Disaster Resilience of Critical Water Infrastructure Systems

Abstract

Critical water infrastructure systems (e.g., drinking water treatment, transmission, and distribution; and wastewater and stormwater collection and treatment) are critical functions of a healthy society. Disaster resilience of these infrastructure systems during and after hazards is vital for the response and recovery to the event. Critical aspects of resiliency such as planning for hazardous conditions and taking into account interdependences with the electrical infrastructure must be understood so that water infrastructure system managers can improve system resiliency. These aspects are not always initially clear until the system is exposed to a hazard, which is why we can learn so much from recent disasters. This paper outlines and quantifies the key aspects of water infrastructure system resiliency (e.g., water system redundancy, wastewater system storage, etc.) to allow for comparison. An analysis of these parameters using historical hazardous events (i.e., hurricanes Katrina and Rita) is presented to determine what the best practices should be moving forward. Recommendations for incorporating the best practices into future designs are presented. These findings are valuable for water infrastructure system managers in need of guidance for creating a resilient system capable of handling multiple hazards.