WEAP and QUAL2K Model Integration for Water Quality Evaluations as a Result of Urban Expansion Scenarios in the Federal District of Brazil

This paper presents the integration of Weap and Qual2k models for the simulation of water quality scenarios in the Descoberto River Basin as a consequence of the population growth in the southwest of the Federal District in Brazil. The high growing rates of urban areas in the region add stress to the water supply and sanitation systems jeopardizing the water quality in the Descoberto River Basin, where most of the waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) are located. Scenarios of population growth and different WWTP’s efficiency were built in WEAP from 2010 to 2030 to evaluate the impacts on the water quality through the simulations of DBO developed by the QUAL2K embedded in WEAP. The water quality in the Descoberto River was also evaluated under the recently approved water quality regulations in the Federal. The results of the different scenarios suggested stricter regulations for new urban-developments and higher levels of treatment efficiency in the WWTPs.