Simulation / optimization of alternative water supply planning using parcel level demand estimation and management strategies

Traditional water supplies are reaching their sustainable limits in many areas of the United States, and throughout the world. Several water stressed areas, particularly in the Western United States, are likely to face water scarcity problems in the near future. As a result, water stressed areas are considering alternative water supplies, including wastewater and stormwater reuse, system water loss control, and demand management to ensure that ample future water supply can be provided.;Demand management and water loss control initiatives have become more prevalent from the early 1990s to present with 23 states now having legislative mandates for some form of demand management as opposed to 9 states in 1990. Although these initiatives are a step in the right direction, current water conservation plans are often qualitative with unreliable aggregate savings estimates, even for the most reliable indoor residential sector. Recent initiatives focused on incorporating demand management in a broader context beyond reduced water supply needs are further requiring the need to better quantify demands with higher resolution.;To address these emerging needs, this dissertation presents a systematic data driven approach for evaluating parcel level water usage and demand management options for urban systems. Water usage for all water using devices is estimated using a uniform statewide property appraiser's database combined with water utility customer billing data. Water using population is then determined with the addition of U.S. Census Block data, which is utilized to determine per capita usage rates. The potential effects of demand management are then determined directly as the difference between existing and proposed water usage after implementation. Water savings performance functions are then developed for each demand management option. These performance functions are then utilized to evaluate the optimal blend of demand management options to either maximize net benefits of water savings or to minimize the cost of reaching a target water savings from demand management. Both linear and nonlinear formulations and solutions to these problems are presented. Additionally, explicit analytical solutions are presented based on appropriate exponential best fits of water savings performance functions. Emphasis is placed on the residential water use sector, although generalizations to all urban water use sectors are described. Two primary case study utilities, Gainesville Regional Utilities and City of Sanford, are utilized to illustrate proposed methodologies.