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Assessment of Anthropogenic Impact on the Environmental Flows of Semi-arid Watersheds: The Case Study of the Lower Jordan River

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Abstract

The escalation in hydrological alteration of rivers on a global scale, potentially causing environmental degradation, initiated the establishment of the Environmental Flow Assessment science where the quality and quantity of water required for ecosystem conservation is determined and taken into consideration. The Lower Jordan River (LJR) Basin has gone through massive exploitation of its scarce water resources in the last half century: man-made stream regulations and diversions have drastically affected the LJR’s natural flow regime and degraded its water quality. This research aims to investigate the continuous degradation of water flow in the LJR, by looking into its past natural temporal and spatial flow variability. River flow data were obtained for years 1921–2011. Both natural and regulated flow regimes were examined. The software tool ‘Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration’ (IHA) was used for daily flows’ comparisons. The IHA tool results show significant changes in rates of base flows and frequency and magnitude of extreme flow events, between pre-impact and post-impact periods. According to our results, in order to mitigate these flow alterations, a relocation of 100 MCM/year of fresh water to the LJR river system is needed, which will be used to: fortify its depleted base flow; generate two yearly flood events; and introduce four additional high flow pulses. This reallocation would enable a mimicking of the LJR’s natural variability of flow at a relatively minimal amount of water. This research constitutes a first step towards understanding the LJR’s hydrological natural conditions. Its findings could be very useful when weighing different rehabilitation options for the LJR and other anthropogenic impacted semi-arid basins.

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Abbreviations

CMS:

Cubic Meter per Second

EFA:

Environmental Flow Assessment

EFC:

Environmental Flow Components

EFR:

Environmental Flow Requirements

IHA:

Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration

IHS:

Israeli Hydrological Service

IMS:

Israeli Meteorological Service

IWA:

Israeli Water Authority

KAC:

King Abdullah Canal

LJR:

Lower Jordan River

LJRB:

Lower Jordan River Basin

MAR:

Mean Annual Runoff

MCM:

Million Cubic Meters

NWC:

National Water Carrier

SOG:

Sea of Galilee

SWC:

Saline Water Carrier

UJR:

Upper Jordan River

UJRC:

Upper Jordan River Catchment

WWTP:

Waste Water Treatment Plant

YR:

Yarmouk River

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Acknowledgements

This research was conducted within the framework of the GLOWA Jordan River project, which is funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Hydrology & Microbiology, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel

    Assaf Chen & Noam Weisbrod

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  1. Assaf Chen
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  2. Noam Weisbrod
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Correspondence to Assaf Chen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Helmholtz Centre Environmental Research, Magdeburg, Germany

    Dietrich Borchardt

  2. Center for Development Research - ZEF, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Janos J. Bogardi

  3. Helmholtz Centre Environmental Research, Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany

    Ralf B. Ibisch

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Chen, A., Weisbrod, N. (2016). Assessment of Anthropogenic Impact on the Environmental Flows of Semi-arid Watersheds: The Case Study of the Lower Jordan River. In: Borchardt, D., Bogardi, J., Ibisch, R. (eds) Integrated Water Resources Management: Concept, Research and Implementation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25071-7_3

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