A collaborative planning process to develop future scenarios for wastewater systems

Maria Neth; Ann Mattsson; David I'Ons; Susanne Tumlin; Magnus Arnell; Lena Blom; Britt-Marie Wilén; Oskar Modin

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115202

A collaborative planning process to develop future scenarios for wastewater systems

J Environ Manage. 2022 Aug 15:316:115202. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115202. Epub 2022 May 10.

Authors

Maria Neth¹, Ann Mattsson², David I'Ons³, Susanne Tumlin³, Magnus Arnell⁴, Lena Blom⁵, Britt-Marie Wilén⁶, Oskar Modin⁶

Affiliations

¹ Gryaab AB, Box 8984, 402 74, Göteborg, Sweden; Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296, Göteborg, Sweden. Electronic address: neth@chalmers.se.
² Gryaab AB, Box 8984, 402 74, Göteborg, Sweden; Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296, Göteborg, Sweden.
³ Gryaab AB, Box 8984, 402 74, Göteborg, Sweden.
⁴ Unit of Urban Water Management, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Gjuterigatan 1D, SE-58273, Linköping, Sweden; Division of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation (IEA), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, PO Box 118, SE-22100, Lund, Sweden.
⁵ Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296, Göteborg, Sweden; City of Gothenburg, Department of Sustainable Waste and Water, Box 123, SE-424 23, Angered, Sweden.
⁶ Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296, Göteborg, Sweden.

PMID: 35550956
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115202

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Future scenario; Holistic planning; Mathematical modelling; Wastewater treatment systems.

MeSH terms

Waste Disposal, Fluid
Wastewater*
Water Purification*

Substances

Waste Water