Proposed municipal territorial planning legislation for groundwater protection

Abstract

The understanding of the biophysical and chemical phenomena that act on and control a natural resource and how human activity intervenes in its occurrence in space and time is a fundamental requirement for the development of urban and environmental legislation that promotes its sustainability, especially when this resource has little known socioeconomic value. This is particularly the case for groundwater in Brazil, which besides having little legal support, is still unknown (although not little used) by society. Thus, this research proposes the development of a draft land-use planning law for groundwater protection in the municipalities of Bauru, Piratininga, and Agudos, an important regional economic hub in São Paulo, which have the Bauru and Guarani aquifer systems in their subsoil but have suffered from repeated water crises. In addition, data on water resource potential, exploitation conditions and groundwater quality obtained from the SACRE Thematic Project, together with the application of the GWP-GIRH Toolbox, will technically support this proposal. In addition, a comparative study will be conducted with the Kitchener-Waterloo region, one of the regions in Canada that uses groundwater most for public supply, identifying conflicts and focusing on a hydro-economic study, which will serve as a reference for the draft bill. This bill aims to contemplate specific territorial zoning for vulnerable aquifer areas. Thus, the proposed draft law will be taken to discussion with municipal sectors, managers, and the population through workshops and courses, as well as to the hydrographic committees of the Tietê-Batalha and Tietê-Jacaré basins, so that the instruments and results can be extended to all other municipalities in these basins. (AU)