Total Urban Water Cycle Models in Semiarid Environments—Quantitative Scenario Analysis at the Area of San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Abstract

Systems view thinking and holistic urban water cycle concepts are increasingly called upon for integrated analysis of urban water systems to mitigate water stress in large urban agglomerations. However, integrated analysis is frequently not applied due to the inherent complexity, limitations in data availability and especially the lack of guidelines and suitable software tools. The paper presents the application of the total urban water balance model UVQ to the City of San Luis Potosi (1.2 Mio inhabitants) under the arid conditions of Northern Mexico. UVQ is a lumped parameter model which describes water and contaminant flows from source to sink in urban areas and includes all water types such as rainwater, imported water, surface runoff, wastewater and groundwater. The results were especially useful for spatially explicit groundwater recharge calculation in urban areas. A range of urban water scenarios, including different supply strategies and the effect of externalities such as demand change, were simulated and compared to a calibrated baseline scenario. The analysis demonstrated that shallow urban groundwater resources can substantially mitigate problems of water scarcity and overexploitation of deep aquifers if appropriate water quality protection or fit-for-use paradigms are put into place. The modelling exercise delivers relevant information for the decision 240 S.E. Martinez et al. making process and identifies the most relevant shortcomings in current monitoring systems. This represents a key step on the path to water sensitive and sustainable urban development, including the urban aquifers which have been neglected in the management policy of most cities of the Mexican arid zone.

Modeling integrated urban water systems in developing countries: case study of Port Vila, Vanuatu

“…The most sensitive parameters were the effective area (roof, paved, and road areas) which resulted in an increase of 8.5 % and roof area (7 % increase). Drainage factor and daily drainage depth were relatively insensitive, supporting the work of Martinez et al (2011).…”

“…Input parameters, which according to the literature should be sensitive (Mitchell and Diaper 2005a;Montangero and Belevi 2008;Martinez et al 2011) were selected for water supply (size of rainwater tank, water supply leakage loss, per person water demand, and population), wastewater (excreta nutrient loads, treatment removal efficiency, and population) and stormwater (effective area, soil store capacity, and drainage factor). These parameters were systematically altered by 10 % above and below the original values (Table 3), and the impacts were recorded.…”

“…MFA methodologies have predominately been applied on yearly averages and are therefore unable to model a number of urban water components (usually alternative technologies) that require high time resolutions; e.g., rainwater tanks or seasonal variations in water supply sources which need at least daily modeling steps. More complex urban water cycle models, such as UVQ (Urban Volume and Quality) and Aqualcycle, have also been used in both developed Diaper 2005b, 2006), transitioning (Martinez et al 2011;Thi Hoang Duong et al 2011) and developing urban centers (Situmorang 2008). Shortcomings associated with their application in developing contexts to date have been the heavy dependence on assumptions from industrialized contexts or approximations for input parameters due to a lack of reliable local data; removing the ability to undertake calibration and compromising the robustness of conclusions.…”

Importancia de la hidrogeología urbana; ciencia clave para el desarrollo urbano sostenible

“…Las fugas del sistema de distribución de agua potable son la fuente más grande de infiltración en el acuífero más somero. El modelo aplicado es el más versátil y completo en la actualidad (Martínez et al, 2011).…”

Diagnóstico y análisis de los factores que influyen en la vulnerabilidad de las fuentes de abastecimiento de agua potable a la Ciudad de México, México

“…">IntroducciónEl aumento de la densidad de población y la dinámica de la expansión urbana, con una marcada tendencia al crecimiento de las zonas urbanas y disminución de la población rural, hacen a las megaciudades focos de vulnerabilidad y de alta complejidad en la tarea de prestar los servicios urbanos básicos (Martínez et al, 2011;Kraas, 2008;Mitchell, 2006). El concepto de vulnerabilidad enfocado en los recursos hídricos ha sido aplicado desde diferentes perspectivas.…”