An exploratory bottom-up resilience assessment framework for integrated
water systems
Abstract
Resilience is the ability of a system to withstand stressors while
preserving its structure and functions. Various performance- and
attribute-based resilience assessment frameworks have been developed to
understand the behaviour and properties of individual water systems.
However, in integrated water systems, the increased complexity presents
new challenges in the application of these frameworks. This study first
reviews the key elements in both frameworks, including system
indicators, thresholds, and resilience metrics, across urban water
supply, drainage, groundwater, and river systems. Challenges are
identified in deriving consistent indicators from siloed subsystem
models, robust threshold selection, and resilience metrics synthesis as
well as their usefulness for management. Based on the insights, a
bottom-up resilience assessment framework for integrated water systems
is developed. A water system integration model (WSIMOD) is employed to
derive indicators for subsystems. Four performance-based resilience
metrics are designed and applied to the indicators to facilitate
intercomparison between subsystems. The application of the metrics
crosses from event-level assessments for understanding system behaviour
to annual-level evaluations of long-term performance, which are
ultimately synthesised at the system level for multi-stakeholder
decision-making. The efficacy of this framework is demonstrated through
a case study in Luton, UK. The findings highlight river water quality as
the least resilient subsystem that needs prioritised management.
Sensitivity analysis is conducted to examine the impacts of thresholds
on resilience results, with subsequent interpretation linking these
metrics to specific decision variables for enhanced management. This
framework can be extended through stakeholder engagement to improve
system performance under deep uncertainties.