Download Securing Our Water Supply

Securing Our Water Supply
A combined optimisation and multi-criteria analysis approach
Australia is a highly urbanised nation with most of the population perched on
a narrow green rim at the edge of the driest inhabited continent on earth. Our
cities, towns and even some regional areas are all under increasing pressure from
growing populations and per capita water consumption, compounded by climate
change. Governments and private sector water suppliers are, therefore, seeking
ways of ensuring that communities have reliable, safe water supplies into the
future.
In South Australia, the Network Water Security Program (NWSP) has been
initiated by SA Water to help achieve SA Water’s vision of providing ‘water for
growth, development and quality of life for all South Australians’. A component of
the NWSP is the North-South Interconnection System of the Adelaide Desalination
Plant (ADP) at Port Stanvac. Water from the plant must be available as required
to the whole of Adelaide through the Adelaide Metropolitan Water Network as
a contingency supply and to improve operational flexibility for handling any
unplanned water treatment plant outages, water quality incidents or security
breaches.
The Problem
Many options involving combinations of existing network infrastructure and new infrastructure
(including pipelines, pumps, valves and tanks) existed to provide the desired interconnectivity and
all exhibited complex tradeoffs between aspects, including cost, network operability, impact on water
quality, impact on existing assets and impact on the community during construction. How then, to
decide on the most appropriate design for the network in order to balance competing needs?
The Solution
A team consisting of SA Water, Optimatics, United Water and the WaterSYSTEMS Research Group
developed an approach for exploring options for connecting the Adelaide Metropolitan Water Network
with the North-South Interconnection System whilst meeting multiple objectives. The innovative process
for sorting among the many options (optioneering) and developing a plan for the most appropriate
outcome included:
 the use of a unique combination of cutting-edge genetic algorithm (GA) optimisation techniques and
multi-criteria analysis (MCA)
 effective integration and collaboration of the stakeholders
 delivery of an endorsed optimised solution for concept design
This is the first known commercial project where GA optimisation and MCA have been combined into
an optioneering process for a drinking water network augmentation planning and design project. The
GA optimisation was linked to an extended simulation hydraulic model of the drinking water network
in order to evaluate the cost and performance of each possible solution.
The Benefits
The combined optimisation and multi-criteria analysis approach analysed the many options the
water providers had available to them to find a preferred feasible option that will ensure water
delivery to the community in the short and long-term.
WaterSYSTEMS Research Group
Research, Advice and Design
School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering
http://www.ecms.adelaide.edu.au/civeng/research/
Enabling better decision making