Integrating quality and cost of surface raw water: Upper and Middle Vaal Water Management Areas South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-207
Author(s):  
B. Dzwairo ◽  
F. A. O. Otieno
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Cost Model ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Raw Water ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
Raw Water Quality ◽  
Tariff Structure ◽  
The Cost

The user-pays principle encourages use of a water tariff structure that incorporates pollution and/or depletion of a water resource because that water represents a capital resource base. Development of a tool that models variability of surface raw water quality in order to predict cost of treatment thus makes economic sense. This paper forms the backbone for an on-going doctoral study in South Africa's Upper and Middle Vaal Water Management Areas (U&MVWMAs) of the Vaal River (VR). Specific objectives of the overall research are; to carry out pollutant tracer hydrochemistry of specific reaches of the U&MVWMAs including producing an integrated ecological functionality for the whole study area, and to develop a tool that models the variability of surface raw water quality using surface raw water tariffs and water quality data for years 2003–2008. This paper concluded that downstream water boards (WBs) paid a higher water resources management charge (WRMC) for more polluted raw water than upstream WBs. It was recommended that a quality-cost model be incorporated at tier1 of the cost chain for water services to ensure fairness of service delivery and spread of burden to consumers.

An approach for determining the most critical among a suite of chemical contaminants at a drinking water intake

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 835-845
Author(s):  
Fei Chen ◽  
William B. Anderson ◽  
Peter M. Huck
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Intake ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Exceedance Probability ◽  
Raw Water ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Raw Water Quality

An integrated approach for the identification and assessment of the most critical chemical contaminant(s) at a drinking water intake has been developed. It involves the determination of a threshold or critical raw water concentration (CRWC) for target contaminants using the observed overall removal efficiency of a specific water treatment plant (WTP) and regulated drinking water concentrations for the target contaminants. The exceedance probability relative to the CRWC based on historical raw water quality monitoring data is then calculated. Finally, the integration of the raw water quality data and the overall efficiency of a particular WTP sequence allows for identification of the most critical contaminant(s) as well as an advance indication of which contaminants are most likely to challenge a plant. The proactive nature of this approach gives a utility the impetus and time to assess current treatment processes and potential alternatives. In addition, it was found that three- or four-parameter theoretical distributions are more appropriate than two-parameter probability distributions for the fitting of raw water quality data. This study reveals that the reliance on raw and/or treated water contaminant concentrations in isolation or on theoretical removals through treatment processes can, in some circumstances, be misguided.

Delaqua – A Prototype Expert System for Operational Control and Management of Lake Water Quality

1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 283-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frieder Recknagel ◽  
Erhard Beuschold ◽  
Uwe Petersohn
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Expert System ◽  
Lake Water ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Raw Water ◽  
Operational Control ◽  
Lake Water Quality ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
Lakes And Reservoirs ◽  
Raw Water Quality

The expert system DELAQUA (Deep Expert system LAke water QUAlity) combines AI and simulation methods to support decision making in water quality control of lakes and reservoirs. It contains a knowledge base (PROLOG 2), a data base (dBASE III+) and a simulation system (FORTRAN 77) by which the following decision aids can be made available:derivation of recommendations for operational control of undesired impacts on raw water quality by algal blooms or pathogen germsclassification of raw water quality by means of legal standardsdrawing of analogy conclusions by the use of measured and simulated water quality data of reference waterspredictions of raw water quality under changing control strategies and environmental conditions of lakes and reservoirs. The expert system was implemented on an IBM-PC with MS.DOS operating system.

Development of Dialog System Model for Eutrophication Control between Discharging River Basin and Receiving Water Body – Case Study of Lake Sagami (Japan)

1989 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 1821-1824
Author(s):  
M. Suzuki ◽  
K. Chihara ◽  
M. Okada ◽  
H. Kawashima ◽  
S. Hoshino
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Expert System ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Body ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Pollution Load ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
Receiving Water

A computer program based on expert system software was developed and proposed as a prototype model for water management to control eutrophication problems in receiving water bodies (Suzuki etal., 1988). The system has several expert functions: 1. data input and estimation of pollution load generated and discharged in the river watershed; 2. estimation of pollution load run-off entering rivers; 3. estimation of water quality of receiving water bodies, such as lakes; and 4. assisting man-machine dialog operation. The program can be used with MS-DOS BASIC and assembler in a 16 bit personal computer. Five spread sheets are utilized in calculation and summation of the pollutant load, using multi-windows. Partial differential equations for an ecological model for simulation of self-purification in shallow rivers and simulation of seasonal variations of water quality in a lake were converted to computer programs and included in the expert system. The simulated results of water quality are shown on the monitor graphically. In this study, the expert system thus developed was used to estimate the present state of one typical polluted river basin. The river was the Katsura, which flows into Lake Sagami, a lake dammed for water supply. Data which had been actually measured were compared with the simulated water quality data, and good agreement was found. This type of expert system is expected to be useful for water management of a closed water body.

In-line river monitoring – new challenges and opportunities

2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 67-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pressl ◽  
S. Winkler ◽  
G. Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Indirect Measurement ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Receiving Water

Water management becomes a complex issue when considering the large number of water-rights-of-use like drinking water production, recreation, receiving water, transport on and ecological quality of the water bodies. Recent changes in the legal requirements concerning water management on European scale (EC Water Framework Directive, 2000/60/EC) highlighted the need for appropriate means for monitoring water quality and exchange of water quality data. Indirect measurement of water quality using surrogate parameters (chemical and physical-chemical parameters) can be automated at a high accuracy level. This was shown over the past years by national and international research projects. In 2001 such a research project has started in Austria focusing on the installation and operation of a pilot water quality network, which is suitable for application at several points of interest of water management, i.e. sewer networks, wastewater treatment plants and receiving water bodies. The paper describes the operational problems and experiences of collecting data over a period of one year in the Danube River downstream of Vienna. The sensors are installed in situ, directly in the river, without any bypass system. The first evaluation of the measurements shows that the values are reliable and therefore applicable to further interpretations.

Modelling raw water quality—development of a drinking water management tool

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 589-596
Author(s):  
Ch. Kübeck ◽  
W. van Berk ◽  
A. Bergmann
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Quality Development ◽  
Raw Water ◽  
Economic Resource ◽  
Raw Water Quality

Ensuring future drinking water supply requires a tough management of groundwater resources. However, recent practice of economic resource control often does not involve aspects of the hydrogeochemical and geohydraulical groundwater system. In respect of analysing the available quantity and quality of future raw water, an effective resource management requires a full understanding of the hydrogeochemical and geohydraulical processes within the aquifer. For example, the knowledge of raw water quality development with time helps to work out strategies of water treatment as well as planning finance resources. On the other hand, the effectiveness of planned measurements reducing the infiltration of harmful substances such as nitrate can be checked and optimized by using hydrogeochemical modelling. Thus, within the framework of the InnoNet program funded by Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, a network of research institutes and water suppliers work in close cooperation developing a planning and management tool particularly oriented on water management problems. The tool involves an innovative material flux model that calculates the hydrogeochemical processes under consideration of the dynamics in agricultural land use. The program integrated graphical data evaluation is aligned on the needs of water suppliers.

Modelling raw water quality: development of a drinking water management tool

2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ch. Kübeck ◽  
W. van Berk ◽  
A. Bergmann
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Quality Development ◽  
Raw Water ◽  
Economic Resource ◽  
Raw Water Quality

Ensuring future drinking water supply requires a tough management of groundwater resources. However, recent practices of economic resource control often does not involve aspects of the hydrogeochemical and geohydraulical groundwater system. In respect of analysing the available quantity and quality of future raw water, an effective resource management requires a full understanding of the hydrogeochemical and geohydraulical processes within the aquifer. For example, the knowledge of raw water quality development within the time helps to work out strategies of water treatment as well as planning finance resources. On the other hand, the effectiveness of planed measurements reducing the infiltration of harmful substances such as nitrate can be checked and optimized by using hydrogeochemical modelling. Thus, within the framework of the InnoNet program funded by Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, a network of research institutes and water suppliers work in close cooperation developing a planning and management tool particularly oriented on water management problems. The tool involves an innovative material flux model that calculates the hydrogeochemical processes under consideration of the dynamics in agricultural land use. The program integrated graphical data evaluation is aligned on the needs of water suppliers.

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