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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021.
Special Issue Editors
Interests: hydrogeology; rural groundwater issues; groundwater quality; groundwater quantity; source water protection
Interests: surface water hydraulics; hydrological processes; rivers and streams; sediment transport
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
As Guest Editors, we invite you to submit a paper for consideration for publication in a Special Issue of Sustainability called “Advances in Source Water Protection and Sustainability”. Sustainability (Impact Factor: 2.576) is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal of environmental, cultural, economic, and social sustainability of human beings. It is published semi-monthly by MDPI.
Protecting water at the source is of critical importance for sustainable, safe drinking water supply and reducing adverse impacts on the environment. Source water includes groundwater, springs, lakes, and rivers from which drinking water is obtained. It is less expensive, more socially responsible, and better for the natural environment to safeguard these drinking water sources before they are over-exploited or contaminated. This Special Issue will focus on technical advances in source water protection (SWP) for both surface water and groundwater. Under various policy frameworks, much progress has been made worldwide for protecting drinking water sources, such as: the delineation of wellhead protection areas and surface water intake protection zones; quantity risk assessment through water budgeting and modelling exercises; and identification and modelling of threats to water quality. However, knowledge gaps persist surrounding protecting water sources in complex environments, including sensitive hydrogeological settings, urban watersheds with extensive, aging water infrastructure, and rural basins with intensive agricultural land use and non-municipal water supply infrastructure. Particular challenges exist for marginalized communities susceptible to unique threats and pressures that impact their SWP. Water-stressed basins need to be protected from adverse anthropogenic impacts that deteriorate water quality and lead to water quantity stress and over-exploitation. Moreover, climate change will impact protection of water sources through modifications in water quantity and water quality.
This Special Issue invites contributions that advance scientific knowledge, focusing on the protection of source waters for both urban and rural populations. Field research, laboratory experiments, and/or mathematical modeling studies of groundwater and surface water sources are welcomed.
Dr. Jana Levison
Dr. Andrew Binns
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- source water protection
- watershed management
- water supply infrastructure
- groundwater quality
- groundwater quantity
- surface water quality
- surface water quantity
- municipal water sources
- rural water sources
- climate change
- sustainability
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Source Water Protection and Septic Systems: a Unique Tracer Experiment In fractured Sedimentary Bedrock
Authors: Rachael Marshall; Jana Levison; Ed McBean; Beth Parker
Affiliation: University of Guelph
Abstract: Septic systems are a common contributor of contaminants to groundwater, and are particularly threatening to vulnerable fractured sedimentary bedrock aquifers. Two 24-hour tracer experiments using the organic dye Lissamine Flavine FF and three artificial sweeteners applied in the leaching bed were performed to examine solute transport from a residential septic bed to a multilevel monitoring well installed in a fractured sedimentary bedrock aquifer on a First Nation reserve in southern Ontario. Tracer was first observed 3 hours and 20 minutes after application, and breakthrough curves suggested that multiple connected pathways likely exist between the septic bed and the CMT multilevel monitoring system. All tracers were observed at multiple depths in the seven port multilevel, and cyclamate concentrations were more elevated than expected, suggesting that this sweetener may behave more conservatively in sedimentary fractured rock. Solute transport through the septic bed was analyzed with the numerical modeling software Hydrus 1D, which indicated that the septic bed may be too thin, located directly on bedrock, underlain by fractured soils, or bypassed by septic leachate through a short-circuit. The rapid transport of septic leachate to groundwater is problematic for First Nation and rural communities relying on private wells located in vulnerable fractured sedimentary bedrock environments, and more stringent regulations are needed for the design and use of septic systems in regions that may be influenced by surface-connected subsurface karst.
Title: Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability to Contamination for Sustainable Water Resource Management using DRASTIC Method and NV Index in Banjarbaru City, South Borneo, Indonesia
Authors: Firza Syarifa Zahra; Thomas Triadi Putranto
Affiliation: Diponegoro University
Abstract: Groundwater needs will increase along with the development of an area. The negative impact on groundwater quality, such as groundwater pollution occurs as a result of groundwater extraction. Thus, it needs proper groundwater management to maintain the function of groundwater sus-tainability. One of the efforts in the management of groundwater is the determination of the vul-nerability index of groundwater to pollution. Groundwater vulnerability maps to pollution can be used as a reference in groundwater management in an area so that groundwater benefits are sus-tainable. The research location is in Banjarbaru City and its surrounding areas. The method used in this research is geospatial analysis for determining groundwater vulnerability using the DRASTIC method and applying Nitrate Vulnerability/NV Index. The results of the DRASTIC method show the study area included in three vulnerability indexes, namely low (95-120), moderate (120-160), and high (160-186). The NV index results in the groundwater vulnerability index divided into four levels, namely very low vulnerability (21.2-70), low vulnerability (70-110), moderate vulnerability (110-150), and high vulnerability (150-186). Based on the geospatial analysis of groundwater vul-nerabilities, the use of specific vulnerabilities is considered more effective in determining the vulnerability index.