A collaborative planning process to develop future scenarios for wastewater systems
Journal article, 2022

Wastewater infrastructure has a long lifetime and is subject to changing conditions and demands. When plans are made to upgrade or build new infrastructure, transdisciplinary planning processes and a robust analysis of future conditions are needed to make sustainable choices. Here, we provide a stepwise collaborative planning process in which future scenarios are developed together with local stakeholders and expert groups. The process was implemented at one of the largest wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Scandinavia. With a combination of workshops and the use of a web-based digital tool, future scenarios including flows, pollutant loads, and treatment requirements could be created. Furthermore, sustainability prioritizations affecting the WWTP, were identified. The future scenarios developed for the WWTP in the case study, predict stricter and new regulations, constant or lower future loads and ambiguous future flows. The highest ranked sustainability priority was low resource and energy consumption together with low CO2 footprint. The quantified future scenarios developed in the planning process were used as input to a process model to show the consequences they would have on the WWTP in the case study. Applying this collaborative process revealed future scenarios with many, sometimes conflicting, expectations on future WWTPs. It also highlighted needs for improvements of both the collection system and the WWTP.

Wastewater treatment systems

Mathematical modelling

Holistic planning

Future scenario

Author

Maria Neth

Gryaab

[ACE verksamhetsstöd]

Ann Mattsson

Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Gryaab

D. I'Ons

Gryaab

Susanne Tumlin

Gryaab

Magnus Arnell

Institutionen för Biomedicinsk Teknik

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

Lena Blom

Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Britt-Marie Wilen

Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Oskar Modin

Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Water Environment Technology

Journal of Environmental Management

0301-4797 (ISSN) 1095-8630 (eISSN)

Vol. 316 115202

Subject Categories

Other Environmental Engineering

Environmental Management

Environmental Analysis and Construction Information Technology

DOI

10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115202

PubMed

35550956

More information

Latest update

5/17/2022