WaterWired

From FMSO OE Watch: Moscow Plans to Expand Canal System Between Caspian and Azov Seas

Who knew? A canal system linking the Caspian Sea with the outside world! I found this article in the July 2019 issue of the OE Watch (Operational Environment Watch) published by the Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO). The original article by Paul Goble was published in the 26 March 2019 issue of the Eurasia Daily Monitor - click here.

OE Watch Commentary: Russia surprised many lastyear when it used its internal canal system to shift military vessels from the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Azov to ramp up pressure on Ukraine. In fact, river and canal traffic has always played an enormous role in Russian history and Moscow’s plans. Now, the Russian government has announced a new project to expand its internal transit links between these two bodies of water, both for security reasons and to expand east–west trade in a way that will  compete with the rail systems of China and the West. Building a new, larger canal system across the North

Caucasus has been on Moscow’s agenda on and off since at least 1932; but its security interests, budgetary stringencies and geo-economic goals make it more likely to be carried out now. Moscow has shifted its main Caspian Flotilla naval base away from Astrakhan in the north, down to Kaspiysk, on the outskirts of the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala, where it is in a position to more readily project power around the Caspian. The prospect of a new canal between the Caspian and the Sea of Azov is real enough that it has sparked competition between Dagestan and Kalmykia over its proposed route.

Currently, water connections between the two seas are limited to the Lenin Volga–Don Shipping Canal, opened in 1952. Part of what Moscow calls the Unified Deep-Water System of European Russia, this canal is too shallow and has too many locks to be useful for large-scale trade or the shifting of larger military vessels. To compensate for that, the Soviet government began construction of a deeper canal alongside it in the1980s, but that project died with the Soviet Union. However, in the early 2000s, Moscow again brought up the idea of a canal, albeit in a different location and far deeper and with fewer locks, in order to project power and to compete with alternative east–west projects being promoted by China, Europe and the United States.

This project was christened the Eurasia Canal. If built, it would be 700 kilometers long, four times the length of the Suez Canal and eight times that of the Panama Canal. It would be 6.5 meters deep, have few locks, and would be capable of carrying over 75 million tons of cargo yearly. If completed, this would transform the geo-economics and thus geopolitics of the region.

For years now, many had assumed that it was going nowhere fast given its potentially enormous price tag (various figures have been suggested and all have been rising), the absence of outside investors given Western sanctions, and competing transportation projects through Azerbaijan and Georgia. But a year and a half ago, Moscow adopted a new “Strategy for the Development of Russian Ports in the Caspian Basin,” which called for the building of new port facilities on the Caspian, developing rail and road links to them, and also building a canal to the Sea of Azov via the route Moscow had been talking about three decades before.

That development appears to reflect the convergence of three things: First, China has indicated that it is interested in investing in such ports and a canal. Second, Moscow’s experience last year with moving naval vessels from the Caspian to the Azov Sea has brought the Russian defense ministry in on the side of such construction, transforming it from an economic project to one with national security implications. And third, Moscow is concerned that progress in the development of east–west rail, highway and pipeline projects passing from the Caspian through Azerbaijan and Georgia—and potentially across Armenia, given the recent shift in government there—could undercut its influence in the region, something Russia is not prepared to tolerate.

Such behind-the-scenes calculations have now surfaced largely because officials in Dagestan and Kalmykia are in open competition for the location of the new commercial port on the Caspian and hence on the route of a canal westward. Dagestan appears to have the inside track: it already has a large commercial port (Makhachkala) and a rapidly expanding military one (Kaspiysk) as well. Consequently, building a new commercial port and linking it to a new canal system would seem to be the most advantageous choice. But the situation is not nearly as clear-cut; and Kalmyk officials are now arguing that they should be given the port and the money it would bring because Moscow is already subsidizing Dagestan via the development of the naval port there. Given the security risks, they say, Kalmykia is a better choice.

Competition between the two North Caucasus republics may in fact slow the canal project down, even if China comes in with the money to finance this gigantic enterprise. But it is worth watching because of how these competing arguments shed light on Moscow’s thinking about the ports and the canal as well as about its intentions in the region and more broadly. End OE Watch Commentary (Goble)

Enjoy!

"We wanted the best possible, but it turned out the way it always does." – Russian saying

Josh's Water Jobs and More! 17 July 2019

Josh is back this week!

This week's water jobs:

PDF: Download JWJ_17July2019

Word: Download JWJ_17July2019

1) Josh's Jobs

Highlighted:

1) Portfolio Manager (International Waters) – Global Environment Facility (GEF)(Nairobi): 22 August

2) African Union citizens: Ground Water Desk Officer – African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW)(Nigeria): 31 July

Minimum experience level requested:

0-2 years

3) Junior Professional Officer – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)(Various): 9 September

4) Science Writer – Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)(India): 20 July

5) Local recruitment: Project Assistant (Economics of Climate Adaptation Facility) – UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)(Germany): 28 July

6) Communications Officer – International Hydropower Association (IHA)(London): Until filled

7) Digital Marketing Officer – International Hydropower Association (IHA)(London): Until filled

8) Scientific Data Analyst – Cooperative Institute of Great Lakes Research (CIGLR)(Ann Arbor, MI, USA): 8 August

9) Data & Analytics Manager – League of Conservation Voters(Washington, DC): 29 July

10) Conservation Coordinator (US Virgin Islands) – The Nature Conservancy (TNC)(St Croix, VI, USA): 31 July

11) Policy Advocate – ClimatePlan(Sacramento, CA, USA): 30 July

12) Wetlands Biologist – Ecology and Environment(Houston, TX, USA): Until filled

3-4 years

13) German speakers: Strategy Analyst (Climate Risk and Resilience) – The Nature Conservancy (TNC)(Berlin): 9 August

14) Governance and Institutions Analyst (Livelihoods) – International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)(Kathmandu): 20 July

15) Junior Professional Officer to support Climate Education and Youth Empowerment – The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)(Germany): 9 August

16) Local recruitment: Project Associate (Climate Adaptation and EbA Expert) – UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)(Germany): 28 July

17) Uganda nationals: Water Management Specialist – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)(Uganda): 26 July

18) Local recruitment: Environmental Engineer (Risk Management) – The World Bank(Rwanda): 24 July

19) Wetlands Biologist – Ecology and Environment(Various, USA): Until filled

20) Outreach and Advocacy Specialist – Blue Water Baltimore(Baltimore, MD, USA): Until filled

21) Manager of Community-Based Restoration – Anacostia Watershed Society(Washington, DC): 29 July

22) Water Resources Associate or Manager – Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC)(Chicago, IL, USA): Until filled

5-7 years

23) Team Leader (NRM, Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction) – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)(Laos): 24 July

24) Irrigation and Drainage Specialist – The World Bank(Washington, DC): 26 July

25) Spanish speakers: Director Public Policy & Government Relations (LAR countries) – The Nature Conservancy (TNC)(Latin America): 5 September

26) German speakers: Leiter (m/w/d) des Projekts im Globalvorhaben Nachhaltige Fischerei und Aquakultur – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)(Cambodia): 1 August

27) Spanish speakers: Program/Project Manager – The Nature Conservancy (TNC)(Argentina): 29 July

10+ years

28) Project Manager – Bremen Overseas Research & Development Association (BORDA)(India): 28 July

29) Vice President (Programs & Strategy) – US Water Alliance(Oakland, CA, USA): Until filled30) Vietnam nationals: National Programme Specialist for Environment, Bio-diversity, Water and Soil Resources Management – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)(Vietnam): 31 July

31) Bangladesh nationals: National Climate Change and Risk Management Specialist – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)(Dhaka): 27 July

Not specified:

32) Development worker as Advisor (m/f/d) to support flood and drought management – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)(Cambodia): 11 August

33) Research Fellow (Climate and Governance) – Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)(Stockholm): 7 August

34) German speakers: Berater (m/w/d) Wasserressourcenmanagement – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)(Jordan): 29 July

35) German and French speakers: Berater (w/m/d) Unterstützung der internationalen NDC-Partnerschaft – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)(Germany): 28 July

36) Australia nationals: Environmental Water Coordinator – Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH)(Australia): 23 July

37) Community Engagement Support Officer – Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA)(United Kingdom): 23 July

38) DevOps Specialist – Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC)(Victoria, BC, Canada): Until filled

39) Outreach Manager (Texas Living Waters) – National Wildlife Federation(Austin, TX, USA): Until filled

40) Green Amendment Coordinator – Delaware Riverkeeper Network(Bristol, PA, USA): 30 August

41) Communications Manager – Climate Action Campaign(San Diego, CA, USA): Until filled

42) VALUABLES Consortium Research Assistant – Resources for the Future (RFF)(Washington, DC): Until filled

Not specified (academic):

• Professors/lecturers

43) Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies – Amherst College(Amherst, MA, USA): Until filled

44) German speakers: Professorship (W3) in the field of Water Infrastructure Management – Technische Universität Hamburg(Germany): 30 August

45) Research Professor or Associate Research Professor in Hydrogeology – Geological Survey of Finland (GTK)(Finland): 30 August

46) Assistant/Associate Professors in Water Supply Engineering – University of Oulu(Finland): 22 August

• Postdocs

47) Hydroclimate Scientist (Postdoc) – Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC)(Victoria, BC, Canada): Until filled

48) Two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ecological Modelling – Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology)(Switzerland): 31 August

49) Post-doctoral position in Environmental Flows – Environment and Climate Change Canada(Fredericton, NB, Canada): 30 September

50) Postdoc Position: Water Security in Cities – Tecnológico de Monterrey(Mexico): 2 August

51) Postdoc (Geosciences, Environmental Sciences or Economic Geography) – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences(Germany): 19 July

52) Postdoc in Adaptive Investment Pathways for Nature-based Water Storage Solutions in Semi-arid Africa – IHE Delft Institute for Water Education(Netherlands): 25 July

• Researchers/other

53) Applied Aquatic Ecologist with specialization in Water Quality, Monitoring and Assessment of Surface Waters – IHE Delft Institute for Water Education(Netherlands): 2 September

54) Canada Research Chairs Faculty Positions (Tier 2) – École de technologie supérieure(Montreal, QC, Canada): 24 August

55) Natural Capital Research Fellow (Wakehurst, West Sussex) – Royal Botanic Gardens (KEW)(United Kingdom): 21 July

WASH:

0-2 years

56) Ethiopia nationals: WASH Officer – Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)(Ethiopia): 22 July

5-7 years

57) French speakers: Global WASH Advisor – Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST)(Calgary, AB, Canada): Until filled

58) Hindi speakers: WASH Technical Coordinator – Sarathi Development Foundation(India): 20 July

8-9 years

59) Senior Global WASH Advisor – Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST)(Calgary, AB, Canada): Until filled

Not specified

60) WASH Project Manager – Solidarités International(Nigeria): Until filled

61) Digital Project Officer (WASHwatch) – WaterAid(United Kingdom): 11 August

62) Project Officer – WaterAid(United Kingdom): 29 July

63) Programme Development Advisor – WaterAid(London): 11 August

64) French speakers: Responsable Programme Anthropologie/EHA(F/H) – Solidarités International(Central African Republic): Until filled

65) Portuguese speakers: Project Manager – Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP)(Mozambique): 25 July

66) Female Ethiopia nationals: WASH Technical Officer – Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)(Ethiopia): 20 July

Consultancies:

67) Community of Practice and Knowledge Management Consultant (WASH) – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)(New York): 21 July

68) Technical Support and FSM Support to the Scaling Up Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Advisory Service & Analytics – The World Bank(Washington, DC): 5 August

69) Regional Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist (Multiple positions, roster) – Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)(Home-Based): 7 August

70) Irrigation Engineer – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)(Rome): 26 July

71) Spanish speakers: Consultancy: Climate, Land, Energy and Water (CLEWS) Expert – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)(New York): 20 July

72) French speakers: Consultant: Climate Risk Assessment Specialist – United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)(Home-Based): 19 July

73) Expansion of Flood Forecasting Functionality of the Operation Decision Support System (ODSS) to selected River Basin Catchments in the Central Region of Malawi – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)(Malawi): 25 July

74) Short-term Consultancy: Peatland and Environmental Management Expert – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)(Russia): 11 August

75) Consultant: Menstrual Hygiene Management Trainers (Multiple positions, roster)- Institute of Development Support (IDS)(India): 19 July

76) Bahasa Indonesian speakers: Consultant: Hydrologist/Environmental Specialist – Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)(Indonesia): 24 July

77) Ghana nationals: Business Manager (CapVal Project) – International Water Management Institute (IWMI)(Ghana): 25 July

Internships:

78) Internship (Hydropower Development) – International Hydropower Association (IHA)(London): 2 August

79) German speakers: Praktikant (m/w/d) im Sektorvorhaben Klima - Anpassung an den Klimawandel – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)(Germany): 21 July

80) Internship at Water and Sanitation Unit – Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)(South Korea): 22 July

81) German speakers: Praktikant (m/w/d) für Kommunikation zur Internationalen Grüne Woche – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)(Germany): 22 July

82) German speakers: Praktikant (m/w/d) im Nachhaltigkeits- und Umweltmanagement – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)(Germany): 30 July

83) French speakers: Intern (m/f/d) in Pan African University Institute for Water and Energy Sciences – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)(Germany): 30 July

Scholarships:

84) Two PhD Candidates Responsibility Arrangements in Resilience Policy for Climate Adaptation – Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)(Netherlands): 18 September

Last week’s list, in case you missed it

Post a job

Support Josh’s Water Jobs

2) Additional Jobs from WaterWired

85) Position: @cityofhamilton (Ontario) - Project Manager – Watershed Management. Closes: 24 July http://bit.ly/2XaSJUl  #JobWaWi #cdnwater

86) Position: @theNASEM (Washington, DC) - Jefferson Science Fellowship. App due: 31 October http://bit.ly/2WB2RAJ  #JobWaWi

87) Position: Grande Ronde Model Watershed (La Grande, OR) - Executive Director. Closes 22 July. Download Executive_Director_Position

 

88) Position: @StateDept (Embassy - Ottawa, ON, Canada) - ESTH Environment, Water & Fisheries Specialist. Closes: 24 July. http://bit.ly/2LAqGXI  #cdnwater (tnx @Katchinoff)

 

89) Postdoctoral Position: @TecdeMonterrey (Monterrey, MX) - Water Security in Cities. Closes: 2 August http://bit.ly/30iGGSh  #JobWaWi

 

90) Position: Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Mission, OR) - Hydrogeologist. OUF.   Download Hydrologist  

 

91) Position: Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council (Dexter, OR) - Youth Education Coordinator (0.5 FTE). Closes: 18 July.
Download Youth_Education_Coordinator_MFWWC_Final

 

92) Position: @uwgb (Green Bay, WI) - Assistant Professor - Environmental Engineering. Applications due: 31 July http://bit.ly/2LJEIq0  #JobWaWi

 

93) Position: Oregon Natural Desert Association (Bend, OR) - Policy Manager. Closes: 1 August. Download ONDA_Policy_Manager_2019  

 

94) Postdoctoral Position: @UCIrvine (Irvine, CA) - Water Resources Policy (Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy). Closes: 14 August https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF05512 

 

95) Position: Illinois State Geological Survey (Chicago area) - Coastal Geologist. OUF; First review: 19 July. http://bit.ly/2YJMTGw  #JobWaWi

 

96) Position: Montana Association of Conservation Districts (Helena, MT) - Executive Director. OUF; App deadline: 26 July. https://macdnet.org/careers/  #JobWaWi

 

97) Position: Oregon WRD (Salem, OR) - Civil Engineering Specialist 1 - Dam Safety. Closes: 26 July http://bit.ly/2xI8sLt  #JobWaWi

 

98) Position: @Stantec (Beaverton, OR) - Assistant Project Manager, Water Engineer-in-Training. http://bit.ly/32s0Pab  #JobWaWi

 

98) Position: Black Canyon Irrigation District (Notus, ID) - Assistant Manager.
Download Assistant_Manager_BCID

 

99) Position: Ada County Highway District (Boise, ID) - Stormwater Quality Specialist. Closes: 24 July https://sforce.co/2Y3zhc0  #JobWaWi

 

100) Position: Joint with Middle Deschutes Watershed Council (0.6 FTE)/Jefferson County SWCD (0.4 FTE) (Redmond, OR). OUF; Apps due: 28 July  

Download MiddleDeschutes_WC Dual_Job_Announcement

For our full list of active water jobs, please visit www.joshswaterjobs.com/jobs.

3) Some General Employment Resources

AGU Career Center for research/academic jobs

GoodWorkCanada - Canada's Green Jobs Site

Congressional Research Service Positions 

Check out @AidJobs - Vacancies in aid, development, humanitarian & nonprofit sector (volunteers, consultants or F-T employment) https://aidjobs.org

UN Jobs in Water Resources

UN Jobs in Water Management

UN Jobs in Water and Sanitation

Global Water Jobs

WASH Vacancies

Academic Jobs Online

Higher Education Job Site

Get Hydrology Jobs

AAG Jobs

@BCWaterNews Jobs Click View Jobs

@EcologyWA - Current Openings - Updated every few days. Click here. 

King County (WA) Jobs

Geoscience Job Board

California DWR Jobs

AZ Water Career Center 

Florida Water Jobs

NYC DEP 

Nature Conservancy jobs

State of Washington Careers

Idaho DEQ 

OSU Water Resources Program

Water District Jobs

Academic Jobs in Schools of Physical/Earth Sciences

Mac's List - Jobs in Portland and Beyond!

New Zealand Hydrological Society Jobs Board

California Water Jobs 

Government Jobs

Association of Oregon Counties Job Postings

Soil Science Societies Career Center

How to Find Work Overseas, with Marcelle Yeager. https://bit.ly/1pIopLT  

For the full list of Josh's active water jobs, please visit www.joshswaterjobs.com/jobs

Enjoy! 

"Who says you can’t earn a living wage teaching? If you pick up 4 classes here and 2 at the local community college, you’ll make almost $15K." - @ass_deans

UNESCO and ICIWaRM Publication: 'Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) - Collaborative Water Resources Planning for an Uncertain Future'

UNESCO and ICIWaRM (International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management) are proud to present this seminal publication:

Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA): Collaborative Water Resources Planning for an Uncertain Future

Authors:
Guillermo Mendoza (US Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources, USACE IWR • Ad Jeuken (Deltares) • John H. Matthews (Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, AGWA) • Eugene Stakhiv (USACE IWR) • John Kucharski (USACE IWR) • Kristin Gilroy (TRACTABEL - ENGIE GROUP)

Contributors:
Will Logan (International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management, ICIWaRM) • Koen Verbist (UNESCO IHP) • Patrick Ray (University of Cincinnati) • Casey Brown (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) • Marjolijn Haasnoot (Deltares) • Rutger van der Brugge (Deltares) • Rolf Olsen (USACE IWR) • Jennifer Olszewski (USACE IWR) 

Download CRIDA_June_2018

Check out more CRIDA resources here.

Foreword
Blanca Jiménez-Cisneros
Director of the Water Sciences Division
Secretary of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) UNESCO

Over the last decade, climate change is accelerating and is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting livelihoods, particularly through the impact on water and water-related hazards. For each degree of global warming, an additional 4 percent of the global land area will face a water resources decrease of more than 30 percent. The impact of water-related hazards is also felt more in developing than in developed countries, both in terms of economical and human losses, reinforcing inequality and poverty.

Adequate planning for water resources management is therefore at the heart of disaster risk reduction, as defined by the Sendai Framework, and has been also integrated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Paris Agreement highlights the importance of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, and the role of sustainable development in reducing the risk of loss and damage. Comprehensive risk assessment and management is specifically proposed as a mechanism to address these challenges. The agreement also requests the UN agencies to support their Member States in order to enhance action on adaptation, highlighting adequate planning for policy making, as well as the identification of adaptation strategies.

Although global assessments of climate change impact can provide a rough indication of trends and expected impacts, the local conditions define how vulnerable the communities are to these water security threats. Adaptation to this climate stress is therefore a local process that requires the design of tailored solutions.

In this context, the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme presents therefore the Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA). This approach provides a crucial framework to enable water managers and policy makers to assess the impact of climate uncertainty and change on their water resources and work towards effective adaptation strategies.

This multi-step process embraces a participatory, bottom-up approach to identify water security hazards, and is sensitive to indigenous and gender-related water vulnerabilities. By engaging local communities in the design of the analysis, the information provided by scientific modeling and climate analysis can be tailored and thus provide more useful answers to the challenges they are facing. They are also providing a more informed starting point to assess the different options for adaptation, and design robust adaptation pathways, in line with the local needs.

The CRIDA approach advocates hereby to move away from the “one size fits all” approach, and to pursue locally embedded solutions to the specific threats to water insecurity due to climate and other global changes. Therefore, this reference document is also an invitation to become part of a global water community that engages with the local stakeholders to identify their water security vulnerabilities, and to support their capacities to address their water management challenges under climate change

Blanca Jiménez-Cisneros
Director of the Water Sciences Division
Secretary of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) UNESCO

 

Foreword

by Will Logan, Director of ICIWaRM

Of all the sub-disciplines related to water science and policy, Water Resources Management is surely one of the most challenging. From hydrometeorology to surface water hydrology, from agricultural engineering to groundwater flow and transport, and from ecohydrology to aqueous chemistry—the water professional is inevitably faced with poorly constrained parameters, incomplete datasets, oversimplified models, and the need for “just one more sampling point.”

But water resources management takes all that, and adds the exasperating human element—institutions and infrastructure, policies and politics, demographics and demagogues, cooperation and conflict. The hard science and engineering run up against the soft science and culture. And as the water management truism states, “the soft parts are hard.” The hard parts are not so easy either.

Every situation is different, and integrated water resources management has distinct meanings in different political and cultural environments. It may mean elimination of waterborne diseases and poverty reduction in regions lacking safe drinking water and sanitation, or interannual water storage mechanisms to “flatten out the hydrograph.” Or it may emphasize ecosystem restoration and recreational opportunities in a society that has solved most of its basic health and safety challenges, and where most of the “hard” infrastructure was built out decades earlier.

But sound management of water resources in the face of uncertainty is important in any context. The 2017 US Global Water Strategy recognized sound water management as one of four interconnected strategic objectives—with safe drinking water/sanitation/hygiene, cooperation on shared waters and strong governance, financing, and institutions. And developing methodologies to help humans and rivers to coexist may be our moral imperative as well. As the UN High-Level Expert Panel on Water and Disaster said back in 2007, “National and international hydrological institutes must... identify underlying analytical and data requirements to meet climate changes that are likely to be highly uncertain and so as to support structural and non-structural measures for disaster risk deduction.”

However, this may be easier said than done. Climate scientists may provide thousands of scenarios about possible future climates that lead to wide ranges of future hydrologic conditions. For example, climate projections used in the International Upper Great Lakes Study to recommend lake regulation protocols between the US and Canada showed that lake levels—a key planning parameter—could go either higher or lower in the future. Further complicating this uncertainty are demographic and land- use changes, as well as active stakeholder groups advocating for their interests under potentially water-insecure conditions. Water planners and managers need guidance that helps them move away from what we do not know about the future to what we do know. In other words, it may not be known what future flow will result from a 100-year return period storm event, but it may be easier to estimate the annual expected damages that will likely be unacceptable in 2050. Is this a possible paradigm shift that can help decision making under deep uncertainty?

The goal of Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis, or CRIDA, is to help address this conundrum. By integrating hydrologic and climate science with systems modeling, economics, stakeholder collaboration, risk informed decision making and flexible pathways forward, CRIDA can help the water resources planner to navigate through an uncertain world toward imperfect but robust and socially acceptable solutions. Which is all we can ask of them.

No single institution can provide all the answers all of the time. The International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM), under the auspices of UNESCO, is one of many institutes and centers worldwide that are integrating new ideas into tried-and-true water planning and management approaches. We are especially grateful to our colleagues from other UNESCO “category 2” centers, such as IHE-Delft (The Netherlands), ICHARM (Japan), CAZALAC (Chile) and ICWRGC (Germany), who have freely shared their ideas and feedback. Our relationships with the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), Deltares, Rijkswaterstaat, The World Bank, and UNESCO IHP have been particularly fruitful.

We are also grateful to CRIDA’s authors, contributors and reviewers as well as to those who have provided support for them.

In conclusion, I am delighted that ICIWaRM, in partnership with UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme, has the privilege of co-publishing this important advance in water resources management and planning. I look forward in the coming years to seeing the CRIDA approach applied, tested, adapted, extended and perhaps occasionally stretched too far in a wide variety of human and natural environments around the world.

Enjoy!

"Please tell the grad students to leave the leftovers from the talk for the adjuncts. They’ll hope someone does the same for them someday." - @ass_deans

J. Cobbing & B. Hiller Paper: 'Waking a Sleeping Giant: Realizing the Potential of Groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa'

Jude Cobbing was kind enough to send me this paper he authored with Bradley Hiller: Waking a Sleeping Giant: Realizing the Potential of Groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa, World Development, Volume 122, October 2019, Pages 597-613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.06.024 

This is an excellent piece of work that flies in the face of the belief that SSA has little groundwater. I won't go into the reasons for that. Glad to see that it was not published in a groundwater or hydrologic journal but in one that might reach non-believers.

Click on the title above to read the online version with all its hot links.

Click on the graphics to enlarge them.

Download Cobbing_Sleeping Giant_main

Abstract

Unlike many global regions, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has yet to undergo a groundwater revolution. In this paper we confirm that for most SSA countries current groundwater use remains under 5% of national sustainable yield. This is likely to be a constraint on wider economic development and on addressing vulnerabilities to climate change and other shocks. Groundwater use has supported the process of economic structural change in other global regions; hence we derive an empirical model for groundwater use to support economic development, comprising trigger, boom and maturation phases. We identify that the trigger phase depends on political and economic (‘secondary’) factors, in addition to resource characteristics. The boom phase is described as ‘semi anarchic’, while the maturation phase is characterized by slowing abstractions but continued economic benefits. In SSA, we posit that the predominance of limiting secondary factors, coupled with a discourse of caution and focus on the maturation phase (more appropriate for other regions), is constraining the use of groundwater for economic development. We suggest that groundwater has the potential to be a foundational resource to support irrigated agriculture, urban and rural water security, and drought resilience across the region, as it has in many other global regions. We argue that overcoming the current barriers and costs to groundwater development can be offset by the benefits of regional socioeconomic development and increased resilience. In the context of enduring poverty and recurrent humanitarian crises in SSA, this new synthesis of information suggests that such an underutilization of sustainable groundwater is unjustifiable. Stakeholders active in the region should prioritize groundwater development to help facilitate a transition to higher value-added activities and greater regional prosperity and resilience, and ensure that measures are put in place for this to be done sustainably. We conclude with some ideas to help trigger such development in SSA.

 

Highights

•Low renewable groundwater use in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) constrains development.

•Poverty, demographic changes and shock events make groundwater development urgent.

•An empirical model shows political economy factors trigger groundwater development.

•A global discourse of caution inadvertently hinders groundwater development in SSA.

•A groundwater boom is key to irrigation, water security and drought resilience.

 

Cutting to the chase...

Conclusions and Recommendations

We confirm, at regional scale, that SSA hosts significant groundwater resources, often in areas where it could be most impactful, and which have the capacity to contribute significantly as a baseline resource for regional development. Despite the wealth of regional resources, groundwater use is thought to remain under 5% of sustainable yield for most countries in SSA, meaning that significant renewable resources are currently dormant.

We substantiate that ‘secondary’ or political-economy factors are the primary impediments to further groundwater development in SSA. There is further work to be conducted to understand political economy factors, their complex interactions, and how to trigger them. This work will allow appropriate policy to be developed, to remove bottlenecks.

We identify a predominance of limiting, rather than enabling conditions in groundwater development, which have discouraged investment at scale. Based on the development cycle of groundwater in other parts of the world which have already experienced trigger-boom-maturation phases, the international discourse on groundwater has shifted towards conservation and remediation, which may inadvertently be denying SSA its opportunity to experience social and economic benefits derived from groundwater development.

We also argue that attention and funding for groundwater projects should be of similar scale to that afforded to surface water projects in SSA. Groundwater has the potential to act as the foundational resource to underpin regional development in sectors such as irrigated agriculture, urban and rural water security, and drought resilience, just as it has in other global regions. We argue that it is now unconscionable and unjustifiable not to develop SSA’s groundwater resources.

Finally, while the primary intentions of this paper are to inform readers about SSA’s renewable groundwater potential and encourage discussion on future groundwater development actions for economic and humanitarian purposes, we draw on our empirical model to offer some non-prescriptive elements of a roadmap to help support this process:

•Dissemination of study findings to decision-makers and policy-makers in SSA countries, highlighting the significant latent renewable groundwater potential and the importance of secondary (political economy) factors in triggering wider groundwater development.

•Encourage improved resolution and coverage of hydrogeological data, including exploration of proxy indicators, as appropriate.

•Provide financial and technical resourcing for adequate groundwater-specific investigations to be included in national water resource assessments in all SSA countries.

•Educate and encourage international institutions to prioritize groundwater development support in SSA, including bolstering internal technical capacities.

•Establish a taskforce (comprising relevant stakeholders such as the UN agencies, multilateral development banks, disaster relief organizations, local community representatives, etc.) to explore the potential benefits of a strategic network of deep groundwater boreholes in recurrent (and predicted future) drought hotspots.

•Explore linkages between groundwater development and emerging climate (financing and convening) mechanisms to promote adaptation and resilience building.

Simultaneously, we encourage countries to help themselves whilst also calling upon international and regional institutions to provide financial and technical support to help realize SSA’s pending groundwater revolution.

Disabuse yourself of the notion that there is no groundwater of consequence in SSA...now!

Enjoy!

"All monkeys cannot hang on the same branch." ~ Kenyan proverb

Josh's Water Jobs and More! 11 July 2019 (Updated: 12 July 2019)

From Josh:

Seems like I’m always apologizing these days, but I’ve been non-stop on the road, which continues, so fairly behind with things with the website. Will try to get out lists as I can, but they might be more sporadic than usual. Thanks for understanding.

We sure do understand! Thanks for all you do, Josh!

1) Josh's Jobs

Highlighted:
 
1) Research Fellow in International Relations (Transboundary Resources) – Oxford University (United Kingdom): 7 August
 
2) Research Assistant (Risk and Resilience (RISK) Program) – International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) (Vienna): Until filled

Minimum years experience requested:

0-2 years   3) Legal Research and Technical Assistant – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Germany): 21 July   4) Youth Education Coordinator – Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council (MFWWC) (Dexter, OR, USA): 18 July   5) Water Quality Specialist – Barnegat Bay Partnership (Toms River, NJ, USA): 31 July

3-4 years
 
6) Gift Planning Officer – League of Conservation Voters (Washington, DC): 29 July

5-7 years
 
7) Dam Specialist – The World Bank (Washington, DC): 15 July
 
8) Environment, Water & Fisheries Specialist – U.S. Department of State (Ottawa, ON, Canada): 24 July
 
9) Project Officer for assessing climate change impacts on terrestrial ecosystems in sensitive regions – European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) (Italy): 30 July – or a PhD
 
10) Senior eLearning Advisor – IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (Netherlands): 19 July
 
11) Water Resources Specialist – Mississippi Watershed Management Organization(Minneapolis, MN, USA): 21 July
 
12) Institutional Relations Director – River Network (Boulder, CO, USA): Until filled
 
13) Policy Director – National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) (Washington, DC): Until filled
 
14) Staff Attorney – California Coastkeeper Alliance (Sacramento, CA, USA): Until filled

8-9 years
 
15) Senior Environmental Engineer – The World Bank (Washington, DC): 15 July
 
16) Arabic speakers: Programme Manager (Dry land, Livelihoods and Gender) – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Jordan): 2 August

10+ years
 
17) French speakers: Senior Water Resources Management Specialist – The World Bank (Washington, DC): 15 July
 
18) Water Expert – European Committee for Agricultural Training (Nairobi): 15 July
 
19) Executive Director – Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA)(Trinidad and Tobago): 22 July
 
20) Swedish speakers: Programme Manager Internationella Processer (Swedish Water House) – Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) (Stockholm): 1 August

Not specified:
 
21) Scientific Project Officer – WEFE NEXUS – European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) (Italy): 25 July
 
22) Australia nationals: Strategy and Policy Lead (Yarra Strategic Plan) – Melbourne Water (Australia): 14 July
 
23) Australia nationals: Water Resource Modelling Planner – Melbourne Water(Australia): 14 July
 
24) Australia nationals: Water Resources Officer – GWMWater (Australia): 15 July
 
25) Algal Ecology and Water Quality Technician – NIWA (New Zealand): 28 July
 
26) Torridge Headwaters Project Officer – Devon Wildlife Trust (United Kingdom): 14 July
 
27) Natural Flood Management Officer – Wyre Rivers Trust (United Kingdom): 19 July
 
28) Research Communications and Impact Manager (Global Development Institute) – University of Manchester (United Kingdom): 24 July
 
29) Environmental Data Scientist – Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (United Kingdom): 12 August
 
30) Riverlution Manager – River Stewardship Company (United Kingdom): 22 July
 
31) Water Sensitive Farming Advisor – Norfolk Rivers Trust (United Kingdom): 2 August
 
32) Water Resource Technician (via Minnesota Environmental Partnership) – Capitol Region Watershed District (St Paul, MN, USA): 19 July

Not specified (academic):

• Postdocs

33) Postdoctoral Employee (Water Resources Policy) – University of California-Irvine(Irvine, CA, USA): 14 August
 
34) Postdoctoral Research Associate (Coastal Arctic Hydrology) – Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN, USA): 31 July
 
35) Postdoctoral Researchers in the Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation – University of São Paulo (São Paulo): 30 July

• Researchers/other

36) Research Fellow (Modelling Climate Impacts on Water Quality) – University of Sussex (United Kingdom): 19 August
 
37) Environmental Finance Data Researcher (2) – University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC, USA): 19 July

WASH:

0-2 years

38) Program Director – Inter Aide (Sierra Leone): Until filled
 
39) WASH Manager (Outbreak Response Register) – UK-Med (Various): 24 July
 
40) German speakers: Event and Administrative Coordinator – Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) Alliance (Germany): Until filled
 
41) Communications and Fundraising Coordinator – Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) Alliance (Germany): Until filled
 
42) Mozambique nationals: WASH Officer – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Mozambique): 16 July
 
43) Nigeria nationals: WASH Assistant – International Medical Corps (Nigeria): 14 July
 
44) The Gambia nationals: WASH Officer – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (The Gambia): 12 July
 
45) Zimbabwe nationals: WASH Officer – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)(Zimbabwe): 15 July

3-4 years
 
46) Content Strategist – Agenda for Change (Washington, DC): 19 July
 
47) French speakers: WASH Adviser – Save the Children (DRC): 22 July
 
48) WASH Coordinator – Independent Doctors Association (Turkey): 21 July
 
49) French speakers: Shelter and WASH Program Development Manager – Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) (Burkina Faso): 26 July
 
50) Water and Sanitation Technician – United Nations Volunteers (UNV) (South Sudan): 14 July
 
51) Somalia nationals: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Specialist – Action Against Hunger USA (Somalia): 12 July

5-7 years

52) French speakers: WASH Specialist (Ebola Response) – Save the Children(DRC): 22 July
 
53) WASH Coordinator – Terre des Hommes Foundation Child Relief (Nigeria): 2 August
 
54) Project Manager WASH – COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale (Sudan): 29 July
 
55) Head of WASH Department – Action Against Hunger USA (South Sudan): 23 July
 
56) French speakers: Programme Officer (Shelter/WASH) – International Organization for Migration (IOM) (DRC): 17 July

10+ years

57) Water and Sanitation Policy Expert – GFA Consulting Group (Belgium): 31 July
 
Not specified
 
58) Regional WASH Advisor (MENA) – Oxfam (Jordan): 24 July
 
59) Arabic speakers: WASH Program Assistant – WATAN (Turkey): 14 July
 
60) Country Director – WaterAid (Bangladesh): 28 July
 
61) Partnership Communications Manager (HSBC) – WaterAid (United Kingdom): 12 July

Consultancies:

62) Consultant: Content Development and Project Management Support for Water Integrity Global Outlook – Water Integrity Network (WIN) (Home-Based): 14 July
 
63) Consultant in Hydrometerology – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Home-Based): 23 July
 
64) French speakers: Consultance Nationale ou Internationale: Recherche Opérationnelle sur les changements de comportement Analyse des Barrières – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (DRC): 27 July
 
65) Consultancy: Hygiene Promotion Specialist – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Bangladesh): 20 July
 
66) Arabic speakers: Consultant: Desk Research on Mudflats of Azraq – International Water Management Institute (IWMI) (Jordan): 16 July
 
67) Individual Consultant for District Capitals Water Supply Project – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Timor-Leste): 14 July
 
68) Azerbaijan Senior Communication and Digital Media Expert (IRH) – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Home-Based): 22 July
 
69) Indonesia nationals: WASH Consultant – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Indonesia): 31 July

70) Ecuador nationals: Consultor/a Especialista en Degradación y Desertificación – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Ecuador): 19 July
 
71) Tajikistan nationals: Individual contractor to provide Engineering technical support for WASH construction in schools and health facilities project – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Tajikistan): 17 July
 
72) Indonesia nationals: WASH in Institutions Analyst and Writer – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Jakarta): 13 July

RFP:

73) RFA: Strengthening Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) in WASH Sector Leadership and Decision Making – DAI (Various): 23 July

Internships:

74) Water Resources Intern – Town of Gilbert (Gilbert, AZ, USA): 17 July
 
75) Ukraine nationals: Economic and Environmental Affairs Internship – Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) (Ukraine): 18 July

Scholarships:

76) PhD: Evaluating sediment Delivery Impacts on Reservoirs in changing climaTe and society across scales and sectors – University of Innsbruck (Austria): 31 July

Other:
 

77) Canada nationals: Water, Sanitation And Hygiene Advisor (Volunteer) – Cuso International (Zambia): Until filled
 
Last week’s list, in case you missed it
 
Post a job
 
Support Josh’s Water Jobs

2) Additional Jobs from WaterWired

78) Position: @cityofhamilton (Ontario) - Project Manager – Watershed Management. Closes: 24 July http://bit.ly/2XaSJUl  #JobWaWi #cdnwater

79) Position: Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District (Quincy, WA) - Secretary-Manager. Closes: 12 July. http://bit.ly/2WqETx2  #JobWaWi #PNWater

80) Position: Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District (Quincy, WA) - Secretary-Manager. Closes: 12 July. http://bit.ly/2WqETx2  #JobWaWi #PNWater

81) Position: @theNASEM (Washington, DC) - Jefferson Science Fellowship. App due: 31 October http://bit.ly/2WB2RAJ  #JobWaWi

82) Position: @CdnWaterNetwork (Waterloo, ON) - Project Manager. Closes: 14 July http://bit.ly/2X6esNa  #JobWaWi 

 

83) Position: @SkagitGov (Mount Vernon, WA) - Natural Resources Technician - Voluntary Stewardship Program. Closes: 14 July http://bit.ly/3295i1g  #JobWaWi

 

84) Position: @SkagitGov (Mount Vernon, WA) - Natural Resources Technician - Surface Water Tech. Closes: 14 July http://bit.ly/328hzDa  #JobWaWi

 

85) Position: Grande Ronde Model Watershed (La Grande, OR) - Executive Director. Closes 22 July. Download Executive_Director_Position

 

86) Position: @StateDept (Embassy - Ottawa, ON, Canada) - ESTH Environment, Water & Fisheries Specialist. Closes: 24 July. http://bit.ly/2LAqGXI  #cdnwater (tnx @Katchinoff)

 

87) Postdoctoral Position: @TecdeMonterrey (Monterrey, MX) - Water Security in Cities. Closes: 2 August http://bit.ly/30iGGSh  #JobWaWi

 

88) Position: @UCDavisWater (Davis, CA) - Junior Specialist - Invertebrate/Fish Pool. Closes: 13 July but OUF http://bit.ly/2NCH50m  #JobWaWi

 

89) Position: Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Mission, OR) - Hydrogeologist. OUF.   Download Hydrologist  

 

90) Position: Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council (Dexter, OR) - Youth Education Coordinator (0.5 FTE). Closes: 18 July.
Download Youth_Education_Coordinator_MFWWC_Final

 

91) Position: @uwgb (Green Bay, WI) - Assistant Professor - Environmental Engineering. Applications due: 31 July http://bit.ly/2LJEIq0  #JobWaWi

 

92) Position: Oregon Natural Desert Association (Bend, OR) - Policy Manager. Closes: 1 August. Download ONDA_Policy_Manager_2019  

 

93) Postdoctoral Position: @UCIrvine (Irvine, CA) - Water Resources Policy (Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy). Closes: 14 August https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF05512 

 

Posted: 12 July 2019

 

94) Position: Illinois State Geological Survey (Chicago area) - Coastal Geologist. OUF; First review: 19 July. http://bit.ly/2YJMTGw  #JobWaWi

 

95) Position: Montana Association of Conservation Districts (Helena, MT) - Executive Director. OUF; App deadline: 26 July. https://macdnet.org/careers/  #JobWaWi

 

96) Position: Oregon WRD (Salem, OR) - Civil Engineering Specialist 1 - Dam Safety. Closes: 26 July http://bit.ly/2xI8sLt  #JobWaWi

 

97) Position: @Stantec (Beaverton, OR) - Assistant Project Manager, Water Engineer-in-Training. http://bit.ly/32s0Pab  #JobWaWi

 

98) Position: Black Canyon Irrigation District (Notus, ID) - Assistant Manager.
Download Assistant_Manager_BCID

Last week’s list, in case you missed it
 
Post a job
 
Support Josh’s Water Jobs

For our full list of active water jobs, please visit www.joshswaterjobs.com/jobs.

3) Some General Employment Resources

AGU Career Center for research/academic jobs

GoodWorkCanada - Canada's Green Jobs Site

Congressional Research Service Positions 

Check out @AidJobs - Vacancies in aid, development, humanitarian & nonprofit sector (volunteers, consultants or F-T employment) https://aidjobs.org

UN Jobs in Water Resources

UN Jobs in Water Management

UN Jobs in Water and Sanitation

Global Water Jobs

WASH Vacancies

Academic Jobs Online

Higher Education Job Site

Get Hydrology Jobs

AAG Jobs

@BCWaterNews Jobs Click View Jobs

@EcologyWA - Current Openings - Updated every few days. Click here. 

King County (WA) Jobs

Geoscience Job Board

California DWR Jobs

AZ Water Career Center 

Florida Water Jobs

NYC DEP 

Nature Conservancy jobs

State of Washington Careers

Idaho DEQ 

OSU Water Resources Program

Water District Jobs

Academic Jobs in Schools of Physical/Earth Sciences

Mac's List - Jobs in Portland and Beyond!

New Zealand Hydrological Society Jobs Board

California Water Jobs 

Government Jobs

Association of Oregon Counties Job Postings

Soil Science Societies Career Center

How to Find Work Overseas, with Marcelle Yeager. https://bit.ly/1pIopLT  

For the full list of Josh's active water jobs, please visit www.joshswaterjobs.com/jobs

Enjoy! 

"New Jersey: Only the Strong Survive." - T-shirt