Indices of water quality for sustainable management and conservation of an arid region lake, Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel

摘要

1. Economic development in arid regions is closely linked to efficient use of limited water resources. As such, management and conservation of these water resources requires concurrent optimization of the interrelationships between supply quantity and resource quality. 2. Multiple uses of water resources generate conflicting needs within management, with different uses requiring objective characterization of quality for different management scenarios and goals. 3. A sound management programme needs close interactions between water policy makers, managers, users, engineers and limnologists, and thus needs a common language that can transcend the boundaries of the individual fields. 4. This paper describes a system of water quality indices and standards designed for conservation and sustainable management of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel, based on observed variability in various chemical and biological parameters during a 25-year period (1969-1992). Such a system can form a common language which can then be used as a tool for optimal management. 5. This system of water quality indices (a) includes both traditional limnological parameters (plant nutrients, chlorophyll, primary production) and engineering parameters (coliform bacteria, turbidity), (b) is acceptable to all parties involved in lake management, and (c) is easily adaptable to different management scenarios and to management-induced changes in ecosystem functioning. 6. Analysis of variability in these water quality parameters in Lake Kinneret during 1994-1999 when the lake was showing signs of destabilization highlights the usefulness and limitations of this system.