Evaluating integrated water management strategies to inform hydrological drought mitigation

Abstract. Managing water–human systems during water shortages or droughts is key to avoid the overexploitation of resources and, in particular, groundwater. Groundwater a crucial resource as it sustains both environmental and anthropogenic demand. Drought management often guided by drought policies, crisis management, actively introduced strategies. However, impact strategies on hydrological rarely assessed. In this study, we present newly developed socio-hydrological model, simulating relation between availability managed use over 3 decades. Thereby, aim assess policies baseflow groundwater droughts. We tested model an idealised virtual catchment based climate data, practices England. The includes surface storage (reservoir), for range hydrogeological conditions optional imported These modelled sources can all be used satisfy following four aspects strategies: (1) increased supply, (2) restricted demand, (3) conjunctive (4) maintained flow requirements restricting abstractions. were evaluated separate combined scenarios. Results show mitigated scenarios applying use, particularly with small storage. large storage, maintaining flows reduces most. Scenarios increasing supply demand have opposing effect droughts, although these are balance when at same time. Most reduce severity occurrence given incremental dependency that satisfies up third total necessity importing shows considerable pressure resources, delicate calls short-term long-term sustainability targets within policies.