PLANNING FOR A RANGE OF WATER SUPPLIES: HOW INTEGRATED WATER SUPPLY MODELING YIELDS RELIABLE LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS

摘要

Classically water recycling projects have been most successfully developed when water supply and wastewater disposal needs intersect. By providing benefits to both "sides" of a utility system, recycled water projects have provided a cost-effective, localized alternative supply. However, as elected officials, water resource professionals and increasingly land developers and facilities managers look to secure more reliable and sustainable utility systems, recycled water projects are being reviewed as part of a suite of alternative water supply solutions. While the concept of integrating recycled water within a supply strategy that includes demand management, rainwater capture, grey water recycling, storm water reuse, and more centralized supply solutions is being articulated by many land use and utility agencies, effectively modelling the most efficient and reliable supply mix is challenging. Supply planners are tasked with understanding how behavioural modification and building and site plumbing at a highly localized level can "scale up" to be part regional solutions designed to provide a resilient water supply network. This paper discusses how an integrated water planning model can assist urban planners, developers and architects, local officials, building owners, facilities managers and the public in quantifying how the range of conventional and alternative water supply solutions work together at the site level and how combinations of site-based and localized solutions can be networked together in order to enhance overall regional reliability. Drawing on case studies from Australia, the paper will describe how an integrated water planning model has been used to analyze supply strategies for: ? Individual commercial and industrial buildings ? Existing and new residential neighbourhoods ? Large and small urban areas ? Regional partnerships with access for varying supply sources The paper will describe the conceptual and quantitative tools used in the modelling process and outline "lessons learned" from these high level planning exercises. By presenting data and analysis from a range of applications, the paper will assist all those involved in developing alternative water supplies with understanding the data sets, modelling concepts and types of results that can be expected when a range of alternative supplies are considered as part of long-term planning work.