Aspects of groundwater supply sustainable yield.

Introduction Groundwater supply sustainable yield is herein defined as how much water can be withdrawn from an aquifer system, where and for how long, with acceptable physical, economical, environmental, social, cultural, institutional, and legal consequences. The purpose of this Technical Commentary is to focus on the following technical aspects of groundwater supply sustainable yield that are sometimes overlooked: bounded supply, supply evaluation difficulties, aquifer system response time, supply management considerations, supply uncertainties, and needed supply evaluation and management improvements. These hydraulic and hydrogeologic aspects of aquifer development and management should be considered, along with political, social, and economic aspects, to successfully achieve a sustainable groundwater supply.