Title: Derivation of water Rationing Rules Using Goal Programming
Abstract: When the reservoir capacity of a municipality is insufficient for water demands to be met, the typical response of utilities is to invoke rationing. The amount of water in storage is the criterion most frequently used for rationing. If storage is above the trigger level, rationing is not required. In some cases, different storage levels trigger different stages or types of rationing; e.g. voluntary restrictions of, say, lawn irrigation may be requested when the level is relatively high, and mandatory rationing may be required when it is low. Setting trigger levels in the rationing rule is usually a matter of judgment. Rationing rules do not always work well. They may require too much or too little rationing, sometimes too soon or too late. The problem in selecting rules is particularly difficult for 1) water systems that are just approaching the limits of their capacity, 2) unusually dry years, and 3) utilities that lack extensive experience in operating their systems. The economic consequences of rationing can be severe. For example, restrictions on outdoor watering can result in expensive landscape losses for households and lost revenue for utilities; hence, mistakes in setting rationing policy need to be minimized. This research aims at developing an improved methodology for rationing, one less dependent on experience and judgment and more reliant on mathematical optimization and statistical analysis.
Publication Year: 1999
Publication Date: 1999-06-03
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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