Aura, the city of colour – Australia's shining example of widescale integrated water cycle management

Aura, the ‘City of Colour’, is a 48,000 person masterplanned community on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Aura commenced construction in 2015 and will be developed over the next 25 years. Aura sets a benchmark in Australia regarding large scale urban water sustainability through the application of techniques such as rainwater capture and reuse, construction and operational stormwater treatment, water conservation, advanced sewer system designs and potentially a major stormwater harvesting and indirect potable reuse scheme. This paper outlines the journey taken in seeing Aura advance from ‘concept’ to ‘reality’, describes data collection undertaken and modelling tools applied and outlines activities being implemented at Aura to protect sensitive downstream environments and simultaneously deliver water cycle and project sustainability benefits.

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Decentralised urban water reuse: The implications of system scale for cost and pathogen risk

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2002.0690 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 46 (6-7) ◽

pp. 281-288 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

S.A. Fane ◽

N.J. Ashbolt ◽

S.B. White

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Large Scale ◽

Economies Of Scale ◽

Sewage Treatment ◽

Urban Water ◽

Waterborne Disease ◽

Potable Reuse ◽

Effluent Reuse ◽

Wastewater Systems

The non-potable reuse of treated sewage in urban areas provides significant conservation of potable supplies beyond that available through water use efficiency. Effluent reuse is also an inevitable requirement in novel decentralised wastewater systems. At present, urban water reuse, where pursued, usually involves large-scale schemes based on new or existing centralised sewage treatment plants. This is despite the diseconomy of scale inherent in pipe networks that balances economies of scale in sewage treatment and negates any cost advantage for wastewater systems with more than around 1,000 connections. In light of this, the theoretical relationship between effluent reuse system scale and pathogen risks was examined at various effluent qualities. Waterborne disease was seen to be a significant factor when reusing effluent in urban areas and smaller systems were found to pose a lower risk of waterborne infection, all other things being equal. Pathogen risks were then included within an economic analysis of system scale. It was concluded that with the inclusion of pathogen risks as a costed externality, taking a decentralised approach to urban water reuse would be economically advantageous in most cases. This conclusion holds despite an exact evaluation of increased waterborne disease due to effluent reuse remaining problematic.

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Study of the occurrence and ecosystem danger of selected endocrine disruptors in the urban water cycle of the city of Bogotá, Colombia

Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A ◽

10.1080/10934529.2017.1401372 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 53 (4) ◽

pp. 317-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Diego F. Bedoya-Ríos ◽

Jaime A. Lara-Borrero ◽

Verónica Duque-Pardo ◽

Carlos A. Madera-Parra ◽

Eliana M. Jimenez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endocrine Disruptors ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Urban Water ◽

The City ◽

Urban Water Cycle

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Assessment of the urban water cycle in Antwerp (BE): The City Blueprint Approach (CBA)

Cleaner Environmental Systems ◽

10.1016/j.cesys.2021.100011 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 100011

Author(s):

Wim Huyghe ◽

María Hernández-Pacheco Algaba ◽

Kees van Leeuwen ◽

Stef Koop ◽

Steven Eisenreich

Keyword(s):

Water Cycle ◽

Urban Water ◽

The City ◽

Urban Water Cycle

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The urban water metabolism of Cape Town: Towards becoming a water sensitive city

South African Journal of Science ◽

10.17159/sajs.2021/8630 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 117 (5/6) ◽

Author(s):

Ffion Atkins ◽

Tyrel Flügel ◽

Rui Hugman

Keyword(s):

Urban Landscape ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Cape Town ◽

Global South ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Urban Water ◽

Water Metabolism ◽

Groundwater Storage ◽

Quality Of Water ◽

The City

To improve its resilience to increasing climatic uncertainty, the City of Cape Town (the City) aims to become a water sensitive city by 2040. To undertake this challenge, a means to measure progress is needed that quantifies the urban water systems at a scale that enables a whole-of-system approach to water management. Using an urban water metabolism framework, we (1) provide a first city-scale quantification of the urban water cycle integrating its natural and anthropogenic flows, and (2) assess alternative water sources (indicated in the New Water Programme) and whether they support the City towards becoming water sensitive. We employ a spatially explicit method with particular consideration to apply this analysis to other African or Global South cities. At the time of study, centralised potable water demand by the City amounted to 325 gigalitres per annum, 99% of which was supplied externally from surface storage, and the remaining ~1% internally from groundwater storage (Atlantis aquifer). Within the City’s boundary, runoff, wastewater effluent and groundwater represent significant internal resources which could, in theory, improve supply efficiency and internalisation as well as hydrological performance. For the practical use of alternative resources throughout the urban landscape, spatially explicit insight is required regarding the seasonality of runoff, local groundwater storage capacity and the quality of water as it is conveyed through the complex urban landscape. We suggest further research to develop metrics of urban water resilience and equity, both of which are important in a Global South context.

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Urban Green Space Arrangement for an Optimal Landscape Planning Strategy for Runoff Reduction

Land ◽

10.3390/land10090897 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 897

Author(s):

Byungsun Yang ◽

Dongkun Lee

Keyword(s):

Green Infrastructure ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Green Space ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Urban Green Space ◽

Space Distribution ◽

Urban Water ◽

Stormwater Treatment ◽

Urban Green ◽

Urban Water Cycle

Increased impervious surfaces due to urbanization have reduced evaporation and infiltration into the soil compared with existing natural water cycle systems, which causes various problems, such as urban floods, landslides, and deterioration of water quality. To effectively solve the urban water cycle issue, green infrastructure using urban green space has emerged to reduce runoff and increase evaporation. It has the advantage of restoring the water cycle system of urban areas by complementing the failure of conventional stormwater treatment systems. However, urban areas under high-density development have limited green space for stormwater treatment. Hence, it is necessary to efficiently utilize street trees and small green spaces to improve the urban water cycle through green space. In this study, we simulated different green space distribution scenarios in the virtual domain to find the optimal strategy of green space planning. Compared to clustered scenarios, dispersed green space distribution scenarios and placing green space downstream were more effective in reducing the runoff amount. The paper provides insights into the considerations for determining green space spatial plan and zoning regulations for stormwater treatment by green infrastructure.

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Exploring the effects of domestic water management measures to water conservation attitudes using agent based modelling

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2016.161 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 552-560 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ifigeneia Koutiva ◽

Christos Makropoulos

Keyword(s):

Water Conservation ◽

Water Demand ◽

Social Impact ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Urban Water ◽

Domestic Water ◽

Agent Based ◽

Agent Based Modelling ◽

Conservation Attitudes ◽

Policy Measures

The urban water system's sustainable evolution requires managing both water supply and water demand within a complete urban water cycle framework. Such an approach, however, requires tools to analyse and simulate the complete system including both physical and cultural environments. One of the main challenges, in this regard, is the design and development of tools able to simulate the society's water demand behaviour and the way policy measures affect it. The effects of these policy measures are a function of personal attitudes that subsequently lead to the formation of people's behaviours. This work focuses on the exploration of social impact theory on water conservation attitudes of urban households. A model is designed and implemented using agent based modelling. The developed model's ability to represent social structure and mechanisms of social influences is tested against historical data from the 1988–1994 drought of Athens, Greece as a case study.

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Early Urban Water Management of Gdansk, Poland

Linnaeus Eco-Tech ◽

10.15626/eco-tech.2010.001 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 2-15

Author(s):

Piotr J. Kowalik ◽

Simo Lakkonen ◽

Ziemowit Suligowski

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Complete Solution ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Water Management ◽

Sewer System ◽

Pumping Stations ◽

Water Based ◽

The City ◽

Wastewater Generation

This paper describes origin and development of sewer system in Gdansk, Poland, designparameters for water use and wastewater generation, gravity siphons, pumping stations,sewage fields. It was the first and complete solution of urban water on the Europeancontinent. This report gives literature review, background of decisions, comprehensive resultsand final conclusions. Paper focused on the water-based infrastructure in the city, namelypotable water, sewerage, irrigation and drainage. Described technologies are still in use andcan be used in the future in developing countries, for example for re-use of wastewater onirrigation fields.

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CSO-MASTERPLAN FOR THE CITY OF WALDENBURG, GERMANY

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1994.0005 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 43-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. Michelbach ◽

G. Weiß ◽

H. Brombach

Keyword(s):

Field Study ◽

New Technologies ◽

Ecological Impact ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Stormwater Treatment ◽

Sewer System ◽

Interdisciplinary Field ◽

Receiving Waters ◽

New Guidelines ◽

The City

The small town of Waldenburg in South Germany planned to continue the implementation of stormwater treatment. The CSO-Masterplan dated from the year 1976. Meanwhile, new guidelines were issued and new technologies became available, like mathematical sewer models. Since the ecological impact of stormwater treatment is today much more accounted for, it was decided to revise the CSO-Masterplan. The goal was to find a solution with minimized ecological impact at low costs. This urban hydrological study featured some unusual approaches. First, the present state of city, sewer system, treatment plant and receiving waters was analyzed in an interdisciplinary field study. Using the quantity-quality sewer model ASMI, the annual pollutant loads for various planning alternatives were calculated. This allowed statements about the environmental impact of each alternative, taking into account the sensitivity of the receiving waters known from the biological field study. The proposed final alternative saved nearly 1 million DM at a much lower impact on the environment compared with the original planning, showing that it is possible to cope equally with ecological and economical requirements.

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Following a Step by Step Development of a Resilience Action Plan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12219017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (21) ◽

pp. 9017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maria Adriana Cardoso ◽

Maria João Telhado ◽

Maria do Céu Almeida ◽

Rita Salgado Brito ◽

Cristina Pereira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Action Plan ◽

Electric Energy ◽

Action Planning ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Services ◽

The City ◽

Water Waste

According to the United Nations, by 2030, 60% of the world’s population will live in cities, and 70% by 2050. Both consolidated and fast urbanizing areas face diverse acute shocks from natural disasters and long-term stresses, such as the effects of climate change. Therefore, there is a need for cities to implement plans for increasing resilience and improving preparedness to cope with both acute shocks and long-term stresses. Development of resilience action plans (RAP) constitutes an important process for the cities to plan their resilience enhancement in the long, medium, and short terms. These are key tools for the city, considering the associated complexity, uncertainties, data scarcity, interdependencies among urban services provided in the city, as well as involved stakeholders. Herein, a framework is presented to support city resilience action planning related to climate change through a multisector approach. The framework was applied step by step to three cities—Barcelona, Bristol, and Lisbon—and their RAPs to climate change provide roadmaps for resilience, having the urban water cycle as the core. In these plans, urban services are included, given their interactions and contributions to city’s resilience. Addressed services are water supply, wastewater, storm water, waste, electric energy, and mobility.

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