DOI: 10.5176/2301-394X_ACE18.93
Authors: Hew Cameron Merrett, Wei-Tong Chen and Jiao-Jia Horng
Abstract:
For the supply of safe drinking water there are a multitude of systems and assets involved in ensuring the safety and quality of water meets the expected standard of customers and regulators alike. The first component in any water supply network is the catchment area. Catchment water quality determines the level of treatment and heavily influences drinking water quality risk to the customer. Viewing drinking water catchments as water supply assets has been widely recognized throughout the water industry. Research has shown a pristine protected catchment is able to provide up to 99% pathogen removal and through careful planning catchment interventions prove to be cost effective way to reduce water treatment costs. Throughout the water industry there is an innate bias towards engineering solutions for water quality outcomes. Engineering solutions are often favored due to having well recognized certainty of outcomes for water quality. However, there are several key examples amongst many of successfully investing in catchment interventions or management programs to protect or enhance water quality outcomes and reduce supply cost. With growing standards and expectations for drinking water supplies there is a need for critical review of how drinking water catchments are managed as natural assets in Taiwan. Better understanding of the key success factors for effective catchment management for both risk management and water quality outcomes is required to ensure ongoing cost-effective drinking water supply.
Keywords: Drinking Water Quality, Catchment Management, Source Protection, Asset Management, Ecosystem Services, Watershed Management
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