Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

A scenario-based water conservation planning support system (SB-WCPSS)

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study a water consumption model is built into a scenario-based planning support system (SB-WCPSS). The SB-WCPSS consists of four components—(1) a model input graphic user interface, (2) a community spatial database, (3) a set of drinking water consumption models, and (4) output display. The SB-WCPSS is implemented with a commercial planning support system software package—CommunityViz. The model is applied using data in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA to demonstrate the scenario development. In the application, water consumption consists of land use based indoor, turf, and pool water usages. Climate change is reflected in monthly temperature and precipitation. By specifying anticipated future land uses and associated water consumption rates, temperature, and precipitation, SB-WCPSS users can analyze and compare water consumptions under various scenarios, using maps, graphs, and tables. Parcel-based daily water consumptions were computed and summarized spatially by neighborhood, block group, or land use type. The results demonstrate that water conservation strategies, such as xeriscape, can reduce turf water usage. Indoor water consumption depends on the number of people who use water and how they use water. The study shows that the SB-WCPSS structure is sound and user friendly. Future improvement will be on enhancing various components, such as using parcel-based data and more robust water consumption models. The system may be used by water resource managers and decision makers to adapt water resources (e.g., watersheds and infrastructure) to climate change and demographic and economic development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AWWARF) (1999) Residential water use summary 1999. http://www.aquacraft.com/Publications/residents.htm. Accessed 3 May 2010

  • Avin UP, Dembner JL (2001) Getting scenario-building right. Planning 67(11):22–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Balling RC Jr, Gober P (2007) Climate variability and residential water use in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 46:1130–1137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burgess A (2010) Promoting domestic water conservation through the utilization of a scenario-based planning support system. Master’s THESIS. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati

    Google Scholar 

  • Computer Support Group, Inc (2009) Water consumption calculator. Computer Support Group. http://www.csgnetwork.com/waterusagecalc.html. Accessed 31 Oct 2009

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooley H, Hutchins-Cabibi T, Cohen M, Gleick PH, Herberger M (2007) Hidden Oasis: water conservation and efficiency in Las Vegas. Pacific Institute and Western Resource Advocates, Oakland

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummings R (2007) Engaging the public through narrative based scenarios. In: Hopkins LD, Zapata MA (eds) Engaging the future: forecasts, scenarios, plans, and projects. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, pp 243–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Dandy G, Nguyen T, Davies C (1997) Estimating residential water demand in the presence of free allowances. Land Econ 73(1):125–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deviney FA Jr, Brown DE, Rice KC (2012) Evaluation of bayesian estimation of a hidden continuous-time Markov chain model with application to threshold violation in water-quality indicators. J Environ Inform 19(2):70–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher TD, Deletic A (2008) Data requirements for integrated urban water management. UNESCO, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Geertman S, Stillwell J (2003) Planning support systems: an introduction. In: Geertman SS, Stillwell J (eds) Planning support systems in practice. Springer, New York, pp 3–22

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Greater Cincinnati Water Works (2010) Monthly aggregate water consumption. Greater Cincinnati Water Works, Cincinnati

    Google Scholar 

  • Guhathakurta S, Gober P (2007) The impact of the phoenix urban heat island on residential water use. J Am Plan Assoc 73(3):317–329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo P, Huang GH (2009) Two-stage fuzzy chance-constrained programming: application to water resources management under dual uncertainties. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 23:349–359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins LD, Zapata MA (2007) Engaging the future: forecasts, scenarios, plans and projects. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Randolph J (2004) Environmental land use planning and management. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenny JF, Barber NL, Hutson SS, Linsey KS, Lovelace JK, Maupin MA (2009) Estimated use of water in the United States in 2005. United States Geological Survey, Reston

    Google Scholar 

  • Klosterman RE (2001) Planning support systems: a new perspective on computer-aided planning. In: Brail RK, Klosterman RE (eds) Planning support systems: integrating geographic information systems, models, and visualization tools. ESRI Press, Redlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Klosterman RE (2007) Deliberating about the future. In: Hopkins LD, Zapata MA (eds) Engaging the future: forecasts, scenarios, plans, and projects. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, pp 199–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Li YP, Huang GH, Chen X (2009) Multistage scenario-based interval-stochastic programming for planning water resources allocation. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 23:781–792

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li YP, Huang GH, Nie SL (2010) Planning water resources management systems using a fuzzy-boundary interval-stochastic programming method. Adv Water Resour 33:1105–1117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li YP, Huang GH, Nie SL, Chen X (2011) A robust modeling approach for regional water management under multiple uncertainties. Agric Water Manag 98:1577–1588

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Tong TY (2011) Using HSPF to model the hydrologic and water quality impacts of riparian land-use change in a small watershed. J Environ Inform 17(1):1–14

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • National Weather Service (2010) Archived climate data—NWS Wilmington. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/lcdpage.htm. Accessed 20 Feb 2010

  • Schreck B, Farber H (2009) A water supply crisis or a water management crisis? J Am Water Works Assoc 33:458–469

    Google Scholar 

  • Sipes JL (2003) Visualizing community form. Landsc Archit 93:56–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Southern Nevada Water Authority (2008) Pools and spa tips. Southern Nevada Water Authority. http://www.snwa.com/html/cons_tips_pool/html. Accessed 15 Dec 2009

  • Sovocool KA (2005) Xeriscape conversion study final Report. Southern Nevada Water Authority. http://www.snwa.com/assets/pdf/xeri_study_final.pdf. Accessed 15 Dec 2009

  • Sovocool KA, Morgan M, Bennett D (2006) An in-depth investigation of xeriscape as a water conservation measure. American Water Works Association Journal 98(2):82–93

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • The Orton Family Foundation (2004) An introduction to GIS planning support software, version 1.0. The Orton Family Foundation, Boulder

    Google Scholar 

  • Troy P, Holloway D (2004) The use of residential water consumption as an urban planning tool: a pilot study in Adelaide. J Environ Plan Manag 47(1):97–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (2009) water resource adaptation program. http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wqm/wrap/. Accessed 30 April 2009

  • Vickers A (2001) Handbook of water use and conservation. Water Plow Press, Amherst

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Huang GH, Lu HW, Li YP (2010) An interval-valued fuzzy linear programming with infinite a-cuts method for environmental management under uncertainty. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 25:211–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao H, Zhang J, James RT, Laing J (2012) Application of MIKE SHE/MIKE 11 model to structural BMPs in S191 Basin, Florida. J Environ Inform 19(1):10–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through its Office of Research and Development, funded and managed, or partially funded and collaborated in, the research described herein. It has been subjected to the Agency’s administrative review and has been approved for external publication. Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the agency; therefore, no official endorsement should be inferred. Any mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. The authors are very grateful to the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0016, USA

    Xinhao Wang & Amy Burgess

  2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA

    Jeff Yang

Authors
  1. Xinhao Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amy Burgess
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jeff Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xinhao Wang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, X., Burgess, A. & Yang, J. A scenario-based water conservation planning support system (SB-WCPSS). Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 27, 629–641 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-012-0628-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-012-0628-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation