Primož Banovec

A new set of water losses-related performance indicators focused on areas facing water scarcity conditions

Abstract As almost all Mediterranean countries are facing water scarcity problems today, water losses in drinking water supply networks have grown to an urgent problem, needing immediate confrontation, representing a too valuable to be neglected water potential. The first step towards water losses reduction is the water supply network performance assessment process. The most commonly used methodology is the one introduced by the International Water Association (IWA), including the International Standard Water Balance and a list of Performance Indicators (PIs). Five years after the second PIs handbook edition was launched increasing the PIs included to 170 from 133 of the first edition, there is a need to re-evaluate them, including also new PIs adapted/focused to regional conditions and addressing other important topics such as environmental issues. The paper presents a new set of water losses-related PIs, focused on areas facing water scarcity conditions met in the Mediterranean countries, forming a soli...

A source classification framework supporting pollutant source mapping, pollutant release prediction, transport and load forecasting, and source control planning for urban environments

PurposeImplementation of current European environmental legislation such as the Water Framework Directive requires access to comprehensive, well-structured pollutant source and release inventories. The aim of this work was to develop a Source Classification Framework (SCF) ideally suited for this purpose.MethodsExisting source classification systems were examined by a multidisciplinary research team, and an optimised SCF was developed. The performance and usability of the SCF were tested using a selection of 25 chemicals listed as priority pollutants in Europe.ResultsThe SCF is structured in the form of a relational database and incorporates both qualitative and quantitative source classification and release data. The system supports a wide range of pollution monitoring and management applications. The SCF functioned well in the performance test, which also revealed important gaps in priority pollutant release data.ConclusionsThe SCF provides a well-structured approach for European pollutant source and release classification and management. With further optimisation and demonstration testing, the SCF has the potential to be fully implemented throughout Europe.

MANAGEMENT OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS IN SLOVENIA AND ITS INTEGRATION ON THE STATE, REGIONAL AND LOCAL LEVEL

In this article, a new approach towards the management of water supply systems that is under implementation in the Republic of Slovenia will be presented. Current approaches are based on the integration of data at a horizontal level within the organization that provides the water supply service. One of the tasks of the service providers has always been reporting to the regulating authority. With increasing importance of the water supply service, the reporting requirements for other services is ever increasing and therefore a new approach is under way which aims at reporting of an extensive set of nonaggregated data on water supply systems. The new approach proves to be very efficient especially regarding the improved analytical capacity for other sectors and activities beside the regulatory agency itself, such as: regional spatial planning, emergency services, health, etc. The work has put forward the importance of good definition and management of spatial units where the service is provided – agglomerations. Water supply systems were defined on the basis of their hydraulic homogeneity, which enables back-tracing of water from the pipe to the source. The resulting spatial database has strong analytical capacity and is already under implementation as a useful decision-support tool. performance standards.

Defining Economic Level of Losses in Shadow: Identification of Parameters and Optimization Framework

Water losses are in focus of water supply management in last decades. Basic and widely accepted indicator is ILI Index, but is insufficient, when water resources are abundant, treatment costs low and energy consumption miniscule due to gravity. In such situation several authors introduced more detailed analysis defining “Economic Level of Leakage” (ELL) in short run. This analysis provides an insight into shadow market of leakages that is defined by marginal cost of water supplied on supply side and by marginal cost of repairs to mitigate water loss on demand side and provide empirical example based on real water supply system (WSS) data.

Identification of priority NRW-reduction measures using a decision support system

AbstractNon-revenue water (NRW) defined by the standard International Water Association (IWA) terminology is an important issue in the management of water supply systems (WSS). Its main component, water loss, is traditionally challenged by the managers of the WSS. The issue of NRW reduction is gaining in importance due to several impact factors: ageing WSS, increased energy costs and also new requirements set by the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Beside the conventional water loss requirements and indicators, WFD sets additional requirements defined by the objective status of water bodies. The directive was addressed by the WATERLOSS EU-MED project, within which a decision support system (DSS) for the induction of NRW-reduction measures was developed. The DSS targets beyond the standard benchmarking approaches with the evaluation of indicators that serve for the identification of necessary measures. In the process of DSS development, three key components were connected in operative DSS: (1) system of in...

Aspects of Earthquake Risk Management in Slovenia

Abstract This article presents the collaboration of two inter-disciplinary research projects on earthquake risk management for Slovenia and its capital city Ljubljana. Seismic resistance, structural vulnerability and fundamental frequency assessments of individual buildings were made and, using data from the Real Estate and Central Population registers, scenarios for the impact of different earthquake intensities were constructed. In addition, four applications were developed: guidance on earthquake preparedness for the public; a web application for self-assessment of building vulnerability; a support system for earthquake damage inspection; and an early post-earthquake damage assessment tool for planning rescue operations.

Management of flood risks as an integral part of urban resilience

varstvo pred škodljivim delovanjem voda, poplavna nevarnost, ranljivost, viri poplavne nevarnosti, poplavna ogroženost, omilitveni ukrepi, večperspektivno odločanje flood management, flood hazard, flood vulnerability, types of flood hazard, flood risk, mitigation measures, multiperspective decision making

Incorporation of the Critical Infrastructure Management Into the Dss on Strategic Water Supply System Management

There are more than 1,000 water supply systems (WSS) in the Republic of Slovenia due to the dispersed settlement pattern and more than 120 WSS operators managing them. In order to follow-up the performance of public service on all those systems and ensure the efficiency of the managing companies a complex regulative system (with decision support system DSS) is under continuous development with a scope to ensure safe and quality water supply on short term as well on long term. The driving mechanism for DSS was implementation of the EU Drinking Water Directive. A specific topic in this DSS is now addressing also the functionality of water supply system as critical infrastructure under terms of forthcoming EU Directive (proposed COM 2006/787) and national. Within the annex I of the proposed Critical Infrastructure Directive – Provision of drinking water and control of water quality water supply is identified as one of the explicitly listed sub-sectors. While the proposed directive is generally addressing the infrastructure that affects two or more member states it is also clearly expressing necessity of close harmonization with national systems of critical infrastructure. In the article the applied approach on the DSS level to the critical infrastructure will be presented with key steps that are foreseen by the directive: identification of the infrastructure, risk analysis, counter-measures and procedures implemented in the system.