer protocol (FTP) to daily transmit their data on computed outfiows, generator unit output, gate settings, stop log counts, etc. to the LWCBS computer. Eight volunteer observers submit their climatic data every week using voice telephone or fax. By noon every day, Monday to Friday, the data have been collected, verified and analyzed by LWECBS to determine if the control orders may need to be revised to keep the lake levels and river flows within the desired ranges 1 meet the rule curves and other objectives. Sophisticated forecasts are not possible in these watersheds because of the complexity of the channel hydraulics and the low density of hydrologic monitoring sites in this remote area. However, trend lines are estimated six weeks into the future from knowledge of normal hydrologic responses for the season with some adjustments for long range forecasts of precipitation and temperatures and allowing for the current operating strategies. The data are published daily to an off-site public ‘website (hitpy/www.lweb.ca) in graph and table form. ‘The website contents include: interests balanced by the Board, names of board members and secretariat staff, current watershed conditions, graphs of the water levels or flows for 23 tocations for the current year-to-date and for the historical period back to 1911, and any special reports or notices. 553First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management ‘Sample views of the Lake of the Woods Control Board’s public web site. ‘Those without Internet access can call a 1-800 toll-free telephone number to hear a recorded message that is updated weekly, or daily if necessary. Additionally, a bulletin of the current and forecast water levels is printed and mailed every month of the ice-free season to approximately 160 persons and organizations. ‘These means of access to the data are advertised in local papers, in brochures, and in public meetings. More detailed data or supplemental data are available to the LWCBS'’s professional users and Board members through other means. ‘The LWCBS, on the behalf the different Boards, organizes, or takes part in, a few public meetings each year. These meetings typically take place in the evening in a rented meeting room in one or another of the towns in the watershed. The meeting may be an unstructured open house with static displays and the opportunity for informal discussions. If the water conditions are abnormal, the meeting may have structured presentations with moderated question-and-answer sessions. Frequently on these occasions, the LWCBS engineers and Board members will inspect monitoring stations and control structures and visit businesses and arcas that are affected by their decisions. ‘As described above, the members of Control Boards receive the data and information they require to make their decisions. Board members and LWCBS engineers use home computers, or notebook computers while traveling, to access data directly from the monitoring stations or the LWCBS computer. Additionally, each year the Boards and Secretariat will typically hold three formal meetings, several conference calls and numerous exchanges of e-mails to receive data and information, discuss the concerns, and issue orders. 554First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management Technological Advances in Mexico ‘The easter section of the boundary between USA and Mexico is formed by the Rio Bravo (known in the USA as Rio Grande) flowing 2017 km from El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, to its mouth in the Gui af Mexico. ‘The boundary waters are managed by Comisién Internacional de Limites y Aguas (CILA) through its Mexican and American sections. The activities of CILA are described in other papers in this symposium. Most of the water data from the Mexican side is provided from monitoring stations operated by the Comisién Nactonal del Agua (CNA). CNA measures precipitation, river and reservoir levels, and flows in canals and rivers. Most of this data is from conventional stations using manual measurements taken daily by local persons and transmitted 10 the nearest offices daily by telephone, voice radio, or fax or less frequently by mail. The data is entered into computerized spreadsheets for formatting and retransmission by fax to other offices. CNA is modemizing the water management in Mexico through a Programa de modemizacién del manejo del agua en México (PROMMA). One of its initial projects upgraded the data collection network of the Rio Bravo in 1999 (McLaurin, 1999a). Forty-four data collection platforms (DCP) were installed. The electronic data loggers collect the hydroclimatological data and telemeter it through the GOES satellite to receive sites that were installed in the offices of CILA in Cd. Juarez and of CNA in Monterrey, Mexico, Of the 44 stations, 41 collect hydrologic data of water level and precipitation and 3 collect climatological data of precipitation, wind, temperature, relative humidity, air pressure and solar radiation. Nineteen of the hydrologic sites also collect climatological data and five sites were supplied with a water quality probe. The stations are located near the boundary on the main stem of the Rfo Bravo or at the mouths of s tributaries. A hydroclimatological DCP on the Rio Bravo. ‘The data loggers (Handar model 555A) are configured to take measurements every ten minutes or ‘one hour depending on the parameter, and transmit the data every three hours. At each site power is provided by solar panels. The installations are protected by a chain link fence and/or a concrete block wall. The water level sensors are submersed pressure sensors. The precipitation gauges are tipping buckets with accumulation counters. When iransmitted on the GOES system, the data are available (0 all users of the GOES system. Each of the receive sites in Monterrey and in Cd. Juarez consist of a fixed 5-meter diameter satellite dish, and software running on a small network of computers. The UBS2000 software from Handar controls the receivers and does the first level of processing of the data received every 3 hours. A second software system designed and built by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) consultants for CNA provides the fundamental ‘hydrometric processing; application of time adjustments, conversion of water levels from depth ‘over the sensor to the elevation of the water to the required datum, conversion of water level to _flow or reservoir storage volume, and computation of basic statistics (McLaurin, 1999b). Stage 555First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management discharge curves are not available for all of the new hydrologic stations in the telemetric network but should be available by the summer of 2003. This software and additional software produces reports of levels and precipitation that are used on a daily basis to provide reports used intemally on the local network or disseminated by fax to specific clients. Jn 2001 a web-based data collection system was designed and implemented by WMO consultants for CNA. It replaced the fax-based data transmission system (McLaurin, 2001), Data from the conventional stations are entered into web browser pages which are linked to databases in local or central offices. Automatic processes use FTP on the CNA Intranet 10 Plone gene transmit the data between the 13 [ewa@ine is regional offices and CNA’s central office for surface water and river engineering, GASIR, in Mexico City. Data from CNA’s telemetric station networks are also collected. automatically. Current data can be viewed as tables, maps, and graphs on web browsers on the CNA wide- area-network, Historical data can be similarly retrieved from the database. ‘Data from the Rio Bravo watershed are automatically sent every few hours to the CNA Rio Bravo Forecast System in Mexico City. From there, they are forwarded by FIP to the National Weather Service’s river forecast system in Fort Worth, Texas, in the American section of the Rfo Bravo watershed. ample view of CNA’s Hydrologic Information System. This bydrological information system continues to be refined. Although the data are not currently available tg the general public, technical impediments are not significant. Boundary Waters Management in Syria and Lebanon From the mountain headwaters in the boundary area, the Nahr el Kabir river flows through Syria and then forms the border between northern Lebanon and Syria for about 50 km before it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Some 300,000 people live in the roughly thousand square kilometer watershed which is a major agricultural production region for both countries. Intensive agriculture, growing ¢owns and villages, and inadequate infrastructure for both solid waste and wastewater are combining to severely stress the resource. Working from a long history of ceoperation, both formal and informal, along the river and throughout the watershed, Syria and Lebanon have begun developing a modem water management infrastructure for this boundary ‘water (Cadham, 2002). As is the case in many countries, authority over the management of the resource is fragmented between agencies. Responsibility for water allocations are generally taken on by irrigation 556First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management ministries. Rural affairs ministries are typically responsible for domestic water supply. ‘The environment ministries in both countries are weak, and the protection of surface water quality is poor. Inter-agency and inter-jurisdictional cooperation is hampered by competing local and or tional objectives, gaps in management, reduced technical capacity, and limited access to timely and reliable data. No comprehensive watershed management program exists, either jointly or individually, in the two countries. Syria and Lebanon have announced plans to build a large reservoir on the boundary section of the river and there has been increased awareness of water quality issues. ‘This has lead to a call for comprehensive watershed management capacity as a component of the reservoir project. Recently, a multi-agency project funded by the International Development Research Centre (DRC) has been investigating alternatives for an improved management system for the watershed of the Nahr el Kabir. The agencies are: the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research, the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Hydroelectric Resources, the Syrian Ministry of Irrigation, the Syrian General Organization for Remote Sensing, and consultants from CadhamHayes Systems Inc. of Canada. The initial stage of this process identified that almost no data were available on water quality or quantity. Visual inspection of the river and informal interviews with local domestic and agricultural water users dicated that poor water quality is a key limiting factor to the sustainable development of the river. Therefore, a shared water monitoring program on the Nahr el Kabir was initiated as ‘one of the project components. Water quality measurements and samples were taken on subsequent field trips. The samples were analyzed in tahoratories in Syria, Lebanon, Canada and Europe. The laboratory results were shared by the agencies involved through the normal course of the group’s activities and included in its project reports. However, the data were not added to databanks as there were no means of doing so - organized datasets being exception rather than the rule. Although a handful of water level and river flow monitoring stations were seen by the project team while on field trips, they were not successful in locating any data, despite the assurances of the local population that the stations were being regularly visited. The consultants facilitated the donation of water level recorders to be uses for monitoring the river. The initial monitoring network and data dissemination system envisioned for this boundary area will use paper-strip- chart recorders, manual measurements, and mainly paper outputs from simple databases. Electronic data loggers and Intemet data distribution were seen as highly desirable, but of limited utility until such time as a proper institutional and technological framework could be established to support them. At the time of writing it had not yet been determined which agencies will be responsible for the installation and operation of monitoring stations. 557First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management The project, which will be concluding early in 2003, will make recommendations for the strengthening and expansion of the monitoring program, and for the institutional framework for managing the water of this boundary area of Syria and Lebanon. Summary Several examples of water data collection and dissemination systems in boundary areas have been éescribed here. The International Stations program between Canada and USA uses a set of flexible procedures at the technical and engineering levels to collect and publish a dataset for boundary and transboundary water that both countries can confidently agree upon. The Lake of the Woods Contro! Board Secretariat uses electronic instrumentation, real-time telemetry systems, Internet information delivery, and public meetings to support the management of the waters of a boundary area. Mexico’s Comisisn Nacional del Agua is modernizing their hydroclimatological monitoring network with electronic instrumentation, telemetry systems, and database and Intranet technologies, all of which could be used to support water management in boundary areas. Syria and Lebanon have recognized the need for modern institutional and technological infrastructures, in one of their boundary areas and have taken the initial steps to develop them. References ‘Cadham, Sohn (2002), President, CadhamHlayes Systems Ine, unpublished reports and personal commtnicaions ‘Cousins, LR. (2002). Sr. Hydrologic Engineer, Lake of the Woods Control Bourd Secret Huberman, S., Slater, .E., Condes, A. (1985). Procedural Guide for International Gauging Stations ~ on Boundary Waters bbenveen Canada and the United States of America, joint publication of Department of the Environment, Inland WaieTs Directorate, WRB Report INWD-HO-WRB-PG-85-1 and United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, Open- File Report 85-329, MeLaurin, an. LTinis, Julio, (19994). Red Telemésrica del Rio Bravo, joint publication # 14 of Programa de moderizacién P™ Sieeae te | Pipe ROP rom esos tom Sime | tonne Tans vor Decenerst >> Prov 0 {ian aa Se Siorag mm ean 2athaay | ing ntnt wot py atl Plow rose (deta af minimus flow in the GUADIANA) » » ‘Tir regime wl not be apie nt the Algueva reservoir begin te filed, The REEERENCE RESERVOIRS oft Guadian basin ae: aie "me (Chass ——TS0S mcm Alnge Figure I: Flow regime in the agreement 2 If this were a determining criterion, the appropriateness of the Albufeira Agreement itself must be estioned. 5 They are not established forthe Limia given that she consumption in Spain isnot relevant and iti also not possible to carry out a significant regulation in the Spanish part of the basin, therefore it may be considered ‘that the water flows entering Portugal correspond to natural flows. 603First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management Using the annual supply to characterise a flow regime may not be enough, particularly when thinking about maintaining the ecological functions that have some kind of seasonal variability, in systems with an important inter-annual variation or in highly regulated rivers, all of these being situations that occur within the scope of the Pact. In the case of monthly guaranteed flows, their ication would involve greater levels of subjectivity, causing a wide debate about the possible exceptions and a potential source of mistrust about the fulfilment of the conventional conditions. Therefore, the Agreement itself has mechanisms that allow the ecological function to bbe covered without it being essential to resort to a monthly distribution of flows. ‘The idea that a strict fulfilment of the flow regime would be possible is further removed from reality, that is to say, the flow regime being in force during a short period of time, when there are some hydrological conditions or of favourable running conditions and keeping a null flow for the rest of the hydrological year. This is not possible, in the first place, because the Agreement presupposes that a sustainable use of the water is being attempted and this is not the case in this situation. In the second place, because the actual 1968 Agreement already introduced the need to maintain some minimum flows in periods of low Water. Finally, and no less importantly, because the production structure installed itself in the last Spanish stretches and in the border stretches mean that this situation of null flow, maintained for long periods, is incompatible with the profitability of the exploitations, both hydropower and agricultural. Taking into account these uses, which will be maintained in the future, it must be supposed that the water circulation along the border stretches is going to be very similar to that existing at present and which, in any event, will improve owing to the environmental requirements that the Agreement introduces, both due «0 the introduction of the guaranteed flows and due to the complementary regulations to follow during the regime of exceptions. ‘The inter-annual variability of the supply could be contemplated through a flow compensation mechanism for a given period of time. The difficulties of defining this are evident. z TT Gauging Stations Weighting] Lugo 30% 1 Mino Orense 47% Ponferrada 23% Salamanca (Metacin) 33,30 % Douro ‘Led (Virgen del Camino) 33530 % Soria (Onservatory) 330% sae Caceres 30% Madrid (Retiro Park) 50% Guationa | Talavera a Real (Air Base) 80% Cuidad Real) 20% The mean values are waderstood io be caloared i aacoTance wih We reise? of The riod 1948145 10 1996197 and will be updated every'5 years. Figure 2: Indicators for the situation Gf exceptions The focus adopted was that of considering that the years with abnormally low rainfall are ‘excepted years, when the fulfilment of the guaranteed flows is not required, which does not mean that this is really going to happen. To define these exception situations objectively indicators have been established, which are shown in Figure 2, referring to a reference rainfall for each basin, calculated on what is produced over two or three selected rain gage stations in terms of theirFirst International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management representativity and length of the observation period available‘. The idea is to define a simple indicator, the accessibility of which for any interested person will be ensured beforehand such as precipitation data. The indicator does not claim to define a drought situation, only a state in which is not feasible to ensure the guaranteed flows. ‘The greater irregularity that occurs from North to South means that this method may only be applied in a simple manner in Mifio and Douro, while on the Tajo, it is necessary to resort in some cases, to considering the situation during two consecutive years with the aim of considering the accumulated effect of years with low supply, although they are not considered exceptional when considered separately. In the case of the Guadiana, more irregular, but with a greater regulation, capacity both in the Spanish part and in the Portuguese par, the exception situation also takes into account the storage volumes in a series of six reservoirs, a piece of information that is easy to check, & rein omit eae mp 8 | Figure 3: Evolution of the indicators on the Douro river hydrological year 2001 - 2002 The standard series obviously refers to past situations, which mean a five-year revision of the reference rainfall is necessary. During this period no problems have occurred, although it has coincided with normal or slightly dry years. However, in the hydrological year 2001-2002 the Douro’s indicator has not shown the existence of an abnormally dry period, although with an -gular distribution in the territory, as may be seen in Figure 3. We will have to inve whether the chosen stations or their weigh are the most suitable ones as well as whether it necessary to extend the number of stations to be considered, without making the considered indicator more complex. ‘The temporary thresholds on which the declaration of exception are carried out are different for cach of the basins considered. They take into sccount the climatic characteristics of each one, but also the methods of water use, which are usually linked, these being earlier in the Guadiana basin, ‘more to the South and with a preferably agricultural vocation. In this way it is possible to make “Taking into account that the idea is not to characterise the total rainfall in the basin, but the difference between the existing situation and an average situation. This is what the indicator is attempting to define, 605First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management changes in the use of the water and in the management procedures without which the effects of the exception would be senseless or would be extremely tiresome. The regulation capacity of the basin and the system's operation possibilities also have an influence. In any event, during the exception situation, some sufficient flows to attend urban supply and those of a social nature, particularly the irrigation of woody crops must be jointly maintained. The environmental conditions in the river must also be maintained, including the estuary, although taking into account that, as we are in a low rainfall period, the situation that can be catered for ~ which must be defined - will be lower to the one relative to average conditions. However, these requirements do not have a definite nature and as the hydrological regime evolves, the previous uses may be limited in accordance with decisions that the Commission must take. 6. The Agreement’s management organs ‘The operativity of an international agreement on water is determined by the existence of certain institutions which exercise functions going from the control of the fulfilment of the condi forth in the agreement, to the management of its contents and in general, a mixture of both. In the case of the Albufeira Agreement two organs were formed, with parity compositions and therefore strictly bilateral, for the development of the co-operation. The Conference of the Parts, with a high political level and the Commission for the Development and Application of the Agreement (CADC or Commission), with a more technical content. This second instance is the reference framework for the impulse and follow up of the conventional process, but it is also its control mechanism, forming the first step for the resolving of tke possible conflicts that could No formula was specified, except for the parity nature, for the organisation of the Commission or for the profile ofits members. The analysis of its undertakings, as with that of the remaining ones from the 1964 and 1968 Agreements allowed a technical and legal nature to be recorded. The number of members must be as reduced as possible to make the Commission operational, taki into account the fact that all the sectors of the administration involved must be represented in it". Each national delegation is currently formed by seven delegates — a Chairman, a Vice-chairman and five directors ~ although this number may be modiffed at any time by agreement between the Parts. ‘The Commission, as opposed to other Intemational Commissions, has no legal personality beyond that which its institution confers it as an international agreement and-therefore it may only Pronounce in a corporate manner on those questions that have been agreed upon within the Commission itself and it cannot hold any other representation than that corresponding to the national Delegations that form it. It also does not carry out its agreements, which correspond to the competent national administrations. This situation can have advantages in the sense that it allows it to concentrate more on the development of its undertakings, without having the heavy bureaucratic load or the obligation to carry out actions. Its greatest disadvantage may lie in the lack of specialisation of its members on the specific questions of the bilateral relations. * A Commission directly linked to the State Administrations of each country has been opted for. ‘The Statute of the CADC opens up the possibility of paticipation of other public administrations or other social groups in its workFirst International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management ‘One of the first tasks that the Commission canied out was the drafting of its own operating, ‘Statute since the Agreement only established a set of operational regulations. This Statute follows the general operating regulations of professional organs. It should be noted that the decisions are adopted by consensus and that these are submitted to a right of review by the respective governments. The Chairmen are authorised to take urgent decisions, reporting what they have done to the Commission supposedly in the next ordinary meeting since if the subject is of a particular importance and requires an urgent corporative response, an extraordinary meeting of the Commission would be called, which may be carried out at the request of only one of the Parts. ‘The fundamental element on which the Commission's action is based is formed by the Work Groups. The Statute does not restrict the number of these, which must be created by the Commission itself, specifying the terms of mandate and their general composition. In principle, the members of these Groups belong to the respective public administrations, but there is nothing to prevent the presence, of people outside these administrations as technicians or advisors. ‘The Commission’s operating practice and that of the Work Groups has shown the existence of, ‘two types of groups: some to deal with specific questions and others to cover more general topics. ‘The latter are to do with the development of certain functions that the 1964 and 1968 Agreements granted to the International Rivers Commission (IRC), although not exclusively, and therefore ‘with an important territorial basis that involves the incorporation of the bodies of this type to these groups although the creation, by this indirect route, of an organ for the joint management should be avoided, since it is something that the present Agreement did not set out. This type of difficulty, more obvious on the Spanish side, has meant the Work Groups of this kind have not been set up; the main task of the Statutes Work Group at present being that of finding the appropriate operating formula. ‘The participation of civil society in the Commission's work and in short in the development of the co-operation between Spain and Portugal in the field of water that forms the object of the Albufeira Agreement must be extensive, As a first step, the Commission's Statute sets forth the starting up of Participation Forums referring to specific topics where the Commission considers it necessary to obtain the opinion of the aforementioned civil society, a line of work that wili have to be suitably explored. However, obtaining a majority involvement is not easy since there is 2 dissymmetric lof regarding the perception by the social body of the problems relative to the transborder resources to which must be added the deficient, when not inexistent, integration of the different types of user of these resources. Only the Universities of both countries have opened integration processes which, although they have as one of their centre points of work the study of the transborder resources, go way beyond this specific point. Moreover, the problems that make relations difficult ‘ona local scale have already been pointed out. ‘The Conference of the Parts is laid out as a high level political organ on which the Agreement’s development rests. Owing to this natare, no specific frequency is fixed for their meetings. One of its most important functions, although this is not exclusive, is that of forming a higher instance to resolve those questions on which it has been impossible to agree within the Commission, In this case, the meeting takes place at the request of the interested party. ‘The conflict solution mechanism, which is started up when alll the possible negotiating lines have been exhausted, consists of a classic arbitration procedure supported in the last instance by the 607First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Manag” sit International Court of Justice. However, in the case that the Parts were to consider that the controversy was predominantly technical, they may resort t0 a Research Commission, appointed by common agreement. ‘The Agreement is valid for seven years, which allows a certain perspective of its operation to be obtained and it is automatically exiendable for triennial periods, although this may be modified by ‘mutual agreement at any time. This possibility of amendment must be seen in the positive sense, in line with the framework nature that the Pact has, with the aim of allowing a better adaptation to the different circumstances, 7. Current development ‘The Pact attempts to materialise the rights and duties that each part has with criteria of equity, ‘adapting the bilateral relation to the provisions of the most recent International Environmental Law. Therefore, the Commission's main task consists of ensuring the respect of this equity, making the development of sustainable water use initiatives possible as well as adapting the new regulations to the peculiarities of the Mainland Rivers. Since it came into being, the commission has held three plenary meetings and has started up eight Work Groups covering the most relevant aspects of the bilateral relations. One of these Groups is ‘working on the co-ordination of measures in the area of the Directive Framework on Water. The need for this co-ordination is required by the Directive itself and it seems that the corresponding, proposals affecting the transborder rivers must be carried out within the Commaission itself. Much of the Commission's work is concentrated on the adaptation of the regime of the 1964 and 1968 Agreements to the one defined by the Albufeira Agreement. We have already mentioned the authority aspects. Among the more technical aspects, some hamessed stretches have been regulated existing on the left bank of the Guadiana river in the stretch assigned to Portugal and the work to define the sustainable exploitation of the Guadiana river, along its border stretch and of the Erjas river, stretches which, due to a lack of clear hydropower interest where not assigned in the former Agreements, can be mentioned. In any case, it should not be forgotten that we find ourselves faced with a framework Pact that in itself contains provisions that must be developed throughout its period of validity. The day-to-day work, particularly on subjects referring to water, is dynamic, with a changing future, as we have seen in the modification of the paradigms with’ which our management itself held less than 10 years ago. Therefore, the aim of the Commission’s work must be orientated towards finding a “basket of benefits”, where, in spite of the clear dissymmetry at the starting point, all the parts, including the social and environmental agents, acknowledge the benefits of mutual co-operation. References ‘Cructo de Almeida, L. (1999), The Water Flow Regime Establisehd by the Lso-Spanish Agreement Governing the Shared rs and Other Mates, Proc. Conf. Shared Water Systems and Transboundary Issues with Special Emphasis on the Toerian Peninsula, Luso-American Development Foundation, Lisbon, Portpal, pp.279 300. Serra, P. (1999). The defense of Portuguese Interests inthe Agrocment on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Exploitation of the Waters of Luso-Spanish Catchment Areas, Proc. Conf, Shared Water Systems and Transboundary Issues ith Special Emphasis on the Iberian Peninsula, Luso-American Development Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal, pp229-260, 608First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management AMH First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management BENEFITS TO WATER MANAGEMENT THROUGH OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTEGRATED URBAN AND IDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY NETWORKS: THE POTENTIAL IN CANADA Zaloum R. PEng, PhD, Environment Canada As our understanding of transboundary transference of pollutants through water and increases, so does the realization that there is a close connection between environmental impacts and human activities and that this impact can be felt far away from the source point crossing boundaries freely. This realization leads to the necessity of taking a second look at the way society is organized and means which can be beneficially and cost-effectively used to reduce them. ‘This conference will attempt to present an approach, which is based on the fundamentals of eco- efficiency and pollution prevention not only at the level of businesses but also at he level of the community or the region. This approach is slawly gaining acceptance across Canada and other countries. It requires not only good financial and technical planing, but a symbiotic relationships between waste generators and raw material users. Because cities and industries have in general been set up in a rather un-integrated fashion, the demand om resources t0 make products responded to economic needs while the disposal of wastes responded to ad hoc regulations which were, in turn, modulated by economic pressures. In spite of efforts to protect water courses, it is increasingly clear that the battle is far from being won, Added to increased demands, the issue of climate change is forcing the drive to refocus on ‘ways and means to deal with environmental concerns. Tentative efforts have been undertaken through pollution prevention to reduce at source the use of resources and losses during production, thus alleviating the generation of wastes discharging into the environment. This effort is precursor to a broader scope environmental management approach based on the concept of City-Industry Networks where symbiotic linkages are established in such a Way as to optimize energy, water and material utilization. The impact ing environment, particularly the water environment, can be significant in ad achieving economic sustainability for those involved. This approach can be a valuable tool in trans-boundary water management as figure 1 attempts to show.First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management Figure I: Schematics of a watershed with idealized concept in an industry-town-rural environment luent discharge <> Linkage among stakeholders The establishment of linkages between various users of resources, both at the industrial, community and rural levels to reuse/recycle water, energy and materials in an integrated manner along with an increased efficacy of waste (water) treatment, would contribute to maintaining adequate levels of water quantities and quality for future generations and indirectly, in the longer term, help in efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. ‘The feasibility of the concept of integrated industrial-city ecology was demonstrated at both in Kalundborg, Denmark, and at the Bruce Energy Center near Kincardine, Ontario, Canada. It was clearly shown that linking industrial processes and services in networks to cascade by-products can make a valuable contribution to sustainable development and, in particular, to water ‘management. 610First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management Figure 2 shows the Kalundborg case. ‘The Kalundborg project : 16 projects >=: 10 enterprises Water, energy, residues 7 160 millions $ in annual savings oulFirst International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management Figure 3 presents the Bruce energy center situation. ae 4 Bruce industrial park a“ - In Ontario, Canada Development of linkages: In fully evolved industrial or city-industrial networks, member industries have developed networks to optimize energy, water and material utilization. For energy, this could include sharing of high energy waste streams, post-process cooling waters or high pressure steam, for example, for space heating. Water in these industrial ecosystems would similarly cascade through the community and be matched to water quality needs. For example, waste water treated at one site might be used as cooling water at another rather than using potable “city water" as a resource. Waste materials and residues can be recycled within the industrial network or converted, when possible, through composting or pelletizing, for reuse as soil amendment material or as supplemental fuel. How can this be done? By emulating the Kalundborg approach, cities and their industries work together to create an environment appropriate to embark on the eco-efliciency band wagon and sustainable development. From the industrial perspective, performing process audits on all aspects of the production process could lead (0 a certain number of changes such as : 612First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management ~ The implementation at the company level of recycling and reuse principles, particularly within the process - Changing industrial processes for more eco-efficient ones = Changing the raw materials ~ Changing the final product, if necessary - Champion the use of a network of waste exchange and reuse whereby wastes can be considered as raw materials by other secondary users - Champion the creation of an industrial eco-parks where common services would be offered and compatible businesses would coexist in a symbiotic manner. From the municipal perspective, it would imply reviewing the way city operations are conducted by enhancing sustainable approaches including environment friendly regulations and economic incentives. As in the example of Kalundborg described in figure 2, a symbiotic integration of the city and its own industries into a successful linked network of wastes and by-products interchange was successfully implemented. For instance, managing landfill sites so that gas can be collected and reused or sold to third parties would become a key component of the network. Improving transportation and other infrastructure to allow the network to function would be essential. Clearly, energy supply is a corner stone of this relationship and from it emerges secondary industries such as greenhouses or suppliers of reusable waste, some of which as energy while others as fertilizers, etc, The success of this model resides in the very element of 200d planing, sufficient supplies to meet production needs and the identification of users of the residues or by-products. The situation at the Bruce plant, described in figure 3, also achieved the same objective although on a smaller scale. Work in Canada: Early interest has been sparked when in 1985 it was realized that gaseous and water emissions at the Bruce nuclear plant could be reused on site by compatible businesses instead of the more traditional command and control approach. Thus was born the first industrial eco-park. ‘The extension of this concept to link with the community or surrounding communities and create an integrated network would lead to the establishment of 2 sustainable City-industry eco network. Several projects are now on the table, particularly in British Columbia. These will be described below. Between 1985 and 2002, continued sensitization efforts through workshops were undertaken to promote the concept. Projects in British Columbia: In 1997, a district energy project in the City of North Vancouver Lower Lonsdale Regional ‘Town Center was developed, in partnership with BC Gas, a natural gas utility supplier and an interim agreement was struck to facilitate the development of a new market for a future district heating utility. Where it has appropriate jurisdictional control, the city requires that every new or retrofitted building be equipped with hydronic space and water heating systems compatible with the new district energy utility. The district gas utility will provide the adequate boilers which could be removed and seintegrated in @ centralized heating distribution facility under its control. ‘This example, similar to the early stages of Kalundborg, secures that the infrastructure for sustainability be gradually put in place to facilitate the implementation of eco-networking 613First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management A second initiative, also in British Colombia, deals with an Eco-industrial complex in the North Vancouver Maplewood area. The project takes aim at how a 350 acres industrial park and the businesses within it can put in place eco-industrial networking. By closely linking community and economic development, the initiative hopes to: 1- Use hydrogen from one industry as a fuel source for another, 2+ reuse water in industrial processes 3+ Recycle industrial wastes and improve on-site treatment 4- Share infrastructures and transportation modes 5- Invite compatible industries to join and establish operations in the park. A third project taking place at the Anacis wastewater treatment plant, also in Brittish Colombia, ‘aims at investigating the potential for reducing the demand for potable water at the facility by the reuse of wastewater effluents for non potable uses. A feasibility study has shown the project to be cost effective and a pilot plant is anticipated for the end of 2002. If the pilot project proves cost effective, it will be implemented first at the plant and extended to nearby business. It is expected that implementation at the plant would reduce by 91 % its own demand for potable water for use in non potable applications. Projects in Québec: In 1998, two studies were commissioned by Environment Canada on the feasibility of implementing such industrial-city networks in the province of Québec and specifically tried to identify the barriers and the facilitating factors. Following is a brief summary of the main points : For a successfill implementation it is necessary to : @ Have a diversified industrial base 4 Characterize the ins and outs of the processes, waste products and their intrinsic value ™ Mass and energy balances Identify a Champion m= Have or upgrade municipal infrastructure (transportation, ports, energy, ete) for compatibility purposes ™ Approach the issues step-wise but systematically with a realistic action plan = Find the appropriate level and source of financing Pursue the sensitization of industrial managers and the communities involved ™ Look to upgrade process technologies or develop other product lines in order to facilitate the reuse of wastes material as raw or as energy source ™ Have an ongoing inventory base of what’s available in the region in question and develop potential partnerships '™ Begin with pilot projects and extend to full implementation Several initiatives are beginning to take shape in the Montérégie area, south of Montreal, through the establishment of collaborative work between technology transfer institutes, universities, industries and various government levels in a concerted effort to develop sustainable projects leading to the implementation of a Kalundborg type of model adapted to the particular features of the area. Finally, the establishment of the Burnside eco-efficiency Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as a think tank for strategies and a hub for research of networking opportunities for more that 100 small and medium member enterprises under the auspices of the Dalhousie University, acts to virtually promote the concept of City-Industrial networks. 614First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management Conclusion: ‘The long term impact of the implementation of such a concept in modem society can only have positive effects on the receiving environment and with respect to water, ensure that all efforts would have been made to guaranty its quality and availability for future generations. Additional benefits would result for the community or communities through investments, job creation, quality of environment and of life, mproved resource conservation. References (2002) Opportunities for Bco-Iustrial Development in Canada, the U.S and Asia, Workshop proceedings, Globe 2002, ‘Vancouver, B.C, March 14-15. (2002) Zaloum, Ronald ; Potenticl d'Ecoparcs au Québec, conférence sur I'écologie industrielle de AMEUS, Université de Sherbrooke, sherbrooke, Canada. (1998) Eeo-Industral Networks, Devising Practical Tools for Sucéess, conference proceedings, held March 26%, Ton on the park, Toronto, Canada (1997) Jan Consultants, Opportunites for Industrial Ecology Networks and Partnerships in the Montreal Area, Report -submited'to Environment Canada, December 15%. (1997) The Environment Management of Industrial Estates, UNEP technical report No. 39, produced and published with the assistance of Environment Carsada, ISBN : 92-807-1652-2, (1997) Venta, Glaser & associates / Jan Consultants, Opportunites for Industrial Ecological Parks in Canada, Case Study, Samia-Lambton Industrial Complex, report prepared for the Oil, Gar and Energy Division, Environment Canada, Hull, Carada. 615First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management 616First Intemational Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management AMH FIRST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS MANAGEMENT MONTERREY, NUEVO LEON, MEXICO NOVIEMBRE, 2002 LATE PAPERSFirst International Symposium on Transboundary Waters ManagementFirst International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management AMH First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management THE ECOLOGICAL STATUS AND CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD’‘S SHARED WATERS By Dag Daler, Olof Linden and Juan Carlos Belusteguigoitia (GIWA Core Team, University of Kalmar, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden). Introduction Water the most essential of life-sustaining elemeats — provide for mankind not only drinking water and sanitatign, but also tansport, food, fish, recreation, energy, water for irrigation and industrial processes and a range of other goods, The earth's population is growing by approximately 100 million people per year and the developments we all want demand water. Degradation of freshwater resources and marine water bodies is a ‘major threat to ecological systems and human well-being. Some 80% of the pollutants responsible for the ‘degradation of marine waters originate from land-based human activities. We pollute water in many ways, by sewage, chemical substances, spills and radio-nuclides, We destruct coastal zones, drain wetlands and interrupt natural watercourses without contemplating the full consequences. We ruin habitats with impact on biodiversity and we catch too many fish and thereby reduce the regeneration of fish populations, ‘The Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA) GIWA is an initiative of UNEP designed to address these problems in the world’s shared waters, ‘groundwater reservoirs, open freshwater areas and coastal waters. GIWA is a comprehensive effort to analyse and establish the root-causes of environmental problems in intemational waters. GIWA’s mission is, by working in a worldwide network of scientists and universities; 10 collect scientifically valid information on the level of environmental degradation in the world’s shared water resources. In this work the emphasis is on both environmental factors ax well as the socio- economic factors that are the root-causes of the problems. The main purpose of GIWA is to provide politicians and other decision-makers with information about where they should concentrate their efforts to mitigate environmental degradation in intemational waters. The information provided by GIWA will be a basis for the prioritisation of actions. 619First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management Freshwater shortage + Reduction in steam flow + Pollution of existing water supplies + Lowering of the water table lution * Microbiological pollution + Eutrophication + Chemical pollution + Suspended solids + Solid wastes + Thermal pollution + Radio-nuclides * Spills Habitat and community modification + Loss of ecosystems or ecotones * Modification of ecosystems or ecotones, Unsustainable exploitation of + Overexploitation + Excessive bycatch and discards + Destructive fishing practices + Decreased viability of stock + Impact on biological and genetic diversity ing resources Global Change + Changes in hydrological cycles Table 1. Environmental concemns of GIWA ‘The Ecological Status of the World’s shared waters A short summary of the outcome of the assessments carried out as part of the tasks under GIWA. show both distinct differences between different sub-regions of the world and several common observations. Table 1 is an attempt to summarize the result of the assessments carried out at this stage of the project. The table illustrates the present situation in terms of how the experts in the world rank the areas of concem and the likely direction of future changes for the environmental impacts. It is interesting 10 note that issues related to the destruction and degradation of ecosystems (Habitat and community loss”) and overfishing (Unsustainable exploitation of fisheries”) stand out as the areas showing the most severe impacts in most of the sub-regions. Overexploitation of fisheries and related issues stich as excessive destruction of bycatch and the use of destructive ing techniques are considered the most sever issues in more sub-regions than any other 620First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management environmental problem. This is particularly obvious in the East and Southeast Asian Seas, but is also mentioned in sub-regions surrounding the Atlantic, and all the big inland lakes. The destruction and degradation of ecosystems are also identified as particularly serious in the East and ‘Southeast Asian Seas. ‘A further analysis of the summary of the assessments by experts from the different sub-regions show that issves related to freshwater overuse and degradation (“Freshwater shortage") and pollution are ranked as problems causing intermediate impacts in most regions (Table 1). However, in parts of Aftica these problems ate considered severe. Overall the issues related to climate change (“Global change”) are considered causing fewer problems than any of the other areas in the analyses. ‘A very obvious and perhaps not very surprising result of the assessments is that a very large portion of the problems in the present analyses are considered by the expert grOUps as likely to become more severe in the years to come. In almost no cases does the experts consider it likely that the problems will decrease in the future, There are now no difference between the different problem areas; also the areas that are not considered suffering from severe impacts at present, are likely to do so inthe future. Socio-economic Impact, Causes and Governance What are the fundamental causes of the degradation of global water resources around the world? Some people would argue that human opportunism and shortsightedness are the fundamental causes. However, if that is so, what characterize societies that have been able to manage their water and related resources in a sustainable wary? The search for the root causes of the deterioration and the tools for sustainable management must encompasé an analysis of the characteristics of socio- economic systems. Institutions, rules, norms, organizations etc. should coordinate individual and group efforts and channel these in order to achieve social objectives. Institutions successful in ‘managing natural resources use political, social, economic or administrative mechanisms to show ‘resource scarcity and provide incentives to individuals, the scarcity into consideration in their decisions, Water govemance refers to the range of political, societal, economic and administrative systems that are in place to regulate the devlopment and management of water resources and. provision of water services at different levels of society. Prices are one such mechanism but it is not the only one. Laws (especially property rights) and standards also signal scarcity and provide incentives. In traditional societies religion and other behavioral norms are usefull mechanisms. When these mechanisms do not function properly naturak resources are mismanaged. This is the case for example when countries through subsidies promote jon using a scarce water resource, subsidize investments in bigger and mor: effective fishing, vessels despite dwindeling fish stocks or promote the extraction of fossile ground water. Scarcity of a resource may vary among countries, as in the case of the water of a river that flows from one country to another. The upstream country may promote water uses that from a regional perspective are inefficient or even catastrophic but that are, at least in the short-term efficient from the point of view. of the upstream country. Consequently, national policies in terms of water usage should be considered from a regional, even global, standpoint rather than from a domestic one. The GIWA project will identify the socioeconomic root causes of the failures to sustainably manage water resources and provide options for altemative polici 621First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management 622First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management AMH First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management CAUSAL CHAIN ANALYSIS: THE CONCERN POLLUTION IN PARAIBA DO SUL RIVER BASIN, BRAZIL Marques, M. marcla@meraues.pro.br Associate Professor, Department of Sanitary & Environmental Engineering, Rio de Janeiro State University- UERJ and PESAGRO-RIO; Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean Region - Global International Waters Assessment GIWA UNEPIGEF; Rua Sdo Francisco Xavier 524, 5° Andar, BI E, S1 5024, Maracand - RJ CEP: 20550-900, RJ Brazil. e-mail: phone: + 5521 9852-2345, ABSTRACT ‘The Impact Assessment and the Causal Chain Analysis methodology developed by the project Global International Waters Assessment GIWA UNEPIGEF was applied to the transboundary system Parafba do Sul River Basin, Brazil. The concer Pollution was considered the priority concern having the following priority issues: (1) Microbiological pollution; (2) Eutrophication (in reservoirs}: (3) Chemical pollution (heavy ‘metals); (4) Enhanced suspended solids. The main immediate causes for exch one of these Issues highlighted by the Causal Chain Analysis were: (1) discharge of untreated municipal wastewater; (2) discharge of luntreated industrial wastewater; (3) Mining and (4) Deforestation, One of the root causes behind the suspected misconduct by industries related to the heavy metals pollution highlighted by the CCA is related the legal criteria applied to effluent discharges froi the industries requires compliance to pollutant ‘concentration threshold (e.g.: mg/L), instead of pollutant load (e.g: ton/year). This fact, associated to the still low price for the water (economic root cause) stimulate the use of dilution in order to comply. One govemance factor (response failure) of importance is the institutional weakness of environmental protection agencies, Introduction ‘Current multiple uses of water and its associated living resources are unsustainable in most of the ceases, all over the world. There are clear evidences for deterioration of the freshwater quantity, which in many regions leads to freshwater shortage, decline in fisheries and destruction of aquatic ecosystems, such as the large marine ecosystems. Most actions taken to mitigate these problems have focused on removing the symptoms, rather than identifying and removing the societal causes of environmental degradation. The participation of different socio-economic driving forces and the root causes responsible for the environmental and socio-economic impacts related to water resources is seldom addressed. Limited financial resources are not sufficient to the increasing demand for investments. It is necessary to agree upon funding priorities, particularly in developing countries. The first step in promoting a sustainable response to complex environmental problems is to understand the linkages between perceived problems and their societal root causes. Once the 623First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management ‘causes for a given environmental problem in a drainage basin are properly identified, the policy options can focus on the most cost-effective levels for intervention. In the present paper, the Causal Chain Analysis-CCA methodology developed for the project Global International Waters Assessment GWA UNEPIGEF (www.giwa.net) is applied with the objective of identifying the root causes for the issues related to Pollution, identified as the main concern in Parafba do Sul River Basin PSRB. PSRB is a national drainage basin with transboundary issues due to the fact it is shared by three Brazilian states. PSRB is part of the inland waters associated to the Large Marine Ecosystem East Brazil Shelf (LME. 16). The components of the conceptual model are presented and the CCA for Pollution in PSRB is presented. Paraiba do Sul River Basin Paratba do Sul River PSR Basin is located in the East Atlantic Basin of Brazil and is part of one of the most important urbanized and industrialized regions of Latin America (Figure 1). PSR is 1,145 km long and drains an area of 55,400 km’. The drainage basin is located between Lat. 20°26" and 23°38'S and Long. 41°00 and 46°30'W. The source of PSR lies in the State of So Paulo at approximately 1,800 m altitude. The estuary lies within a wide coastal plain in the northeastern portion of the State of Rio de Janeiro. ‘The Parafba de Sul estuary (21° 37” S, 41° 01°W) is backed by lowlands and the high relief Atlantic Serra do Mar mountain range, which proliferates more or less parallel the coast. The river desembouches in the sea at Lat. 21° 37° § and Long. 41°01'W. ‘The coast is characterized by high wave energy from the Southeast and micro-tides with a maximum range of 1.3 m. Apart from wave energy and tidal range, sea-level history played a particular role in the formation of the PSR coastal plain and other coastal regions of eastern and southeastern Brazil. The coastal plain of PSR is characterized by a sequence of sandy beach ridge terraces, established during the Late Quaternary. Sand barriers und also coastal lagoons in the region attained peak expansion during two major sea-level high stands. The first occurred at about 123,000 yr BP during the last Pleistocene interglacial stage with @ relative sea-level at 8 2 m above the present level. The second occurred, during the Holocene at about 5,100 yr BP, with a sea-level high stand at 4.8 + 0.5 m. Thereafter, sea-level dropped with several oscillations towards today, but experienced several oscillations, Longshore transport of sediments under normal conditions with incidence of wave fronts from the Southeast occurs from south to north. Under “El Nifo” conditions the direction of wave fronts js from the northeast and littoral sand transport reverses from north to south. In general, the coastal plain is characterized by Quaternary hydromorphie podzols and quartz, The climate regime is govemed by the Equatorial Continental air mass in summer and the Tropical Atlantic air mass in winter. Annual rainfall in the upper reaches ranges between 1,500 to 1,800 mm, in the middle between 1,100 and 1,500 mm, and at the coastal plain between 900 624