| Abstract: | This paper considers the minimization of the cost of water through an integrated water resources planning and management model, implemented within the decision support system for the management of the Athens water supply system. The mathematical framework employs a simulation-optimization scheme, where simulation is applied to faithfully represent the system operation, whereas optimization is applied to derive the optimal management policy, which simultaneously minimizes the risk and cost of decision-making. Real economic criteria in addition to artificial costs are appropriately assigned to preserve the physical constraints and water use priorities, ensuring also the lowest-cost transportation of water from sources to the point of consumption. The proposed model is tested on the hydrosystem of Athens, in order to minimize the expected operational costs for several system configurations. |
