A Proposed Framework for the Management of Water Quality in Arid‐Region Lakes

For arid‐region lakes, management conflicts are likely to occur between quantity and quality of water supplied: increasing quantity of water supply can lead to water quality deterioration. Such conflicts can best be resolved within an effective management program based on awareness and cooperation at all levels of water management from policy makers to experts. We propose a general framework for designing effective water resource management programs for lakes based on concrete definitions of management criteria such as water quality. The proposed system requires close interaction between policy makers, water resource managers, water suppliers and users, hydrological engineers and limnologists. The significance of mathematical modeling as a self‐organizing tool of the management program is emphasized, especially with regards to designing limnological investigations directed toward lake management. We illustrate the application of this approach to water resource management in arid‐region lakes (Lake Kinneret, Israel and Lake Sevan, Armenia), where artificial variability of lake morphometry due to water use is a forcing function affecting water quality.