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Using Work Breakdown Structure Models to Develop Unit Treatment Costs
Citation:
Khera, R., P. Ransom, AND T. F. Speth. Using Work Breakdown Structure Models to Develop Unit Treatment Costs. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION. American Water Resources Association, Middleburg, VA, 105(11):E628-E641, (2013).
Impact/Purpose:
This article is the first article in a series introducing a newly developed cost model that can estimate national costs of drinking water regulations. These costs will be used in EPA rulemaking. The model can also be used for estimating site-specific costs; therefore it will be of use to consultants and utilities.
Description:
This article presents a new cost modeling approach called work breakdown structure (WBS), designed to develop unit costs for drinking water technologies. WBS involves breaking the technology into its discrete components for the purposes of estimating unit costs. The article demonstrates the application of this approach for three specific technologies that are effective in removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs): packed tower aeration, multi-stage bubble aeration, and granular activated carbon (GAC). It presents examples output from these three WBS technology models for trichloroethylene (TCE), which is the most commonly occurring VOC in drinking water among the regulated VOCs. The transparency associated with WBS model design and output presentations demonstrate the versatility of the WBS approach and its ease of use. Although the WBS models? primary purpose is to estimate the national costs of drinking water regulations, they also are valuable for estimating site-specific costs.
