Guidelines for assessment of Urban Water Cycle Systems current situation and future scenarios

Abstract

To establish a strategy to manage a transition for a more sustainable Urban Water Cycle Systems (UWCS) a water utility needs to develop initial steps to have: a)a current state evaluation of the UWCS they manage; b)a definition of possible future scenarios; and c)a preliminary portfolio of possible transition tracks. These guidelines are a useful tool developed with the purpose of logically assisting a UWCS utility in characterizing and evaluating its current status and defining possible scenarios and tracks that can be useful for utilities to manage a transition for a more sustainable UWCS. The main idea is that the guidelines were designed to drive anyone (water professionals, decision makers, stakeholders) in the use of TRUST deliverables, or other available approaches identified as useful tools or best practices to assess the UWCS current state and possible tracks. The guidelines are made of a portfolio of Situation Analysis Factsheets (SAF) developed for each TRUST deliverable or other available tools or approach from the literature to assess the UWCS current state and possible tracks. Each Situation Analysis Factsheet includes some synthetic information that fit in no more than two pages, namely: - Framework scheme of the tool; - Purpose and output; objectives and main output; - Inputs and resources; data, human resources and time needed; - Methodology; a synthetic description of the methodology or the approach; - Disadvantages and limitations reported; - Links to additional information. Finally, is included a matrix identifying the covered sustainability dimensions and the capability for analyzing current and/or future situation, as well as its relation with the TRUST criteria and objective for each tool/approach summarized in the Situation Analysis Factsheet.