A new framework for small drinking water plant sustainability support and decision-making

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Water Treatment Technologies
• Sustainability Science

Background:

• Small public drinking water systems (<10,000 people) face increasing challenges in treatment decisions due to stringent regulations and degrading source water quality.
• Limited resources and lack of decision-support tools hinder small systems from making informed, sustainable choices based on environmental, social, and economic criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly sustainability assessment framework tailored for small drinking water systems.
• To aid these systems in making informed and sustainable treatment process decisions.

Main Methods:

• The framework integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA).
• It evaluates twelve decision criteria specifically developed for small drinking water systems.
• An aggregation approach is used to navigate trade-offs and generate recommendations aligned with stakeholder values.

Main Results:

• The framework was tested using four hypothetical scenarios, demonstrating its applicability to diverse small systems.
• It effectively assists stakeholders in navigating complex trade-offs inherent in treatment process selection.
• The framework's engineering relevance and universal applicability across various system parameters were confirmed.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework provides a comprehensive tool for small drinking water systems to evaluate and select sustainable treatment processes.
• It empowers stakeholders to make informed decisions by considering environmental, social, and economic factors.
• The framework's adaptability ensures its utility for a wide range of small water systems with varying needs and preferences.