A collaborative planning process to develop future scenarios for wastewater systemsShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Journal of Environmental Management, ISSN 0301-4797, E-ISSN 1095-8630, Vol. 316, article id 115202Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Wastewater infrastructure has a long lifetime and is subject to changing conditions and demands. When plans are made to upgrade or build new infrastructure, transdisciplinary planning processes and a robust analysis of future conditions are needed to make sustainable choices. Here, we provide a stepwise collaborative planning process in which future scenarios are developed together with local stakeholders and expert groups. The process was implemented at one of the largest wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Scandinavia. With a combination of workshops and the use of a web-based digital tool, future scenarios including flows, pollutant loads, and treatment requirements could be created. Furthermore, sustainability prioritizations affecting the WWTP, were identified. The future scenarios developed for the WWTP in the case study, predict stricter and new regulations, constant or lower future loads and ambiguous future flows. The highest ranked sustainability priority was low resource and energy consumption together with low CO2 footprint. The quantified future scenarios developed in the planning process were used as input to a process model to show the consequences they would have on the WWTP in the case study. Applying this collaborative process revealed future scenarios with many, sometimes conflicting, expectations on future WWTPs. It also highlighted needs for improvements of both the collection system and the WWTP. © 2022 The Authors
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Academic Press , 2022. Vol. 316, article id 115202
Keywords [en]
Future scenario, Holistic planning, Mathematical modelling, Wastewater treatment systems
National Category
Water Treatment
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-59209DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115202Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85129510182OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-59209DiVA, id: diva2:1667389
Note
Funding text 1: This work was made possible by Gryaab AB and supported by VA-teknik Södra.
2022-06-102022-06-102025-09-23Bibliographically approved