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As water scarcity becomes the new norm in the Western United States, states such as California have increased their efforts to improve water resilience. Achieving water security under climate change, population growth, and urbanization requires an integrated multi-sectoral approach, where adaptation strategies combine supply and demand management interventions. Yet, most studies consider supply-side and demand-side management strategies separately. Water conservation efforts are mainly driven by policy requirements and publicly available data to assess the effectiveness of demand- and supply-side management policies is often hard to find and unstructured. Here we present CaRDS - the statewide California Residential water Demand and Supply open dataset. CaRDS encompasses nine years (2013-2021) of monthly water supply and demand time series for 404 water suppliers in California, USA, compiled from different open-access data sources. Access to detailed temporal and spatial water supply operations and demands at the state-level can be useful to researchers and practitioners to realize applications such as evaluating the effectiveness of water conservation policies and discovering regional differences in water resilience measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand-side management (DSM) programs are essential to accommodate larger shares of distributed, variable, renewable energy generation. These programs can be used by water utilities to foster a more sustainable operational management. In this work, an integrated DSM strategy is adopted for the optimal control of pumping loads to reduce energy costs in a water supply system (WSS). For this purpose, the participation in demand response programs, namely, using time-of-use (TOU) and real-time pricing (RTP), as well as on-site renewable energy generation, are explored. A gradient-based method was used to optimize the pump scheduling based on a nonlinear programming model integrating hydraulic simulation with optimization tools. The main original contribution of this work is the development of a thorough optimization model integrating available supply and demand energy resources into WSS operational management, as well as presenting a novel approach to formulate the pump operation problem. The Anytown WSS benchmark is used to validate the proposed model. The results show a decrease of 11%–52% in the cost of WSS operation when considering an integrated optimization of the available energy resources in a time-differentiated tariffs context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As drinking water supply systems worldwide face increasing challenges, there is concern of future drinking water shortage. This paper proposes an innovative participatory modelling framework to fill the lack of tools to assess future demand-supply imbalances under global changes in large interdependent drinking water supply systems for which collective planning is needed. The framework is usable in contexts where there is no history of centralized management and stakeholders are not used to working together. It makes it possible to i) quantitatively assess the magnitude, location and duration of future drinking water supply shortfalls under various medium-long term scenarios, ii) identify the blocking points in the supply scheme that explain why the shortfalls occur and evaluate the need for securing measures, iii) build a shared diagnosis between stakeholders. The development and use of the modelling tool is illustrated through two contrasting case studies in France, facing quality and quantity issues. The importance of the tool is demonstrated by the future supply shortfalls diagnosed in the two case studies. It is crucial to anticipate and quantitatively assess them to adequately invest and adapt for future drinking water security. Results in the two case studies exhibit both differences (e.g. main blocking points identified) and similarities (e.g. importance of demand-side management measures). They also both highlight the interdependencies between the different management units and the importance of collective planning. Results demonstrate that the framework is adaptable to different contexts and issues. The framework is replicable where such a tool is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban water managers and policymakers have adopted demand management strategies to reduce water use and buffer against short‐term water supply shortfalls. This article provides a systematic review of publications from 1978‐2022 that examine the effectiveness of residential water use restrictions as the primary demand‐side management tool. Our results indicate the significant overall effect of restrictions on reducing water consumption, with an average reduction of 12.3% from the 23 studies reviewed in this article. When evaluating effect strength by restriction type (mandatory versus voluntary), voluntary restrictions have a significantly lower effect than mandatory restrictions on water use. We also find an inverse correlation between the number of irrigation days allowed and the estimated effect strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing adequate water supply to the growing number of urban residents will be a challenge faced by many utility managers throughout the remainder of this century. Though traditionally water managers have looked towards supply-based solutions (e.g., expanding reservoirs), recent trends indicate a shift towards demand-side management (e.g., encouraging conservation behaviors). A major part of successfully implementing demand management strategies is understanding the community-specific attitudes and beliefs that may influence uptake of conservation behaviors. Here, we present results from a study aimed at understanding these community-specific attitudes and beliefs towards water conservation. In particular, we leverage survey data from three cities in the Southwestern United States and a state-of-the-art clustering algorithm to determine seven key archetypes of water consumers. These archetypes can be used to determine demand management strategies that might have greater (or lesser) success. This study provides transferable archetypes of consumer attitudes towards water conservation, as well as a novel interdisciplinary methodology that combines social survey data with unsupervised machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research has investigated the simulation of sustainable water resources management to assess the impact of socio-economic development on water, food and energy resources security in Khuzestan Province in Iran. To achieve this goal, after simulation of the water-food-energy system dynamics model, taking into account results of the sensitivity analysis, development of water resources sustainability policy-making was elaborated in the form of four strategies of water demand, water supply, food resource and energy demand management, as well as combined policies. The simulation results of the proposed solutions were selected to be a combination of the strategies of water demand and food resources management as the best policies. Hence, 16% increase in irrigation efficiency, 10% improvement in cultivation patterns, 6% reduction in agricultural products losses, 5% decrease in food demand due to food losses, and 5% annual increase in the performance of agriculture are selected as sustainable water resources management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leveraging the potential flexibility of large electrical loads has become an attractive option for maintaining grid reliability, especially in electric grids with high penetrations of variable renewable energy. The water sector is a particularly attractive option for demand‐side flexibility due to its vast water storage infrastructure, large interruptible pumping loads, and energy generation opportunities. Shifting the timing of water supply and wastewater utility operations can reduce peak load and temporally align energy‐consuming activities with periods of cheap electricity prices and/or high renewable energy generation. This paper presents a general overview of demand‐side management strategies in water and wastewater systems, focusing primarily on demand‐response measures. We find that while there is consensus in the literature about the potential for water systems to provide flexible demand‐side management services, there is a need for developing comprehensive water‐energy models to examine the value of load management as a source of revenue for water utilities and as a source of flexibility for the electric grid. More experimental studies and simulation efforts are also needed to address the technical complexities and water quality concerns associated with interrupting water and wastewater utility operations. This article is categorized under:Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of WaterEngineering Water > Planning Water [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased usage and non-efficient management of limited resources has created the risk of water resource scarcity. Due to climate change, urbanization, and lack of effective water resource management, countries like Pakistan are facing difficulties coping with the increasing water demand. Rapid urbanization and non-resilient infrastructures are the key barriers in sustainable urban water resource management. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address the challenges of urban water management through effective means. We propose a workflow for the modeling and simulation of sustainable urban water resource management and develop an integrated framework for the evaluation and planning of water resources in a typical urban setting. The proposed framework uses the Water Evaluation and Planning system to evaluate current and future water demand and the supply gap. Our simulation scenarios demonstrate that the demand–supply gap can effectively be dealt with by dynamic resource allocation, in the presence of assumptions, for example, those related to population and demand variation with the change of weather, and thus work as a tool for informed decisions for supply management. In the first scenario, 23% yearly water demand is reduced, while in the second scenario, no unmet demand is observed due to the 21% increase in supply delivered. Similarly, the overall demand is fulfilled through 23% decrease in water demand using water conservation. Demand-side management not only reduces the water usage in demand sites but also helps to save money, and preserve the environment. Our framework coupled with a visualization dashboard deployed in the water resource management department of a metropolitan area can assist in water planning and effective governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a dynamic water budget model is developed for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (EAD) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The model, called Abu Dhabi Water Budget Model (ADWBM), accounts for a number of drivers such as population growth, economic growth, consumption pattern and climatic factors. Model formulation, calibration, validation as well as simulation results for two future situations are presented in this paper. The two water simulations discuss demand-side options in response to different future water conditions until 2050. The first simulation, namely, baseline (BL) simulation examined water balance in the emirate assuming no change in both water production and consumption. BL simulation results highlight the expected shortages in water resources assuming no modification in the supply side. The second simulation, a more conservative and practical simulation considering water conservation options and sustainable improvements to the supply side was developed to achieve a balanced water budget by reducing the baseline consumption rates. The results show that a significant demand reduction is needed in all demand sectors, reaching 60% in the potable sectors and above 70% in non-potable sectors. Overall, results show that the ADWBM can be used as a numerical tool to produce accurate figures of water supply and demand for the sake of planning and decision making in the water sector of the EAD until 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of large infrastructure to address the water challenges of cities around the world can be a financial and social burden for many cities because of the hidden costs these works entail and social conflicts they often trigger. When conflicts erupt, science is often expected to play a key role in informing policymakers and social actors to clarify controversies surrounding policy responses to water scarcity. However, managing conflicts is a sociopolitical process, and often quantitative models are used as an attempt to depoliticize such processes, conveying the idea that optimal solutions can be objectively identified despite the many perspectives and interests at play. This raises the question as to whether science depoliticizes water conflicts or whether instead conflicts politicize science–policy processes. We use the Zapotillo dam and water transfer project in Mexico to analyze the role of science–policy processes in water conflicts. The Zapotillo project aims at augmenting urban water supply to Guadalajara and León, two large cities in western Mexico, but a social and legal conflict has stalled the project until today. To analyze the conflict and how stakeholders make sense of it, we interviewed the most relevant actors and studied the negotiations between different interest groups through participant observation. To examine the role of science–policy processes in the conflict, we mobilized concepts of epistemic uncertainty and ambiguity and analyzed the design and use of water resources models produced by key actors aiming to resolve the conflict. While the use of models is a proven method to construct future scenarios and test different strategies, the parameterization of scenarios and their results are influenced by the knowledge and/or interests of actors behind the model. We found that in the Zapotillo case, scenarios reflected the interests and strategies of actors on one side of the conflict, resulting in increased distrust of the opposing actors. We conclude that the dilemma of achieving urban water security through investing in either large infrastructure (supply augmentation) or alternative strategies (demand-side management) cannot be resolved if some key interested parties have not been involved in the scientific processes framing the problem and solution space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The french mechanism for Demand Response in spot markets is presented. • Water demand uncertainties are modeled. • A chance constrained problem for Demand Response optimization has been formulated. • Demand Response commitment is best respected when uncertainties are considered. • Water systems are more profitable for Demand Response with uncertainty consideration. Abstract The development of smart grids represents a major breakthrough in the management of electric power and drinking water systems. On the one hand, smart grids have contributed to the development of energy efficiency and demand side management mechanisms such as Demand Response, making it possible to reduce peak load and adapt elastic demand to fluctuation generation. On the other hand, smart water networks and sophisticated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems in the water industry have allowed one to optimize, control and monitor the water flow throughout its entire process. Being a highly energy intensive industry and having an electrical flexibility by the presence of storage elements such as tanks, drinking water systems have the ability to address energy efficiency mechanisms such as Demand Response. In this paper, the French demand response mechanism in spot power markets is presented. Then, a chance constrained problem is formulated to integrate water systems flexibility to power system operation, under water demand uncertainties. Numerical results are discussed based on a real water system in France, demonstrating the relevance of the approach in terms of financial benefits and risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Presenting a comprehensive structure of water- energy hub system. • Proposing a hybrid MODM and MADM model for optimal performance of energy hub system. • Proposed model protects groundwater resources to prevent land subsidence. • The ice storage conditioner and water storage integrated into the model. • The extraction of underground water resources reduces by 26.88%. This paper presents an economic-environmental scheme for the integrated-multi-energy system to integrate the electrical, water, thermal, and cooling sections to increase the efficiency and synergy of the modern distribution grids. The industrial desalination units have been considered to provide the required potable water of customers from the brackish water. Since the energy consumption of these units for water desalination is high, the IMES operator prefers to use groundwater resources. Climate changes, drought, dust phenomenon, landslides, destruction of wetlands and lakes, and lack of adequate water and food supply for the future are the main problems of overuse of groundwater resources. Therefore, we propose a multi-objective decision-making scheme to minimize the total operating costs and groundwater usage simultaneously. Besides, thermal and electrical demand-side management has been used alongside dispatchable, and energy storage systems to cope intermittent behaviour of renewable generation. The proposed multi-objective decision-making framework has been applied on a general system and the optimal Pareto solutions have been ranked by the multi-attribute decision-making and TOPSIS methods. The optimization results make it evident that the proposed model is able to reduce the amount of groundwater extraction by 26.8% with only a 1.12% increase in operating cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal water supply consumes large quantities of electrical energy to move water from catchment areas to service reservoirs near centres of population. Pumping does not necessarily occur round the clock, but rather when necessary to uphold constraints relating to reservoir levels and system pressure. There is a degree of flexibility in the timing of pumping that makes it an excellent candidate for Demand Side Management, meaning that it can provide opportunities for improving power system operation and reducing electricity costs for the water utility. The extent of this flexibility depends on a number of factors. This study examines the optimisation of two water supply systems - the ‘Van Zyl’ benchmark system and a representation of the supply for the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The potential to employ intelligent operation of pumps to help bolster uptake of variable wind generation is assessed, as is quantification of the potential savings for a water utility. The results show significant potential savings for the water utility as well as a substantial increase in the utilisation of wind power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy embedded in the provision of water has been the subject of numerous water-energy nexus studies that are nearly unanimous in recommending integrated evaluation of energy and water savings from demand-side management. Joint implementation of DSM, however, remains a rare exception. The authors link a forward-looking marginal water supply approach and the well-established energy avoided cost framework to jointly value water and energy efficiency savings, and apply it to a case study set in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents possibilities of daily water demand forecasting for municipal water supply system. For this purpose, Takagi-Sugeno-Kang's (TSK) models were applied. In this type of models the conclusion is in the form of a classical linear function, which allows describing their structure as 'fuzzified linear models'. For the purpose of this study data from the water supply network for the city of Rzeszow was used (974 samples). It covered the period from 1 July 2005 to 29 February 2008. Based on the collected data weakly water demand values were compared for different seasons. Subsequent TSK models were described together with the way they were developed. It was shown that modeling could be based on weakly water demand data and that resulting model allowed predicting water demand values over a wide range of variability. The results received for different combinations of fuzzification and model conclusion structure selection were comparable. Therefore, it could be concluded that the method used for fuzzy model development might be used to determine dynamic properties of the processes for which the exact description of modeled phenomena was unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of water management, desalination industry has faced various economic and environmental challenges. Renewable energies and the incorporation of operational strategies such as demand-side management have been able to contribute with the aim of facing them. Nonetheless, it is necessary to continue studying demand-side management for water supply systems emphasising it as a strategic tool to make operational decisions. This article presents a methodology based on a novel Mixed-Integer Linear Programming model in order to program the operation of a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant with one pumping station for a desertic remote agricultural zone, in accordance with the principles of demand-side management. A photovoltaic solar plant connected to the grid is considered as a renewable energy source. The mathematical model aims to establish the optimal hourly operating load of the system that minimises the daily margin of purchased electricity costs minus sales income of generated electricity. The case study where the methodology is tested is an agricultural area in Northern Chile. The proposed methodology in this paper establishes the basis for future research and industrial applications, considering that it can be generalised to other geographical situations, as well as being modifiable to be adapted for more complex water supply systems and/or other renewable energy sources. • A novel optimisation model was developed to manage a water supply system operation. • The developed optimisation model is based on demand-side management principles. • Demand-side management enables more efficient use of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban water systems can be highly energy intensive. Yet, they are also excellent candidates for demand-response since they possess readily controllable operations and large amounts of storage. However, real-worlds trials have delivered mixed results, which implies the need to understand the underlying mechanisms of flexibility in water operations. This paper studies the potential to shift energy demand in an urban water system located in the River Thames basin, a region encompassing the city of London, England. Results show that the system could theoretically shift up to 20.1% of its annual energy demand for pumping (2.1 GWh), saving the local water utility around £5.6 million in electricity costs. However, the water system's flexibility is shown to be highly variable due to the variability in water demands and electricity prices, in-turn affecting the financial returns from demand-response. Sensitivity analysis reveals that factors such as the seasonal reservoir control strategies and total storage capacity are key determinants of system flexibility. A relationship between water storage capacity and flexibility is also derived, which could be used to estimate water sector flexibility in other regions. • Potential for demand-side response studied in London water supply system. • Dynamics in demands, prices and reservoir management are modelled. • Results showed substantial cost reduction as 2.5–20.1% of demand could be shifted. • Benefits of flexibility are volatile due to variability in water system. • Trade-offs between operational risk and flexibility are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Barbados is almost wholly reliant on groundwater as its source of water largely due to replenishment during the wettest 1–3 months of the year. Annual renewable freshwater resources place it in the top 15 of the world''s most water scarce countries. Acknowledging the scope of the problem, government officials have noted that the amount of water available for economic activity has become very limited and might therefore affect future development. Most of the proposed measures to date have focused on mains replacement and increased energy efficiency but little thought has been given to demand-side management. This study therefore attempts to provide a framework for managing the water resources in the island''s single largest industry: tourism. It is conceptualised that a system of tradable permits would not only enhance the management of water resources, but should also reduce the cost of water resources to hotels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

La desigual distribución de los recursos hídricos en España, debido a la diversidad climática de la Península, se ha contemplado tradicionalmente como una grave limitación al desarrollo económico general. Desde finales del siglo XVIII se propugna una política de redistribución de recursos mediante grandes obras hidráulicas, que culminó en los grandes proyectos de transferencias entre cuencas (desde el Tajo hacia el Sureste peninsular y desde el Ebro hacia Levante y Sur). Finalizando el siglo XX y desde puntos de vista ambientalistas y sociales, se critica esta 'política de oferta', desarrollando un nuevo discurso que tiene como objetivo regular la demanda de agua utilizando la planificación territorial y aplicando criterios ambientalistas. Los discursos teóricos se han trasmitido al debate político general de forma fragmentada y con diferentes matices, según se trate de territorios que disponen de mayor o menor abundancia de recursos propios. La estructura del Estado español permite que los distintos puntos de vista se utilicen como argumentos políticos contradictorios en las distintas regiones, incluso más allá de las fronteras ideológicas entre partidos. La inquietud social, generada tanto en los territorios que exigen más agua como en aquellos que habrían de cederla en su caso, se utiliza para robustecer el apoyo popular de unos u otros con fines electorales. The unequal distribution of water resources in Spain, due to climatic variations in the Peninsula, has traditionally been seen as a serious limitation on economic development. Since the end of the eighteenth century the emphasis has been on a policy of redistribution of resources by means of major hydraulic infrastructure works, which culminated in the major projects for transferring water between rivers (from the Tagus to the southwest of the Peninsula and from the Ebro to the Levante and to the south). Towards the end of the twentieth century, and from an environmental and social perspective, this 'policy of supply' has come under attack, leading to the development of a new discourse that aims to regulate the demand for water through regional planning and the application of environmental criteria. Academic debates entered the general political arena in a fragmented manner and with differing emphases in different regions, depending on the extent to which they had sufficient water resources or not. The structure of the Spanish state is such that different points of view are used in different regions to sustain contradictory political arguments, which go beyond the ideological differences between political parties. Social concern, both in the territories which demand more water and in those who have to give it away, is often used to electoral advantage in order to increase popular support for one side or the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analytical method is provided where the ground water practitioner can quickly determine the size (number of wells) and spacing of a well network capable of meeting a known ground water demand. In order to apply the method, two new parameters are derived that relate theoretical drawdown to the maximum drawdown that is achievable without mining the aquifer. The size of a well network is shown to be proportional to the ground water demand and inversely proportional to the transmissivity and available head. The spacing between wells in a supply well network is shown to be most sensitive to a derived parameter r HA/3, which is related to the available head and the propagation of drawdown away from a theoretical well if the total ground water demand was applied to that well. The method can be used to quickly determine the required spacing between wells in well networks of various sizes that are completed in confined aquifers with no leakance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Dealing with climate variability in a river basin presents many challenges in managing a water resources system. Occurrence of severe and persistent droughts deplete reservoirs storage to critical levels, which may lead to future water supply disaster. This paper illustrates certain benefits of using long-lead streamflow forecasts as well as restriction rules for reservoir operation to help manage the water resources system in the Zayandeh-rud River Basin in Iran. An approach is developed for activating restrictions on allocating water to agricultural demands during a drought and predicting low flow regimes using long-lead forecasts. The long-lead forecasts could utilize valuable hydroclimatic information such as the El-Nino southern Oscillation and northern Atlantic Oscillation to predict seasonal streamflow values. Hedging rules for optimal water supply releases is developed based on the benefit functions of release and carryover storage at each agricultural season. Hedging rules are triggered by different levels of drought indices determined by the predicted water availability at the beginning of each agricultural season. The method is used on an historical data set of hydroclimatic variables of the system to simulate the real time operation of the Zayandeh-rud Reservoir. The utility of the method is demonstrated for operating the Zayandeh-rud Reservoir from the drought mitigation point of view. Furthermore, the proposed model is compared to a stochastic dynamic programming model by investigating different indices such as drought duration, drought severity, drought loss, and reliability of agricultural water demands allocation. The results indicate that the use of the proposed approach can significantly reduce the vulnerability of the system during hydrological droughts and increases the long-term benefits of agricultural water demand allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The State of Ceará is located in the Northeast of Brazil, characterized by a semi-arid climate, with a pronounced time and space variability of its rainfall. Recurrent droughts have been plaguing the region, and as a result, water is stored in reservoirs as much as possible. However, it is has been shown that, despite the large amount of water stored in reservoirs, the water shortages still persisted. After years of having water resources management based only on supply side, Ceará State's current water policy emphasizes the demand side, including legal water rights, charging for water educational campaigns, and the decentralized decision making of the users through their participation in river basin committees. This policy is carried out by Secretariat of Water Resources (SRH), who motivates, analyzes, and formalizes the requests for water use rights, and the Company of Water Management of the State (COGERH), which acts as a catalytic agent in activities that support users' organization in river basins. This paper shows how Ceará is dealing with the initial allocation of water rights and analyzes the obstacles and challenges of that new way of managing water in the state. The model is still being implemented, but the differences in the results for overcoming the 1993 and 1998 droughts show the importance of having a dedicated institution for water management. A conceptual model is also presented representing the steps that could be followed for the implementation of a water market that is limited in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model that was developed and applied to serve as a water supply multi-sectoral decision support system for water resources management taking economic and socio-environmental factors into consideration. The applicability of the model was tested in the Greater Beirut Area by examining future supply-demand management alternatives and quantifying the cost-benefit of viable policies. The effect of eliminating a particular source to account for resources depletion and public acceptability, as well as increased returns from water use were proven to affect greatly the water allocation scheme. The model can also be a useful tool to assess the effect of decreasing unit costs from water supply options (desalination) and the resulting breakeven point, and the effect of increased water demand due to unplanned growth (tourism). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water shortages facing Jordan are profound and, while the country is presently undertaking extensive reform and investment into the water sector; forecasts indicate that a significant shortfall will still exist. The problem is not only that there is not enough water but this is compounded by the high population growth rate of the country. The rate of population growth in Jordan is 3.6 percent, and with a current population of around 5 million, it is expected to reach 7 million by the year 2010. The increasing population, industrial requirements, and the need for irrigation water puts increased pressure on water industries. Added to that, the living standards have increased in Jordan during the second half of the 20th century, raising the per capita use of water. The present per capita daily water use is 85 liters, which is very small compared to the United Kingdom's average of 225 liters/day. But if living standards continue to rise at the present rate, the water consumption will also increase. Various sources of non-conventional supply have been considered to meet this shortfall and a review of current literature revealed one option to consider: water importation, which presents a justifiable mechanism for alleviating this need. This paper presents a review of the available water resources in Jordan. Then it covers the water demands within the country and where the deficit can be addressed. Scenarios of additional volumes of water supply to Jordan are also detailed and then the possibilities of water importation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper examines the Nile question from an Egyptian perspective. The Nile is Egypt’s main source of water, and 96% of this water originates from outside of its territory. This explains why water is a key security issue for Egypt, and why, from Egypt’s point of view, cooperation with the upstream Nile countries is the only way forward. Egypt’s water policy focuses on demand management, environmental protection and international joint projects to increase the water supply (e.g. Jonglei canal). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water demand forecasts are needed for the design, operation and management of urban water supply systems. In this study, the relative performance of regression, time series analysis and artificial neural network (ANN) models are investigated for short-term peak water demand forecasting. The significance of climatic variables (rainfall and maximum air temperature, in addition to past water demand) on water demand management is also investigated.Numerical analysis was performed on data from the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The existing water supply infrastructure will not be able to meet the demand for projected population growth; thus, a study is needed to determine the effect of peak water demand management on the sizing and staging of facilities for developing an expansion strategy. Three different ANNs and regression models and seven time-series models have been developed and compared. The ANN models consistently outperformed the regression and time-series models developed in this study. It has been found that water demand on a weekly basis is more significantly correlated with the rainfall amount than the occurrence of rainfall. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change seriously affect agriculture at different latitudes of the planet because periods of drought are intensifying and the availability of water for agricultural irrigation is reducing. In addition, the energy cost associated with pumping water has increased notably in recent years due to, among other reasons, the maximum demand charges that are applied annually according to the contracted demand in each facility. Therefore, very efficient management of both water resources and energy resources is required. This article proposes the integration of water-energy management in a virtual power plant (VPP) model for the optimization of energy costs and maximum demand charges. For the development of the model, a problem related to the optimal operation of electricity generation and demand resources arises, which is formulated as a nonlinear mixed-integer programming model (MINLP). The objective is to maximize the annual operating profit of the VPP. It is worth mentioning that the model is applied to a large irrigation system using real data on consumption and power generation, exclusively renewable. In addition, different scenarios are analyzed to evaluate the variability of the operating profit of the VPP with and without intraday demand management as well as the influence of the wholesale electricity market price on the model. In view of the results obtained, the model that integrates the management of the water-energy binomial increases the self-consumption of renewable energy and saves electricity supply costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]