Most water systems in the industrial regions of the world are already developed. At the same time they are highly complex. This is true with respect to physical configuration, managment, operation, political goals, environmental interactions, etc. Thus the basic systems are already in place. This realization is the starting point for any new water developments and for operation. From this we conclude that whatever we do to meet new exigencies requires an understanding of the presently in-place complex water systems. Their operation is the important thing. And how can we adjust their operation to meet the new demands upon the system? This book deals with complex water systems and their operation. Some chapters are highly theoretical while others are rooted in practical applications. How can we an~lyze the operation of a complex water system and determine how its performance can be improved? Several chapters on mathematical analysis give approaches involving different aspects of this problem. But operation also has political, management, and physical aspects. These problems are addressed in chapters by managers who operate such systems. The main theme of all chapters is how to deal with the different aspects of a complex water system, already in place. We feel the book, in dealing with this question could be a start for new theoretical premises in water planning.

During the past five decades, we have witnessed a tremendous evolution in water resource system management. Three characteristics of this evolution are of particular note: First, the application of the systems approach to complex water management problems has been established as one of the most important advances in the field of water resource management. Second, the past five decades have brought a remarkable transformation of attitude in the water resource management community towards environmental concerns and action to address these concerns. Third, applying the principles of sustainability to water resource decision-making requires major changes in the objectives on which decisions are based, and an understanding of the complicated inter-relationships between existing ecological, economic, and social factors. The Special Issue includes 15 contributions that offer insights into contemporary problems, approaches, and issues related to the management of complex water resources systems. It will be presumptuous to say that these 15 contributions characterize the success or failure of the systems approach to support water resources decision-making. However, these contributions offer interesting lessons from current experiences and highlight possible future work.

This manual is designed to train operators in the safe and effective operation and maintenance of small water systems and treatment plants. It contains information for operators with responsibility for wells, pumps, disinfection, and small water treatment plants (serving populations of fewer than 10,000).

Increasing global pressure on water resources requires many actions from governments and individuals to achieve sustainable levels of water use. These involve management tasks such as project development and utility operation, but the degree of interdependence among the many participants in water management is so great that additional regulatory and coordination mechanisms are needed to control water development and uses. This book is designed to be the introductory work in the new Governance and Management for Sustainable Water Systems Series. It introduces the subject of governance of water systems and illuminates relatively unexplored topics of water resources management.The material is practical but advanced in the sense that theories of industry organization, governance, and institutional analysis are applied in new ways. New case study applications are provided in the book and help the reader to understand how their disciplines apply to water management. The case studies are drawn from each sector and region in the world, including cases from the U.S.A., Europe, the Middle East, South America and a global case to cover water system privatization. Visit the IWA WaterWiki to read and share material related to this title: http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/Governance Author: Professor Neil S Grigg, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, USA

Part of OECD Water Resources and Sanitation Set - Buy all four reports and save over 30% on buying separately! Water is a key prerequisite for human and economic development, and for maintaining ecosystems. However, billions of people lack access to water and sanitation services, mainly due to poor governance and inadequate investment and maintenance. The situation is becoming more urgent due to increasing pressure, competition and even conflict over the use of water resources. The OECD has been working over the last two years to address these challenges. The results are summarised in this report, which emphasises the economic and financial aspects of water resources management and water service provision, the need for an integrated approach (including governance considerations) to address these complex policy challenges, and the importance of establishing a firm evidence base to support policy development and implementation. This report examines: strategic financial planning for water supply and sanitation that balances the key sources of revenues for the water sector – the “3Ts” of taxes, tariffs and transfers; the design and implementation of water pricing strategies that balance financial sustainability with other policy objectives; recent developments in private sector participation in the water sector; and trends and the future outlook of water use in agriculture. It considers both developing and OECD countries and offers concrete recommendations and checklists for action. The report is an invaluable resource for policy makers, academics, NGOs and all others interested in the challenges facing the water sector today.

This book presents a set of approaches for the real-time monitoring and control of drinking-water networks based on advanced information and communication technologies. It shows the reader how to achieve significant improvements in efficiency in terms of water use, energy consumption, water loss minimization, and water quality guarantees. The methods and approaches presented are illustrated and have been applied using real-life pilot demonstrations based on the drinking-water network in Barcelona, Spain. The proposed approaches and tools cover: • decision-making support for real-time optimal control of water transport networks, explaining how stochastic model predictive control algorithms that take explicit account of uncertainties associated with energy prices and real demand allow the main flow and pressure actuators—pumping stations and pressure regulation valves— and intermediate storage tanks to be operated to meet demand using the most sustainable types of source and with minimum electricity costs;• decision-making support for monitoring water balance and distribution network quality in real time, implementing fault detection and diagnosis techniques and using information from hundreds of flow, pressure, and water-quality sensors together with hydraulic and quality-parameter-evolution models to detect and locate leaks in the network, possible breaches in water quality, and failures in sensors and/or actuators;• consumer-demand prediction, based on smart metering techniques, producing detailed analyses and forecasts of consumption patterns, providing a customer communications service, and suggesting economic measures intended to promote more efficient use of water at the household level. Researchers and engineers working with drinking-water networks will find this a vital support in overcoming the problems associated with increased population, environmental sensitivities and regulation, aging infrastructures, energy requirements, and limited water sources.