We're developing approaches that allow us to adapt our water resource systems to a changing world - and to do so in a way that is more resilient and equitable, targeting scarce resources where they are needed most.
We use computational engineering tools and integrate hydrology, data science, and policy analysis.
We use computational experiments to build socio-ecological systems theory around why solutions work in some contexts but not others.
We choose questions to support decision-making around critical environmental challenges, like climate change.
Our research develops a water resources planning framework that allows us to assess the value of flexibility in responding to diverse uncertainties in the natural, built, and social environments.
Climate change, demand growth, hydrological variability, and institutional uncertainty challenge water planners to be prepared for a wide range of possible futures. Flexibility in how new infrastructure is developing, in the physical design of infrastructure systems, and how infrastructure is operated can allow water systems to adapt to changes over time. While flexibility has the potential to maintain reliable water supply without overbuilding unnecessary infrastructure and degrading ecosystems, it can come with a cost. Our research uses engineering options analysis to assess the conditions under which flexibility is a worthwhile investment for water planners.
Different types of uncertainty can be managed with distinct types of flexibility (Fletcher et al. 2017 JWRPM).
Quantifying opportunities to learn about uncertainty over time can inform flexible design and planning (Fletcher et al. 2019 Nat Comms).
Delaying infrastructure investment while more information is collected can reduce the risk of building unnecessary infrastructure (Fletcher et al. 2019 ERL).
Methods from closed-loop control theory can be adapted to inform long-term flexible planning for climate adaptation (Herman et al. 2020 WRR)
Our work is bridging social science research on environmental justice with water resources engineering to develop new equity metrics water planners can use to evaluate water management strategies.
One million people in California lack access to affordable, reliable, clean water. Empirical research has demonstrated that low income and minoritized populations are disproportionately burden by lack of water access. However, the decision-support tools commonly used in water resources planning don’t allow planners to evaluate the potential impact of new infrastructure or management strategies on equity.
Using an urban California case study on drought planning, our team is developing ways of assessing the equity implications of drought resilience by developing equity metrics related to water affordability and drought conservation impacts on low-volume water users. This will allow us to identify a portfolio of infrastructure investments and management decisions which allow for drought resilience to be equitably realized across all social, economic, and demographic groups. This work is supported by seed funding and program support from Stanford Impact Labs.
We aim to develop equity metrics driven by community-identified needs, and to help water planners implement them in practice. Are you a water provider, water agency, or community group interested in working together to make our water systems more equitable? Get in touch to discuss partnership opportunities.
Bridging watershed-scale water resources planning with urban water distribution modeling to identify low-cost pathways to drought resilience.
Unconventional new drought-resilient water technologies such as reuse and desalination offer the potential to diversify California’s water mix and complement surface and groundwater sources. Our research is developing new modeling approaches to understand where, when, and how to target these technologies to develop a drought resilient water portfolio at low cost. Our approach integrates household-level water distribution network modeling with hydrological modeling of drought scenarios.
An initial case study in Santa Barbara, CA will focus on identifying a least-cost pathway to water security by optimizing a portfolio of water augmentation actions to secure the city water supply in the face of hydrological and climate uncertainty. This project is a collaboration with Prof. Meagan Mauter, PI of the WE3 Lab at Stanford.
Develop methods to optimize an integrated hydrological and urban distribution system using evolutionary algorithms.
Evaluate the role of decentralized, flexible, modular water technology in addressing drought scenarios of varying length, duration, and severity.
We work to advance water resources management to promote resilient and equitable responses to an uncertain future, and develop computational modeling approaches that bridge the natural and social environments. Are you working on similar topics or have an idea for a project we could work on together?
