Introducing the Carbon Initiative with IWA Water Loss Specialist Group
Published on: 12 Feb 2025
Read moreThis #TechnicalTuesday comes from Andrew Slaughter, #teamWRc Senior Consultant, who is talking about integrating water quality functionality in Pywr and the increased capability it offers to the water industry.
Pywr is an Open Source, Python-based generalised network resource allocation model. The benefits of Pywr include its flexibility and rapid run time. Pywr is being increasingly used, both in the UK and internationally, for conducting scenario risk analysis, identifying optimal portfolios of water supply options and transfers, and to represent allocation of water in complex food-water-energy nexus systems. In the UK, water companies are starting to use Pywr to represent their bulk-water supply networks as they recognise the usefulness of the model for risk analysis and infrastructure planning.Water quality is not fully integrated within planning for long-term security of water supply. Water quality issues relating to the colour, taste and smell of water, as well as risks posed to human health, can limit the quantity of usable water and/or increase treatment costs. Including water quality simulation functionality into Pywr would allow the integration of water quantity and quality within the quantification of future available volumes of bulk and treated water and possible water treatment costs. This integration can also allow a more rational assessment of the risks posed by changes in water quality due to climate change (such as an increasing water temperature) to water supply.
WRc has invested in implementing water quality functionality in Pywr (Pywr-WQ) over the last year. As a proof of concept, Pywr-WQ currently represents inputs of point and non-point water quality loads as well as instream water quality processes. Pywr-WQ is also dynamically integrated with Pywr, allowing simulated water quality to guide water allocation decisions in Pywr. WRc is currently engaging with water companies to present the current capability, seek further requirements and to identify case studies sites to apply this new functionality. The model has been made Open Source and is free to access here.