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Reliability theory for microbial water quality and sustainability assessment
Citation:
Teklitz, A., C. Nietch, M. Riasi, AND L. Yeghiazarian. Reliability theory for microbial water quality and sustainability assessment. JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 596:125711, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125711
Impact/Purpose:
Microbial surface water contamination can disrupt critical ecosystem services such as recreation and drinking water supplies. Assessment of water resources sustainability are challenging due to the complexity of environmental systems and stochastic variability of processes that drive contaminant fate and transport. System reliability theory is proposed as a framework to address these issues and to methodically study component interactions within the system, as well as their individual and combined impact on water quality and sustainability.
Description:
Microbial surface water contamination can disrupt critical ecosystem services such as recreation and drinking water supplies. Assessment of water resources sustainability in the context of water quality and prediction of water contamination are challenging due to the complexity of environmental systems and stochastic variability of processes that drive contaminant fate and transport. In this paper we propose system reliability theory as a framework to address these issues and to methodically study component interactions within the system, as well as their individual and combined impact on water quality and sustainability. We obtain spatially distributed probability- and physics-based sustainability measures of reliability, vulnerability, resilience and the sustainability index. To facilitate their adoption by practitioners and the general public, we use the ArcGIS platform to present these measures as geospatial products. The potential utility of the framework is demonstrated for a small agricultural watershed experiencing microbial contamination of water quality, where the results can inform consideration of the best location for management.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Reliability theory for microbial water quality and sustainability assessment
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