Modelling interactions in urban drainage, water supply and broader integrated urban water systems has been conceptually and logistically challenging as evidenced in a diverse body of literature, found to be confusing and intimidating to new researchers. This review consolidates thirty years of research (initially driven by interest in urban drainage modelling) and critically reflects upon integrated modelling in the scope of urban water systems. We propose a typology to classify integrated urban water system models at one of four 'degrees of integration' (followed by its exemplification). Key considerations (e.g. data issues, model structure, computational and integration-related aspects), common methodology for model development (through a systems approach), calibration/optimisation and uncertainty are discussed, placing importance on pragmatism and parsimony. Integrated urban water models should focus more on addressing interplay between social/economical and biophysical/technical issues, while its encompassing software should become more user-friendly. Possible future directions include exploring uncertainties and broader participatory modelling.

Review: A critical review of integrated urban water modelling - Urban drainage and beyond

In the last years design procedures of urban drainage systems have shifted from end of pipe design criteria to ambient water quality approaches requiring integrated models of the system for evaluation of measures. Emphasis is put on the improvement of the receiving water quality and the overall management of river basins, which is a core element of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) as well. Typically, it is not necessary to model the whole variety of effects on the receiving water but to focus on the few dominating ones. Only pollutants and processes that have a direct and significant influence on the selected impacts need to be described quantitatively, whereas all other processes can be neglected. Hence, pragmatism is required to avoid unnecessary complexity of integrated models. This is as well true for software being used in daily engineering work, requiring simplicity in handling and a certain flexibility to be adjusted for different scenarios. CITY DRAIN (C) was developed to serve these needs. Therefore it was developed in the Matlab/Simulink (C) environment, enabling a block wise modelling of the different parts of the urban drainage system (catchment, sewer system, storage devises, receiving water, etc.). Each block represents a system element (subsystem) with different underlying modelling approaches for hydraulics and mass transport. The different subsystems can be freely arranged and connected to each other in order to describe an integrated urban drainage system. The open structure of the software allows to add own blocks and/or modify blocks (and underlying models) according to the specific needs. The application of CITY DRAIN is shown within the integrated modelling case study Vils/Reutte. Further additional applications for CITY DRAIN, including batch simulations, real time control (RTC) and model based predictive control (MBPC) are presented and discussed.

CITY DRAIN © - An open source approach for simulation of integrated urban drainage systems

Decision support for water policy: a review of economic concepts and tools

Quantification and control of microbial pollution from agriculture: a new policy challenge?

A neural-fuzzy approach to classify the ecological status in surface waters.

The European Water framework directive (WFD) is probably the most important environmental management directive that has been enacted over the last decade in the European Union. The directive aims at achieving an overall good ecological status in all European water bodies. In this article, we discuss the implementation steps of the WFD and their implications for environmental engineering practice while focusing on rivers as the main receiving waters. Arising challenges for engineers and scientists are seen in the quantitative assessment of water quality, where standardized systems are needed to estimate the biological status. This is equally of concern in engineering planning, where the prediction of ecological impacts is required. Studies dealing with both classification and prediction of the ecological water quality are reviewed. Further, the combined emission–water quality approach is discussed. Common understanding of this combined approach is to apply the most stringent of either water quality or emission standard to a certain case. In contrast, for example, the Austrian water act enables the application of only the water quality based approach - at least on a temporary basis.

Sara De Toffol

Papers

The European Water Framework Directive: Water Quality Classification and Implications to Engineering Planning