Regulatory, Analysis, and Decision Support Challenges to Reduce Environmental Impact in the Design and Operation of Water Distribution Networks

This paper reviews policy and research initiatives that have begun to address three major challenges to incorporate regional environmental impacts in the design and optimization of drinking water distribution systems. These challenges are to (1) develop a regulatory framework to limit the environmental impacts linked to upgrades and operation of water networks; (2) select indicators and develop models to quantify energy use, environmental impacts, and emissions for the design and operation of water distribution systems; and (3) develop decision support systems to integrate environmental sustainability objectives into the decision-making process for utilities. This paper concludes by discussing realistic steps that water utilities can take to reduce the environmental impact of their business operations.