Drinking water management strategies for distribution networks: An integrated performance assessment framework

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Water Resource Management
• Sustainable Development

Background:

• Global water resources are increasingly strained due to population growth, urbanization, contamination, and climate change.
• Drinking water management strategies (DWMS) are crucial for ensuring water safety.
• Growing focus on climate change, emissions, and sustainability necessitates evaluating the environmental and economic performance of DWMS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply an integrated framework for evaluating the water quality, environmental, and economic performance of DWMS.
• To assess six different DWMS using the developed framework as a case study.
• To provide a flexible approach for evaluating DWMS performance under various criteria.

Main Methods:

• An integrated framework combining life cycle thinking and water quality assessment techniques was developed.
• Six DWMS were assessed using the integrated framework.
• Pollution water index (PWI) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) were employed for decision-making.

Main Results:

• Environmental impacts varied across DWMS, with human health, ecosystem, and resource use impacts quantified.
• DWMS using surface water or higher treatment levels showed higher PWI scores, indicating greater environmental impacts.
• Cost-benefit analysis scores ranged from 0.22 to 1.0, with larger systems demonstrating cost-effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The integrated framework effectively evaluates DWMS performance across water quality, environmental, and economic dimensions.
• DWMS with surface water sources or advanced treatment pose higher environmental burdens.
• Larger-scale DWMS can be economically viable, balancing costs and impacts, supporting sustainable water management.