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From End-of-Pipe to Nature Based Solutions: a Simple Statistical Tool for Maximizing the Ecosystem Services Provided by Reservoirs for Drinking Water Treatment

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Abstract

Despite the efforts to control, protect and improve freshwater resources, eutrophication is still one of the main causes for reservoir water quality deterioration. Low-quality raw water reaching water supply treatment plants (WTP) implies an increment of chemical reagents to meet safety requirements, which may also increase the potential of disinfection by-products formation. The objective of this paper was to study the relationship between raw water quality coming from a water supply reservoir and the use of reagents in the associated WTP, through a series of stepwise regression models, in order to develop a simple statistical tool to select the most adequate withdrawal depth for optimizing the treatment processes. The results showed that chlorides, ammonia and water color were the main subrogate parameters in the reservoir explaining the need of chlorine and ozone in the pre-treatment and alum sulphate consumption in the WTP. Therefore, by controlling the variation of these parameters in the water column it would be possible to select the most appropriate reservoir withdrawal depth for reducing costs and risk of by-products formation during treatment, making the most of the water purification service offered by the ecosystem.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mr. Eduardo Arozamena for providing WTP data, knowledge about treatment, and article revision. Appreciations also to Dr. J. Iñaki Urrutia for his continuous support, guidance and revision efforts. Special mention is also made to the laboratory technicians of Natural Waters Department, for the data acquisition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Innovation and Engineering, Canal de Isabel II, Santa Engracia 125, Madrid, Spain

    Laura Cáceres, Daniel Méndez & Jairo Fernández

  2. Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, Girona, Spain

    Rafael Marcé

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  1. Laura Cáceres
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  2. Daniel Méndez
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  3. Jairo Fernández
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  4. Rafael Marcé
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Correspondence to Laura Cáceres.

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Highlights

• A simple model is presented for evaluating the effects of reservoir water quality on its treatment

• Significant reagent savings can be achieved with selective withdrawal

• Organic matter and reduction potential in the reservoir seem to be the key factors

• Enhancing reservoir water quality will improve and ease water treatment

Appendix

Appendix

Table 2 Descriptive statistics of position and dispersion of the parameters measured in Valmayor, corresponding to the raw water entering the treatment plant
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Fig. 5
figure 5

Measured and smoothed concentration of color, chloride and ammonia in the water column of Valmayor reservoir (dam point) during the study period. The three available intake points are marked with red arrows: 825, 811 and 797 m

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Table 3 Mean estimated annual costs for treating the water from Valmayor reservoir in the treatment plant, divided by reagent and in total
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Cáceres, L., Méndez, D., Fernández, J. et al. From End-of-Pipe to Nature Based Solutions: a Simple Statistical Tool for Maximizing the Ecosystem Services Provided by Reservoirs for Drinking Water Treatment. Water Resour Manage 32, 1307–1323 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1871-7

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