Urban hydrology and water management— Present and future challenges

Urban Water (Elsevier) | March 1st, 1999

Urban hydrology is an applied science that will have an increasing role to play in the sustainability of human societies. Facing present growth of urban population, it is

Urban hydrology is an applied science that will have an increasing role to play in the sustainability of human societies. Facing present growth of urban population, it is increasingly difficult to find and utilize new sources of water necessary to satisfy growing water demand. For the poor, the residents of peri-urban and squatter areas, an ultimate poverty, the poverty of lacking clean water, is a result. To remove this kind of poverty should be a first priority target for all people and, especially, for people dealing with water management in urban areas. Growth of urban areas brings significant changes in physical properties of land surface increasing integrated vulnerability of inhabitants, agricultural land and rural ecological life supporting systems. Performance of technical solutions depends on climate as well as on social, economical and cultural conditions. Findings from urban hydrological studies based on collection of urban hydrological data, calculations and modeling constitute a necessary fundamental for meaningful water management not only in urban areas but also in entire river basins. Future challenges in urban water management include development of new technical solutions as well as logistic and organizational methods in order to turn present problems into future opportunities. The following current and emerging challenges are discussed in the paper: delivery of drinking water supply for growing cities, water for sanitation versus sanitation without water, recycling of wastewater nutrients, wastewater irrigation, urban agriculture, water to feed depleted aquifers, thoughts about possible future new system solutions, social equity and transfer of knowledge and new technology.

Urban Water Conservation and Efficiency Potential in California

Pacific Institute | June 10th, 2014

Improving urban water-use efficiency is a key solution to California’s short-term and long-term water challenges: from drought to unsustainable groundwater use to growi

Improving urban water-use efficiency is a key solution to California’s short-term and long-term water challenges: from drought to unsustainable groundwater use to growing tensions over limited supplies. Reducing unnecessary water withdrawals leaves more water in reservoirs and aquifers for future use and has tangible benefits to fish and other wildlife in our rivers and estuaries. In addition, improving water-use efficiency and reducing waste can save energy, lower water and wastewater treatment costs, and eliminate the need for costly new infrastructure.

Urban Water Conservation in the Sacramento, California Region During the 2014-2016 Drought

ProQuest Dissertations Publishing | December 30th, 2019

Urban Water Management Planning Guidebook for Urban Water Suppliers (2015)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | March 3rd, 2016

The Guidebook for Urban Water Suppliers (Guidebook) has been developed by Department of Water Resources to assist urban water suppliers in preparing 2015 Urban Water Mana

The Guidebook for Urban Water Suppliers (Guidebook) has been developed by Department of Water Resources to assist urban water suppliers in preparing 2015 Urban Water Management Plans (UWMPs or Plans). This guidance is intended to ensure the Plans will address the requirements of the California Water Code (CWC), provide useful information to the public about water suppliers and their water management programs, and provide a framework for water planning to minimize the negative effects of potential water shortages. Water suppliers need not limit themselves to the requirements and recommendations found in the Guidebook. Suppliers may include any additional information that will assist in providing a full description of their water resources and water management.

Urban Water Revolution: Sustainable Water Futures for California Cities

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) | July 15th, 2020

California has consistently altered natural water resources to provide water for its growing population and to support the fifth largest economy in the world. However, th

California has consistently altered natural water resources to provide water for its growing population and to support the fifth largest economy in the world. However, the old ways of coping with the California’s urban water needs—overdraft of groundwater, stream depletion, and greater imports—will no longer meet the demands of the 21st century. We examine California’s water history and present several promising solutions to the challenge of urban water security: a combination of conservation and efficiency, desalination, stormwater capture, water re-use, and water banking. These options for urban water, including direct potable reuse, will help dry cities in California and elsewhere achieve more sustainable and diversified water supply portfolios. Pilot and demonstration-scale projects, along with innovations in systems management and new regulations, point the way toward more resilient water supplies for dry cities. Movement toward regional collaboration, implementation of new technologies, and new regulatory regimes are helping to realize a one-water vision. Different cities will develop their own water supply portfolio options appropriate for their geography, values, and urban form on a path toward meeting the urban water challenges of this century.

Using Watershed Science to Build Consensus and Maximize Benefits of L.A. County’s Safe Clean Water Program

Accelerate Resilience LA (ARLA) | January 31st, 2022

To meet its diverse goals, SCWP scoring criteria, processes, and guidelines were initially developed to incentivize projects that simultaneously address water, environmen

To meet its diverse goals, SCWP scoring criteria, processes, and guidelines were initially developed to incentivize projects that simultaneously address water, environmental, MS4 compliance, and social issues. However, the first two SCWP funding cycles of Stormwater Investment Plans (SIP) featured extensive committee debate and public comments concerning the balance of these goals. This public debate illuminated the need for an assessment of the extent to which SCWP guidance, criteria, structure, and processes are successfully driving meaningful progress toward the fourteen SCWP Goals.

Utah's Land, Water and Air 2022 Report to the Governor

Utah State University | November 30th, 2022

Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California

Pacific Institute | November 1st, 2003

The largest, least expensive, and most environmentally sound source of water to meet California’s future needs is the water currently being wasted in every sector of

The largest, least expensive, and most environmentally sound source of water to meet California’s future needs is the water currently being wasted in every sector of our economy. That’s the core message of a major new report on urban water use in California released by the Pacific Institute of Oakland, California. “Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California,”in preparation for three years, is the first report to look comprehensively at residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial water use in the state — and then evaluate the potential for reducing this use through conservation and efficiency. Despite the progress California has already made in improving water efficiency, “Waste Not, Want Not” estimates that up to one-third of California’s current urban water use — more than 2.3 million acre-feet — can be saved using existing technology. And at least 85% of this savings (over 2 million acre-feet) can be saved at costs below what it will cost to tap into new sources of supply and without the social, environmental, and economic impacts that any major water project will bring.

Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture: Development of a Regional Water Reuse Decision-Support Model (RWRM) for Cost-Effective Irrigation Sources

American Chemical Society (ACS) | August 8th, 2016

Water scarcity has become a critical problem in many semiarid and arid regions. The single largest water use in such regions is for crop irrigation, which typically relie

Water scarcity has become a critical problem in many semiarid and arid regions. The single largest water use in such regions is for crop irrigation, which typically relies on groundwater and surface water sources. With increasing stress on these traditional water sources, it is important to consider alternative irrigation sources for areas with limited freshwater resources. One potential irrigation water resource is treated wastewater for agricultural fields located near urban centers. In addition, treated wastewater can contribute an appreciable amount of necessary nutrients for plants. The suitability of reclaimed water for specific applications depends on water quality and usage requirements. The main factors that determine the suitability of recycled water for agricultural irrigation are salinity, heavy metals, and pathogens, which cause adverse effects on human, plants, and soils. In this paper, we develop a regional water reuse decision-support model (RWRM) using the general algebraic modeling system to analyze the cost-effectiveness of alternative treatment trains to generate irrigation water from reclaimed wastewater, with the irrigation water designed to meet crop requirements as well as California’s wastewater reuse regulations (Title 22). Using a cost-minimization framework, least-cost solutions consisting of treatment processes and their intensities (blending ratios) are identified to produce alternative irrigation sources for citrus and turfgrass. Our analysis illustrates the benefits of employing an optimization framework and flexible treatment design to identify cost-effective blending opportunities that may produce high-quality irrigation water for a wide range of end uses.

Water and Wastes: A Retrospective Assessment of Wastewater Technology in the United States, 1800-1932

Johns Hopkins University Press (Hopkins Press) | April 2nd, 1984

This article derives largely from our NSF report on wastewater technology. The specific objects of the research were to identify the processes and key decision points i

This article derives largely from our NSF report on wastewater technology. The specific objects of the research were to identify the processes and key decision points involved in the evolution of wastewater technology of human waste disposal, to explore both its primary and secondary social and institutional effects, and to examine the development of public policy toward water pollution problems. In addition, the report dealt with the role played by values in the implementation of technology, as well as the effect of the technology on values. The essential aims of the project were to increase our understanding of water-related environmental problems and to inform policymakers about the larger context of contemporary wastewater questions.