The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of issues and methods in water resources management, and is set especially within the framework of total, or integrated, catchment management. The course gives an introduction to the unique hydrology of Australia, major issues of water resource management, the implications of past water management practices, the principles of integrated catchment management and sustainability, and current management tools and strategies. Topics will include: the components of the hydrological cycle; impacts of land and water management on water quantity and quality; water demand and allocation among users, including the environment; the institutional and policy aspects of WRM; onground strategies of WRM; and integrated modelling of water and land resources. The course emphasises the interdisciplinary of water resource management and examines integrated assessment, which is a method that seeks to solve water management problems by investigating the physical, economic, social and institutional components of a problem.

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. understand the complex interplay between people, climate, land, water and economic development in water resource management in Australia
2. explain how the changing balance over time in water availability, demand for water and value of water informs (and has been informed by) the history of development, institutional arrangements, policy and management
3. demonstrate familiarity with a range of water resource management issues, including origins, impacts and management interventions in both rural and urban settings
4. integrate information from a range of disciplines into a comprehensive picture of a water resource management issue
5. appreciate the relationship between raw data and the interpretation(s) that stem from it, and how a lack of knowledge or uncertain knowledge influences resource management decision-making
6. consider and use a range of methods for tackling water resource management problems.

Assessment will be based on:

• 2000-word literature review of a selected water resource management approach (25%; LO 1, 2, 4)
• Major research report (50%; LO 1-6)
• Take home examination (25%; LO 1, 2, 3, 5)

Two contact hours of lectures and two hours of practical work per week

with SRES3005

Hussey, K. and Dovers, S. (2007) Managing Water for Australia - The Social and Institutional Challenges, CSIRO Publishing.