Applying knowledge management implementation model in Water Resources Management Company by the purpose of continuous improvement

This research seeks to explore the current knowledge management （KM） practice in the Water Recourses Management Company （WRMC） according to Jashpar＇s knowledge management cycle which comprises four loops, including knowledge creation, knowledge organization, knowledge sharing and knowledge leverage. This research used a qualitative method, and data were collected through questionnaires. The 92 respondents were the staff of office. The data were analyzed through SPSS software. The findings of this research reveal that, the knowledge creation and knowledge organization were in good level, but knowledge sharing condition was not suitable, therefore, it has negative effect on leveraging knowledge, hence we tried to demonstrate a knowledge management implementation model using the knowledge management concept and taking advantage from the concept of excellence model by the purpose of continuous improvement. This paper suggests proper knowledge management implementation （KMI） is a managerial approach that can turn an organization to an agile one. In order to verify and validate the performed research, the planned model has been accomplished in the Hydropower Plant Department, Water Recourses Management Company, positive and acceptable results were obtained and organizations total factor productivity increase was achieved which was appreciated by the organization.

Analysis of Evolution Trend of Water Resources Based on Spearman and R/S methods:A Case Study of Agricultural Water Source in Jinghui Irrigation Area

Based on the monitoring data of precipitation and runoff series from 1953 to 2013 and groundwater exploitation from 1977 to 2013 in Jinghui Irrigation Area,especially the evolution of water resources during the growth period of main crops,the trend test of precipitation and runoff series was carried out by using Spearman rank correlation test and R/S analysis.The results showed that the annual mean precipitation and runoff and the growth period of main crops showed a downward trend,and the changes in the future were similar to those in the past;the amount of groundwater exploitation has not changed much,which is about 150 million m^3.The research results can provide scientific basis for efficient utilization and reasonable allocation of water resources in irrigation area,and provide technical support for the development of modern agriculture.

Evaluation of the Impact of the Ongoing Water Resource Management Plans on Nitrate Concentration in Gaza Coastal Aquifer Using Modeling Approach

Groundwater crisis in Gaza includes two major folds: shortage of water supply and contamination. The groundwater pollution by nitrates increased rapidly as a result of wastewater leakage, sewage sludge, animal manure and N-fertilizers. The aims of this study are to obtain the impacts of implementing the Gaza Emergency Technical Assistance Programme (GETAP) on the nitrate concentration in groundwater in Gaza Strip using modeling approach. A flow and transport model using a three dimensional, finite difference simulation model (VMODFLOW Pro.) was applied to simulate the Gaza coastal aquifer (GCA). The approach for selecting the management scenarios was carried out depending on the GETAP projects and focuses into the aquifer system during the next 24 years. It was estimated that work as usual scenario will raise the average nitrate concentration by 8.15 mg/l annually, while upgrade and maintain pipe work scenario will reduce the rising of average nitrate concentration by 4.51 mg/l annually. This means that the average nitrate concentration will increase by only 3.63 mg/l annually. Also, it was estimated that scenarios imported water from Israel, construction of short term low volume desalination plant (STLV), Construction of two regional desalination plant and Reuse of treated wastewater in addition to decrease N-fertilizer will annually increase the average nitrate concentration by only (4.67, 2.78, 3.87, 2.15) mg/l, respectively. The results show that applying all the scenarios together will decrease the average nitrate concentration by 2.44 mg/l annually. Regionally, the best scenario to solve the increasing of nitrate concentration problem is a combination of those scenarios. In domestic areas, the best scenarios is STLV and upgrading and maintaining pipe work. In Agriculture areas, the best scenario and the only one that has significant effect is the reuse of treated wastewater in addition to decrease N-fertilizer.

Impact on Water Resources in a Mountainous Basin under the Climate Change Transient Scenario (UKTR)

The impact of climate change on the hydrological regime and water resources in the basin of Venetikos river, in Greece is assessed. A monthly conceptual water balance model was calibrated in this basin using historical hydro meteorological data. This calibrated model was used to estimate runoff under a transient scenario (UKTR) referring to year 2080. The results show that the mean annual runoff, mean winter and summer runoff values, annual maximum and minimum values, as well as, monthly maximum and minimum, will be reduced. Additionally, an increase of potential and actual evapotranspiration was noticed due to temperature increase.

Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on the Water Resources of Megech River Catchment, Abbay Basin, Ethiopia

This study was aimed to assess the impact of climate change on the water resource of Megech river catchment. In this study, large scale regional climate model (REMO) output was downscaled statistically to metrological variables at a daily resolution using SDSM model version 5.11. We noticed that statistical downscaling smooth out the bias between REMO output and observed data. According to the projected climate data, the maximum temperature is likely to have an increasing trend +0.57°C while the minimum temperature shows a decreasing trends ﹣0.61°C. There is no clear trend for precipitation, both increasing and decreasing trend observed in the catchment. The HBV-Light hydrological model was successfully calibrated (1991-1995) and validated (1998-2000) using current climatic inputs and observed river flows. The overall performances of the model was good at monthly time scale both on calibration (NSE = 0.91) and validation (NSE = 0.86). Future discharge (2015-2050) was simulated using statistically downscaled 20 ensembles climate scenario data for both A1B and B1 scenarios. HBV-Light model simulation results showed a reduction of the peak discharge in August and September.

Development and Forecasting Drought Indices Using SPI (Standardized Precipitation Index) for Local Level Agricultural Water Management

Drought is primarily an agricultural phenomenon that refers to conditions where plants are responsive to certain levels of moisture stress that affect both the vegetative growth and yield of crops. It occurs when supply of moisture stored in the soil is insufficient to meet the optimum need of a particular type of crop. Causes of drought in Bangladesh are related to climate variability and non-availability of surface water resources. While it may be possible to indicate the immediate cause of a drought in a particular location, it often is not possible to identify an underlying cause. Therefore, to improve all these services in favour of enhancing agricultural production and reducing food insecurity in Bangladesh, it is mandatory to develop an effective way for disseminating the SPI data indicating drought indices to farmers, and enhance drought and climate resilience. To develop future plan and policy in agricultural sector of Bangladesh, it is vital to understand the previous droughts events with accurate indicators. Since this study will contribute to the agricultural development of Bangladesh therefore there is an obvious need to understand the change of drought frequency all over Bangladesh using a standardized drought index. The main intention of this project is to prepare a proper baseline for forecasting drought indices using SPI data. So, the final outcome of this project would be a knowledge base where a proper forecasting tools and dissemination networks can be updated/developed for farmers.

Impact of Domestic Solid Waste Management on Wet Land Water Quality: Case of Abomey-Calavi Municipality in Benin Republic

The waste management is a major environmental challenge in all the countries. In the Republic of Benin, in absence of controlled landfill, the wetlands are filling in by solid household waste to set up housing environments. This study aimed at identifying the various forms of wetlands water pollutions originated by this practice. Physico-chemical parameters of sampling water were determined by using Ionic chromatography and spectrometry of atomic absorption. The microorganisms indicating fecal peril were identified by the conventional techniques of microbiology. Water quality of a witness well was also used to assess the general water quality of the backfilled wetland. The results revealed the water samples collected from backefilled wetlands were mineralized (898.32 ± 6.13 μs/cm), rich in chlorinate (237.80 ± 4.23 mg/L) and nitrates ions (224.10 ± 3.42 mg/L). They are more colored (399.23 ± 3.01 Pt/Co) and more turbid (62.5 ± 2.48 NTU) than those of the unfilled wetlands. The results of microbiological analysis shown the presence of the cysts of Giardia lamblia (590/100 L) and cysts of Entamoeba histolytica (13/100 L) in all water, except those of witness well. The frequency of water contamination by bacteria indicating general degradation is 86.4%. The embankment of the wetlands by the solid household waste leads to the water pollution.

Tigris River Water Quality Quantifying Using the Iraq Water Quality Index (IraqWQI) and Some Statistical Techniques

Evaluation of water quality is important for the management of water resources. The current study is focused on the interpretation of the water quality monitoring data of the Tigris River in Iraq by the application of the principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA), and water quality index (WQI). Twelve water quality parameters were taken from 14 stations along the river Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−, NO3−, TH, TDS, BOD5, and EC to apply the PCA and CA. The results show that the mean of all the parameters was under the standards except Ca2+, EC, Mg2+, TH, and SO42−. The amount of EC is the critical factor that affects the river water quality. The PCA obtained one principal component responsible for 97% of the variation caused by different pollution sources. The CA divided the river into three regions of sampling stations with similar water quality, the best in the north, and the worst in the far south. In this paper, the computer-automated tool (IraqWQI) was presented and evaluated, which has been developed by authors to classify and measure the quality of Iraqi surface water. The proposed index is of hundred degrees and includes six variables for drinking water quality Cl−, TH, TDS, COD, DO, and total coliform (TC) according to the Iraqi specifications. The result of the IraqWQI application showed a decrease in the water quality of the river and its suitability for drinking in the south of the country. The best value of the index was (81.48, Good) in Fishkhabour during winter, and the worst value was (46.23, Bad) in Qurnah during summer. The result of this study proved the success and importance of using statistical techniques and WQI as useful tools for the management, control, and conservation of surface water. .

Protection Planning for Rural Centralized Drinking Water Source Areas in Chongqing

Protection planning is made for rural centralized drinking water source areas according to current situations of rural drinking water and existing problems of centralized drinking water source areas in Chongqing,and in combination with survey,analysis and evaluation of urban-rural drinking water source areas in whole city.There are engineering measures and non-engineering measures,to guarantee drinking water security of rural residents,improve rural ecological environment,realize sustainable use of water resource,and promote sustainable development of society.Engineering measures include conservation and protection of water resource,ecological restoration,isolation,and comprehensive control of pointsource and area-source pollution.Non-engineering measures include construction of monitoring system for drinking water source area,construction of security information system for rural centralized drinking water source area,and construction of emergency mechanism for water pollution accidents in rural water source areas.

Optimization of Well Position and Sampling Frequency for Groundwater Monitoring and Inverse Identification of Contamination Source Conditions Using Bayes’Theorem

Coupling Bayes’Theorem with a two-dimensional(2D)groundwater solute advection-diffusion transport equation allows an inverse model to be established to identify a set of contamination source parameters including source intensity(M),release location(0 X,0 Y)and release time(0 T),based on monitoring well data.To address the issues of insufficient monitoring wells or weak correlation between monitoring data and model parameters,a monitoring well design optimization approach was developed based on the Bayesian formula and information entropy.To demonstrate how the model works,an exemplar problem with an instantaneous release of a contaminant in a confined groundwater aquifer was employed.The information entropy of the model parameters posterior distribution was used as a criterion to evaluate the monitoring data quantity index.The optimal monitoring well position and monitoring frequency were solved by the two-step Monte Carlo method and differential evolution algorithm given a known well monitoring locations and monitoring events.Based on the optimized monitoring well position and sampling frequency,the contamination source was identified by an improved Metropolis algorithm using the Latin hypercube sampling approach.The case study results show that the following parameters were obtained:1)the optimal monitoring well position(D)is at(445,200);and 2)the optimal monitoring frequency(Δt)is 7,providing that the monitoring events is set as 5 times.Employing the optimized monitoring well position and frequency,the mean errors of inverse modeling results in source parameters(M,X0,Y0,T0)were 9.20%,0.25%,0.0061%,and 0.33%,respectively.The optimized monitoring well position and sampling frequency canIt was also learnt that the improved Metropolis-Hastings algorithm(a Markov chain Monte Carlo method)can make the inverse modeling result independent of the initial sampling points and achieves an overall optimization,which significantly improved the accuracy and numerical stability of the inverse modeling results.

Outlier Detection for Water Supply Data Based on Joint Auto-Encoder

With the development of science and technology,the status of the water environment has received more and more attention.In this paper,we propose a deep learning model,named a Joint Auto-Encoder network,to solve the problem of outlier detection in water supply data.The Joint Auto-Encoder network first expands the size of training data and extracts the useful features from the input data,and then reconstructs the input data effectively into an output.The outliers are detected based on the network’s reconstruction errors,with a larger reconstruction error indicating a higher rate to be an outlier.For water supply data,there are mainly two types of outliers:outliers with large values and those with values closed to zero.We set two separate thresholds,and,for the reconstruction errors to detect the two types of outliers respectively.The data samples with reconstruction errors exceeding the thresholds are voted to be outliers.The two thresholds can be calculated by the classification confusion matrix and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.We have also performed comparisons between the Joint Auto-Encoder and the vanilla Auto-Encoder in this paper on both the synthesis data set and the MNIST data set.As a result,our model has proved to outperform the vanilla Auto-Encoder and some other outlier detection approaches with the recall rate of 98.94 percent in water supply data.

Integrating water use systems and soil and water conservation measures into a hydrological model of an Iranian Wadi system

Water resources are precious in arid and semi-arid areas such as the Wadis of Iran. To sustainably manage these limited water resources, the residents of the Iranian Wadis have been traditionally using several water use systems(WUSs) which affect natural hydrological processes. In this study, WUSs and soil and water conservation measures(SWCMs) were integrated in a hydrological model of the Halilrood Basin in Iran. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT) model was used to simulate the hydrological processes between 1993 and 2009 at daily time scale. To assess the importance of WUSs and SWCMs, we compared a model setup without WUSs and SWCMs(Default model) with a model setup with WUSs and SWCMs(WUS-SWCM model). When compared to the observed daily stream flow, the number of acceptable calibration runs as defined by the performance thresholds(Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE)≥0.68, –25%≤percent bias(PBIAS)≤25% and ratio of standard deviation(RSR)≤0.56) is 177 for the Default model and 1945 for the WUS-SWCM model. Also, the average Kling–Gupta efficiency(KGE) of acceptable calibration runs for the WUS-SWCM model is higher in both calibration and validation periods. When WUSs and SWCMs are implemented, surface runoff(between 30% and 99%) and water yield(between 0 and 18%) decreased in all sub-basins. Moreover, SWCMs lead to a higher contribution of groundwater flow to the channel and compensate for the extracted water by WUSs from the shallow aquifer. In summary, implementing WUSs and SWCMs in the SWAT model enhances model plausibility significantly.

Simulation of Nitrate Contamination in Groundwater Caused by Livestock Industry (Case Study: Rey)

With the economic development of many communities and the growing human population more food is needed. The livestock industry is one of the fastest growing industries in developing countries. The development of the livestock industry and the increase of livestock waste happens as a result of the growth in food production. The wastes are stored in a way that contamination of groundwater and surface water pollution in the environment has a significant impact on environment. This study analyses the environmental impact of livestock facilities and nitrate leaching in groundwater. After site sampling and libratory analysis, calibration of a simulation model with observed data was done to show nitrate contamination in “Rey” groundwater. The movement of nitrate into soil and groundwater was simulated by LEACHN. By defining various scenarios and performing sensitivity analysis, we examined precisely the factors affecting ground water contaminations. Along together with the analysis of different scenarios and comparing them with the measured values, seasonal rainfall conditions have greatest impact on the rate of recharge of nitrate to groundwater. Therefore soil with low rainfall shows 44% reduction of nitrate leakage at a depth of 30 cm of soil conditions. Finally, the modeling results and graphs from different scenarios for purpose of nitrate reduction in groundwater were presented. The good match between model results and observed data showed that the model is calibrated to this area and can be used for prediction purposes and further studies.

General Thinkingon the Management of Blue Algae Outbreak in the Taihu Lake,the Chaohu Lake and the Dianchi Lake

Among the Chinese lakes with the problem of eutrophication, the Taihu Lake, the Chaohu Lake and the Dianchi Lake have the worst cases of blue algae outbreak, which happen every year. Other lakes also have problems of blue algae outbreak at various degrees. However, some lakes don＇t have such problems. Practices have shown that through comprehensive management, the problem can be basically eliminated or significantly alleviated. ＂Water bloom＂ and blue algae outbreak have different connotation. The major factors affecting blue algae outbreak are sources of pollutants and ecological environment. Experiences are summed up and a new thinking on its management is developed： resolving the problem of blue algae is fundamental to lake management and development goals should be clearly set forth so as to eventually build a healthy aquatic ecosys- tem. The problem of blue algae can＇t be fully tackled by solely relying on the management of eutrophication but only by combining efforts of reducing the amount of blue algae and the management of eutrophication. The number of reduced blue algae should be larger than that of naturally prolifera- ted algae so as to alleviate and eliminate the problem of blue algae outbreak. Various engineering and technical measures and relevant protective procedures should be carried out in a scientific and proper manner. The total amount of nitrogen and phosphorous entering the lake either from point-source or non-point source pollution should be substantially reduced. Controlling the source of pollution and intercepting pollutants are the bas- ic measures. Wastewater treatment plant is the largest point source pollution in the future and adequate plants should be built with improved emission standards. Meanwhile, other measures including fishing out blue algae, diverting water, dredging, ecological restoration and expanding reed zone, should be implemented to alleviate the problem of eutrophication and eventually eliminate the problem of blue algae outbreak.

Effective groundwater level recovery from mining reduction: Case study of Baoding and Shijiazhuang Plain area

The effective recovery of water level is a crucial measure of the success of comprehensive groundwater over-exploitation management actions in North China.However,traditional evaluation method do not directly capture the relationship between mining and other equilibrium elements.This study presents an innovative evaluation method to assess the water level recovery resulting from mining reduction based on the relationship between variation in exploitation and recharge.Firstly,the recharge variability of source and sink terms for both the base year and evaluation year is calculated and the coefficient of recharge variationβis introduced,which is then used to calculate the effective mining reduction and solve the water level recovery value caused by the effective mining reduction,and finally the water level recovery contribution by mining reduction is calculated by combining with the actual volume of mining reduction in the evaluation area.This research focuses on Baoding and Shijiazhuang Plain area,which share similar hydrogeological conditions but vary in groundwater exploitation and utilization.As the effect of groundwater level recovery with mining reduction was evaluated in these two areas as case study.In 2018,the results showed an effective water level recovery of 0.17 m and 0.13 m in the shallow groundwater of Shijiazhuang and Baoding Plain areas,respectively.The contributions of recovery from mining reduction were 76%and 57.98%for these two areas,respectively.It was notable that the water level recovery was most prominent in the foothill plain regions.From the evaluation results,it is evident that water level recovery depends not only on the intensity of groundwater mining reduction,but also on its effectiveness.The value of water level recovery alone cannot accurately indicate the intensity of mining reduction,as recharge variation significantly influences water level changes.Therefore,in practice,it is crucial to comprehensively assess the impact of mining reduction on water level recovery by combining the coefficient of recharge variation with the contribution of water level recovery from mining reduction.This integrated approach provide a more reasonable and scientifically supported basis,offering essential data support for groundwater management and conservation.To improve the accuracy and reliability of evaluation results,future work will focus on the standardizing and normalizing raw data processing.

Using Visual MODFLOW Model to Assess the Efficiency of Subsurface Barrier Wall for Groundwater Flow Regulation and Reduction of Saline Intrution

Barrier walls effectively store water,regulate underground flows,improve exploitable reserves and prevent saltwater intrusion.The effectiveness of the underground barrier wall depends not only on the hydrogeological structure,the technical parameters of the wall but also on the layout scheme of the exploitation well system.The results showed that in natural conditions,the ground water level upstream of the barrier wall rose in the presence of a barrier wall.In wells located downstream of high barrier walls,the water level decreased.The amount of underground current flowing into the sea decreased,the annual average value of the whole region decreased was 316 m3/day and night.In presence of a wall,both the water level and the amount of evaporation increased.The average increase in evaporation volume during the calculation period of ten thousand days with walls was 4.114 m3/d.So in presence of a wall,the amount of water that can be exploited increases by the total amount of evaporation plus the decrease in discharge to the sea and is equal to 4,424 m3/d.In the exploitation condition,if the water level in the presence of wall is kept as low as in the absence of wall,the exploitation flow will increase to about 4,400 m3/day and night.From the calculated water level values when there is a wall and without a wall,we can see that if the exploitation flow in presence of a wall and in the absence of wall is the same,the water level drop at the calculated observation wells upstream of the wall will decrease from 0.21 m to 3.97 m.The condition of effective exploitation of the wall depends on the mining scheme.The exploitation scheme is reasonable,the exploitation flow of the wells does not exceed the allowable flow so as not to cause the drying of the aquifer at the location of the well.The upstream area of the wall reflects quite clearly as the Total dissolved solids content in observation wells upstream of the wall at the end of the calculation time is significantly reduced compared to that without the wall,ranging from 69 mg/L to 5,629 mg/L.In the presence of a wall,the water level of observation wells upstream of the wall is higher than that of without a wall from 0.10 m to 0.74 m.

Analysis of Gray Water Recycling by Reuse of Industrial Waste Water for Agricultural and Irrigation Purposes

Isfahan industrial province with its numerous industrial estates in its area and consequently the amount of wastewater produced by these settlements is very difficult to deal with.Therefore,the need for proper wastewater treatment and efficient management of industrial waste water from the industrial estates of this province should be seriously addressed and followed up by the authorities.The purpose of this study is the feasibility of reuse of wastewater from industrial settlements for agricultural and irrigation purposes.The present study is a descriptive cross-sectional study.In this study,the average values obtained from the sampling and the results of the experiments on waste water from the industrial waste water treatment plant in Isfahan,2017,have been used.Average values of BOD5,COD,TSS and so on were compared with the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency and analyzed in Excel software.According to the results,the average values of COD,BOD5,TSS,SO4,pH and catalyst quality parameters were determined from wastewater effluents of 315,162,93,164(mg/L),8.3 and 32.5(NTU)respectively.The results of the study show that the average values of the quality parameters examined from the effluent of the treatment plant other than BOD5 and COD are within the standard range and the limit for agricultural and irrigation purposes,which may lead to undesirable environmental performance of these two parameters.

Determining Irrigators Preferences for Water Allocation Criteria Using Conjoint Analysis

Water allocation based on multiple criteria has the potential to maximize the total benefits to be gained from the use of a single unit of water. However most of the multi-criteria methods inherently include a considerable degree of subjectivity. In this study, we have attempted to reduce the subjectivity factor from water allocation decision-making process by introducing a conjoint analysis method. Opinions on the importance of a number of water allocation criteria were sought from a large number of irrigation farmers. The opinion survey data were then analyzed using the traditional conjoint analysis method which is widely used to analyze marketing surveys. The analysis allowed objective determination of the relative importance of five water allocation criteria (i.e. net farm income, percent of family working on the farm, amount paid to irrigation agency for canal water share). Each water allocation criteria was divided into three levels and utility values for each criteria level were estimated from the farmers’ preferences on five water allocation criteria (attributes). The conjoint survey results revealed that the respondents prefer that “annual net farm income” be the most important attribute in water allocation decisions. As would be expected the vast majority of the respondents overwhelmingly placed the “water price” in the last position.

The Effect of Water Hyacinth (<i>Eichhornia crassipes</i>) Compost on Tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i>) Growth Attributes, Yield Potential and Heavy Metal Levels

The potential of different water hyacinth compost application rates in influencing growth attributes, yield and heavy metal accumulation of lead (Pb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) in tomato fruit was studied in Masvingo. Four treatments of water hyacinth compost rates of 0, 37, 55.6 and 74.1 t·ha-1 were each replicated three times and applied in a randomized complete block design set up. Results showed that water hyacinth compost application rates significantly affected plant height, days to maturity and yield but had no influence on the number of tomato fruits per plant. The plant height at application rate of 74.1 t·ha-1 was 25%, 56% and 63% higher than the control at week 6, 9 and 12, respectively. At application rates of 56.6 t·ha-1, plant heights were 11%, 13% and 12% higher than the control whilst marginal plant height differences of -4%, 6% and 4% were recorded between application rate of 34.7 t·ha-1 and the control at week 6, 9 and 12, respectively. Tomato plants under compost rates of 34.7, 56.6 and 74.1 t·ha-1 in comparison to the control delayed maturity by 10, 17 and 20 days, respectively. Yields of 52, 55, 60 and 68 t·ha-1 were realized from hyacinth compost rates of 0, 34.7, 56.6 and 74.1 t·ha-1, respectively. Heavy metal concentrations increased with increase in the water hyacinth compost rate but at all application rates, the average concentrations were 85%, 93% and 86% lower than the Codex Alimentarious Commission permissible levels for Pb, Cu and Zn. Water hyacinth compost at a rate of 74 t·ha-1 therefore can be used for increased tomato yield without exposing consumers to heavy metal toxicity.

Utilizing Geospatial Tools to Assign Unique Identifiers to Water Bodies in a Low-Income Country

Inland waters support the growth of several sectors including mining, agriculture, and health. This makes it crucial to have sustainable quantity and quality through conservation practices. Achieving sustainability requires information on the spatial distribution of water bodies. This requirement is particularly critical in low-income nations where dependence on natural resources is a key driver to economic growth. Unfortunately, these nations lack the resources to promote costly waterbody characterization. This study pre-sents a cost-effective approach in assigning Unique Identifiers (UIDs) that define locations and characteristics of rivers and streams. Our objective is to develop a scheme that can be used to identify and characterize rivers and streams in a nation. We utilized an open-source Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of NASA’s ASTER satellite and the hydrology tool in ArcGIS 10.7.1. The DEM was imported to ArcGIS followed by delineation of hydrologic regions, subregions, and stream orders. Each stream segment was given a UID based on its region and Strahler’s stream order system. We present a case study analysis for two regions within Sierra Leone using water quality data of selected rivers and streams. These will lay the foundation for a nationwide coding exercise and provide a useful reference for water resource practitioners.