DRIFT-ARID: A method for assessing environmental water requirements (EWRs) for non-perennial rivers

Authors

  • Maitland Seaman Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Marie Watson Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Marinda Avenant Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Jackie King Water Matters, PO Box 209, Constantia, South Africa
  • Alison Joubert Southern Waters, PO Box 12414, Cape Town, South Africa
  • Charles Barker Geography Department, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Surina Esterhuyse Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Douglas Graham DHI, Agern Allé 5, DK-2970 Hørsholm, Denmark
  • Marthie Kemp Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Pieter le Roux Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences Department, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Bob Prucha DHI Water & Environment, 141 Union Blvd, Suite 425, Lakewood, USA
  • Nola Redelinghuys Social Sciences Department, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Linda Rossouw Environmental and Water Quality Consultant, PO Box 16018, Panorama, 7506, South Africa
  • Kate Rowntree Geography Department, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown, South Africa 11University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice, South Africa
  • Frank Sokolic Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Leon van Rensburg Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences Department, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa
  • Bennie van der Waal Geography Department, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown, South Africa 11University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice, South Africa
  • Johan van Tol University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice, South Africa
  • Tascha Vos Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v42i3.01

Keywords:

EWR, non-perennial, DRIFT, DSS

Abstract

Environmental water requirement (EWR) assessment methods, for ascertaining how much water should be retained in rivers to sustain ecological functioning and desired levels of biodiversity, have mostly been developed for perennial rivers. Despite non-perennial rivers comprising about 30–50% of the world’s freshwater systems, data on their hydrology, biota and ecological functioning are sparse. Current EWR assessments require hydrological and other data that may not be available for such rivers and some adaptation in the methods used seems necessary. DRIFT is an EWR method for perennial (or near-perennial) rivers that has been developed in South Africa over the past two decades and is now widely applied nationally and internationally. When applied to the semi-permanent Mokolo River, challenges particular to, or accentuated by, non-perennial rivers included the reliable simulation of hydrological data, the extent of acceptable extrapolation of data, difficulties in predicting surface-water connectivity along the river, and the location and resilience of pools, as well as whether it was possible to identify a reference (natural) condition. DRIFT-ARID, reported on here, is an adaptation of the DRIFT approach to begin addressing these and other issues. It consists of 11 phases containing 29 activities.

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Published

2016-07-29

Issue

Vol. 42 No. 3 July (2016): Water SA

Section

Research paper

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Maitland Seaman, Marie Watson, Marinda Avenant, Jackie King, Alison Joubert, Charles Barker, Surina Esterhuyse, Douglas Graham, Marthie Kemp, Pieter le Roux, Bob Prucha, Nola Redelinghuys, Linda Rossouw, Kate Rowntree, Frank Sokolic, Leon van Rensburg, Bennie van der Waal, Johan van Tol, Tascha Vos

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How to Cite

Maitland Seaman (2016) “DRIFT-ARID: A method for assessing environmental water requirements (EWRs) for non-perennial rivers”, Water SA, 42(3 July). doi:10.4314/wsa.v42i3.01.