Economic performance of DMAs in water distribution systems

Abstract

© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. An effective implementation of District Metered Areas (DMAs) in water distribution systems requires the analysis and cost comparison of various feasible solutions, which differ both in the number and the boundaries of the districts and provide different levels of benefits. The evaluation of the benefits provided by alternative DMA layouts (in terms of reduction of leakage, burst frequency, water and energy consumption) allows practitioners to make sensible decisions and create functional and efficient DMAs. This paper shows an analysis of the costs and benefits following the introduction of DMAs to water distribution systems, providing a framework for assessing the economic performance of DMAs, comparing different possible DMA layouts, and identifying the best solution among different options. A real water distribution network is considered as a case study, various DMA layouts are identified and ranked on the basis of the total benefit provided.