Abstract |
The rapid expansion of many western urban centers has nearly outstripped available stream flow and groundwater resources requiring municipal water departments to initiate exhaustive searches for new water supplies. Among the most feasible alternatives being investigated to date are acquisition and transfer of agricultural rights, interbasin water diversions, and wastewater recycling. A management level urban water system model has been formulated in which a system analysis format is employed to answer some of the basic questions concerning the optimal combination of these alternative supplies. The model incorporates a non-linear differential optimization algorithm to coordinate urban water supply, distribution, and wastewater management. A test of the model's utility is made in an application to the water management problems of the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. (Modified author abstract) |