Using Envision to Assess the Sustainability of Groundwater Infrastructure: A Case Study of the Twin Oaks Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project

Abstract

Abstract:The ISI (Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure) Envision rating system is designed to be a comprehensive sustainability assessment that can be applied to a wide range of infrastructure projects, including water supply. With water supply resiliency, a prominent concern in many arid and semi-arid regions, the implementation of a water sustainability metric would be beneficial to both regulators and planners. This review seeks to assess the merit of applying Envision to water infrastructure projects specifically designed to enhance supply resiliency by retroactively rating the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) Twin Oaks Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project. In this review, we find that the novelty and innovation inherent in ASR is largely overlooked by Envision, which often does not evaluate sector-specific concepts. Furthermore, the project-oriented focus of Envision does not analyze water supply systems, or any infrastructure system, as a whole. This paper proposes that a water specific sustainability index be used in conjunction with Envision, to more specifically address concerns for water supply.

Assessing the potential use of Envision in the sustainability certification of road projects with conservation authorities in Ontario

“…Similar to their second conclusion, Saville, Miller, and Brumbelow (2016) also concluded that Envision has a project oriented focus and generally neglects a systems-level perspective.…”

“…The Envision criteria are multi-disciplinary. Saville, Miller, and Brumbelow (2016) found that environmental sustainability is the focus of 57% of Envision points, contending that while the economic pillar is often the focus of EAs, the social environment should be weighted more heavily in the Envision criteria. While the natural environment is definitely the focus of many criteria, the criteria generally are designed to be interconnected and support various aspects of social, economic and environmental sustainability.…”

Assessing the potential use of Envision in the sustainability certification of road projects with conservation authorities in Ontario

“…Furthermore, while some criteria may be over-weighted relative to local sustainability priorities, others will be under-weighted, so the weighting should balance out. So while Saville, Miller, and Brumbelow (2016) are correct in the finding, their critique is overstated based on this study.…”

“…The second conclusion of Saville, Miller and Brumbelow (2016) is that, like other ISRSs, Envision does not allow for adjustments to the weightings to reflect local sustainability needs.…”

Trend Analysis of Water Poverty Index for Assessment of Water Stress and Water Management Polices: A Case Study in the Hexi Corridor, China

“…ANNs have also been used to identify maps of the probabilities of drought occurrences in Portugal [43], while a multi-objective optimization model has been applied for rural water supply systems in Cuiabá, Brazil [44]. In other studies, the envision rating system was used to assess the sustainability of groundwater infrastructure to address concerns for water supply [45]. These studies can provide robust alternative ways to investigate the sustainability of projects and water management decisions, including water poverty for integrated planning and water resources management; however, this was outside the scope of the present research and, therefore, awaits another independent study.…”