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Simulation and multicriteria optimization modeling approach for regional water restoration management

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Abstract

This paper presents a modeling framework that intends to select the optimal robust wastewater reclamation program of measures (PoM) to achieve the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) objectives in the inner Catalonia watersheds. The integrative methodological tool developed incorporates a water quality model to simulate the effects of the PoM used to reduce pollution pressures on the hydrologic network. A Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) helps to identify efficient trade-offs between PoM cost and water quality. Interactive Decisions Map (IDM)—a multi-criteria visualization—based decision support tool is used to provide a clear idea of the trade-off between water status and the cost to achieve such situation. Lastly, a stochastic simulation model to analyze the sensitivity under varied environmental uncertainties is run. Moreover, the tool is oriented to guide water managers in their decision-making processes. Additionally, this paper analyzes the results of the application of the management tool in the inner Catalan watershed in order to perform the European WFD. This tool has had a key role in the design of part of the PoM which shall be implemented to achieve objectives of the WFD in 2015 in all the Catalan catchments.

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Abbreviations

ACA:

Catalan Water Agency

IDM:

Interactive Decision Maps

PoM:

Program of Measures

WFD:

Water Framework Directive

WWTP:

Waste Water Treatment Plant

TA:

Total Ammonium

TN:

Total Nitrogen

TP:

Total Phosphorus

TOC:

Total Organic Carbon

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Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by ACA, the project CAM s2009/esp-1594 of the Autonomous Community of Madrid and the projects MTM2009-14039-C063-03 and IPT-2011-0869-430000 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Additionally, the authors are grateful to Auditorías e Ingenierías, S.A. (Auding) that has been in charge of developing the database Qual2k implemented in the model.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dpto. de Estadística e Investigación Operativa, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain

    Angel Udías & Roman Efremov

  2. Agència Catalana de l’Aigua, C. Provença 204, Barcelona, Spain

    Lorenzo Galbiati

  3. Dpto. de Matemática Aplicada y Métodos Informáticos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Israel Cañamón

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  1. Angel Udías
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  2. Roman Efremov
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  3. Lorenzo Galbiati
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  4. Israel Cañamón
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Correspondence to Angel Udías.

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Udías, A., Efremov, R., Galbiati, L. et al. Simulation and multicriteria optimization modeling approach for regional water restoration management. Ann Oper Res 219, 123–140 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-012-1101-x

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