Optimal Water and Waste Load Allocation in Zayandehrood River

Abstract

In recent years rivers have dried due to withdrawing excessive water. By increasing wastewater discharge into the river from different sources, the usable water in different sectors and water quality in rivers face a serious problem. In this research, the optimal allocation of water in Zayandehrood River has been studied with the approach of waste-load allocation and consideration of cost-effectiveness as a two-objective optimization model. A simulation-optimization model including Qual2k and NSGA-II algorithm has been developed to control DO and BOD as the main water quality parameters. The results show that optimal water and waste-load allocation can improve the water quality of the river to an acceptable level and the model provides a scientific basis to solve the water shortage problem in the basin.

Keywords

Waste-Load Allocation, Optimization, Water Quality, NSGA-II, Qual2k