Proposal of Groundwater Governance Indexes: Application to Nine Spanish Aquifers

Abstract Groundwater management and governance have properties related to the long renewal time, evapo-concentration processes in the soil and interaction with the rock, and dispersion, mixing and degradation of possible contaminants. Groundwater is part of the hydrologic balance, with specific properties and different behaviours from that of surface water, although there are interconnected. These differences also appear in other aspects related to economy, society, norms and administration, and to water ethics and morality. These differences are not always taken into account by water managers and decision makers. A methodology is being used to evaluate quantitatively groundwater management and sound governance. A score of themes are classified into aspects and categories, including hydrogeological knowledge, administration and socio-economics aspects. Three indexes are presented, the most developed of them correcting reserve depletion, unavoidable discharges and legal restrictions. The proposed indexes were tested in nine pilot areas in Spain, representing different circumstances, scales and environmental conditions. The discussion refers to aquifers and aquifer systems, considering the corresponding groundwater bodies and their quantitative and chemical status. It is not possible to condense the reality into one or a few figures. Comparisons have to be considered cautiously as a broad guide, with possible notable deviations, especially considering the groundwater average renewal time. There is not a well-defined correlation between groundwater management - governance evaluation and groundwater body’s status, but they have some common aspects that are relevant to improve groundwater management and governance.