A DSS for Operational Management of Wastewaters under Uncertain Conditions

Abstract

Wastewater treatment facilities of the Ave River basin (located in NW Portugal) are especially vulnerable to infiltration since they present considerable extensions of sewers installed in streams and rivers and collect wastewaters from longstanding sewer networks of five municipalities. The operational management of this complex system involves decision variables such as the selection of the treatment plant where collected wastewater will be treated, with implications for pumped volumes and consequent energy consumption. Aiming to reduce these inflows and increase the management performance of TRATAVE, the company responsible for operating the system, a monitoring network that includes the entire drainage network and treatment facilities operated by the company was designed and implemented. Several flow measurement devices were installed at strategic locations within the sewer network and integrated with a SCADA system responsible for its operation. All measured data was organized in databases. This monitoring platform will support the implementation of a decision support system (DSS) based on a hydrological model of the basin, a hydrodynamic model of the river network and the sewer network. The DSS is being implemented using the Delft-FEWS platform, integrating monitoring data and models. The DSS conceptual framework and the first results of the estimated infiltration volumes are presented.