Perspectives on multi-benefit water reuse systems: A confluence of water and wastewater management planning

The multiple benefits of water reuse have yet to be fully realized in our urban water management systems. One pathway to optimal implementation is to plan for their integration with wider assets in water resource or drainage and wastewater management plans. This paper explores the perspectives of water resource and wastewater management planners. Qualitative data was gathered from a workshop organized by the Chartered Institution for Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) with 25 participants from England's Water Service Providers (WSPs), regulators (Ofwat and the Environment Agency) and consultants working within the UK water sector. The participants acknowledged that water reuse is relevant to both water resource and drainage and wastewater management planning, but that current regulatory and funding frameworks are constraining effective engagement between water resource and drainage and wastewater management planners by encouraging the development of separate plans. A general consensus of the participants was that it would be beneficial to include water reuse technology within current and future Water Resource Management Plans (WRMPs) and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). Participants suggested this could be developed through collaborative working partnerships and support from regulatory and funding frameworks that allow for the growth and development of innovative technologies and nature-based solutions. Participants also highlighted a stronger economic case could be made for water reuse technologies if the approach seeks to capture the wider benefits and not only the ‘best value’ solution. Societal acceptance and the availability of good quality data will be key to the successful adoption of any incentivized water reuse schemes.     

Reuse of treated municipal wastewater in irrigation: a case study from Lebanon and Jordan

In this study, we present the results of scenarios where secondary‐treated municipal wastewater was used for table grapes irrigation in the region of Ablah, Bekaa valley in Lebanon, and fodder crops irrigation (vetch and barley) in the region of Ramtha in Jordan. In Lebanon, we carried out experiments to assess the response of drip‐irrigated table grapes grown under two water quality regimes (Freshwater (FW) and treated wastewater (TW) and two water levels (100% of evapotranspiration (ETc) and 75% of ETc). While in Jordan, we carried out experiments to assess the response of drip‐irrigated fodder crops considering 4 irrigation levels (Q1: Rain fed; Q2: 80% of ETc; Q3: 100% of ETc; Q4: 120% of ETc) and three crop patterns (C1: Barley 100%; C2: Vetch 100%; C3: Mix 50% barley and 50% vetch). Based on the production and quality components, table grapes were successfully grown on plots that are supplied with TW. Fodder crops were successfully grown using TW with remarkable increase in biomass and grain yield production for the irrigated treatments.     

北方缺水地区水资源可持续利用管理途径研究

对北方地区的水资源现状与配置状况进行了分析,指出了目前北方地区水资源利用存在的问题,提出水资源的合理开发利用需要一套行之有效的管理途径,并从政府政策管理方面研究了该管理途径,以合理有效地利用水资源。     

浅析内蒙古准格尔旗水资源保护与可持续利用

介绍了准格尔旗水资源特点,在水资源供需预测及现状用水水平调查的基础上,对水资源开发利用中存在的问题进行了分析,提出水资源可持续利用是化解社会经济快速发展与水资源短缺之间矛盾的必由之路。     

实现水资源可持续利用应重视的几个问题

分析了我国水资源特点,研究了水资源开发利用中存在的问题,以工程水利向资源水利、可持续发展水利的转变为指导,提出了实现水资源可持续利用应重视的几个问题.     

Estimating irrigation water demand for green spaces in humid areas: seeking a sustainable water management strategy

Quantifying the irrigation water demand of green spaces (IWDG) is an important part of smart urban water management. However, the IWDG in humid cites is not well characterized. Moreover, the alteration of natural hydrological processes caused by urbanization leading to the dependence of green spaces on irrigation is becoming more common. To better understand the IWDG in humid areas, we developed an estimation model and used the Yangtze River Delta in China as a case study. Results showed that the amount of water required by the green spaces in the Yangtze River Delta was approximately 354 × 10⁶ m³, which was equivalent to 12% of the urban residential water consumption in 2011. This study also investigated the spatial-temporal changes of urban green spaces and estimated their effects on irrigation water demand. These findings provide policymakers an integrated view of the water demand of green spaces associated with sustainable management.     

Framework for net-zero and net-positive building water cycle management

Consumption of limited energy, water and material resources within the building sector drives the need for integrated building management strategies that alleviate the pressure placed on the environment. Net-zero buildings balance the inputs with outputs in order to offset negative external impacts associated with structure operations. Historically the net-zero concept has been applied to the building energy budget; however, the popularity of achieving net-zero compliance has expanded to carbon emissions, waste generation and water consumption. Concordant to the building energy subsystem, the water subsystem consists of multiple demands and sources that dynamically interact. The resultant building water cycle is unique to each building; and thus a generic strategy toward net-zero water compliance does not apply. Distinct differences between energy and water infrastructure components result in variant management strategies for net-zero or regenerative achievement. The application of net-zero concepts to the water sector is investigated, and a conceptual framework for the achievement of a net-positive building water cycle that increases the sustainability and resilience of the urban and natural environments is presented. Regenerative buildings producing a net-positive water impact must fulfil quantity, quality, spatial and temporal prerequisites.     

长治市水资源现状及其可持续利用对策

随着经济的快速增长和城市的迅速膨胀,水体污染日趋严重,水环境进一步恶化,只有通过兴修水利工程,改变传统的农业灌溉方式,进行污水处理和建立中水使用系统,成立水务局,进行水系统的联合调度,加强对水资源的统一管理和优化配置,建立节水型社会,才能实现经济社会的可持续发展。     

水资源管理学发展趋势研究

通过对国内外水资源管理研究、实施情况和水资源可持续管理的分析,指出我国水资源管理存在的问题,提出了我国水资源管理学在新的历史时期的研究方向,对保障我国用水健康循环和国家可持续发展具有重要意义。     

Minimizing water cost in water resource management of Athens

This paper considers the minimization of the cost of water through an integrated water resources planning and management model, implemented within the decision support system for the management of the Athens water supply system. The mathematical framework employs a simulation-optimization scheme, where simulation is applied to faithfully represent the system operation, whereas optimization is applied to derive the optimal management policy, which simultaneously minimizes the risk and cost of decision-making. Real economic criteria in addition to artificial costs are appropriately assigned to preserve the physical constraints and water use priorities, ensuring also the lowest-cost transportation of water from sources to the point of consumption. The proposed model is tested on the hydrosystem of Athens, in order to minimize the expected operational costs for several system configurations.     

陕西省城市节水潜力分析

针对陕西省城市水资源供需不平衡且水资源浪费严重的现象,在分析了该省城市节约用水潜力的基础上,对城市节水方案进行了综合评估,提出了节约用水的基本方案与强化方案,以解决该省城市供需平衡的问题。     

Inactivation and reactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by chlorination in secondary effluents of a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Reports state that chlorination of drinking water and wastewater affects the proportions of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by potentially assisting in microbial selection. Studies on the effect of chlorination on like species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, however, have shown to be conflicting; furthermore, few studies have inspected the regrowth or reactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria after chlorination in wastewater. To understand the risks of chlorination resulting from potentially selecting for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, inactivation and reactivation rates of both total heterotrophic bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (including penicillin-, ampicillin-, tetracycline-, chloramphenicol-, and rifampicin-resistant bacteria) were examined after chlorinating secondary effluent samples from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in this study.Our experimental results indicated similar inactivation rates of both total heterotrophic bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Microbial community composition, however, was affected by chlorination: treating samples with 10 mg Cl₂/L for 10 min resulted in chloramphenicol-resistant bacteria accounting for nearly 100% of the microbial population in contrast to 78% before chlorination. This trend shows that chlorination contributes to selection of some antibiotic-resistant strains. Reactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria occurred at 2.0 mg Cl₂/L for 10 min; specifically, chloramphenicol-, ampicillin-, and penicillin-resistant bacteria were the three prevalent groups present, and the reactivation of chloramphenicol-resistant bacteria exceeded 50%. Regrowth and reactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in secondary effluents after chlorination with a long retention time could threaten public health security during wastewater reuse.     

Quality assessment of water receiving effluents from crude oil flow stations in Niger Delta,Nigeria

Waterbodies receiving effluent from six crude oil flow stations in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria were assessed. A total of six hundred and forty‐five observations for 19 parameters were used to assess the quality of these waters using the Canadian water quality index. A high correlation was obtained between copper and ammonia (R = 0.9996, P < 0.01) on one hand, and dissolved oxygen and BOD (R = 0.786, P < 0.01) on the other. Of the six stations, only one can be classified to be in good conditon, two were in fair conditions, two were marginal, while one was of poor quality. The quality of waterbodies assessed depends more on the degree of violation of standards and the number of times standards were violated. Furthermore, the quality of these waterbodies are affected more by the hydroglogy and geology of the Niger Delta than any other factor.     

The role of free water surface constructed wetlands as polishing step in municipal wastewater reclamation and reuse

In Europe, the last two decades witnessed growing water stress, both in terms of water scarcity and quality deterioration, which prompted many municipalities for a more efficient use of the water resources, including a more widespread acceptance of water reuse practices. Treatment technology encompasses a vast variety of options. Constructed wetlands are regarded as key elements in polishing conventionally treated wastewater for recreational and environmental applications. A survey was conducted to assess the performance of tertiary free water surface constructed wetlands in treating both key and emerging contaminant categories in the perspective of water reuse. A database was created with information concerning systems with emerging and free-floating macrophytes. The database includes results from both full- and pilot-scale systems, and considers a broad variety of operating conditions. This paper provides an overview of the treatment performances of the constructed wetlands in the database and discusses their significance in the optic of water reclamation and reuse practices.     

A sustainable framework for water resources management in an urban watershed: the case of Volos,Greece

The implementation of sustainable development principles in water resources management refers to an integrated management and coordination of the entirety of the actions and interventions that concern the water ecosystem, or parts of it, within a watershed. This procedure is accomplished through the development and application of an overall management plan at a hydrological basin level. This concept was followed by the water resources management plan of the city of Volos' watershed, which is presented in this paper. The main objective is the choice of the best set, among others, of hydraulic projects, which will be able to re-establish the balance in the basin's deficient water budget, satisfying at the same time future urban water demand. Decision making was carried out using a GIS tool and involved traditional water capture hydraulic projects on the one hand and sustainable water saving measures on the other. The whole procedure is being developed in an area with serious environmental problems, concerning mainly the groundwater resources. The particularity here is that the alternative solutions strongly depend on administrative agreement and consensus between relevant authorities.     

Measuring the economic benefits of residential water quality improvement in Ulsan,Korea using a contingent valuation

Korean people are getting more concerned about their health and their interest in clean water is increasing continuously. The source of portable water in Ulsan is the Nakdong river, which is one of the most polluted in the country. Thus, the Ulsan metropolitan government has a plan to move the water-collecting area to supply cleaner residential water. This study attempts to measure the benefits of residential water quality improvement in Ulsan using contingent valuation method. Furthermore, we allowed for a nonzero probability of unwillingness to pay in contingent valuation experiments by using spike models, because 55.6 percent of respondents stated ‘no’ to the given bids to improve their residential water quality although other respondents stated that they would be willing to pay a significant amount.     

Challenges and alternatives for unmanned underwater vehicular research in the Amazon basin: Towards a more sustainable management of water resources and the environment

The Amazon basin is one of the largest hydrographic systems in the world, possessing a great diversity of natural resources in need of more sustainable water and environmental management. However, as much of what lies beneath the surface of Amazonian waters is still unexplored, underwater exploration technologies are seen as a means of research and monitoring. The present work therefore aims to answer two research questions: What are the current technologies that could be implemented for unmanned underwater research in the Amazon waters? What are the main limitations and existing alternatives for using unmanned underwater vehicles in the rivers of this region to provide more sustainable water and environment management? Our results demonstrate that remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are possible options in the short and long terms, respectively. The main challenges in implementing these technologies are related to the variations in hydraulic geometry, current velocities and turbidity of the rivers, as well as the preservation of the region's biodiversity. This research can be taken as a starting point for planners and decision makers seeking more sustainable underwater and environmental exploration of the Amazon river system.     

Evaluation of a portable in-house greywater treatment system for potential water-reuse in urban areas

This study aims at improving greywater reuse potential. An advanced physical filtration system named as GAC-MI-ME was developed to attain multi-grade effluents for versatile reuse of greywater. It consists of a matrix of treatment trains including coarse filtration, microfiltration, activated carbon, ultrafiltration, ultraviolet, and reverse osmosis. A preliminary set of experiments were conducted to characterize the greywater originating from shower, washbasin, and laundry. The samples were subsequently treated through GAC-MI-ME system. It was observed that the activated carbon along with microfiltration and coarse filtration played vital roles as pre-filtration for ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. The contaminant load distributions of GAC-MI-ME system were observed with an average of 90.4% turbidity and 53.2% of biochemical oxidation demand (BOD₅₎ as the pre-filtration, whereas the effluents at ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis showed unrestricted water reuse possibilities. The GAC-MI-ME system can be envisioned as advancement to the conventionally applied greywater treatments.     

The role of business models and transitional pressures in attaining sustainable urban water management

Many scholarly articles have argued that there is a need for a transition towards sustainable urban water management (SUWM). As businesses, water service providers (WSPs) must modify their business models to align with this goal. Explicit consideration of business models is, however, often missing from the literature relating to SUWM. More specifically, the economic level is often not given due consideration. To help address this gap, this paper reviews the potential role business models can play in attaining SUWM. Elements of a sustainability-based business model are presented, along with a case study of transitional pressures in Melbourne, Australia. The case study highlights factors that have a significant impact on the business models of WSPs, and it is concluded that customer willingness to pay and politicization of decisions must be addressed if transitions to sustainability-based business models are to be maintained over the long term.     

Application of spatial statistics as a screening tool for sustainable flood retention basin management

In the context of climate change and the EU flood directive, this paper analyses and explores sustainable flood retention basins (SFRB) as adaptive structures contributing to water resources management and flood risk control. A dataset of 371 potential SFRB (including many operating reservoirs) characterized by 40 variables have been surveyed across central Scotland. However, the spatial properties of these SFRB, such as water storage (which relates to flooding depth) in different regions, are ambiguous. This paper uses geostatistics on the Scottish dataset. Spatial analysis showed that ordinary kriging, which is a spatial interpolation method, could be successfully applied to estimate numerical values for all key flood control variables everywhere in the study area. Moreover, the probability that certain threshold values relevant to flood control managers were exceeded can also be calculated by using disjunctive kriging. The findings provide an effective screening tool in assessing flood control using SFRB.