Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2006OK64B

Decision Support System for Long Term Planning of Rural and Urban Water Supply System Costs in Oklahoma

Institute: Oklahoma
Year Established: 2006 Start Date: 2006-03-01 End Date: 2007-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $25,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $50,064

Principal Investigators: Arthur Stoecker

Project Summary: This study will develop an economic Decision Support System (DSS) to provide a tool how to meet regional water needs at least cost. Some work has been done on the concept of regionalization in Oklahoma to date, but this work has been fragmented with a short-term planning horizon, and less than comprehensive in its viewpoint. This study will provide an instrument to evauate the long-term needs for water treatment, distribution and srorage by taking into account aging of current assests, construction costs, supplies and expected population growth. Parts of Oklahoma are experiencing rapid economic development and population growth over the next fifty years. Water managers need to make long-term planning decisions today about how, when, and if to finance future water infrastructure investments. Much of the increased economic development and population expansion are occurring near large cities which are expanding outward toward small towns and areas served by small municipal systems or Rural Water Districts (RWDs). Three major issues will shape the future of Oklahomas rural water supply, treatment, storage and distribution capabilities. The issues are: 1) population growth; 2) aging infrastructure of rural water districts and their ability to meet water quality standards, storage and distribution, and; 3) finding alternatives for diminishing supplies of water. Smaller towns and RWDs must decide whether to individually invest to expand to meet projected future demands of water or to align themselves with regional water supply systems. At the same time rights to available supplies of surface and groundwater are becoming more limited due to population and economic growth. The specific objectives of the proposed project are: Identify potential supplies potable water sources in a selected study area of Oklahoma; determine the optimal number, location, size, and construction date for drinking water treatment plants to meet projected water needs at least cost; determine the optimal route, size, and construction date for pipelines linking any centralized treatment plants with towns or rural water districts, and; determine the optimal size, type, location, and time of distribution system modifications that will allow a water utility to meet its projected demands within their service areas at least cost. The methods for achieving the objectives are: 1. Determine location, capacity, and condition of existing water treatment plants for each city, town, or RWD in the study area. This will be accomplished by meeting with managers and observation of treatment plants in the region. The debt structure of RWDs will also be collected; 2. Use capital budgeting to determine cost of constructing new water treatment plants of various sizes, increasing capacity of existing plants, constructing pipe lines, and pump stations. 3. Determine the minimum cost infrastructure within RWDs or municipalities so to meet future demands for water in selected areas. Existing models will be used for RWDs that have developed plans. Districts without such models, EPANET will be used to determine the feasibility and operating cost of providing water to meet their water demands. Non-linear or Dynamic Programming methods will be used to determine cost minimizing investments.