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The urban water shortage crisis around the world is increasing. In this study, an inexact multi-stage interval-parameter partial information programming model (IMIPM) is proposed for urban water resources planning and management under uncertainties. Optimization techniques of two-stage stochastic programming (TSP), interval-parameter programming (IPP), linear partial information theory (LPI) and multistage stochastic programming (MSP) are combined into one general framework. IMIPM is used to tackle uncertainties like interval numbers, water inflow probabilities expressed as linear partial information, dynamic features in a long planning time and joint probabilities in water resources management. It is applied to Harbin where the manager needs to allocate water from multi-water sources to multi-water users during multi-planning time periods. Four water flow probability scenarios are obtained, which are associated with uncertainties of urban rainfall information. The results show that the dynamics features and uncertainties of system parameters (such as water allocation targets and shortage) are considered in this model by generating a set of representative scenarios within a multistage context. The results also imply that IMIPM can truly reflect the actual urban water resources management situation, and provide managers with decision-making space and technical support to promote the sustainable development of economics and the ecological environment in cities. HIGHLIGHTS Combine techniques of interval-parameter method, multistage stochastic method, linear partial information theory, and two-stage stochastic programming into one framework.; Authors apply it in a real-world water resources problem.; An interactive algorithm is introduced to deal with this model.; The results can support managers in having multiple decision alternatives.; It can apply in water or other resource problems.;

Scientific literature currently lacks comprehensive understanding of urban surface water use functions. This hampers sound analysis of the demand and potential supply of these functions. This study provides a comprehensive overview of potential use functions, by integrating knowledge from ecosystem services and integrated urban water management fields. Analysis of water-related management plans for Toronto and Amsterdam shows that surface water is currently being used for a variety of functions related to nutrition, energy, water regulation, recreation, symbolic use, transportation and floating buildings. Notably, many use functions involve in situ use, rather than water extractions. Interviewed water managers and spatial planners in both cities expect demand of most use functions to increase by 2040, especially demand for thermal energy extraction, recreation and transportation. Some identified novel demands, such as climate regulation and reuse of waste products from waterway maintenance. Increasing demand is mainly driven by urban growth, climate change and sustainability ambitions. This study found urban surface water uses that are usually not acknowledged in scientific literature on urban water management. This comprehensive overview supports planning, design, and maintenance of urban surface waters, laying the foundation for future research on supply and demand of urban water use functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Group Integrated Urban Water Manegement (GIAU) was founded in 2014, due to the need to study and to suggest solutions to weaknesses reported in the municipality of Maringá, in Paraná State, regarding this subject. The integrated urban water management comprehend ah holistic view to potable water supply and sanitary sewage systems, water drainage management in urban areas, besides urban solid waste management. In this context, the aim of this paper is to present the research group and its main contributions up to this point. The applied method consisted of present the history from creation, formation and recent actions of the whole group and in carry out a systematic review of the published papers. The main results showed that although recent, the group has worked in a proactive way in its community by means of promotion of lectures and events, besides the production of 52 publications in national and international journals, national and international events, books and book chapters. The group has also board members highly qualified, concentrating in the training of human resources. It can be concluded that the research group is consolidating, with high performance expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban water supply systems may be managed through supply-side and demand-side strategies, which focus on water source expansion and demand reductions, respectively. Supply-side strategies bear infrastructure and energy costs, while demand-side strategies bear costs of implementation and inconvenience to consumers. To evaluate the performance of demand-side strategies, the participation and water use adaptations of consumers should be simulated. In this study, a Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) framework is developed to simulate consumer agents that change their consumption to affect the withdrawal from the water supply system, which, in turn influences operational policies and long-term resource planning. Agent-based models are encoded to represent consumers and a policy maker agent and are coupled with water resources system simulation models. The CAS framework is coupled with an evolutionary computation-based multi-objective methodology to explore tradeoffs in cost, inconvenience to consumers, and environmental impacts for both supply-side and demand-side strategies. Decisions are identified to specify storage levels in a reservoir that trigger: (1) increases in the volume of water pumped through inter-basin transfers from an external reservoir; and (2) drought stages, which restrict the volume of water that is allowed for residential outdoor uses. The proposed methodology is demonstrated for Arlington, Texas, water supply system to identify non-dominated strategies for an historic drought decade. Results demonstrate that pumping costs associated with maximizing environmental reliability exceed pumping costs associated with minimizing restrictions on consumer water use.

Although the quantity of household water consumption does not account for a huge proportion of the total water consumption amidst socioeconomic development, there has been a steadily increasing trend due to population growth and improved urbanization standards. As such, mastering the mechanisms of household water demand, scientifically predicting trends of household water demand, and implementing reasonable control measures are key focuses of current urban water management. Based on the categorization and characteristic analysis of household water, this paper used Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to establish a level and grade theory of household water demand, whereby household water is classified into three levels (rigid water demand, flexible water demand, and luxury water demand) and three grades (basic water demand, reasonable water demand, and representational water demand). An in-depth analysis was then carried out on the factors that influence the computation of household water demand, whereby equations for different household water categories were established, and computations for different levels of household water were proposed. Finally, observational experiments on household water consumption were designed, and observation and simulation computations were performed on three typical households in order to verify the scientific outcome and rationality of the computation of household water demand. The research findings contribute to the enhancement and development of prediction theories on water demand, and they are of high theoretical and realistic significance in terms of scientifically predicting future household water demand and fine-tuning the management of urban water resources.

The water shortage problems have become main obstacles for sustainable socio-economic development of many cities. There was an urgent need to develop effective decision-support tools for supporting water-supply schemes under multiple uncertainties. In this study, an interval-parameter stochastic chance-constrained programming (IPSCCP) model was developed for urban water supply system. It integrated stochastic chance-constrained programming (SCCP) and interval linear programming (ILP) into a general optimization framework. IPSCCP could deal with uncertainties expressed as both discrete intervals and probability distributions; meanwhile, it was also useful for helping analyze the reliability of satisfying system constraints. A multi-layer urban water supply system, including water resources, collection and treatment facilities, reservoirs, and consuming zones, was used to demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of proposed method. The results indicated that IPSCCP was capable of helping understand the effects of uncertainties and was useful for urban water managers to gain an in-depth insight into the tradeoffs between system cost and reliability of constraints satisfaction. The study would be a new attempt in advancing an integrated uncertainty-analysis tool for urban water supply system. It was also suggested that other uncertain approaches are integrated into an IPSCCP framework for reflecting more complex conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new conflict resolution Model for urban water resources management is proposed. • Stakeholders' behaviors and interactions are modeled using an agent-based approach. • A leader-follower game incorporates the hierarchical structure of decision-makers. • The framework is profitably applied to a semi-urban-semi-agricultural case study. • Assessed management policies consider economic, social and environmental issues. The limited availability of water resources and the increasing rate of water demands in many urbanizing areas have caused more conflicts among competing water users in shared water systems and consequently, created some environmental, socio-economic and political challenges. Therefore, for sustainable management of common pool water resources, the behaviors of the main stakeholders and their interactions should be taken into account. In this paper, a new conflict resolution model based on the agent-based modeling approach is introduced for the evaluation of different water management policies through the simulation of all stakeholders' behaviors. Moreover, the leader-follower interactions among stakeholders are modeled using the Stackelberg game theory-based model. The methodology is applied to the western part of Tehran, Iran, as a developing urban case study, where there are different stakeholders and water users with conflicting objectives. The results illustrate the applicability and efficiency of the methodology in modeling and managing complex shared water resources systems that are suffering from socio-economic and environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the quantity of household water consumption does not account for a huge proportion of the total water consumption amidst socioeconomic development, there has been a steadily increasing trend due to population growth and improved urbanization standards. As such, mastering the mechanisms of household water demand, scientifically predicting trends of household water demand, and implementing reasonable control measures are key focuses of current urban water management. Based on the categorization and characteristic analysis of household water, this paper used Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to establish a level and grade theory of household water demand, whereby household water is classified into three levels (rigid water demand, flexible water demand, and luxury water demand) and three grades (basic water demand, reasonable water demand, and representational water demand). An in-depth analysis was then carried out on the factors that influence the computation of household water demand, whereby equations for different household water categories were established, and computations for different levels of household water were proposed. Finally, observational experiments on household water consumption were designed, and observation and simulation computations were performed on three typical households in order to verify the scientific outcome and rationality of the computation of household water demand. The research findings contribute to the enhancement and development of prediction theories on water demand, and they are of high theoretical and realistic significance in terms of scientifically predicting future household water demand and fine-tuning the management of urban water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]