David Camberos – Undergraduate – Major
Green Climate Fund for The Caribbean

​Tropical islands in the Caribbean face many challenges to increasing water security. Water scarcity poses several problems with agriculture, ecosystems, and human health. Even with large amounts of tropical rainfall, a large portion of homes in the eastern Caribbean islands still lack improved water connections to their home. With a population of 180,000, Saint Lucia is currently one of the eastern Caribbean islands facing a water crisis. In order to resolve this issue, the government of Saint Lucia declared a water emergency. The Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has stated drought conditions will continue to get worse under climate changed within 50 years. The average rainfall is decreasing and Saint Lucia’s main reservoir has reached critical low water levels. The Green Climate fund which is associated with the Paris Agreement is intended to help the eastern Caribbean region by providing billions of dollars to aid with climate adaptation projects. Here, I present the potential benefits of the Green Climate Fund focusing on the financial incentive given to the Saint Lucia, restoration efforts and practices, and education provided for the residents. Urgent international efforts such as the Green Climate Fund are needed to help the Caribbean respond to a dramatically changing environment and decreased clean water availability.

​Josiah Marquez – Undergraduate – Major
Recharging Groundwater in Oahu

​The need for freshwater is an ever-growing concern for water managers for the island of Oahu. As more people move to the island, and the ever-growing market for tourism, the need for potable water has increased exponentially. It is estimated that from 2010 to 2030, there will be a 26% increase in the demand for freshwater. The water managers of Oahu are concerned because although they have seawater that surrounds all around them, the problem is using potable water for agriculture, bathing, drinking, and other anthropogenic uses. Here, I address the spatial distribution of groundwater on the island of Oahu, and examine groundwater recharge, seawater intrusion, and the over pumping of groundwater for the island of Oahu. I will present literature that examines the importance of the amount of groundwater that is available, and then look at the factors that affect it, such as seawater intrusion, and the over pumping of groundwater, and how these factors play a bigger part in groundwater recharge. Not only has the excessive pumping lead to groundwater mining causing the rate of recharge to be less than the removal of groundwater, but the quality of the groundwater is important in analyzing how potable the water is. Through examining the groundwater recharge in Oahu, as well as the factors that contribute to quality and availability of groundwater, we can better understand the water budget for the island of Oahu. 

Mads Miller – Undergraduate – Environmental Science
River Rehabilitation of the Marikina-Pasig River Basin, Philippines

​Lack of access to water is a major issue in the Philippines, with roughly 1 in 10 people experiencing inadequate water sources. The lack of clean water poses a health threat to the citizens of the Philippines and impedes progress towards sustainable development. This is evident in the low-lying region of Marikina-Pasig River Basin, where the water quality continues to decline due to pollution and climate change. This region is known for two major rivers, the Pasig and Marikina, both having significant religious and agricultural importance. Additionally, the Marikina runs directly through the capital city of Manilla. The Pasig and Marikina rivers are increasingly threatened by pollution, erosion, and major flood damage directly caused by the industrialization and conversion of agricultural lands to residential areas. River rehabilitation programs are attempting to remedy these problems through three different processes, (1) flood mitigation, (2) wastewater treatment, and (3) family and housing resettlement. Flood mitigation efforts include constructing levees, installing early warning systems, and relocating local inhabitants away from high risk riverbanks. In the late 1900’s flood damage was increasing due to large accumulations of solid waste that residents dumped directly into the river. In 1996, a city waste management organization was established to collect and treat solid waste before it entered the waterways. Overall, the Marikina-Pasig River Basin still struggles with flood management and water quality, however applying these solutions will yield positive results. Using these results as a benchmark, these aforementioned solutions could be implemented in other regions of the world.

Molly Willoughby, Jeremy Benik, Evan Franklin, and Jacob Boomsma – Undergraduate – Geography/Natural Resources
Water Resources for Small Islands

​Small islands face many unique water management challenges stemming from their constrained geography, resource fragility, and limited institutional capacity. To understand how regional climatic and socio-cultural patterns shape island water management, it is critical to examine the shared challenges for neighboring islands within a region. However, valuable insights may also be offered by examining water management contexts and needs for small islands in disparate regions, as is done here. This study examines literature on four geographically distinct small islands: St. Barthélemy, Solomon Islands, Cape Verde, and Little Diomede. For each, four key areas are examined: (1) hydrological and social context, (2) water use and infrastructure, (3) water management approaches and stakeholders, and (4) challenges and potential solutions associated with these areas. The case studies differ in their environmental and social contexts, and thus inevitably in their dominant water sources, technologies, and governance mechanisms. Nonetheless, water management needs discussed in the literature fall into some recurring areas. While desalination is critical for some SIS, others have enough surface water to meet their needs. Yet in either scenario, strengthened institutional and technical capacity are necessary to treat and deliver water to those who need it. Literature across the case studies highlights the need for both technological and underlying institutional changes. In the former category, the SIS case studies would benefit from improved infrastructure and strengthened technical capacity. More fundamentally, there is the need for more holistic management approaches and institutional strengthening by collaboration with international structures.