Sustainable water management for macroscopic systems

Abstract This paper proposes a mathematical programming model for sustainable water management in macroscopic systems. To meet the system demands for water, the model considers the possibility of using alternative water sources such as rainwater and reclaimed water to enhance the sustainability of natural water bodies. The model is a multi-period problem for which harvested rainwater can be stored and used as necessary even during months with low precipitation. The problem consists of finding an optimal schedule for the distribution and storage of natural and alternative water sources to satisfy the demands of the different users in a macroscopic system (i.e., domestic and agricultural users) while maintaining sustainable levels of water in the natural water bodies. The objective is to maximize the total profit, which is given by the revenues of water sales less the operational and capital costs for implementing the optimized solution. This approach is applied to a case study from Mexico for the city of Morelia. The results show that implementing strategies that include alternative water sources might reduce fresh sources consumption and waste generation and still be economically attractive.

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