Vulnerability Assessment of Drinking Water Supply under Climate Uncertainty using a RANK Model
The contamination in the river can enter the water supply system and pollute the drinking water. In this study, a framework was developed to demonstrate the application of a computational fluid dynamics model in risk assessment of contamination exposure in surface waters. This model aims to address the limitations of current water quality models by establishing a two-dimensional finite volume-based model. The model was illustrated with a case study of the Freedom Industries spill of 2014, when crude MCHM, an organic solvent used in coal processing was spilled in the Ohio River. The possible contamination to the Greater Cincinnati Water Works (downstream of the spill) that supplies water to over 1 million residents in Southwest Ohio was investigated. The ultimate goal is to identify the factors responsible for potential future river contamination emergencies, and the use of that insight to inform strategic investments in resilience-enhancing infrastructure and policies.
This work was published in 2022. Read full publication at the journal of Environmental Modelling and Software here.
References:
- Behzadi, F., Wasti, A., Steissberg, T.E., Ray, P.A., Vulnerability assessment of drinking water supply under climate uncertainty using a river contamination risk (RANK) model, Environmental Modelling and Software (2022), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2021.105294.