Transformative Approaches for Sustainable Water Management in the Urban Century

Magnus Moglia,Stephen Cook

doi:10.3390/w11051106

Abstract

Sustainable Urban Water Management (SUWM) approaches highlighted in this special issue have the potential to contribute to the transformation of urban water systems. The aim of the transformation is to accommodate population and economic growth and at the same time enable a system which is environmentally sustainable and resilient to future challenges such as climate change. These approaches have increasingly entered mainstream dialogue over the last ten years as knowledge on the approaches has developed, and there is an acceptance that there needs to be a change to how urban water systems are designed and operated. However, there are still a range of aspects of these approaches that are maturing and require further research to realize the objectives of SUWM. The issue explored supply-side interventions, such as rainwater harvesting and stormwater harvesting, demand-side interventions, and water storage solutions that have the potential to enable a range of recycling technologies. The issue also highlighted a novel method for better managing the integrity of a conventional sewer system. Furthermore, there are articles that explore methods for integrated assessments, integrated decision making and an exploration of what factors may promote community adoption of technology.

Highlights

The traditional approach to providing urban water services has focused on providing drinking water for all purposes, treating wastewater and discharging to receiving waters, and conveying stormwater rapidly away from urban areas to prevent flooding
As we move into the urban age [2], where most of the global population will live in cities [3], there is a need to transition to a more sustainable urban water management paradigm that can support the provision of safe and reliable water services, while contributing to more resilient and equitable cities
Page and colleagues [28] note that more knowledge is required to allow managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to be better integrated into Sustainable Urban Water Management (SUWM), which includes understanding how triple-bottom-line assessment can be embedded into decision-making processes which evaluate MAR in relation to coastal water quality impacts, greenhouse gas emissions, aquifer restoration and urban amenity

Summary

Introduction

The traditional approach to providing urban water services has focused on providing drinking water for all purposes, treating wastewater and discharging to receiving waters, and conveying stormwater rapidly away from urban areas to prevent flooding. Fletcher et al [5] undertook a thorough review of terminology associated with urban stormwater management, which highlighted that all terms are underpinned by the principles of reducing disturbance to natural hydrology and mitigating the water quality impacts of urbanization, and showed that there are subtle differences in the scope and focus of terms [5] For widespread adoption of practices, the transformation will require the consideration of diverse stakeholder views, which can account for potential dissonance between individual goals and public goals This calls for approaches that bring forward urban water solutions that equitably consider broader sustainability benefits across social, environmental, and economic dimensions. It is necessary to have methods for embedding such assessments into integrated decision making and supporting holistic business models [22,23] based on a comprehensive assessment of impacts that go beyond traditional cost–benefit analysis and which embed within decision making the consideration of a broad set of societal benefits, risks and costs

Contributions

Managing the Water Balance

Design and construction cost

Social Acceptance

Discussion