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Ecosystem service impacts of urban water supply and demand management

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 13:03 authored by Kandulu, JM, Darla Hatton MacDonaldDarla Hatton MacDonald, Dandy, G, Marchi, A

Utilities face the challenge of enhancing long-term water security while minimising undesirable economic, social and environmental impacts of supply and demand management options. This paper provides an example of how the ecosystem services concept can be used to enumerate and organise broad impacts of water supply options. A case study of Adelaide, South Australia, is used to examine costs and benefits associated with different sources of water and source-water mix scenarios. Ecosystem service impacts are estimated using estimates from the literature. Seven water supply and demand management options are considered for Adelaide:

1) the River Murray,

2) Mt. Lofty Ranges catchments,

3) wastewater reuse,

4) desalination,

5) stormwater harvesting,

6) groundwater and

7) water conservation.

The largest costs are associated with sourcing water from conservation measures such as water restrictions on outdoor watering estimated at $1.87/kL. Salinity damage costs associated with residential uses are estimated at up to $1.54/kL. Salinity damage costs of wastewater reuse were estimated at $1.16/kL. The largest benefit is coastal amenity services associated with stormwater harvesting and treatment estimated at $1.03/kL. Results show that there is a trade-off between financial costs and ecosystem services impacts with source-water mix scenarios with the highest ecosystem services cost having the lowest financial O&M cost and vice versa. This highlights the importance of taking ecosystem services into account when evaluating water supply options.

History

Publication title

Water Resources Management

Volume

31

Issue

15

Pagination

4785-4799

ISSN

0920-4741

Department/School

TSBE

Publisher

Springer

Place of publication

Van Godewijckstraat 30, Dordrecht, Netherlands, 3311 Gz

Rights statement

# Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Environmental protection frameworks (incl. economic incentives)

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