Developing the most appropriate strategy model and performance assessment system for sustainable water and wastewater management

Sustainable urban water and wastewater cycle is critical in terms of effective water network management, efficient use of water resources, protection of environment and human health, and reuse of treated water. However, managing urban water cycle processes is time consuming and costly in many cases. Therefore the implementaton of urban water cycle practices should be planned and implemented in a systematic way. First of all, the current situation of the institution should be analyzed comprehensively in order to better understand the urban water cycle processes and plan the improvement processes. All variables including urban water management, wastewater collection and disposal, and wastewater treatment practices should be considered in the current situation analysis. Since the current situation analysis plays a key role in the effective management of the processes, the efficiency of the methods currently applied in the administration and the quality of the measured data should be questioned. However, it is quite important to use an analysis structure based on measurable criteria for current situation analysis and evaluations. In this study, a novel evaluation and process management model is developed to ensure sustainable urban water and wastewater cycle, and to analyze the current status and data quality of water and wastewater management (WWM) practices in utilities. The developed model basically consists of 5 matrices, namely the current situation analysis and management system (CSAS), data matrix (DATA), performance assessment system (PAAS), target definition system (TARGET) and method matrix (TOOL). The basis of this model is the CSAS system. The CSAS system consists of a total of 231 components under 11 main headings covering WWM practices. In the developed model, the DATA matrix consisting of 231 variables under 11 main headings directly related to MDA is defined. On the other hand, the PAAS system, which is linked to the data in the DATA matrix, includes a total of 231 performance indicators under 11 main headings. In addition, the TOOL matrix was defined for the improvement of the components in the MDA and PADS matrices. This method matrix includes a total of 231 components (methods) under 11 main headings, covering water and wastewater management applications. A unique scoring system was developed to question the quality of the data used to manage urban water cycle processes and their components, and to analyze the current level of application of the methods. In this scoring system, each component is graded between 0 and 5 according to the current state of the utility. The developed model was tested in pilot utilities and the results were discussed. It is observed that utility's I scores were generally better than utilities II and III. A unique model was developed by using artificial intelligence optimization algorithm to improve the current situation assessment system in administrations. The optimal potential improvement levels for 231 components were optimized according to the current situation of each administration using this model. It is thought that the results obtained from this study will be a reference for practitioners and decision makers within the scope of urban water, wastewater collection and disposal and wastewater treatment management. Keywords: Urban water cycle, urban water management, wastewater collection, wastewater treatment, current situation analysis, optimization, strategic management model