Urban water trading – hybrid water systems and niche opportunities in the urban water market – a literature review

ABSTRACT

The integration of hybrid water systems (HWS) into the traditional supply networks is closely linked to achieving sustainable water provision for ever-expanding urban developments. These systems aim to utilise locally occurring water sources by collecting and using water within a discrete boundary. Alternative water technologies such as greywater and rainwater collection systems can reduce pressure on shallow groundwater resources, lessen infrastructure and maintenance costs of existing water systems by deferring new developments such as seawater RO desalination plants and wastewater treatment plants. Ultimately, large-scale HWS implementation can bring about the creation of a water trading market, either in the form of physical peer-to-peer water trading or via a credit-debit system. This review highlights the social, technical and administrative components and factors involved in establishing sustainable HWS. It describes traditional and future trends in urban water management, that is now guided by Water Sensitive Urban Design and Integrated Urban Water Management approaches. The technical aspects of HWS’, their components, benefits and drawbacks of their implementation are highlighted. Social implications from the viewpoints of water practitioners as well as consumers are discussed. An overview of the economics of hybrid water systems, both in terms of their cost and energy consumption per water unit is provided. Sections on the role of policy makers and governance arrangements for small-scale distributed water systems and an overview of the current status of rural and urban water trading schemes conclude the review.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Urban water market
• hybrid water systems
• distributed water systems
• peer-to-peer water trading
• credit-debit system

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Mario Schmack has gained extensive experience around chemical and biological water quality monitoring in Germany, where he worked from 1989 to 2000. After moving to Australia in 2000 and working as a professional musician for several years, he commenced on a bachelor’s degree at Murdoch University from where he obtained a BEnvSc in 2009 for his work on a bacterial algal control agent and a PhD in 2015 for his conceptual development of a thermal desalination method based on vapour transfer processes in water-filled bubble columns. He is currently working as a water and sustainability consultant and as a research associate with Murdoch University in the field of water microgrids for urban housing development. His areas of research interest include sustainable technologies for water supply and management, sustainable development for remote communities, flora and fauna protection and restoration, threatened species conservation and ecological health.

Martin Anda. After developing and commencing the Environmental Engineering programme in 2007 I have seen many of our graduates enter the workforce into some exciting positions that create the marriage between engineering and sustainability. These bright young people are now developing geothermal energy systems, recycling wastewater to safeguard our water resources, ensuring large civil engineering infrastructure constructions are meeting stringent environmental guidelines, running Living Smart programmes for the community, solving complex groundwater problems on the Swan Coastal Plain, designing sustainable waste management systems on Christmas Island, assisting in the environmental performance of major mining projects and more. I engage my final year students with industry intensively for their design projects, theses and internships. In some cases, they go on to secure employment with these same industry partners when they graduate.

In my research programme I am working with my PhD students, industry partners and other universities to develop carbon-neutral settlements, recycled water systems for urban villages, low cost but effective sanitation solutions for developing countries and innovative new water supply systems for remote Aboriginal communities.