Water Resources Systems Analysis and  Management

Course Description

Course Aim

The course aims to introduce students to the systems approach and to the basic methods used in the analysis, modelling and management of water systems, enabling them to:

• • identify the main components and functions of a water system, the role of water-resources infrastructure and the principal water uses;
• • analyse hydrological and management data, develop water balances and apply basic modelling and simulation methods;
• • assess the reliability of water systems and explore alternative scenarios under conditions of variability and uncertainty;
• • compare management strategies using multiple criteria and understand the interdependencies among water, energy, the environment and society.

Course Content

The main topics are:

• • Integrated water resources management across different spatial scales, from the river basin to complex regional water-resource systems, and the role of associated infrastructure for water abstraction, storage, conveyance, desalination and reuse.
• • Development of water balances, modelling of water systems and simulation of alternative management scenarios.
• • Hydrological variability, extreme hydrological events (droughts and floods), and system reliability under conditions of uncertainty.
• • Hydropower, pumped-storage hydropower as an energy-storage technology, and water–energy–environment interdependencies.
• • Multi-criteria assessment, optimisation and decision support for managing competing water uses under environmental and institutional constraints.
• • Case studies from Greece, focusing on the Athens water-supply system and on island and regional water-resource systems.

Teaching and Assessment

• • Face-to-face lectures.
• • Laboratory exercises using computational tools.
• • Presentation of a water-system case study.

Assessment comprises a final written examination (50%) and laboratory exercises together with the case study (50%).