Comprehensive analysis, assessment and design of water supply infrastructure through the lens of the water-energy nexus

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Urban water systems are the backbone of healthy cities; yet these systems today are in crisis. They are both wasteful and unsustainable. In this proposal, we will re-envision how water systems are designed, evaluated, monitored, analyzed and re-built. The fruits of this proposal will be manifold. It will lead to advances in how we acquire and transmit critical information regarding the urban water system; and will enable a 1.3x reduction in energy use and waste waste in the urban water system. It will provide new methodologies for detecting faults and failures in the system, enabling a further 1.6x improvement in energy and freshwater utilization. A new concept - the urban water system as an energy system - will empower Canada to meet its ambitious target of 20% energy generation from renewable sources. Finally, our elaboration of a new paradigm that ties together hydraulic and water quality performance to economic investment, including the importance of reliability and resilience, will enable us to prescribe novel and efficient water systems for the urban environment. NSERC funding will be devoted entirely to the training of highly-qualified personnel. Already three world-class graduate students from around the globe are recruited to the University of Toronto to embark on these innovative studies. Ultimately, the project will lead to innovations - and highly-trained innovators - that enhance the energy-efficiency, and the health, of the precious urban environments that are the centerpieces of contemporary society.