Substance flow analysis as a tool for urban water management

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 1341-1348 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Chèvre ◽  
C. Guignard ◽  
L. Rossi ◽  
H.-R. Pfeifer ◽  
H.-P. Bader ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Substance Flow Analysis ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Substance Flow ◽  
Wide Range

Human activity results in the production of a wide range of pollutants that can enter the water cycle through stormwater or wastewater. Among others, heavy metals are still detected in high concentrations around urban areas and their impact on aquatic organisms is of major concern. In this study, we propose to use a substance flow analysis as a tool for heavy metals management in urban areas. We illustrate the approach with the case of copper in Lausanne, Switzerland. The results show that around 1,500 kg of copper enter the aquatic compartment yearly. This amount contributes to sediment enrichment, which may pose a long-term risk for benthic organisms. The major sources of copper in receiving surface water are roofs and catenaries of trolleybuses. They represent 75% of the total input of copper into the urban water system. Actions to reduce copper pollution should therefore focus on these sources. Substance flow analysis also highlights that copper enters surface water mainly during rain events, i.e., without passing through any treatment procedure. A reduction in pollution could also be achieved by improving stormwater management. In conclusion, the study showed that substance flow analysis is a very effective tool for sustainable urban water management.

Urban-Water Harmony model to evaluate the urban water management

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 1774-1781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Ding ◽  
Deshan Tang ◽  
Yuhang Wei ◽  
Sun Yin
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management

Water resources in many urban areas are under enormous stress due to large-scale urban expansion and population explosion. The decision-makers are often faced with the dilemma of either maintaining high economic growth or protecting water resources and the environment. Simple criteria of water supply and drainage do not reflect the requirement of integrated urban water management. The Urban-Water Harmony (UWH) model is based on the concept of harmony and offers a more integrated approach to urban water management. This model calculates four dimensions, namely urban development, urban water services, water–society coordination, and water environment coordination. And the Analytic Hierarchy Process has been used to determine the indices weights. We applied the UWH model to Beijing, China for an 11-year assessment. Our findings show that, despite the severe stress inherent in rapid development and water shortage, the urban water relationship of Beijing is generally evolving in a positive way. The social–economic factors such as the water recycling technologies contribute a lot to this change. The UWH evaluation can provide a reasonable analysis approach to combine various urban and water indices to produce an integrated and comparable evaluation index. This, in turn, enables more effective water management in decision-making processes.

scholarly journals How Does Digitization Succeed in the Municipal Water Sector? The WaterExe4.0 Meta-Study Identifies Barriers as well as Success Factors, and Reveals Expectations for the Future

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (22) ◽  
pp. 7709
Author(s):  
Günter Müller-Czygan ◽  
Viktoriya Tarasyuk ◽  
Christian Wagner ◽  
Manuela Wimmer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Digital Systems ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Industry ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
The Future ◽  
German Speaking

Water is increasingly taking center stage when it comes to coping with climate change. Especially in urban areas, negative consequences from heavy rainfall events and prolonged dry periods are rising worldwide. In the past, the various tasks of urban water management were performed by different departments that often did not cooperate with each other (water supply, wastewater disposal, green space irrigation, etc.), as the required water supply was not a question of available water volumes. This is already changing with climate change, in some cases even dramatically. More and more, it is necessary to consider how to distribute available water resources in urban areas, especially during dry periods, since wastewater treatment is also becoming more complex and costly. In the future, urban water management will examine water use in terms of its various objectives, and will need to provide alternative water resources for these different purposes (groundwater, river water, storm water, treated wastewater, etc.). The necessary technological interconnection requires intelligent digital systems. Furthermore, the water industry must also play its role in global CO2 reduction and make its procedural treatment processes more efficient; this will also only succeed with adequate digital systems. Although digitization has experienced an enormous surge in development over the last five years and numerous solutions are available to address the challenges described previously, there is still a large gap between the scope of offerings and their implementation. Researchers at Hof University of Applied Sciences have investigated the reasons for this imbalance as part of WaterExe4.0, the first meta-study on digitization in the German-speaking water industry, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Only 11% of roughly 700 identified products, projects and studies relate to real applications. For example, the surveyed experts of the water sector stated that everyday problems are considered too little or hardly at all in new solutions, which greatly overburdens users. Furthermore, they see no adequate possibility for a systematic analysis of new ideas to identify significant obstacles and to find the best way to start and implement a digitization project. The results from four methodologically different sub-surveys (literature and market research, survey, expert interviews and workshops) provide a reliable overview of the current situation in the German-speaking water industry and its expectations for the future. The results are also transferable to other countries.

scholarly journals Role of Models in the Decision-Making Process in Integrated Urban Water Management: A Review

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1252
Author(s):  
Leila Mosleh ◽  
Masoud Negahban-Azar
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Wastewater Management ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Modeling Tools ◽  
Integrated Urban Water Management ◽  
Wide Range

Managing urban water systems in which stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water sectors affect each other is a difficult task that requires the right modeling tools for decision making. Integrated urban water management models (IUWMs) are tools that allow decision makers to demonstrate the effectiveness of various management, operational and design strategies. Although models are useful tools, the wide range of available models with many different capabilities make it challenging for the users to select an appropriate model for their specific objectives. In this review we investigated the capabilities of popular models in IUWM. We developed a comprehensive list of indicators to compare the capabilities of the models. We also analyzed the application of these models in a comparative way and evaluated their input requirements. Finally, we provided a procedure to select the appropriate model in the management environment based on the user’s needs. In summary, the results show that most of the models’ applications are focused on supply and demand, wastewater management, and stormwater management. Very few models consider social factors and policy aspects in IUWM. While each model has its own advantages, we found some of them, such as MIKE Urban, Hydro Planner, and Aqua Cycle, to be more comprehensive. Nevertheless, there are still gaps in the models in areas such as water-energy nexus, evaluating ecosystem services, including socioeconomic factors and sustainability analysis.

A cost-sustainability analysis of urban water management

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Icke ◽  
R. M. van den Boomen ◽  
R. H. Aalderink
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Town Planning ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Urban Water Cycle

A simple model for the urban water cycle is presented, based on mass balances for water and phosphorus. This model is used for the evaluation of the sustainability rate of the urban water cycle. This type of model is to be used in an early stage of town planning, to compare several possible measures. In general, contributing to achieving a more sustainable urban water management. A sensitivity analysis was performed to rank the management options and additional measures to their contribution to the sustainability rate of the urban water cycle. A module for the calculation of cost was linked to the model, revealing the relation between cost and the sustainability rate for a wide range of scenarios. The results show that an improved separated sewer system and the use of a local ground water source have the biggest impact on the sustainability rate. A slightly positive correlation between investment cost and the sustainability rate was found as well.

scholarly journals Trends in Demand of Urban Surface Water Extractions and in Situ Use Functions

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (15) ◽  
pp. 4943-4958
Author(s):  
E. S. van der Meulen ◽  
N. B. Sutton ◽  
F. H. M. van de Ven ◽  
P. R. van Oel ◽  
H. H. M. Rijnaarts
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Urban Surface ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Waste Products

AbstractScientific literature currently lacks comprehensive understanding of urban surface water use functions. This hampers sound analysis of the demand and potential supply of these functions. This study provides a comprehensive overview of potential use functions, by integrating knowledge from ecosystem services and integrated urban water management fields. Analysis of water-related management plans for Toronto and Amsterdam shows that surface water is currently being used for a variety of functions related to nutrition, energy, water regulation, recreation, symbolic use, transportation and floating buildings. Notably, many use functions involve in situ use, rather than water extractions. Interviewed water managers and spatial planners in both cities expect demand of most use functions to increase by 2040, especially demand for thermal energy extraction, recreation and transportation. Some identified novel demands, such as climate regulation and reuse of waste products from waterway maintenance. Increasing demand is mainly driven by urban growth, climate change and sustainability ambitions. This study found urban surface water uses that are usually not acknowledged in scientific literature on urban water management. This comprehensive overview supports planning, design, and maintenance of urban surface waters, laying the foundation for future research on supply and demand of urban water use functions.

Green infrastructure for flood-risk management in Dar es Salaam and Copenhagen: exploring the potential for transitions towards sustainable urban water management

Water Policy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Mguni ◽  
L. Herslund ◽  
M. B. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Dar Es Salaam ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Urban Drainage ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Sewer Systems ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management

The risk of flooding in urban areas could be better approached by complementing conventional sewer systems with sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) for storm-water management. This may be the case for developing world cities like Dar es Salaam with incomplete sewer services, as well as cities like Copenhagen with fully developed sewer systems. This paper explores some theories relevant to understanding how the implementation of SUDS may be one option for supporting a transition towards sustainable urban water management (SUWM). Using interviews, document analysis and observation, a comparison of the opportunities and barriers to the implementation of SUDS in Dar es Salaam and Copenhagen is presented. The results indicate that a bottom-up approach in Dar es Salaam is important, with the community level taking the lead, while in Copenhagen the top-down approach currently employed is promising. The ability of the institutional frameworks of both cities to support the implementation of SUDS is also discussed.

scholarly journals The application of a Web-geographic information system for improving urban water cycle modelling

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 1838-1846 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mair ◽  
C. Mikovits ◽  
M. Sengthaler ◽  
M. Schöpf ◽  
H. Kinzel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Desktop Computers ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

Research in urban water management has experienced a transition from traditional model applications to modelling water cycles as an integrated part of urban areas. This includes the interlinking of models of many research areas (e.g. urban development, socio-economy, urban water management). The integration and simulation is realized in newly developed frameworks (e.g. DynaMind and OpenMI) and often assumes a high knowledge in programming. This work presents a Web based urban water management modelling platform which simplifies the setup and usage of complex integrated models. The platform is demonstrated with a small application example on a case study within the Alpine region. The used model is a DynaMind model benchmarking the impact of newly connected catchments on the flooding behaviour of an existing combined sewer system. As a result the workflow of the user within a Web browser is demonstrated and benchmark results are shown. The presented platform hides implementation specific aspects behind Web services based technologies such that the user can focus on his main aim, which is urban water management modelling and benchmarking. Moreover, this platform offers a centralized data management, automatic software updates and access to high performance computers accessible with desktop computers and mobile devices.

A conceptual framework for addressing complexity and unfolding transition dynamics when developing sustainable adaption strategies in urban water management

2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 2393-2401 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F. Fratini ◽  
M. Elle ◽  
M. B. Jensen ◽  
P. S. Mikkelsen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
System Optimization ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Transition

To achieve a successful and sustainable adaptation to climate change we need to transform the way we think about change. Much water management research has focused on technical innovation with a range of new solutions developed to achieve a ‘more sustainable and integrated urban water management cycle’. But Danish municipalities and utility companies are struggling to bring such solutions into practice. ‘Green infrastructure’, for example, requires the consideration of a larger range of aspects related to the urban context than the traditional urban water system optimization. There is the need for standardized methods and guidelines to organize transdisciplinary processes where different types of knowledge and perspectives are taken into account. On the basis of the macro–meso–micro pattern inspired by complexity science and transition theory, we developed a conceptual framework to organize processes addressing the complexity characterizing urban water management in the context of climate change. In this paper the framework is used to organize a research process aiming at understanding and unfolding urban dynamics for sustainable transition. The final goal is to enable local authorities and utilities to create the basis for managing and catalysing the technical and organizational innovation necessary for a sustainable transition towards climate change adaptation in urban areas.

scholarly journals Efficiency Analysis of Water Conservation Measures in Sanitary Infrastructure Systems by Means of a Systemic Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 3055
Author(s):  
Karoline Richter ◽  
Daniel Costa dos Santos ◽  
Aloísio Leoni Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Urban Impacts ◽  
Urban Water Use ◽  
Effective Drainage

The challenges of urban water management and sanitary infrastructure (water supply (WSS), sewage (SS), urban drainage (UDS) systems) are increasingly frequent in Brazilian cities whether as a combined result of overcrowding and/or a lack governmental interest and hence investments, in the sector. Such an increase in environmental pressure reflects directly on population welfare and well-being related to the availability of drinking water, wastewater treatment, and access to effective drainage systems in order to minimize, or at least reduce, the occurrence of urban flooding and associated public health risks. Thus, alternatives with an integrated approach to urban water management are interesting to the reality of countries such as Brazil. The urban water use (UWU) model is a strategic planning tool with integrated way of thinking, which selects measures to mitigate the urban impacts in sanitary infrastructure and buildings. In this sense, the objective of this research is to apply the UWU model in a case study in Curitiba/Brazil to demonstrate the effect of the systematic approach and its intrinsic synergies in the systems in question, promoting water conservation in urban areas. The results are favorable to integrated systems with synergy use, evidencing quantitatively a greater efficiency in them.

scholarly journals Innovative Methods in Sustainable Urban Development and Water Management

TEM Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 757-765
Author(s):  
Ágnes Agócsová ◽  
Zuzana Chodasová
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management

Innovative methods presently affect all sectors of the national economy contributing to the progress and overall development of the economy, and the living standard worldwide. Innovations are equally necessary both in the private and in public sectors therefore, the original innovative ideas in each sector are greatly accepted. Similar concept is significant for companies dealing with urban water management. New methods are available mainly for capturing and reusing of rainwater in urban areas which leads to a positive impact on sustainable urban water management regarding today's water scarcity problems. This article describes some of the most popular innovative methods and examples used for rainwater harvesting, recycling and reuse. As a result, the evaluation of the most suitable water harvesting techniques related to sustainable water management, and their application in the city of Brno in Czech Republic are described.

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