Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University, QLD, Australia; Griffith School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, QLD, Australia.
Griffith School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, QLD, Australia; Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, QLD, Australia.
J Environ Manage. 2018 Jun 1;215:79-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.03.037. Epub 2018 Mar 19.
Population growth, coupled with declining water availability and changes in climatic conditions underline the need for sustainable and responsive water management instruments. Supply augmentation and demand management are the two main strategies used by water utilities. Water demand management has long been acknowledged as a least-cost strategy to maintain water security. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, including: i) educating consumers to limit their water use; ii) imposing restrictions/penalties; iii) using smart and/or efficient technologies; and iv) pricing mechanisms. Changing water consumption behaviours through pricing or restrictions is challenging as it introduces more social and political issues into the already complex water resources management process. This paper employs a participatory systems modelling approach for: (1) evaluating various forms of a proposed tiered scarcity adjusted water budget and pricing structure, and (2) comparing scenario outcomes against the traditional restriction policy regime. System dynamics modelling was applied since it can explicitly account for the feedbacks, interdependencies, and non-linear relations that inherently characterise the water tariff (price)-demand-revenue system. A combination of empirical water use data, billing data and customer feedback on future projected water bills facilitated the assessment of the suitability and likelihood of the adoption of scarcity-driven tariff options for a medium-sized city within Queensland, Australia. Results showed that the tiered scarcity adjusted water budget and pricing structure presented was preferable to restrictions since it could maintain water security more equitably with the lowest overall long-run marginal cost.
人口增长，加上可用水资源的减少和气候条件的变化，突显了对可持续和响应式水资源管理工具的需求。供水增加和需求管理是水务公司采用的两种主要策略。长期以来，人们一直认为水资源需求管理是维护水资源安全的一种低成本策略。这可以通过多种方式实现，包括：i）教育消费者限制用水；ii）实施限制/处罚；iii）使用智能和/或高效技术；以及 iv）定价机制。通过定价或限制来改变用水行为具有挑战性，因为它将更多的社会和政治问题引入到已经复杂的水资源管理过程中。本文采用参与式系统建模方法：（1）评估拟议的分层稀缺性调整水预算和定价结构的各种形式，以及（2）将情景结果与传统的限制政策制度进行比较。系统动力学建模被应用，因为它可以明确考虑到水费（价格）-需求-收入系统固有的反馈、相互依存和非线性关系。经验用水数据、计费数据和客户对未来预计水费的反馈的结合，有助于评估澳大利亚昆士兰州一个中型城市采用稀缺驱动的关税选择的适宜性和可能性。结果表明，提出的分层稀缺性调整水预算和定价结构优于限制，因为它可以以最低的总体长期边际成本更公平地维持水资源安全。
