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The object of this paper is to provide a flowmeter data validation/reconstruction methodology that determines the annual economic efficiency of a water transport network. In this paper, the case of Aigües Ter Llobregat (ATLL) company, which manages 80% of the overall water transport network in Catalonia (Spain), will be used for illustrating purposes. Economic network efficiency is based on daily data set collected by the company using about 200 flowmeters of the network. Data collected using these sensors are used by remote control and information storage systems and they are stored in a relational database. All information provided by ATLL is analysed to detect inconsistent data using an automatic data validation method deployed in parallel with the network efficiency evaluation. As a result of the validation process, corrections of flow measurements and of billed water volume are introduced. Results from ATLL water transport network corresponding to year 2010 will be used to illustrate the approach proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a hydroinformatics management tool designed to optimize the program of measures (PoM) to achieve the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) objectives in the internal Catalonian watersheds. The tool incorporates the Qual2kw water quality model to simulate the effects of the PoM used to reduce pollution pressure on the hydrologic network. It includes a Multi- Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) to identify efficient trade-offs between PoM cost and water quality. It also uses multi-criteria visualization and statistical analysis tools as a user-friendly interface. This management tool is based on the Pressure-Impact concept, selecting the most effective combinations of sewage treatment technologies from millions of technologically admissible combinations. Moreover, the tool is oriented to guide stakeholders and water managers in their decision-making processes. Some guidelines are also given in this paper on the use of analytical relationships from the field of evolutionary multi-criteria optimization algorithms for different parameters (elitism, crossover and mutation rate, population size) to ensure that the MOEA is competently designed to navigate the criteria space of the management problem. Additionally, this paper analyzes the results of applying the management tool in the Muga watershed, whereby guaranteeing its convergence within a reasonable computational time, in order to simplify the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is a long-standing problem in Catalonia, as there are significant differences in the spatial and temporal distribution of water throughout the territory. There has consequently been a debate for many years about whether the solution to water scarcity must be considered in terms of efficiency or equity, the role that the public sector must play and the role that market-based instruments should play in water management. The aim of this paper is to analyse the advantages and disadvantages associated with different policy instruments, from both a supply and a demand viewpoint, which can be applied to water management in Catalonia. For this purpose, we use a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, in which we introduce an ecological sector that allows us to analyse the environmental and economic impact of the alternative policies simulated. The calibration of the exogenous variables of the CGE model is performed by using a social accounting matrix (SAM) for the Catalan economy with 2001 data. The results suggest that taking into account the principle of sustainability of the resource, the policy debate between supply and demand in water policies is obsolete and a new combination of policies is required to respect the different values associated with water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]