Diapositiva 1

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WATER RESOURCES IN URUGUAY MAIN FEATURES AND
CHALLENGES TOWARDS THEIR SUSTAINABLE USE Raúl
Prando, Adriana Gambogi Members of the Uruguayan
Academy of Engineering CAETS 2009 CALGARY
July 15,2009
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URUGUAY RELEVANT INFORMATION AND INDICATORS
Literacy rate
97 Enrollment in sciencetech
university level 17 Access to potable water ()
98 Access to
electrical power
98 Digitalized telecommunications since 1996
100 Highest telephone density in LA
31 Internet users
55

Source IMF
() UN Millenium Target 10
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Main Export Products RM and AGROINDUSTRY
2008 Meat 22,3 Cellulose Pulp 8,4
Rice 7,7 Dairy 7,4 Leather
4,3 Wool 3,4
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WATER AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY Decrees
253/79,232/88,698/89,195/91

• Classification of water resources
• Supply of potable water
• 2a Irrigation of cultures for domestic
  consumption without previous process
• 2b Recreation in contact with human body
• Hydric flora and fauna preservation and/or
  irrigation of cultures for
• domestic vegetables if they are used after
  industrial processes
• Irrigation of cultures for nonhuman consumption
  or aestethic preservation
• For each item the regulation defines
  parameters to be controlled and maximum limits of
  pollutants

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SURFACE WATERS
MAIN BASINS MAP
MAIN BASINS
National Hydric Board (DNH) has been working hard
since the decade of 1980 in the new information
system provided by 103 DNH stations (December
2006) The area of incremental basins after each
gauge, including the Rio Negro lakes, is
excluded. The series are based on actual
measurements, some of them after consumptions.
MAIN BASINS
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DNH Stations
DNH Stations
BASIN
QUANTITY Uruguay river
19 Rio de la Plata 19 Atlantic
Ocean 8 Merin lake
17 Negro river
30 Santa Lucia river 10
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Conclusions resulting from the sampling and
monitoring during the period 1980-2004   The
surface of the basins that have been gauged is
89.753 km2, 51 of the whole territory. The
specific average flow is 16,3 L/s/km2 .That means
515 mm of annual draining layer. The average
range is 230 to 720 mm. The estimation for the
total surface is 90.550 millions of
m3.   Studying the period December to March the
value decreases to 9,6 L/s/km2 (99 mm). As the
flows are strongly dependent on the evaporation
regime and the kind of soil as well as the
demands, the smaller streams may remain dry in
the summer period. Though the availability of
surface waters is far more than the hydric stress
of 1.700m3/year we have an increasing focus on
the aquifers supply.
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AQUIFERS A renewable resource The estimation of
the reload is the following
mm/year
106 m3/year Rain R
1.200
210.000 Drainage (35-40 R)
420-480 74.000
Evaporation (55-60R) 660-720
116.000-127.000 Reload (3-6 R)
36-72
6.300-12.700
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HYDROGEOLOGICAL MAP
REFERENCES
FISSURED AQUIFERS
BASALT GUARANI BASALT CRISTALINE
SEDIMENT(SANDY) AQUIFERS
MERIN CHUY RAIGON SALTO ASENCIO-MERCEDES GUARANI
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GUARANI AQUIFER SYSTEM
SURFACE APROX 1,2 millon km2 Argentina 19
Brasil 70 Paraguay 6 Uruguay 5
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GUARANI AQUIFER 60.000 km2 Location Artigas,
Salto, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Durazno, Tacuarembo,
Rivera The Guarani aquifer can be modeled as
three aquifers Top level Fissured
basalt. Low potential Medium level Sandy
partially covered by the basalt, porous
100 m 60m3/h pH 5-6 Bottom
level Sandy (Triasic-Jurasic) partially
covered by the
other layers. (Uruguay-Brazil)
200 m gt100m3/h pH 7 Uses Potable
water Rivera (Santa Ana) Artigas
(Quarai) Agroactivities (wells lt200m) In the East
thermal water (34-50ºC) wells 600-1400m
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RAIGON AQUIFER 2.100 km2 Location San Jose
Borders Rio de la Plata, Santa Lucia , Pavon
and tectonic rocks. Reload in the
West Uses Potable water Agroactivities mainly
dairy Vulnerability 194-23 (DRASTIC range
226-23) Total area studied 2.271 km2
km2 Low 13 294 Medium
68 1.541 High 16 436
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GENERAL VULNERABILITY RAIGON AQUIFER
RANGES OF THE INDEXES ACCORDING DRASTIC POSITION
REFERENCES
TOWNS
ROADS
SURFACE WATERS
LOW MEDIUM HIGH
DAIRY ACTIVITY
km
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SOME QUALITY LIMITATIONS OF THE UNDERGROUND
WATER Punta Espinillo (Montevideo) the level is
decreasing Coastal sea border increase of the
salinity East and south high level of nitrates,
and in some cases high hardness Dayman decrease
in the pressure due to excess of
consumption Almiron salinity due to the quality
of the sediments Some specific cases with high
level of fluor FUTURE SUBJECTS FOR A SYSTEMATIC
STUDY Increase of the irrigation and
fertilizers Forestry located mainly on the
areas of the Mercedes and Guarani aquifers
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USES AND DEMANDS
WATER CONSUMPTION Country Uruguay
Brazil Domestic 6
22 Industry
3 19 Agriculture
91 59 Domestic
consumption 236 106 m3/year Total consumption
3.930 106 m3/year    Uruguay is free of cholera
and other waterborne diseases  POTABLE WATER
SUPPLY AQUIFERS 28 SURFACE WATERS 72  
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OSE POTABILIZATION
98 COMPACT AND PORTABLE UNITS (UPA ) Since 1994
Potabilization for 1,7 million inhabitants Santa
Lucia river 620.000 m3/day Sustainable disposal
of the sludge pendent
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UPA DESIGN for 20 m3/hour, chlorine desinfection
Deals with Turbidity max 250 NTU, Color max
300 Quality according to WHO International
Standards for drinking water
MIXING FLOCULATION STEP
M O D U L A R D E S I G N
SEDIMENTATION STEP
FILTRATION STEP
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OVERVIEW ON APPLICABLE REGULATIONS SOME
HIGHLIGHTS OF RECENTLY PROPOSED LEGISLATION
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WATER MANAGEMENT
National Service
 
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AN EXAMPLE OF RESPONSIBLE CARE OF THE URUGUAY
RIVER (DINAMA) BOTNIA PULP MANUFACTURE CLOSE TO
A RIVER SHARED WITH ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA
BOTNIA
URUGUAYPLING STATIO 15 MONITORING STATIONS
URUGUAY RIVER
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COASAS
The Law 17.930, December 2005, Art 331
establishes the COASAS (Counseling commission for
the water and sewage management), in DINASA
(Executive unit) of the Ministry responsible of
environmental protection. The COASAS will have
the following commitments Work for the
Presidency in the formulation of a national
strategy for the management of water and
sewage Advise DINASA, the Minister and the
Presidency in all technical subjects related to
water and sewage December 2007 Proposal for the
control of three subsystems basins, micro
basins related with specific activites and
aquifers Monitoring stations Permanent,
Specific,Reference
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• CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON WATER AVAILABILITY
• The conclusions of the PNUD 2007-2008 document
  for Uruguay are the following
• Temperature increase 2020 0,3-0,5ºC
  2050 1,0-2,5ºC
• Sea level increase 2020 5-10 cm
  2050 12-20 cm
• Rainfall The actual average is
  1.000-1.200 mm/year
• The increase during the last 100 years
  was 20
• The trend
  increases with very low rate 0,1-0,2 mm
• Increase of frequency of extreme events as floods
  and long droughts with very strong negative
  economical impact in agro activities and
  hydroelectric generation

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FLOODS MAY 2007
RAINFALL MAY 2007
The worst flood event since 1959 350/400 mm in
72 hours Population involved 110.000
inhabitants Population evacuated 12.000
inhabitants
ANOMALIES MAY 2007
ANOMALIES JAN-MARCH 2007
RAINFALL JAN-MARCH 2007
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INCREASE OF THE FREQUENCY OF LONG DROUGHTS The
year 2009 was a dramatic example, similar to
1989 The increase in the frequency of long
droughts from periods of 20 years to 10 years has
strong economical consequences. Economical
losses of the agro during the dry period in
1999-2000 were US 200 million 2008-2009
US 400 million (1,3 GDP) Government
US 869 million
Enterprises information
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IMPACT ON AGRICULTURAL SECTOR GREEN INDEX
FEBRUARY 1989
JANUARY 2009
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IMPACT ON HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION The
production capacity would be enough for the
Uruguayan demand but it depends on the climate
conditions and regime of rainfall in the Rio
Negro and Uruguay basins, because the artificial
lakes are small. Capacity (593 MW) in the Negro
river Gabriel Terra (1942) 152 Baygorria
(1960) 108 Palmar (1981) 333 Capacity (MW)
Uruguay river Salto Grande (1979) 945 (This is
the 50 corresponding to Uruguay) According to
the availability factor, the actual power is 20
308 MW

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DAMS IN RIO NEGRO AND URUGUAY BASINS
HIGH BASIN MEDIUM BASIN LOCAL BASIN KM FROM
SALTO GRANDE 158 CONVENTIONAL 51 AUTOMATIC
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• TRENDS AND CHALLENGES
• INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT
• WATER CONSERVATION
• INCREASE THE EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH AN
  ADAPTATION STRATEGY FOR EXTREME EVENTS

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• INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT
• PROMOTE THE INTEGRAL MANAGEMENT OF THE HYDRIC
  RESOURCES, CONSIDERING THE BASIN AS THE
  MANAGEMENT UNIT
• THE FOCUS MUST BE TO
• Respect the authority of each state institution,
  eliminating the overlaps and coordinate the
  different actors fluently with a similar
  methodology and standars.
• Add the climate change to the National Water
  Policy
• Decrease potable water distribution losses

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WATER CONSERVATION AGROWASTE TREATMENTS
C and E balance, DQO 100 kg


AEROBIC ANAEROBIC Heat loss
Yes Air supply Kwh
100 Sludge production kg 30-60
5 Effluent
2-10 10-20 Biogas production
Kwh 285
OUT
SLUDGE BED
IN
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MALT WASTE TREATMENT EVALUATION 1.-
UASBACTIVATED SLUDGE 2.- ACTIVATED SLUDGE
ECONOMIC U / m3
INVESTMENT OPERATIVE TOTAL

ENERGY Kwh/m3
ENVIRONMENTAL
DEMAND PRODUCTION BALANCE
SURFACE m2/(m3/d) SLUDGEkgST/m3 CO2 t
CO2/(103m3)
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MANAGEMENT FOR EXTREME EVENTS AGRICULTURE AND
CATTLE
The ADAPTATION STRATEGY FOR AGROACTIVITIES,
maintaining the RI leadership of the INIA has
the following directions Improve seed stocks
adapted to extreme scenarios Promote sustainable
soil management Insurance forage stocks Increase
availability of water for the cattle and the
crops Improve distribution of protection and
shadow for the cattle
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FINAL REMARKS Water resources in Uruguay are a
natural plentiful privilege. The Government must
accelerate improvement of the resource
management through the Ministry institutions
according to the responsibilities described by
the Laws and support additional projects for the
prevention of damage caused by extreme events,
long droughts and floods.