Indices of water quality for sustainable management and conservation of anarid region lake, Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel

1. Economic development in arid regions is closely linked to efficient use of limited water resources. As such, management and conservation of these w ater resources requires concurrent optimization of the interrelationships b etween supply quantity and resource quality. 2. Multiple uses of water resources generate conflicting needs within manag ement, with different uses requiring objective characterization of quality for different management scenarios and goals. 3. A sound management programme needs close interactions between water poli cy makers, managers, users, engineers and limnologists, and thus needs a co mmon language that can transcend the boundaries of the individual fields. 4. This paper describes a system of water quality indices and standards des igned for conservation and sustainable management of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel, based on observed variability in various chemical and bio logical parameters during a 25-year period (1969-1992). Such a system can f orm a common language which can then be used as a tool for optimal manageme nt. 5. This system of water quality indices (a) includes both traditional limno logical parameters (plant nutrients, chlorophyll, primary production) and e ngineering parameters (coliform bacteria, turbidity), (b) is acceptable to all parties involved in lake management, and (c) is easily adaptable to dif ferent management scenarios and to management-induced changes in ecosystem functioning. 6. Analysis of variability in these water quality parameters in Lake Kinner et during 1994-1999 when the lake was showing signs of destabilization high lights the usefulness and limitations of this system. Copyright (C) 2000 Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Ltd.