The limits to large scale supply augmentation: Exploring the crossroads of conflicting urban water system development pathways

Abstract. Managers of urban water systems constantly make decisions to guarantee water services by overcoming problems related to supply-demand imbalances. A preferred strategy has been supply augmentation through hydraulic infrastructure development. However, despite considerable investments, many systems seem to be trapped in lackluster development pathways making some problems seem like an enduring, almost stubborn, characteristic of the systems: over-exploitation and pollution of water sources, distribution networks overwhelmed by leakages and non-revenue water, and unequal water insecurity. Because of these strategies and persistent problems, water conflicts have emerged, whereby social actors oppose these strategies and propose alternative technologies and strategies. This can create development pathways crossroads of the urban water system. To study this development pathway crossroads, we selected the Zapotillo conflict in Mexico where a large supply augmentation project for two cities experiencing water shortages is at stake. The paper concludes that urban water systems that are engaged in a trajectory characterized by supply-side strategies may experience a temporal relief but neglect equally pressing issues that stymie the human right to water in the medium and long run. However, there is not a straightforward, self-evident development pathway to choose from, only a range of multiple alternatives with multiple trade-offs that need to be thoroughly discussed and negotiated between the stakeholders. We argue that this development pathway crossroads can cross-fertilize technical disciplines such as socio-hydrology, and social disciplines based on hydrosocial studies, which both ambition to make their knowledge actionable and relevant.

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Receptivity to transformative change in the Dutch urban water management sector

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2009.179 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 311-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

R. E. de Graaf ◽

R. J. Dahm ◽

J. Icke ◽

R. W. Goetgeluk ◽

S. J. T. Jansen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Management ◽

Water System ◽

Water Systems ◽

Management Policy ◽

Urban Water ◽

Transformative Change ◽

Urban Water Management ◽

Urban Water System ◽

Urban Water Systems

Worldwide, the need for transformative change in urban water management is acknowledged by scientists and policy makers. The effects of climate change and developments such as urbanization, the European Water Framework Directive, and societal concerns about the sustainability of urban water system force the sector to adapt. In The Netherlands, a shift towards integration of spatial planning and water management can be observed. Despite major changes in water management policy and approach, changes in the physical urban water management infrastructure remain limited to incremental solutions and demonstration projects. Policy studies show that institutional factors and professional perceptions are important factors for application of innovations in urban water management. An online survey among Dutch urban water management professionals demonstrates that according to most respondents, optimization of the current system is sufficient to achieve both European and national objectives for sustainable urban water management. The respondents are most concerned with the effects of climate change on urban water systems. In contrast to current policy of the national government, priority factors that should be addressed to achieve a more sustainable urban water system are improving knowledge of local urban water systems, capacity building, developing trust between stakeholders, and improving involvement of elected officials and citizens.

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A socio-technical model to explore urban water systems scenarios

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2013.299 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 68 (3) ◽

pp. 714-721 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Fjalar J. de Haan ◽

Briony C. Ferguson ◽

Ana Deletic ◽

Rebekah R. Brown

Keyword(s):

Social Dynamics ◽

Water System ◽

Water Systems ◽

Theoretical Background ◽

Urban Water ◽

Water Drainage ◽

Urban Water System ◽

Societal Needs ◽

Urban Water Systems ◽

Technical Model

This article reports on the ongoing work and research involved in the development of a socio-technical model of urban water systems. Socio-technical means the model is not so much concerned with the technical or biophysical aspects of urban water systems, but rather with the social and institutional implications of the urban water infrastructure and vice versa. A socio-technical model, in the view purported in this article, produces scenarios of different urban water servicing solutions gaining or losing influence in meeting water-related societal needs, like potable water, drainage, environmental health and amenity. The urban water system is parameterised with vectors of the relative influence of each servicing solution. The model is a software implementation of the Multi-Pattern Approach, a theory on societal systems, like urban water systems, and how these develop and go through transitions under various internal and external conditions. Acknowledging that social dynamics comes with severe and non-reducible uncertainties, the model is set up to be exploratory, meaning that for any initial condition several possible future scenarios are produced. This article gives a concise overview of the necessary theoretical background, the model architecture and some initial test results using a drainage example.

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Governance instruments for optimising source separation in novel urban water systems: the case of cross-connections in urban water systems

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2019.183 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 412-427 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Björn Ebert ◽

Engelbert Schramm ◽

Bingxiang Wang ◽

Martina Winker

Keyword(s):

Source Separation ◽

Water System ◽

Water Systems ◽

Management Approach ◽

Urban Water ◽

Phase Cooperation ◽

Three Phase ◽

Urban Water Systems ◽

Cooperation Model ◽

Governance Instruments

Abstract Using the three-phase cooperation model and analysing projects based on their cooperation demands in the planning, implementation and operation phases, this article answers three main questions for each of the above-mentioned phases: (i) How and between which systems do cross-connections occur? (ii) Which actors are involved in those phases? (iii) Who needs to participate in which type of governance to achieve a better, more structured process of cross-connection control? The article refers to the world's largest novel water system in the Chinese city of Qingdao where a Resource Recovery Centre (RRC) providing the treatment of greywater for domestic and landscape reuse for 12,000 inhabitants has been implemented. A systematic interdisciplinary analysis of cross-connections leads to the conclusion that the approach to source separation needs to be complemented by governance instruments. These governance instruments derived from the actors identified by the cooperation management approach comprise processes of deliberation and communication, qualification and certification, final approval and inspection, as well as learning and evaluation.

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Stochastic stress-testing approach for assessing resilience of urban water systems from source to tap

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-13284 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dionysios Nikolopoulos ◽

Panagiotis Kossieris ◽

Christos Makropoulos

Keyword(s):

Stress Testing ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Water System ◽

Water Systems ◽

Distribution Model ◽

Generation Model ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Water Systems

Urban water systems are designed with the goal of delivering their service for several decades.&#160; The infrastructure will inevitably face long-term uncertainty in a multitude of parameters from the hydroclimatic and socioeconomic realms (e.g., climate change, limited supply of water in terms quantity and acceptable quality, population growth, shifting demand patterns, industrialization), as well as from the conceptual realm of the decision maker (e.g., changes in policy, system maintenance incentives, investment rate, expansion plans). Because urban water systems are overly complex, a holistic analysis involves the use of various models that individually pertain to a smaller sub-system and a variety of metrics to assess performance, whereas the analysis is accomplished at different temporal and spatial scales for each sub-system. In this work, we integrate a water resources management model with a water distribution model and a water demand generation model at smaller (household and district) scale, allowing us to simulate urban water systems &#8220;from source to tap&#8221;, covering the entire water cycle. We also couple a stochastic simulation module that supports the representation of uncertainty throughout the water cycle. The performance of the integrated system under long term uncertainty is assessed with the novel measure of system&#8217;s resilience i.e. the degree to which a water system continues to perform under progressively increasing disturbance. This evaluation is essentially a framework of systematic stress-testing, where the disturbance is described via stochastically changing parameters in an ensemble of scenarios that represent future world views. The framework is showcased through a synthesized case study of a medium-sized urban water system.AcknowledgementThis research is carried out / funded in the context of the project &#8220;A resilience assessment framework for water supply infrastructure under long-term uncertainty: A Source-to-Tap methodology integrating state of the art computational tools&#8221; (MIS 5049174) under the call for proposals &#8220;Researchers' support with an emphasis on young researchers- 2nd Cycle&#8221;. The project is co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund- ESF) by the Operational Programme Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning 2014-2020.&#8221;

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Supplementary material to "The limits to large scale supply augmentation: Exploring the crossroads of conflicting urban water system development pathways"

10.5194/hess-2021-431-supplement ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jonatan Godinez Madrigal ◽

Nora Van Cauwenbergh ◽

Jaime Hoogesteger ◽

Pamela Claure Gutierrez ◽

Pieter van der Zaag

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

System Development ◽

Water System ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Water System ◽

Supplementary Material

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Sustainable and Resilient Urban Water Systems: The Role of Decentralization and Planning

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11030918 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 918 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Nancey Leigh ◽

Heonyeong Lee

Keyword(s):

Water System ◽

Water Systems ◽

Urban Land Use ◽

Urban Water ◽

Land Use Patterns ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Mixed Use ◽

Urban Water Systems ◽

Potential Risks ◽

Multiple Challenges

Urban water systems face multiple challenges related to future uncertainty and pressures to provide more sustainable and resilient modes of service delivery. Transitioning away from fully centralized water systems is seen as a primary solution to addressing these urban challenges and pressures. We first review the literature on advantages, potential risks, and impediments to change associated with decentralized water system. Our review suggests that adopting decentralized solutions may advance conditions of sustainability and resilience in urban water management. We then explore the potential to incorporate decentralized water systems into broader urban land use patterns that include underserved residential neighborhoods, mixed-use developments, and industrial districts.

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Climate change in urban water system challenges: towards an integrated anticipatory approach

Proceedings of the 56th ISOCARP World Planning Congress ◽

10.47472/nvdb6040 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bruno Monardo ◽

◽

Claudia Mattogno ◽

Tullia Valeria Di Giacomo ◽

Luna Kappler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Water System ◽

Water Systems ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Urban Water ◽

Open Spaces ◽

Urban Water System ◽

Green Corridors ◽

Critical Aspects

The main goal of these reflections is to investigate and highlight innovative approaches in Climate Change driven policies, aimed at overcoming the waterfront cities’ critical aspects. The ‘River contracts’ experience, explored through two case studies in the Roman hydrographic basin, is conceived to tackle the increasing vulnerability of its territory, looking for a sensible attitude towards the integration of water systems, green corridors and open spaces, with actions to be planned and shared through participatory democracy’s steps. Anticipatory adaptation looks ahead to the project scenario trying to implement policies and strategies preventing potential disasters. Creative design and conscious management embracing different spatial scales play a crucial role in enhancing the anticipatory adaptation and resilience approach. The variety of trends, contexts and spatial scales highlights that it is definitively time for fostering the ‘adaptation approach’, supported by mitigation strategies, with a clear twofold aim: risks to be minimised and potential opportunities to be caught.

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