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Evolution of the Water Balance of an Urban Catchment (Extended Abst)
Citation:
McCoy-Simandle, C., S. G. Buchberger, AND Y. J. YANG. Evolution of the Water Balance of an Urban Catchment (Extended Abst). In Proceedings, Eleventh International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry (CCWI 2011), Exeter, UK, September 05 - 07, 2011. Centre for Water Systems, University of Exeter, Exeter, Uk, Paper 239, 6 p, (2011).
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
The 20th century marked the emergence of the modem American City and its complex extensive infrastructure for supplying drinking water, treating wastewater and managing storm water. During this period of intense urban development, unintentional mismanagement of the urban water balance may have disrupted the hydrologic cycle on a regional scale. Further, the United States now faces an unprecedented challenge: How should the Nation's aging water infrastructure be restored to promote economic and environmental sustainability while protecting human health and preserving the environment for future generations? This daunting assignment is exacerbated by the convergence of ominous trends in climate, demographics and the economy. This paper examines the evolution of the water and energy balance in a highly urbanized catchment, the Mill Creek watershed of Cincinnati Ohio. Mill Creek is home to haIf a million residents and drains 430 km2 through the heart of Cincinnati. We compare the water and energy fluxes through the Mill Creek watershed under virgin (pre-development) and urbanized (post-development) conditions to identify the changes that have occurred over the centuries. Finally, we discuss some of the consequences of the current water and energy landscape on the management and sustainability of the existing urban water infrastructure in the Mill Creek catchment. [Extended abstract reprinted with permission of Center for Water Systems, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.]
URLs/Downloads:
Exeter University Website
Evolution of the Water Balance of an Urban Catchment (PDF, NA pp, KB, about PDF)