Optimizing the Structure and Scale of Urban Water Infrastructure: Integrating Distributed Systems

Large-scale, centralized water infrastructure has provided clean drinking water, wastewater treatment, stormwater management and flood protection for U.S. cities and towns for many decades, protecting public health, safety and environmental quality. To accommodate increasing demands driven by population growth and industrial needs, municipalities and utilities have typically expanded centralized water systems with longer distribution and collection networks. This approach achieves financial and institutional economies of scale and allows for centralized management. It comes with tradeoffs, however, including higher energy demands for longdistance transport; extensive maintenance needs; and disruption of the hydrologic cycle, including the large-scale transfer of freshwater resources to estuarine and saline environments.While smaller-scale distributed water infrastructure has been available for quite some time, it has yet to be widely adopted in urban areas of the United States. However, interest in rethinking how to best meet our water and sanitation needs has been building. Recent technological developments and concerns about sustainability and community resilience have prompted experts to view distributed systems as complementary to centralized infrastructure, and in some situations the preferred alternative.In March 2014, the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread partnered with the Water Environment Federation and the Patel College of Global Sustainability at the University of South Florida to convene a diverse group of experts to examine the potential for distributed water infrastructure systems to be integrated with or substituted for more traditional water infrastructure, with a focus on right-sizing the structure and scale of systems and services to optimize water, energy and sanitation management while achieving long-term sustainability and resilience

Climate Resilient & Equitable Water Systems Capital Scan

Climate change is affecting water supply, water management and the health of communities in U.S. cities. Changes in the timing, frequency and intensity of precipitation are placing stress on the built and natural systems that provide fresh water, manage storm water, and treat wastewater. Droughts are shrinking the water supply; heavy rainfall overburdens storm water systems, causing flooding in homes and neighborhoods. Low-income people and communities of color are often the most vulnerable to climate change, living in low-lying areas and lacking the resources to adapt and cope with challenges associated with these patterns.The cumulative impact of climate change on water resources not only leads to a reduction in water quality and the destruction of homes and property, but it can also be a threat to public health, force relocation of communities and cause economic harm.The vision of Kresge's Environment Program is to help communities build resilience in the face of climate change. We believe that cities are central to action on climate change and equity must be a fundamental part of our work in climate adaptation, climate mitigation and building social cohesion

Integrative Review of Decentralized and Local Water Management Concepts as Part of Smart Cities (LoWaSmart)

An evidence-based assessment of decentralized and local water management concepts and how they relate to smart city concepts is presented. Decentralized water management is based on the principle of integrated water cycle management and water-sensitive urban design. A “smart city” is generally defined as a city seeking to address public issues via information and communication technology (ICT)-based solutions on the basis of a multi-stakeholder, municipally based partnership. Using evidence-based review principles it is shown that when ICT is applied to water management in cities, it enables the collection of data for better understanding of how a city functions and to improve it to the benefits of its inhabitants and the environment.CIENS / KL

Water in the Green Economy: Capacity Development Aspects

This book discusses needs related to capacity development for water resources management, including water supply and sanitation, in the context of the green economy. It showcases theoretical and practical approaches with proven success. Most contributions come from members and partners within the interagency mechanism, UN-Water. The 11 case studies in this book range from innovative design and delivery of capacity development programs related to water in the green economy, market mechanisms, and quality control procedures supporting capacity development success towards the practical implementation of programs to enhance individual and institutional capacity

Fresh Water and Smarter Growth: Restoring Healthy Land-water Connections

The paper describes water resources in the United States, discusses the principles of the land-water connection, outlines the current regulatory framework, and explains the impact of climate change. It also introduces the concept of low impact development while providing examples, and highlights how funders are having an impact on sustainable water management. With bibliographical references

A Call to Cities: Run Out of Water or Create Resilience and Abundance?

New management choices, with new approaches to urbanization and integrated water-energy-food management, are emerging as critical to combat water stress. Urban strategies and tactics are explored in this chapter with a focus on scaling effective solutions and approaches. This includes a focus on small, modular, and integrated water-energy-food hubs; off-grid and localized “circular economy” services that are affordable, accessible, and reliable; blended finance for new technologies, infrastructure and business models, strategic plans, and policies; and urban, behavioral, and decision sciences-informed decisions and new public-private-research-driven partnerships and processes. There are two key messages: first, business as usual could lead to “running out” of water where it’s needed most—in cities and for agricultural and industrial production. Second, “innovators” and “early adopters” of market-based and data-driven efforts can help scale solutions led by people and communities investing in new ways to integrate urban water, energy, and food systems. The chapter concludes with discussion on a new, proactive “maturity” model, enabling integrated urban infrastructure systems, governance, and cross-sector innovation. This includes market-based and data-driven responses that first focus on improving quality of life, sustainability, and resilience of communities, bringing valued services via water-energy-food nexus decisions

Concepts and Practices for Transforming Infrastructure from Rigid to Adaptable

abstract: Infrastructure are increasingly being recognized as too rigid to quickly adapt to a changing climate and a non-stationary future. This rigidness poses risks to and impacts on infrastructure service delivery and public welfare. Adaptivity in infrastructure is critical for managing uncertainties to continue providing services, yet little is known about how infrastructure can be made more agile and flexible towards improved adaptive capacity. A literature review identified approximately fifty examples of novel infrastructure and technologies which support adaptivity through one or more of ten theoretical competencies of adaptive infrastructure. From these examples emerged several infrastructure forms and possible strategies for adaptivity, including smart technologies, combined centralized/decentralized organizational structures, and renewable electricity generation. With institutional and cultural support, such novel structures and systems have the potential to transform infrastructure provision and management.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 201

Reducing CO2 Emissions and Improving Water Resource Circularity by Optimizing Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Climate neutrality by 2050 is a priority objective and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and improving the circularity processes of resources are the imperatives of regulatory and economic instruments. Starting from the central themes of the mitigation of the causes of climate change and the interdependence represented by the water–energy nexus, this research focuses, through the application of the principles of the circular and green economy, on deep energy zero-emission renovation through the improvement of circularity processes of water resources in their integration with energetic ones on the optimization of their management within urban districts, to measure their capacity to contribute towards reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions during water use and distribution in buildings. After defining the key strategies and the replicable intervention solutions for the circularity of water resources, the investigation focuses on the definition of the research and calculation method set up to define, in parallel, the water consumption of an urban district and the energy consumption necessary to satisfy water requirements and CO2 emissions. Starting from the application of the calculation method in an existing urban district in Rome, 10 indicators of quantities have been developed to define water and energy consumption and their related CO2 emissions, focusing on the obtained results to also define some interventions to reduce water and energy consumption and CO2 emissions in territories that suffer a medium-risk impact from contemporary climatic conditions

SMART - IWRM - Sustainable Management of Available Water Resources with Innovative Technologies - Integrated Water Resources Management in the Lower Jordan Rift Valley : Final Report Phase II (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7698)

SMART was a multi-lateral research project with partners from Germany, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories. The overall goal was to develop a transferable approach for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the water shortage region of the Lower Jordan Valley. The innovative aspect addressed all available water resources: groundwater and surface waters, but also wastewater, brackish water and flood water that need to be treated for use

Business in the World of Water

The book aims to: 1) clarify and enhance understanding by business of the key issues and drivers of change related to water; 2) promote mutual understanding between the business community and non-business stakeholders on water management issues; and 3) support effective business action as part of the solution to sustainable water management. The report poses three scenarios about the possible future of water in 2025 which serve as catalysts for exploration into how businesses can contribute to sustainable water management