PLANNING AND MANAGING THE GROWING THIRST: SOLUTIONS USING TOTAL WATER MANAGEMENT

摘要

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