How to Anticipate Public Health Indicators Using Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 Concentration During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Madrid Region Case Study

This study analyzes the presence and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage sanitation systems in the Madrid region. The statistical results and data generated are presented daily via a platform as a tool for the early detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its spread based on the WBE (wastewater-based epidemiological) approach. The number of sampled points amounts to a total of 289 sampling points in terms of SARS-CoV-2 concentration that collects over six million and a half inhabitants’ discharges. The project was developed by Canal de Isabel II, the water utility company from Madrid. The research evaluates the correlation found between SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater and the following public health indicators: incidence rate, reported active cases and COVID-19 hospitalization data (regular hospitalization and ICU admission cases).SARS-CoV-2 presence and dynamics in wastewater show a strong connection with both 14-day incidence rates with active infection and reported COVID-19 hospitalizations. A lag varying from 3 to 8 days between wastewater presence and hospitalizations is explained because the infection is found in the feces of patients before symptom onset. The resulting data are available for consultancy on the company’s website (named VIGÍA project) as well as on the regional government’s websites.The results have already been useful to anticipate the second and third COVID-19 waves in Madrid. Information is shared daily with health authorities for consultancy and decision-making. The results are available as an aggregation for the entire region and for each sewershed.

Resilience to climate change: adaptation strategies for the water supply system of Formia and Gaeta (Province of Latina, Central Italy)

The aqueduct serving the municipalities of Formia and Gaeta (Latina province, Italy), an area under the enforcement and control responsibility of “ATO 4” Autorità d’Ambito Territoriale Ottimale – (Integrated Urban Water Management Agency), is supplied by two important karst springs. These springs, fed by the western Aurunci Mountains system are known as Mazzoccolo and Capodacqua having an average flow rates of 1100 l/s and 1300 l/s, respectively. Although these sources have been used since ancient Roman times and the quality of their water is excellent, variations in the precipitation regime, possibly related to worldwide climate changes, has exacerbated the following problems: a decrease in the flow rates of the springs caused by the reduction in winter rainfall, and an increase of turbidity due to concentrated rainfall events. In order to mitigate these problems, which affect a resident population of about 150,000 inhabitants, Acqualatina S.p.A. - the water utility company - promoted a series of geological and hydrogeological surveys. These studies aim at increasing the knowledge on the geological setting and to find additional sources to improve the existing supply. Within the framework of these activities, we studied a strategy aimed at diversifying the water supply by identifying new exploitable aquifers in the area, to reduce the aforementioned problems. This paper presents the results of research carried out before and during the construction of the water well field “25 Ponti” located in the coastal area of the plain of Formia. The research consisted in laboratory analyses of 130 groundwater samples and in monitoring of piezometric trends. The data show a seasonal variation in groundwater chemical composition caused also by aquifer exploitation, which in some periods of the year affects the regulated reserves. This seasonal phenomenon was however present in absence of pumping.

Monitoring the health status of water mains using a scorecard modelling approach

There has been considerable research into prediction of water mains failure, however, those models are very complex and fail to convey the message of the health status of an asset to the relevant stakeholders. The study developed a ‘pipe health scorecard’ based on historical failure data which could be used for operation, maintenance, refurbishment, or replacement decisions by a water utility. This scorecard model was developed by using 160,413 pipe-condition datasets from the South Australian Water Corporation over 10 years. Measures such as the Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) statistic, Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC), and Population Stability Index (PSI) showed the model is strong enough to predict the health status of water mains. The study found that the factors influencing water mains failure to be in the order of importance: length, material, age, location (road vs verge), diameter, and operating parameters. The development of a simple but reliable model for the assessment of the health status of water mains will have major benefits to the water utility with the ability to identify and potentially replace water pipes prior to failure. Additional benefits of flexible scheduling of the maintenance and replacement programs would contribute to cost savings.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUE OF DESTINATION MARKETING: THE IMPACT OF FLOOD AND DROUGHT TOWARDS WATER SUPPLY IN KUALA LUMPUR

As a result of globalisation, destination marketing has become essential as cities, states, regions and countries compete with one another to attract huge investment and tourists (Baker & Cameron, 2008). In order for these destinations to compete effectively, it is essential to explore how natural disasters may have impacted the destination. Basic utilities such as water resources could have been impacted by natural disasters. To date, little is known on the impact of natural disasters on the water supply which may directly and indirectly affect the image of a destination. Information on the characteristics of natural disasters, namely floods and drought, (i.e., the time duration, location and the severity) based on the individual destination are also not known. Hence, the main objective of this study is to understand the economic and socio-economic aspects of natural disasters on water supply. To fulfill the research gap, a qualitative study was performed. Specifically, two focus group discussions were executed on household representatives of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur in regard to natural disasters like floods and droughts. Based on the research findings, there is no issue of water supply associated with the flood crisis. However, there are mix opinions on the correlation of droughts and the water supply, with majority believing that there is no correlation between droughts and water supply in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The findings of this qualitative study may serve as the foundation for a quantitative study (i.e., developing sets of questionnaires), and may contribute for policymakers and water utility providers in comprehending the issues and taking precautions prior to the occurrence of natural disasters.

A Metadata Framework for Asset Management Decision Support: A Water Infrastructure Case Study

A water utility requires myriads of data for effective decision-making. As the sources and ranges of data are becoming increasingly complex, the use of a metadata framework can play a significant role in effective data management. Using case study method, this research analyzed data needs of a water supply system in a small town in South Australia and designed a demo portal of a metadata framework. As part of the case study, the project team undertook a broad investigative approach using focus group (interviews), observation, exploration of potential data sources, identification of knowledge leaders and information technology systems. The metadata framework comprised two separate but interconnected metadata groups, (1) metadata elements to describe the metadata source and (2) metadata elements to describe the datasets held in each data source. The metadata framework was populated to describe data sources and data held in each of the sources. The data catalogue created by this process showed that it was accomplishable and appropriate to describe data sources and datasets via a metadata framework.

The Emergence and Persistence of Payments for Watershed Services Programs in Mexico

Payments for watershed services programs (PWS) have become a prominent tool to protect ecosystems and hydrological services but little is known about where these innovative financing tools and governance systems emerge and persist. In 2008, the Mexican government started a program where they match funding from local partners to establish user-financed PWS programs, leading to the creation of 145 programs between 2008 and 2019. We study the factors that led to the emergence and persistence of these local PWS programs across Mexico. We assemble a unique database on these programs, as well as biophysical, economic and socio-cultural, and institutional variables, at the municipality level. We use logistic regression to analyze the variables that led to the emergence and persistence of PWS. We find that PWS programs are more likely to emerge in municipalities with lower opportunity costs; that are wealthier and more populated; that have complementary conservation programs; and that have more collective land tenure and protected areas. PWS programs are more likely to persist in municipalities with poorer water quality and more floods; that have more protected areas; and that have a non-governmental organization or water utility involved as the local counterpart. These results suggest that the emergence and persistence of local, user-financed PWS could be facilitated through better information on the condition of watershed services to signal need for hydrological protection; capacity building and institutional strengthening efforts that provide the social capital needed for collective action; and involvement of decentralized non-state actors that are politically neutral and can provide more sustainable financing.

Improving GPR Imaging of the Buried Water Utility Infrastructure by Integrating the Multidimensional Nonlinear Data Decomposition Technique into the Edge Detection

Although ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is effective to detect shallow-buried objects, it still needs more effort for the application to investigate a buried water utility infrastructure. Edge detection is a well-known image processing technique that may improve the resolution of GPR images. In this study, we briefly review the theory of edge detection and discuss several popular edge detectors as examples, and then apply an enhanced edge detecting method to GPR data processing. This method integrates the multidimensional ensemble empirical mode decomposition (MDEEMD) algorithm into standard edge detecting filters. MDEEMD is implemented mainly for data reconstruction to increase the signal-to-noise ratio before edge detecting. A quantitative marginal spectrum analysis is employed to support the data reconstruction and facilitate the final data interpretation. The results of the numerical model study followed by a field example suggest that the MDEEMD edge detector is a competent method for processing and interpreting GPR data of a buried hot spring well, which cannot be efficiently handled by conventional techniques. Moreover, the proposed method should be readily considered a vital tool for processing other kinds of buried water utility infrastructures.

What Drives Water Utility Selection of Pricing Methods? Evidence from California

Water pricing is a demand management strategy to address the looming challenge of greater water scarcity in arid regions. Much of the literature on residential water rates focuses on evaluating the impact of pricing on household conservation. A separate, but rarely addressed question is what motivates a water utility to select a particular rate structure and the timing of doing so. We assess utilities’ decisions to adopt pro-conservation rate structures, such as increasing block rates and water budget rates. We develop a conceptual model of utility decision-making regarding the transition to pro-conservation rates and apply it to California.We examine the relationship between rate adoption and characteristics of utilities and customers using logistic regression and a balanced panel dataset of 323 California water systems from 2006-2015. We find a notable shift towards pro-conservation rates, which 71% of California utilities had by 2015, compared to 44% in 2006. Capacity factors associated with adoption include size of service population and customer income level, while motivating factors include peer adoption, greater customer engagement, and special district governance. Overall, this study provides insight into barriers to pro-conservation pricing, which can inform policies to enable transitions and advance conservation goals.

Development of IoT Real-Time Groundwater Monitoring System

Internet of Things (IoT) Real-Time Groundwater Monitoring System is a system built to monitor groundwater extraction and consumption. Groundwater scarcity has become a major threat to the government especially water utility company. Water theft, inaccuracy meter reading & lock out access are some problems contributing to water scarcity. In this research, data obtained from the groundwater consumption using flow sensor will be sent to the server where all this data will be recorded for future analysing by respective authorities. The system has been tested thoroughly using of Long Range (LoRa) communication module together with Thingspeak cloud and mobile application. The results showed promising coverage with Line of Sight (LOS) is tested at 900m maximum while for Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) is at 600m. A very small standard deviation up to 4.93 was observed for received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value for LOS and NLOS. Compared with the existing manual method, the proposed IoT system will water authority to monitor water consumption effectively through real time and better coverage.