Chapter
6
This chapter describes how to include planning for water quality management into the previously developed scheme for the optimal expansion of a
water resources system. Water quality management was omitted from the
water resources planning framework described in Chapters 2 and 3 in order
to simplify the explanation, but the interactive nature of a water resource
system together with the fact that water in typical rivers is used and reused
numerous times in its transit down the river requires a detailed examination of water quality in conjunction with the water quantity. Interestingly
enough, in spite of the principle that water quality management should be
an integral part of water resources planning, water quality management
and water development activities are usually separated and often delegated
to different agencies in the state and federal governments. As an example,
in the state of Texas, water quality control problems come under the surveillance of the Texas Water Quality Board, while water development
activities are handled by the Texas Water Development Board. However,
along with the large increase in the demand for water from various users
has come an awareness that the problem of the degredation of water quality
in the future meshes directly with that of water quantity.
We will first consider the general objectives in planning for water quality
and define a few new terms before proceeding to the formation of the model
for water quality.
6.1· Objectives in Planning for Water Quality
In considering the objectives associated with water quality management
we must distinguish, as we did in Chapter 1, between operation of a water
143
6
This chapter describes how to include planning for water quality management into the previously developed scheme for the optimal expansion of a
water resources system. Water quality management was omitted from the
water resources planning framework described in Chapters 2 and 3 in order
to simplify the explanation, but the interactive nature of a water resource
system together with the fact that water in typical rivers is used and reused
numerous times in its transit down the river requires a detailed examination of water quality in conjunction with the water quantity. Interestingly
enough, in spite of the principle that water quality management should be
an integral part of water resources planning, water quality management
and water development activities are usually separated and often delegated
to different agencies in the state and federal governments. As an example,
in the state of Texas, water quality control problems come under the surveillance of the Texas Water Quality Board, while water development
activities are handled by the Texas Water Development Board. However,
along with the large increase in the demand for water from various users
has come an awareness that the problem of the degredation of water quality
in the future meshes directly with that of water quantity.
We will first consider the general objectives in planning for water quality
and define a few new terms before proceeding to the formation of the model
for water quality.
6.1· Objectives in Planning for Water Quality
In considering the objectives associated with water quality management
we must distinguish, as we did in Chapter 1, between operation of a water
143