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Abstract

Cities are facing new challenges, particularly influenced by climate change impacts and population growth, while the complexity of urban water systems increases.  As individual households and multifamily/institutional/commercial water users install water saving technologies, such as greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting, total water usage and patterns of water demand are changing.  The water quantity and water quality impacts of such sustainable water technology uptake could include increased water age in distribution systems, drinking water quality degradation, sewer blockages, and sewage quality degradation leading to taste, odour, and possibly hydrogen sulfide buildup.  While many studies have evaluated individual decentralised technologies at small scales, it is also important to understand the implications of different models for and rates of technology uptake across cities so that utilities can proactively plan to provide sustainable water services into the future.