PLANNING AND MANAGING THE GROWING THIRST: SOLUTIONS USING TOTALWATER MANAGEMENT

摘要

Managing water resources is becoming increasingly complex in regions with continued growthrnand development resulting in increased competition for a finite resource – water. Growingrndemands for water supply intensify the need for new sources as well as approaches to managerndemand such as conservation or to replace supply for non-potable demands through use ofrnreclaimed water (reuse). At the same time, from a watershed perspective, environmental needsrnsuch as in-stream flows often are considered to compete for water resources. Furtherrncomplications are predicted in some areas due to influences of global climate change which mayrnchange the amount, timing, and form of precipitation over time and/or the frequency ofrnextreme events. These dynamics highlight complex inter-relationships among the elements ofrnthe terrestrial water cycle and the resulting complexity of water management, including source,rnsupply, demands, treatment, reuse, and back to source again.rnThe St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), JEA and Clay County UtilityrnAuthority (CCUA) in Florida are currently involved in critical planning and permitting effortsrnfor integrated management of water supplies and wastewater. This paper outlines the process ofrnTotal Water Management and presents the application of this process for selecting the projectsrnbased on the decision and optimization model framework to develop projects that would promoternwater reuse, minimize costs for wastewater infrastructure development, augment water supplyrnand help in achieving water quality standards.