A procedure based on performance indicators in water distribution system for the identification of scenarios in terms of water losses reduction and structural improvement

Abstract

Water loss reduction in water distribution networks WDNs can be obtained by means different methods and technologies. Anyway in many cases utilities have an insufficient interest to reduce water losses because the low production cost of drinkable water and because normally the environmental costs is not considered, also for the difficulties of evaluation. An increment in actual or further water requested can lead to infrastructures insufficiency of parts of the supply system. The reduction of the water losses should be valued in a joined perspective to WDN structural adjustments: the cost of the unit volume of water leakage becomes greater than the unit volume production cost and the water losses reduction can become more attractive. Because of the numerous possibilities in actions and effects, it can be necessary to identify a certain number of scenarios, successively subjected to technical and economical evaluation. The final procedure is based on a set of WDN Performance Indicators PIs for the generation of intervention scenarios in terms of water losses reduction and structural improvements. The objective is to give indication to combine in the most opportune way typology and intensity of each intervention