Deep geological formations with mineralised water resources need a special resource management. Are there any countries where the deep water resources management is regulated in the legislation ?
In the UK this management is mainly via a series of source protection zones. The main legislation defines all groundwater as "controlled waters" but these zones are used as a non-statutory mechanisms both to guide planning officials and to assist in the regulatory approach to contaminated land.
Much information on source protection zones is available on the UK Environment Agency web site.
Further specific protection to deep groundwater is provided by the secondary legislation associated with contaminated land regulation. Under these provisions contaminated land is regulated by local authorities in the main but where one of a specific group of geological formations (primary aquifers) is affected or likely to be affected by land contamination the regulation is passed to the national regulator as a "special site".
In Russia there are spesial protected ecologicl-resort zones on area under witch contain mineral water deposites its redulated by federal laws. The most famous: Caucasian mineral waters.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on the planet and the Australian Federal Governmet and each State Government and Territories have very strict laws regarding aquifer water usage and management. For instance, the Great Artesian Basin has had all open, flowing bores (tubewells) closed off and only all water chanels closed. Only water that is pipoed from the aquifer can be used. As a result, the water levels are rising again to levels they were at over 100 years ago, and pressure is increasing again.
Dear all, thank you for your responses. I have further questions regarding the deep wells: do you have any information about the strategy or legislation regarding a potential disposal of nuclear waste or hazardous waste water in deep drillings ?
This link gives some info on the US situation.
http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/uic/land_ban_files/pdfs/landban-instruction-sheet-20060719.pdf
Mineral water as a special type of groundwater is subject of Estonian Water Act.
In Iran there was some severe rules and legislations about land use and water use. For instance, Mashhad Valley was known as a forbidden area for drilling any more water wells. Due to this groundwater level was controlling. But after revolution of Iran most of environmental rules disappeared or lost their importance and authority. These days Mashhad Valley faces with groundwater level shortage with a annual rate of about 1.5-2 meters per year. Same problem is happening in most of watersheds in Iran.
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