Enhancing reclaimed water distribution network resilience with cost-effective meshing

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Water Resource Management

Background:

• Water distribution networks (WDNs) are vital infrastructure for safe water supply.
• Increasing water scarcity and crises necessitate resilient network designs.
• Existing resilience evaluation methods have discrepancies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate WDN design resilience using graph theory and hydraulic analysis.
• To introduce novel algorithms (Resilience by Design - RbD, Resilience-strengthening - RS) for cost-effective, resilient WDNs.
• To present a new metric, Water Availability (WA), for comprehensive resilience assessment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized graph theory for network design evaluation.
• Employed EPANET software for hydraulic feasibility analysis.
• Developed and applied RbD and RS algorithms for network optimization.
• Introduced and used the Water Availability (WA) metric.

Main Results:

• Resilient-by-design WDNs showed up to 36% fewer service disruptions and 65% less unserved water.
• The resilient design safeguarded 91,700m³ of water over 50 years.
• The resilient-by-design approach demonstrated cost-effectiveness, even offering financial benefits compared to traditional WDNs.

Conclusions:

• A resilience-focused network design approach offers significant advantages.
• The developed algorithms are adaptable for both reclaimed and drinking water WDNs.
• This research enhances water resource management and infrastructure planning for urban environments.