Dissertations / Theses: 'Water utility'

1

Vieux, Micah Steven. "AN INTERNSHIP IN WATER UTILITY STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1368017965.

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Pleiman, Erin. "INTERNSHIP WITH AN EMERGING STORM WATER UTILITY." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1082664649.

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3

Chanpiwat, Pattanun. "Quantitative Approach to Select Energy Benchmarking Parameters for Drinking Water Utilities." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/64201.

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Energy efficiency is currently a hot topic on all regional, national, and global stages. Accurate measurements on how energy is being used over a period of time can improve performance of the drinking water utility substantially and reduce energy consumption. Nevertheless, the drinking water industry does not have a specific benchmarking practice to evaluate its energy performance of the system. Therefore, there are no standards to compare energy use between water utilities that have a variety of system characteristics. The goal of this research is to develop quantitative approach to select energy benchmarking parameters of the water system, so the drinking water utilities can use those parameters to improve their energy efficiency. In addition to a typical benchmarking of drinking water utilities, the energy benchmarking can specifically compare energy efficiency of a utility with other utilities nationwide. The research developed a regression model based on the statistical representation of the energy use and descriptive characteristics of the drinking water utilities data throughout the U.S. Methodologies to eliminate singularity and multicollinearity from collinear survey dataset are discussed. The all possible regressions were chosen as parameters selection methodology to identify a subset of most significant parameters, i.e. system characteristics, that can mathematically correspond to energy use across different utilities. As a result, the energy benchmarking would be able to calculate the predicted total energy use of the system from given system characteristics.
Master of Science

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4

Battaglia, Neal F. "Utility of satellite LIDAR waveform data in shallow water." Thesis, Monterey, California : Naval Postgraduate School, 2010. http://edocs.nps.edu/npspubs/scholarly/theses/2010/Jun/10Jun%5FBattaglia.pdf.

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Thesis (M.S. in Applied Physics)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2010.
Thesis Advisor(s): Olsen, Richard C. ; Second Reader: Trask, David M. "June 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on July 14, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: LIDAR Waveforms, Underwater LIDAR signature, Spaceborne LIDAR. Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-66). Also available in print.

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5

Boudreau, Kristan Marie. "Water utility regulation in British Columbia, a way forward." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp05/mq24094.pdf.

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6

Voight, Dana Evans. "Engineering considerations for privatizing water and wastewater utility systems." Tallahassee, Florida : Florida State University, 2009. http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-11042009-182807/.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2009.
Advisor: Amy Chan Hilton, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed on Mar. 8, 2010). Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 147 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

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7

MacGillivray, Brian H. "Benchmarking risk management practice within the water utility sector." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2006. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/2797.

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Explicit approaches to risk analysis within the water utility sector, traditionally applied to occupational health and safety and public health protection, are now seeing broader application in contexts including corporate level decision making, asset management, watershed protection and network reliability. Our research suggested that neither the development of novel risk analysis techniques nor the refinement of existing ones was of paramount importance in improving the capabilities of water utilities to manage risk. It was thought that a more fruitful approach would be to focus on the implementation of risk management rather than the techniques employed per se. Thus, we developed a prescriptive capability maturity model for benchmarking the maturity of implementation of water utility risk management practice, and applied it to the sector via case study and benchmarking survey. We observed risk management practices ranging from the application of hazard and operability studies, to the use of scenario planning in guiding organisational restructuring programmes. We observed methods for their institutionalisation, including the use of initiation criteria for applying risk analysis techniques; the adoption of formalised procedures to guide their application; and auditing and peer reviews to ensure procedural compliance and provide quality assurance. We then built upon this research to develop a descriptive1 capability maturity model of utility risk analysis and risk based decision making practice, and described its case study application. The contribution to knowledge of this stage of the research was three-fold, we: synthesized empirical observations with behavioral and normative theories to codify the processes of risk analysis and risk based decision making; placed these processes within a maturity framework which distinguishes their relative maturity of implementation from ad hoc to adaptive; and provided a comparative analysis of risk analysis and risk based decision making practices, and their maturity of implementation, across a range of utility functions. The research provides utility managers, technical staff, project managers and chief finance officers with a practical and systematic understanding of how to implement and improve risk management, and offers preliminary guidance to regulators concerning how improved water utility governance can be made real.

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Neuman, Sabrina M. "Non-intrusive water utility monitoring and free-space load monitoring." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62750.

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Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, February 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 151).
This work presents a non-intrusive, single-point sensing scheme to monitor the water usage for various loads on a water utility pipe network through the vibration of a pipe near the water intake source. Experiments with the water utility sensor provided data sufficient to identify individual loads on the water distribution network both alone and during operation of multiple loads. This sensor setup is useful for smart-metering applications to promote water conservation by keeping track of the operational schedule of individual loads on the local water network. This work also presents the development of a free-space sensor to provide information about the operation and location of electrical loads: an electroquasistatic (EQS) sensor to detect voltage-mode events. The free-space sensor was able to detect events in a room, such as the activation of a line upon turning on a power strip or switching a light switch. This sensor could supplement a power monitoring system by helping to localize the activation of loads.
by Sabrina M. Neuman.
M.Eng.

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9

Mugabi, Josses. "Determinants of customer decisions to pay utility water bills promptly." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2007. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/33629.

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Over a decade ago the 'Dublin Principles' shifted global thinking towards treating water as an economic good. Accompanying this conceptual shift has been a wider move towards focusing on water consumer's needs and preferences and their willingness to pay (WTP). WTP studies are now widely considered as forming part of an improved planning methodology for water supply, because they provide a basis for distinguishing financially viable water supply projects from those that are destined for failure. However, experience in several low-income countries suggests that cost recovery is still a major problem even for those projects with seemingly good initial financial models. For water utilities, one of the key determinants of overall cost recovery efficiency is the ability to recover payment, within a reasonable timeframe, for all the water bills sent to customers. This study used empirical data, obtained through a cross-sectional survey in eight small urban centres in Uganda, to establish the determinants of customer decisions to pay utility water bills promptly.

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10

Namaliya, Nicholas Gracious. "Strategies for Maximizing Revenue Collection in Public Water Utility Companies." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3623.

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Africa has a high rate of revenue under-collection in public water utility companies. This rate currently averages 20-50%, and the rate is 18% for Malawi alone. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore credible business strategies senior managers of water utilities use to address inefficiencies in collecting water fee revenues. The conceptual framework for this study was revenue management, which includes strategic constructs for increasing amounts of revenue collection. The target population for this study was 5 senior managers of a public water utility in Malawi, which is located in the southeastern part of Africa. Data collection included semistructured, face-to-face interviews and a review of company documents. The data analysis process involved the use of thematic analysis, including methodological triangulation, to identify 4 themes: innovative strategies, effective metering and billing, customer relationship management, and disconnection of water supply from customers with overdue bills. These themes highlighted credible business strategies that, for these 5 senior managers, were effective in revenue collection. Addressing inefficiencies in collecting water fee revenues will facilitate positive social change by increasing profits, growing the water business, reducing the crime rate by employing more people, providing potable water to reduce waterborne diseases, and contributing to the sustainable social and economic development of the people of Malawi.

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11

Bradshaw, R. A. "Application of high reliability theory in the water utility sector." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2008. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/4075.

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In the literature, a need was identified to consider the provision of drinking water to be a ‘high reliability’ societal service. This thesis reports on an investigation into the technical and organisational reliability of a defined section in the water utility sector and a Regional Water Utility. Here, the organisational reliability in operations and incident management, and, secondly, the management of technical reliability of water supply systems arising from risk-based asset management were the emphasis of this project. In order to substantiate this investigation, three main research components were designed and conducted: firstly, a characterisation of the nature of incidents and their impact on customers; secondly, an investigation into organisational capabilities to manage incidents and its role in maintaining a resilient water supply system that minimises the impact of incidents on customers, and thirdly, an investigation into riskbased asset management strategies that provide and maintain the technical reliability of the water supply system. In the latter perspective, the opportunity to learn from previous incidents to enhance asset risk assessments was investigated. In this study, it was found that many HRO principles are readily observable in the water utilities that participated in this research. Following the characterisation of incidents, it is demonstrated that the observation of HRO principles during incident management has a positive effect on the overall reduction of incident impacts on customers. Beyond the immediate effect of HRO principles in incident management, it could be demonstrated that ‘learning from failure’ provides a mechanism to understand and manage future risks. The concept of incident meta-analysis is introduced that compares series of past incidents with documented perceived, future risks. The statistical analysis of incident time series facilitated the monitoring of incident trends, the validation of the risk model used in the Regional Water Utility and the verification of risk data, in particular for the risk components ‘probability, cause, effect and impact’.

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12

Sills, Peter. "Christian ethics and the privatization of utility industries." Thesis, University of Kent, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.327486.

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13

Lee, Priscilla P. (Priscilla Pui Si) 1978. "Comparison of public and private water utility financial and management strategies." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/17513.

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Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2001.
"June 2001."
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-64).
Recently, there has been a growing trend towards public-private partnerships and privatization in the water supply industry. However, the benefits of public-private partnerships and privatization are not clear. In order to better understand the consequences of the shift towards the private sector, one must recognize the different approaches used by each sector. This study compares the financial and management strategies of the public and private water utilities. The various strategies are presented through six case studies of public and private water utilities in the United States. Each study focuses on the capital investment program, financing sources, and management practices of each utility. A financial analysis of each utility is performed to support the case study. Eight financial ratios are used to evaluate the utilities' financial leverage, efficiency and liquidity. Finally, some general conclusions about the different approaches used by each sector are discussed.
by Priscilla P. Lee.
M.Eng.

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14

Chakava, Yolanda. "'Transition Phase' water supply interventions in low-income urban settlements, Kenya." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2013. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/8475.

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A multitude of transitional water supply and distribution interventions are continually piloted in Kenya’s fast-growing urban settlements to meet national and global MDG targets, yet visible problems persist regardless of the investments made. This research evaluates the performance of four interventions led by public utilities and non- governmental organisations in the low-income settlements of Nairobi, Kisumu and Nakuru counties. To understand the service improvement received by the residents, this study used qualitative data from interviews and focus group discussions and quantitative data from 1,168 household surveys. Service level analysis results showed making water more affordable using pre-paid technology reduced the effective price by 75% and increased consumption per household by 20 litres per day, resulting in the highest service progress. Improving water accessibility for the very poor via hosepipe door-step delivery reduced the burden on women carrying water by 43% although efforts failed to reduce the pricing structure, limiting the progress. Subsidised ‘first-time’ metered plot connections to increase the utility customer base experienced shortages in water supply and reluctance from landlords, restricting development. Despite showing no positive change, 81% of residents continued to rely on expensive self-supplied boreholes which were all contaminated. Although the utilities have made positive strides in service improvement, in the context of universal service this study has shown that the very poor remain the most difficult to access, forming the target of discrete interventions that experience difficulties in influencing a reliable supply, sustained price reduction and/or good water quality – essentially what is needed most. In investigating the longer term supply and demand shortfall, this study concludes that the equitable supply and innovative distribution of point source groundwater, with a bias for the poorest, could be the most resilient transitional solution for the utility to promote in the foreseeable future, out of necessity rather than desire.

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15

Coello, Midence Balthasar Zairis Aida. "Insufficient water supply in an urban area - case study : Tegucigalpa, Honduras." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Vattenförvaltning, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-50503.

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Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, has experienced an unsatisfied water demand during the last three decades. The state owned water utility in charge of the water supply of the country, SANAA, has faced this deficit by providing an intermittent water supply. The intermittent water supply has increased the gap between the rich and the poor, who cannot afford water storage facilities. Theories explain water scarcity either by low precipitation or by lack of investment in water structures. This thesis investigates the applicability of both explanations by quantifying the annual precipitation in the sub catchments with water supply potential for Tegucigalpa, and identifying the problems which caused the lack of investment into the water infrastructure. The analysis concluded that even if the annual precipitation is abundant, it is not evenly distributed in time and in space. Furthermore, it is argued that the financial limitations which hindered the lack of investment in water structures originated in the low tariffs imposed, and to the practices of the patronage system.
QC 20111207

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16

Kea, Kandace. "An Analysis of Trends in U.S. Stormater Utility and Fee Systems." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/53704.

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Many municipalities have established stormwater user fees (SUFs), commonly known as stormwater utilities, to raise revenue for stormwater management programs, however little is known about the trends among the fees currently in existence. This research observes trends in the establishment, type and magnitude of user fees by analyzing location, population density, home value, and establishment for a comprehensive national stormwater user fee database with data for 1,490 user fees. The Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU), a SUF that charges based on impervious area, was the most prevalent fee type in all NOAA Climate regions of the U.S. except the West and West North Central. The Tier system, a SUF that charges differently for properties by defined categories, was the second most prevalent in all regions except the East North Central and West North Central. The ERU was found in larger cities with high population densities whereas flat fees, SUFs that charge a single rate for all properties, were found in smaller towns. Higher home values led to higher monthly fees for 28% of the municipalities analyzed. The Residential Equivalence Factor (REF), a SUF that charges based on runoff produced, was popular in municipalities with higher home values and the flat fee was popular in those with lower home values. The number of SUFs established increased near Phase I MS4 permit and Phase II small MS4 permit deadlines.
Master of Science

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17

Furlong, Kathryn. "Municipal water supply governance in Ontario: neoliberalization, utility restructuring, and infrastructure management." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/230.

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This thesis examines the interaction of political-economic restructuring, sustainability, and the governance of municipal services in the province of Ontario, Canada. Two issues are studied: the restructuring of business models, and programs for sustainable infrastructure management (focusing on programs for the reduction of water consumption and production). The primary data are derived from a province-wide expert survey, archival research, a one-day expert workshop, and seven municipal case studies. Since the early 1990s, political-economic restructuring in Ontario predominantly reflects processes and policy orientations consistent with neoliberalization. Two strands of research posit particular relationships between neoliberalization and sustainability. One (associated with political ecology) asserts that neoliberalization yields negative outcomes for environmental policy. The other (ecological modernization) asserts that neoliberal restructuring leads to environmental improvements. This thesis tests and complicates both sets of claims. Specifically, neoliberalization does not necessarily induce improved programming for sustainability and can, hinder its development. Neoliberalization, however, is not the unique hindrance to progress on sustainability. Rather, a techno-physical approach to service delivery combined with governance arrangements that neither empower nor compel a variety of necessary actors presents a key barrier to sustainability. In terms of the restructuring of business models, I find that the primary neoliberal strategy is the depoliticization of governance through the pursuit of arms length business models for service delivery. This, however, is not readily accomplished in complete or straightforward ways. Municipal governments and anti-neoliberal alliances have complex relationships to neoliberalization that prove important in restructuring outcomes. Specifically, neoliberalization is also contested within municipal government and for environmental advocates, although their best option, the municipal department model remains unsatisfactory. Concerning sustainable infrastructure management, the thesis finds that up-take of supply and demand management in Ontario has been limited to date. This results from incentives created by policy processes associated with neoliberalization (specifically new public management) and technically-driven management methods in the water sector. Moreover, where programs for sustainable infrastructure management currently occur, they are rarely motivated by sustainability concerns. Importantly, however, sustainable infrastructure management is underdeveloped for reasons other than neoliberalization; governance arrangements and the continuing supply-side orientation of water utilities are other factors.

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Thomas, Duncan Andrew. "Incrementalism versus breakthrough : which is more appropriate for a regulated water utility?" Thesis, University of Manchester, 2002. http://www.manchester.ac.uk/escholar/uk-ac-man-scw:11796.

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Thitithanyanont, Narongsak 1970. "Investigation of best practices in water utility management systems in the USA." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84291.

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Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2001.
"June 2001."
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-72).
by Narongsak Thitithanyanont.
M.Eng.

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Kizito, Frank. "Water supply management in an urban utility a prototype decision support framework /." Doctoral thesis, Stockholm : Skolan för arkitektur och samhällsbyggnad, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-11900.

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Suleiman, Lina. "Privatisation of Jordan’s Capital Water Utility : Assessment and Evaluation of Water supply and Wastewater Services of Amman Governorate." Thesis, KTH, Mark- och vattenteknik, 2002. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-80528.

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22

Meyer, Sarah Ruth. "Improvements and assessments of water auditing techniques." [College Station, Tex. : Texas A&M University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1087.

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Reichborn, Gard Nikolai. "Maintaining Sustainable Water Services : Embedding infrastructure asset management in a medium Norwegian water utility - a demo case study approach." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for bygg, anlegg og transport, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-22371.

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The urban water infrastructure assets embodies a large portion of the total value of all public infrastructures, and is fundamental for good living conditions. The replacement value of the infrastructure in Norway alone is more than 500 billion Norwegian kroner. An aging infrastructure combined with shifting external conditions has resulted in a change from mainly investing in new infrastructure to manage and rehabilitate existing assets. With strong indications that the water utilities are facing challenges when it comes to their water infrastructure, the focus on asset management (AM) is growing. AM in the water sector can be described as managing infrastructure capital assets to minimize the total cost of owning and operating them, while also delivering a satisfactory service level for the customers.Experienced experts and researchers argue that a good, integrated and strategic AM approach is essential for the maintenance of sustainable water supply and wastewater services. There exist several research initiatives to improve the AM for water utilities. However, the use of integrated or strategic AM approaches and use of tools and models does not seem to have spread in the expected degree, particularly not to small or medium sized water utilities or companies. In order to contribute to the knowledge of key conditions for successful dissemination of infrastructure asset management (IAM) approaches to smaller and medium sized water providers, this thesis will look at embedding IAM in a medium water utility by testing one of the latest and well acknowledged IAM research initiatives, the AWARE-P project, in a demo case study.This implies operationalizing the AWARE-P concept with the use of a carefully defined set of hallmarks, explore and understand the actual situation in the demo case water utility by reviewing planning documents and meeting with key personnel, describe and recognize why there is a gap between actual practise and the recommended AM approach advocated by AWARE-P, to understand why the utility decides to do what they do today, and then finally use this knowledge to test the implementation of key elements in the recommended AM approach. This is done to find: a) what type of problems are we facing with implementation, b) what type of benefits can this implementation give a water utility and c) understand the kind of characteristics or qualities that need to be present in AM methodology and tools in order for successful implementation and use. This is done at two stages, an applied analysis to test key elements at the tactical level and a simulated process for testing at the strategic level.The closing chapter focuses on the lessons learned from the demo case study approach and discuss ways forward to enable better implementation and more wide spread use of high quality integrated IAM approaches in small to medium sized Norwegian water utilities. This includes approaches to lowering the threshold for use, e.g. compensating for missing data, and a demonstration of a decision theatre approach that can support a water utility in their planning process and thus motivate for improved use of analytical tools, decision support systems and at large achieve a more structured and comprehensive IAM practise.

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Brighu, Urmila. "Asset management in urban water utilities : case study in India." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2008. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/4420.

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Access to safe and sufficient drinking water and adequate sanitation are now recognized as basic human rights. One Millennium Development Goal is to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. However, ensuring sustainability of existing and new services is considered to be one of the major challenges for the water sector in the years to come. In India, in addition to service expansion, existing water service quality has been observed to be deteriorating over recent years. There is therefore an equally urgent need to address sustainability and improvement of service quality to the presently served population. In this low-income country, where water utilities are unable to recover even the service costs of operations and minor maintenance through user charges, there is a need to determine ways and means to be able to maintain a cost-effective service to consumers. For such a capital intensive service these ways have to include not only the introduction of efficiency measures but also the long-term planning of capital maintenance, that is the maintenance of the fixed assets upon which services depend. Water utilities in high-income countries have been using various fixed asset management techniques to improve asset operational efficiency, to plan capital maintenance and to demonstrate their ability to maintain and improve service to their customers. This study explores the viability of the application of asset management techniques and their potential contribution towards improving water service provision in urban centres in India. Following a literature review, a generic asset management model for a low-income country water utility was developed and then applied in the water utility serving Jaipur, Rajasthan to assess the viability of this adaptation. Having identified strengths and weaknesses during this fieldwork a revised model was proposed, including distinct phases of asset management/data intensity, which could be used as a generic approach in large urban centres in India. Following consultations with prospective users in six States, the study showed that it is feasible to take a first step towards asset management at low cost but this will require a change in the management approach. The study identified lack of relevant data as a key factor influencing an effective and comprehensive application of a generic asset management model. The study concludes that the proposed phased asset management models can contribute to improving serviceability for customers; however the concern that remains is the willingness of the organisation to adapt to the necessary changes.

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Mwandu, Siyeni Yvonne. "Expanding Water Service Delivery through Partnership between Water Utility and Small Scale Water Providers in Lusaka, Zambia : A Case of Lusaka's Peri-Urban Areas." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-15305.

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Zambia is a highly urbanized country with 60% of its urban population residing in low cost areas also called peri-urban, slum or informal settlements. The increase in urban population attributed to rapid migration and urbanization due to political and economic changes has taken a toll on service provision as the infrastructure development and service provision has failed to meet the demand. For the 33 peri-urban areas in Lusaka, the water supply and sanitation has been poor, inadequate and unreliable with the coverage being slightly above 50% for water while 90% of the urban population does not have access to the much needed sanitation. The low coverage is a result of lack the financial capacity on the part of the service providers to extend services to un served areas.

This research focuses on the strategies to provide sustainable water and sanitation services to peri-urban areas to ensure improved accessibility through the expansion of infrastructure and attainment of full cost recovery. In this era of increasing migration to unplanned settlements where the services are inadequate, alternatives to public provision of water and sanitation services need to be put in place. One of the alternatives is the public-private partnership which encompasses the society, private and the civil society. As has been found in the study the best alternative should not only be completely bottom up but should also be more demand driven and be able to provide for reater contributions from the affected communities.

The hypothesis of the study is to ascertain if provision of water supply to the Peri-Urban Areas (PUAs) can be achieved through the partnership between the water utility and the small scale water providers. Therefore, the objectives of the research are to: evaluate and compare the current service provision to the peri-urban areas by the utility and small scale providers in terms of technical, social and institutional arrangements and determine the best way of ensuring sustained service provision to peri urban areas and show how partnership can be the best solution to improving service delivery to these areas.

Service provision in PUAs can not be achieved without the involvement of all the stakeholders especially the community who are also the users and whose major role is paying for the service to enhance sustainability. In this study the Small Scale Water Providers (SSWP) users were found to be satisfied with the service provided than the utility users who felt that more needed to be done. The two providers are found to have different strengths which when combined would enhance service provision. The collaboration between utility with its competence in water supply, technical installations, water quality testing and SSWP with theirs in community involvement, cost recovery, effective operation and maintenance and demand driven water schemes have to be merged to achieve the intended goal and it is also an indication that the two can complement each other. Utility should therefore consider opening investment accounts for all the areas so as to detach PUAs needs from the general plan and eventually budget as they would be self sustaining and enhance illingness to pay for the users. The SSWP should therefore be viewed as partners by all and licensing should be considered by the government for the benefit of the urban poor.

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Mwandu, Siyeni Yvonne. "Expanding Water Service Delivery through Partnership between Water Utility and Small Scale Water Providers in Lusaka, Zambia : A Case of Lusaka’s Peri-Urban Areas." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Water and Environmental Studies, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-15508.

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Zambia is a highly urbanized country with 60% of its urban population residing in low cost areas also called peri-urban, slum or informal settlements. The increase in urban population attributed to rapid migration and urbanization due to political and economic changes has taken a toll on service provision as the infrastructure development and service provision has failed to meet the demand. For the 33 peri-urban areas in Lusaka, the water supply and sanitation has been poor, inadequate and unreliable with the coverage being slightly above 50% for water while 90% of the urban population does not have access to the much needed sanitation. The low coverage is a result of lack the financial capacity on the part of the service providers to extend services to un served areas.

This research focuses on the strategies to provide sustainable water and sanitation services to peri-urban areas to ensure improved accessibility through the expansion of infrastructure and attainment of full cost recovery. In this era of increasing migration to unplanned settlements where the services are inadequate, alternatives to public provision of water and sanitation services need to be put in place. One of the alternatives is the public-private partnership which encompasses the society, private and the civil society. As has been found in the study the best alternative should not only be completely bottom up but should also be more demand driven and be able to provide for greater contributions from the affected communities.

The hypothesis of the study is to ascertain if provision of water supply to the Peri-Urban Areas (PUAs) can be achieved through the partnership between the water utility and the small scale water providers. Therefore, the objectives of the research are to: evaluate and compare the current service provision to the peri-urban areas by the utility and small scale providers in terms of technical, social and institutional arrangements and determine the best way of ensuring sustained service provision to peri urban areas and show how partnership can be the best solution to improving service delivery to these areas.

Service provision in PUAs can not be achieved without the involvement of all the stakeholders especially the community who are also the users and whose major role is paying for the service to enhance sustainability. In this study the Small Scale Water Providers (SSWP) users were found to be satisfied with the service provided than the utility users who felt that more needed to be done. The two providers are found to have different strengths which when combined would enhance service provision. The collaboration between utility with its competence in water supply, technical installations, water quality testing and SSWP with theirs in community involvement, cost recovery, effective operation and maintenance and demand driven water schemes have to be merged to achieve the intended goal and it is also an indication that the two can complement each other. Utility should therefore consider opening investment accounts for all the areas so as to detach PUAs needs from the general plan and eventually budget as they would be self sustaining and enhance willingness to pay for the users. The SSWP should therefore be viewed as partners by all and licensing should be considered by the government for the benefit of the urban poor.

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Phaladi, Malefetjane Phineas. "Knowledge transfer and retention : the case of a public water utility in South Africa." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/6571.

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Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis focuses on the problem of knowledge retention and transfer in the face of the imminent retirement of experts, who are hard to replace for demographic or skill shortage reasons. Distinctions between technical, social and structural knowledge are made, and the theory on what makes knowledge “sticky” for transfer between generations of workers is reviewed. Thereafter, a case study of the knowledge retention situation at a public water utility is presented. In this regard, a large number of technical experts are due to retire within the next five years. Knowledge audit interviews were conducted with fifteen experts that have been with the organisation for most of their career and are due to retire soon. They were asked about what they considered to be their ‘hard to replace’ knowledge and professional networks, to what extent this could be captured or transferred, and what they considered to be the difficulties in terms of retaining this knowledge and these networks after their retirement. It was found that the motivation of experts to contribute to knowledge transfer and retention was low. This had to do with the perception that more junior members of the organisation are in any case likely to leave and with an organisational culture that was not supportive of knowledge transfer and retention activities. Moreover, a lack of knowledge leadership and formal knowledge management systems hindered knowledge transfer and retention practices. This study concludes that as far as the case in question is concerned, there is a need for a formal knowledge management system and strategy, and that top management commitment is critical for the success of knowledge transfer and retention. With regard to the theory of the stickiness of knowledge, the case study highlighted the importance of organisational culture and trust when it comes to the motivation of retiring experts to transfer their knowledge. It also emphasised that a silo-type organisational structure limits absorptive capacity, and that the social knowledge of professional networks, rather than technical knowledge, are the most difficult to retain.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis fokus op die problem van kennisbehoud en –oordrag teen die agtergrond van diensverlatende spesialiste wat moeilik vervangbaar is vanweë redes van demografie of vaardigheidtekort. Onderskeidinge word getref tussen tegniese, sosiale en strukturele kennis en ʼn oorsig word gegee van die teorie oor “klewende kennis” in die oordrag van kennis tussen generasies van werkers. Daarna word ʼ n gevallestudie van die kennisbehoudsituasie in ʼ n publieke waterverskaffer ondersoek. In hierdie geval sal ʼn groot getal tegniese spesialiste binne die volgende vyf jaar die organisasie se diens verlaat. ʼ n Kennis-oudit is met behulp van onderhoude met vyftien sulke spesialiste, wat die grootste deel van hulle loopbane by die onderneming werksaam was, onderneem. Hulle is uitgevra oor wat hulle sien as die kennis wat met hulle diensverlating vir die organisasie verlore sou gaan en omtrent die professionele netwerke wat hulle onderhou. Hulle is gevra tot watter mate hierdie twee kategorieë van kennis oordraagbaar is om so vir die organisasie behou te kan word en wat hulle reken die probleme is wat in die pad van kennisbehoud na hulle aftrede staan. Daar is bevind dat die spesialiste se motivering om by te dra tot kennisbehoud en –oordrag laag was. Dit het te make met die siening dat die jonger lede van die organisasie in elk geval die organisasie sou verlaat en met ʼn organisasie-kultuur wat nie kennisbehoud en –oordrag ondersteun nie. Verder is dit toe te skryf aan ʼn gebrek aan kennisleierskap en formele kennisbestuursisteme. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat sover dit die gevallestudie aangaan, ʼn formele kennisbestuurstelsel en –strategie krities is vir die sukses van kennisbehoud en –oordrag. Met betrekking tot die teorie oor klewende kennis het die gevallestudie die belang van organisasie kultuur en vertroue wanneer dit kom by die motivering van spesialiste om hulle kennis te deel belig. Dit het ook beklemtoon dat ʼn silo-gebaseerde organisasie kultuur die kennis absorpsie vermoë verlaag en dat die sosiale kennis van professionele netwerke moeiliker is as tegniese kennis om te behou.

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Taworntawat, Wutthiphon 1978. "Comparative analysis of water utility rates in major metropolitan areas of the United States." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84289.

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Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2001.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-41).
by Wutthiphon Taworntawat.
M.Eng.

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Bernos, Lisa. "An examination of the new Federal and State storm water regulations : an electric utility perspective." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/29557.

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Carapetudo, Antas Fábio Tomé. "An assessment of the utility of subcritical water to recover bioactive compounds from cider lees." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2015. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5994/.

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This work had as main objective to recover bioactive compounds, more specifically phenolics, from cider lees using subcritical water, an environmentally benign fluid. Maximum solubilisation was obtained at 150ºC for 30 minutes, and a decrease is observed at higher temperatures, indicating the occurrence of precipitation. Maximum total phenolic content (FCR) was obtained at 220ºC for 10 minutes. Chlorogenic acid was identified as the major phenolic in cider lees, however at 220ºC for 10 minutes, only trace levels were found, therefore the high total phenolic content should be the result of interactions between phenolics and macromolecules present in solution. Sequential subcritical water was employed to reduce complexity of extracts produced. Maximum antioxidant capacity (FCR, ORAC) was obtained at 120ºC and 220ºC, where at 120ºC is due to cider phenolics while at 220ºC, after the removal of most of the compounds, it is only left cell wall carbohydrates and chitin, which should be responsible for the formation of derivatives with high antioxidant capacity. Cyclodextrin was used to improve oxidative stability of the cider lees extracts, however while it improved the oxidative stability for cider lees extracts obtained at low temperatures, to cider lees extracts obtained at higher temperatures, no improvement was registered.

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Rathor, Ankur. "Web-based Performance Benchmarking Data Collection and Preliminary Analysis for Drinking Water and Wastewater Utility." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/49582.

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High-quality drinking water and wastewater systems are essential to public health, business, and quality of life in the United States. Even though the current performance of these systems is moderate, the concern is about the future performance. Planning can be done for improvement once the current performance of utilities is evaluated, and areas with a scope of improvement are identified. Benchmarking and performance evaluation are key components in the process of continuous improvement for utility\'s performance. Benchmarking helps utilities make policies and programmatic decisions that reduce operational expenses and increase productivity by understanding areas of underperformance, understanding customer needs, developing future plans, and setting goals. This study establishes a strong case for implementing benchmarking methodologies among utilities to evaluate and improve performance.
There are many initiatives on performance benchmarking of utilities but a few of them focuses on one or few area of performance. There are a few initiatives which use subjective indicators. Additionally, consultants visit the utilities for performance evaluation. This research focuses on creating a web-based benchmarking platform for performance evaluation using holistic and quantitative indicators. Practical and robust methodologies are used and the research presents the current performance comparisons among utilities for areas that impact overall utility\'s performance. Web based benchmarking consists of two major parts -- data collection and result visualization. A major contribution from this study is the creation of an online performance benchmarking database. With time more data will be collected which will provide utilities an access to a better database for performance evaluation. The future work in this research will be analyzing the data and results for each participant for each set of indicators, and finding possible reasons for under performance, followed by suggesting solutions for improvement using the best practices.

Master of Science

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Anderson, Jocelynn Marie. "A Cloud-Based GSSHA Index Map Editor Utility for Watershed Decision Support." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2015. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5292.

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Preventing damages from flooding is critically important for city managers and planners.Efforts in protecting infrastructure from flooding are often coupled with building hydrologicmodels to provide predictions of what is likely to happen during storm events. As land usechanges, these models must be updated, which is more challenging with sophisticated models. Ateam of researchers from universities in Utah and Wyoming have been developing tools forwater management in the Intermountain West as part of a collaborative NSF research grantcalled CI-WATER. In particular, a free and open source web platform called Tethys has beendeveloped to support the development and hosting of hydrologic web applications. Tethys wasused to develop a prototype application that uses a GSSHA runoff model and allows users tochange land-use inputs to simulate the impact on a watershed for any type of land use change.The application also provides a method to run the edited model and produces a comparisonreport of before-and-after runoff and water depth as part of a decision-support framework.

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Ezeji, Joachim Ibeziako. "Increasing the resilience of urban water utilities to extreme weather events." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2013. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/12359.

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The sustainability of municipal drinking water services in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria requires that its water utilities enhance their resilience to a range of risks posed by extreme weather events. Excellence in managing such risks is essential, not only to the bottom line and reputation of the utilities, but also to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people they serve and the preservation of nature in order to sustain ecosystem services. In the context of this study, organisational resilience has been defined as the adaptive deployment of the utility s assets and structures within its continua of inter-dependences to improve and sustain performance even in the face of repeated perturbations. On the other hand, vulnerability is defined as the utility s inability to withstand adverse stress based on limited or constrained capacity to adapt hence creating pathways through which risk impacts the utility. This definition of vulnerability is in tandem with those that argue that the key parameters of vulnerability are the stress to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity. In view of this, and also based on the findings of the study, the study notes that utility management could be a complex and challenging task, especially, in a multi-risk delta environment where extreme events are intense and frequent. Utility managers can become veterans of risks by dissipating, more than ever before technical competence, watershed/ecosystem awareness, social engagement skills and conceptual ability. The latter includes an understanding of how the complexities of the upstream and downstream environment impacts on the utility s internal environment and operations. The diffusive nature of risk makes every risk a potential high impact risk and the understanding of this, is the key to a resilient organization. Risk analysis and management in water utilities should aim to limit the diffusion of risks across streams in order to retard vulnerability. Utility resilience options will need to vary depending on climate related risks to each system, utility management goals, legislation, local and national water management strategies and finance. Utilities in the Niger delta needs to fully understand that they operate close to the edge by virtue of being below sea level and should cultivate a keen awareness of the consequences of flooding and saltwater intrusion, and the importance to manage them amongst others. The study has shown that there is need now, more than ever before for increased revenue generation, elimination of wastes/inefficiencies, financial investment and strategic management of water services operations in the study area if residents and the unborn generation are to be guaranteed of safe and adequate drinking water.

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Kang, Di. "Potential advantages of applying a centralized chilled water system to high-density urban areas in China." Kansas State University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/35490.

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Master of Science
Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science
Fred L. Hasler
This paper discusses the advantages of applying a utility centralized chilled water system as the district cooling choice for facilities in the high-density urban areas of China and how it will influence China’s development in the next decades. Presently, the Chinese government is trying to contribute to the world’s energy-saving goals as well as determine its sustainable development framework. As air pollution has become one of the main problems in China, indoor air quality (IAQ) is likely to gain priority as a building design consideration in the future. Consistent with this fact, this paper proposes an optimum HVAC system for cooling purposes to the Chinese government. Compared to unitary HVAC systems, the centralized HVAC system has significant advantages in system efficiency, energy reduction and cost savings and can, therefore, be a better choice. Furthermore, the paper will focus on the centralized chilled water system and demonstrate why they better match the development model in China. The application of the system in high-density urban areas will also be discussed. Due to a lack of understanding that the energy consumption of unitary systems, the first comparison presented is between unitary HVAC systems and centralized HVAC systems in individual buildings. The comparison presented will focus on the energy-saving benefits of the centralized HVAC system in individual buildings and its contribution to sustainable development. Consequently, prescribing a centralized chilled water system as a utility district cooling system and applying a centralized chilled water system to each individual building in the highdensity urban areas will be compared. Cost savings, including initial cost and life cycle cost, are the metrics used in this comparison. Additionally, energy consumption and system reliability will be explored in determining which model will be more appropriate for China's development. The paper concludes that the centralized chilled water system should become the mainstream in the high-density urban area in China. Several recommendations are also made to the Chinese government on setting up utility centralized chilled water systems.

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Ladson, Anthony Richard. "A multi-component indicator of stream condition for waterway managers : balancing scientific rigour with the need for utility /." Connect to thesis, 2000. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00000296.

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Smith, Rebecca M. "Co-production with Water Managers to Evaluate Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA)-assisted Optimization for Long Term Water Utility Planning and Shape Future Research Agendas." Thesis, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10680998.

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Many promising tools and methods developed in water resources systems analysis research have seen little uptake outside of academia. This may be due to a lack of effective communication about the research to water managers, or it may be because the tools are not ultimately useful or usable in practice. Current predominant research frameworks do not provide insight into these issues or facilitate the incorporation of industry needs into research agendas.

This dissertation introduces a structured research approach called the Participatory Framework for Assessment and Improvement of Tools (ParFAIT) that formally connects researchers and water managers in purposeful, iterative exercises to educate about promising tools, evaluate their usefulness and usability, and draw practitioner feedback into academic agendas. The process is founded on co-production concepts and involves two workshops which are designed to ultimately result in: a broadly relatable vehicle to demonstrate the tool (a testbed), practitioner feedback about the tool resulting from hands-on workshop experience, tool-specific as well as more general industry context, and definitive suggestions for increasing the relevance of future research.

ParFAIT is demonstrated by testing Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA)-assisted optimization for long term water utility planning with a group of Front Range, Colorado, water managers. The first workshop informed the creation of the Eldorado Utility Planning Model, a complex but hypothetical testbed designed to be widely relatable to participants. MOEA-assisted optimization was performed on the testbed using workshop-informed formulations of planning decisions, objectives, constraints, and planning scenarios. The optimization results formed the basis of a second workshop at which managers worked directly with testbed output in structured activities and discussions.

This ParFAIT study found that practitioners consider the information provided by MOEA-assisted optimization to be useful for several aspects of their long term planning processes, but that there are important considerations for ensuring usability of the tool itself and its output. One important consideration is the interpretation of complex MOEA results. Based on this feedback, this work presents a novel application of Multivariate Regression Tree analysis to extract system insights from MOEA-assisted optimization results.

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Kayaga, Sam. "The influence of customer perceptions of urban utility water services on bill payment behaviour : findings from Uganda." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2002. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/11741.

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Intensive research activities in low-income countries during the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990) led to the conclusion that cost recovery is a prerequisite for the sustainability of water services provision. The challenges for cost recovery are greater in urban areas of low-income countries where, it is projected, 88% of all the increase in global population will live by 2015. In spite of these challenges, available data show that the bill collection efficiency in selected urban water utilities in Africa in 1996/97 ranged from as low as 50%. This study used empirical data, obtained through a cross-sectional survey in eleven towns in Uganda, to establish the influence of customer perceptions on bill payment behaviour. Using qualitative methods, a questionnaire was developed, pretested, piloted and refined, before it was sent to a probability sample of 690 registered customers of an urban water utility. Regression analysis of the obtained results showed that customer perceptions of technical quality, functional quality, service value and corporate image are individually strongly related to customer satisfaction. Correspondingly, service value and customer satisfaction predict substantial variation in customer loyalty, which in turn is a predictor of bill payment behaviour. Furthermore, gender, level of education, and type of occupation of the head of household, together with tenure status and household income, moderate the satisfaction/loyalty relationship. Findings of this research also highlighted the relative importance to customers of urban water utilities of such software attributes as: (i) how interface staff relate to customers during service encounters; (ii) how easy it is to transact with the utility, and (iii) the image organisational personalities project to the public. These findings have one major implication for supply-driven managers of water utilities: Similar to other services, customer orientation will improve profitability ratios in the urban water sector of low-income countries.

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Ekesbo, Maria. "Utility of bark chips for removal of fluorinatedorganic compounds in water samples at a hazardouswaste management facility." Thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för naturvetenskap och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-93378.

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic compounds that have beenaround since 1940. They can be used in a variety of products such as fire-fighting foam,food packaging and cosmetic products. Many PFAS have potential toxic effects on bothhumans and animals which poses a problem due to their wide distribution and persistency.Another problem concerns the remediation of PFAS, where the substances ends upcirculating between the different disposal types (landfills, wastewater treatment andincineration). Active methods are therefore needed to remove or retain the contaminants.Some examples of these remediation technologies can be biomaterials, organoclays andmore advanced methods such as activated carbon and ion exchange. The more advancedbeing suited for remediation of drinking water. In this study, the sorption efficiency oftwo pine bark fractions has been studied and also compared to the efficiency of activatedcarbon. The evaluation was done for both target analysis (PFAS-11) and non-specificanalysis of extractable organofluorine (EOF) compounds in contaminated water from ahazardous waste management facility. The two pine bark fractions indicated similarsorption efficiencies, for both the PFAS-11 and the EOF compounds. The sorptionefficiency ranged from 10% up to 75% for perfluorinated sulfonic acids (PFSA) and frombelow zero up to 40% for perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCA). A general pattern canbe seen, the sorption efficiency increases with increasing length of the PFAS chain. Theactivated carbon had a higher sorption efficiency, where the majority of PFAS had anaverage sorption of 100%. In comparison, the PFAS-11 and total EOF analysis displayedhigh concentrations of unidentified EOF compounds. These compounds indicated anegative sorption, which might imply that non-targeted PFAS or other fluorinated organic compounds desorb from the bark. Therefore, the pine bark might be suitable as a roughremediation of long-chain PFAS (≥8C), but further studies on the sorption of unidentifiedfluorinated organic compounds are of interest.Keywords:

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Claggett, Seton Paul. "Evaluation of the Utility of Satellite Rainfall Estimates for Water Resource Applications using Sub-Basin Areal Averages and Pixel-to-Pixel Comparisons." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2001. http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file:///data1/pdf/etd/azu_etd_hy0020_m_sip1_w.pdf&type=application/pdf.

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Coelho, Karen. "Of engineers, rationalities, and rule: An ethnography of neoliberal reform in an urban water utility in South India." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/280681.

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This study is an ethnography of a frontline culture of neoliberalism. It examines the new rationalities through which Chennai's reforming water utility, Metrowater, defines and categorizes people at its everyday public interface. It analyzes how reforms designed to minimize the state are internalized within a state bureaucracy. The study uses the concept of translation to call attention to the distortions and displacements through which global texts of reform are localized and decoded by local actors. The disciplines of reform in Metrowater produced new boundaries and stand-offs, both within the agency and across its service interface. Internally, they constrained the autonomy of frontline engineers and established close vigilance over their activities. Notions of efficiency based on radical commensuration and quantification reduced all value to standardized, measurable indicators. This culture of audit empowered financial managers and accountants over the traditionally powerful engineering departments. The reforms thus, in the name of public accountability, staged a stand-off between two sets of elitist disciplines, those of the old developmentalist and the new commercial bureaucracy, thereby silencing all alternative options within an overarching common sense. Yet the audit culture also engendered a vision of transformation in which engineers presented themselves as actively reforming, streamlined, and meritocratic entrepreneurs. The punitive effects of the reforms were also passed across the service counter, provoking new effects of categorization: engineers displayed a sharpened hostility toward a certain "public" comprised of demanding, unruly and over-politicized masses of slum-dwellers. The ethnography interrogated the totalizing order of the urban grid, here represented by the underground network of water-pipes. It showed that this sovereign grid was punctured by bypass connections and illegal taps which revealed the contentious and compromised order of a ground-level service. The grid embodied a myth of order, produced by silences, half-truths and euphemisms. Euphemisms constituted a discursive mode through which "corrupt" practices such as bribery were folded into the morality and logic of daily practice in the depots. Water, as the classic commons, demonstrated the leakiness of abstract orders, and provided an insightful lens into neoliberal governance by challenging projects of commodification/privatization as well as bureaucratic channels of state sovereignty.

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Gustafsson, Johan. "Modelling recreational angling demand in Sweden based on region-specific inclusive values." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Nationalekonomi, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-137153.

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This thesis endeavours to model a trip demand function for recreationalangling in Sweden, including the individual expected per-trip utility of regionalattributes. The analysis is conducted with the use of a Random Utility Model (RUM)for the estimation of ‘site-specific’ utility, and a negative binomial logit model fortrip demand. The site quality variable is stated as expected catch-rates (CR) definedin terms of three different specifications: sample mean CR, individually perfectlyforesighted CR, and an econometrically predicted individual CR. Results indicatethat the econometrically estimated individual catch-rate specification performs wellas an explanatory variable both when modelling discrete site choice and trip demand,while the sample mean and perfectly foresighted CR specifications provide withunintuitive and insignificant parameter values. The inclusive value of the regionchosen by the angler, estimated with the RUM, was subsequently found to be asignificant predicting variable for the number of recreational angling trips conductedby Swedish anglers.

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Siyingwa, Bennet. "Reducing Pumping Related Electricity Costs - A Case Study of Three Water Utility Companies in Zambia : Energy Efficiency in Pumping." Thesis, KTH, Energiteknik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-137984.

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Electric pumps are extensively used in many industrial and commercial applications worldwide and account for about twenty percent of the world’s electrical energy demand. The useful energy consumed by the pumps is less than what they demand due to inefficiency caused by a number of reasons including the mismatch between the rated operating conditions and their actual operating conditions. Some studies including those done by the US Department of Energy, show that as much as 30-50% of energy consumed by pumping systems could be saved through equipment and control changes in the pumping systems. Zambia, like many countries, faces an electricity shortage. Improving energy efficiency in pumping related operations can help save electricity costs and thus promote sustainable development and ultimately reduce global warming. This document discusses various methods of reducing pumping related electricity costs which can be categorised under either mechanical or electrical methods. Preliminary energy audits on some pumping infrastructure for three water utility companies in Zambia were carried out and results showed various opportunities for saving electricity costs. Detailed study on selected pumping infrastructure revealed that as much as fifty four (54%) electricity cost savings could result at one pump station by correcting the operating points of pumps such that the Best Efficiency Points (BEP) on the pump characteristic curves matched the pumping system head requirements.

Interactive presentation was done via Skype

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Pillarsetty, Nagavarakishore. "Synthesis of water soluble organophosphines and phospine-peptide conjugates : investigations on the biomedical utility of their transition metal complexes /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p3115578.

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Davidson, Gregg Randall 1963. "The applicability of boron isotopes in determining fate and transport of leachate from electric utility solid waste." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/276980.

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The boron isotopic ratios of three contaminated ground water samples and of leachate from four fly ash samples are shown to be significantly different than the isotopic ratio of naturally occurring boron in a selected ground water. Analysis is performed using thermal ionization mass spectrometry with a precision of less than 1 per mil. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is shown to be ineffective for this application. Boron is isolated from solution and concentrated using Amberlite IRA-743 resin with no isotopic fractionation observed. Boron desorption from fly ash is shown to be rapid. Boron isotopic analysis is shown to be a superior method to boron concentration analysis for identifying leachate in a ground water, (1) at the outer limits of a leachate plume, and, (2) when the difference between the boron concentration of the leachate and background water is small. The degree of contamination can be determined if both end members are known.

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Thuruthy, Nisha. "Condition Assessment Technologies for Drinking Water and Wastewater Pipelines: State-of-the-Art Literature and Practice Review." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76758.

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Aging and deteriorating drinking water and wastewater pipelines have become a major problem in the United States, warranting significant federal attention and regulation. Many utilities have begun or improved programs to manage the renewal of their water and wastewater pipes and are proactively managing their pipeline assets rather than reactively fixing them. However, the extensive size of drinking water and wastewater systems and the severity of the deterioration problem are such that it is important to prioritize renewal, by assessing the condition of the pipelines and resolving the most severe situations first. There is a variety of condition assessment technologies and methodologies available and in current use. This research incorporates an extensive literature review on actual cases of use of these various condition assessment technologies and techniques. This research also compiles information gathered through interviews and data mining work with utilities across the United States. The combination of case studies collected through literature review and case studies collected directly from utility sources about actual application of drinking water and wastewater pipeline condition assessment practices used have made it possible to synthesize the current practices and trends regarding pipeline condition assessment in the United States. The synthesis also allows for the identification of key lessons learned that should be considered by utilities when implementing condition assessment of pipelines. Recommendations have also been made for research priorities for filling utility needs.
Master of Science

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Rosenberg, Angela D. "Insight from the Depths of the Straits of Florida: Assessing the Utility of Atlantic Deep-water Coral Geochemical Proxy Techniques." Scholarly Repository, 2011. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/244.

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This thesis addresses the utility of deep-water coral geochemistry and its potential to reconstruct oceanographic conditions in the Straits of Florida. Through stable isotope and elemental analyses of the carbonate skeletons and use of available geochemical proxy calibration equations, present and past environmental parameters were determined. Over the last several years, scientific expeditions to the bottom of the Straits of Florida have revealed hundreds of deep-water coral mounds and led to the collection of extensive oceanographic data, sediment samples, and deep-water coral specimens. In 2005-2006, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) was used to map the coral mound fields at five sites with the use of geophysical imaging technology, and the manned Johnson-Sea-Link II submersible was deployed for further exploration and sample collection. The AUV and the submersible CTD also measured numerous environmental parameters, including temperature and salinity. With the goal of reconstructing environmental parameters across the Straits of Florida, Scleractinian and gorgonian deep-water coral specimens were selected from three sites spanning the Straits. Each coral was sampled at the highest resolution possible and analyzed for stable isotopes and elemental concentrations. Resulting geochemical data, specifically d18O, d13C, Sr/Ca, and Mg/Ca, was then used with previously published and newly developed calibration equations to calculate temperature, salinity, and seawater density. Kinetic and vital effects were also examined and taken into account while reconstructing environmental parameters using the coral geochemistry. Additional reconstructions using stable isotopic values from benthic foraminifera corroborated the geochemical reconstructions, and analyses of pteropods and surface sediment samples provided further insight into the oceanographic conditions at the bottom of the Straits of Florida. Results from geochemical reconstructions agreed with in situ data, indicating that slightly warmer bottom temperatures exist on the eastern side of the Straits and salinity variability among the three sites is minimal. This suggests that the deep-water coral skeletons are sensitive recorders of the environmental conditions in which they lived. Ultimately, in situ measurements and reconstructed parameters showed that there is little variability across the bottom of the Straits and that Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) is the only apparent water mass in the area at that depth. Moreover, comparison of the coral habitat from this study with others from around the world demonstrated that certain conditions are required for deep-water coral growth, and that these same parameters are common to deep-water reef systems throughout the globe. Further sampling and geochemical analyses of deep-water corals in the region may be used to gain additional insight into the oceanographic conditions surrounding the coral mounds both presently and in the past. As with other previously studied deep-water coral systems, this highlights the potential for the reconstruction of paleo environmental records from deep-water corals in the Straits of Florida.

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Gauthier, Francis. "Study of coliform bacteria in Canadian pulp and paper mill water systems : their ecology and utility as health hazard indicators." Thesis, McGill University, 2000. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=33401.

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Coliform bacteria have long been used to indicate fecal contamination of food, water, and solid surfaces, and thus the presence of a health hazard. In this study, the in-mill water and external effluent treatment systems of seven typical Canadian pulp and paper mills were shown to support the growth of numerous coliforms, especially Klebsiella spp, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp., and Citrobacter spp . Mill coliforms were shown to be not just simple transients from feedwater or furnish (wood), but to be continuously growing, especially in the primary clarifiers. Therefore, coliforms and fecal coliforms cannot be used as fecal contamination indicators in pulp and paper mill water and effluent treatment systems.
N2-fixing coliform populations were detected in mill water systems and were analyzed using N2-fixation assays and nitrogenase gene (nifH) probing. Both active in situ populations and cultured microbial isolates were tested. Active N2-fixation was demonstrated in six primary clarifiers. Measurement of the numbers and composition of the total culturable bacterial community in a primary clarifier revealed that approximately 50% of all aerobic cells contained nifH , of which >90% were Klebsiella. Coliforms growing on MacConkey agar plates from the primary clarifier were all identified as Klebsiella and 100% of these Klebsiella contained the nifH gene. Preliminary estimates indicate that the amount of N2 fixed per day is substantial in some clarifiers.

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48

Murray, Christopher J. "Determining welfare effects for changes in water quality and beach amenities for Ohio Lake Erie beaches using a random utility model." The Ohio State University, 1999. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1384884418.

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49

Steiner, Kristi Kalei. "Renewal Engineering Technologies for Drinking Water and Wastewater Pipeline Systems - A State of the Art Literature and Practice Review." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76763.

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Abstract:

Over the last few years, several advancements have been made in water and wastewater pipe renewal technologies that have allowed utilities to utilize innovative renewal techniques that decrease project costs, the impact of the project on the surrounding citizens and environment, and allow for expedited pipeline renewals compared to traditional open trench methods. The challenge now is in getting utilities to implement new innovative technologies within their system. This thesis provides background information on a number of the technologies available for the renewal of water and wastewater system pipelines. It then provides State of the Art Literature and State of the Art Practice Reviews based on technology use trends in literature and technology use trends in utility practice. The information from both reviews is then synthesized to provide a clear view of the state of the water and wastewater pipeline renewal technology industry, including the trends by pipe material, drivers for renewal, and technology type.
Master of Science

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50

Kjellén, Marianne. "From Public Pipes to Private Hands : Water Access and Distribution in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Kulturgeografiska institutionen, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-1212.

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Abstract:

In cities around the world, public water systems have increasingly come to be operated by private companies. Along with an internationally funded investment program to refurbish the dilapidated water infrastructure, private operations were tested also in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Only about a third of the households, however, are reached by the piped water system there; most households purchase water from those with pipe-connections or private boreholes. Thus, water distribution was informally privatized by way of water vending long before formal private sector participation began. This thesis explores individual and collective endeavors in water development, distribution, and access, along with the global and local influences that shaped the privatization exercise. With regard to the lease of Dar es Salaam’s water system, the institutional set-up has been found to mix the British and French models, having influenced the local situation through development assistance and conditionalities tied to loans. The institutional contradictions may have contributed to the conflictive cancellation of the lease arrangement. Due to the public utility company’s lack of operating capital and investment planning, infrastructure development has responded mainly to immediate individual demands, resulting in a spaghetti-like network and structural leakage. The long-standing under-performance and low coverage of the piped water system have forced many people to devise their own ways to access water. This thesis argues that the individually-devised artisan ways of water provisioning constitute the life-line of Dar es Salaam’s water system. Yet, they also undermine and divert resources away from the collectively-devised industrial form of piped water provision.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Water utility'

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