Optimal Siting of Regional Fecal Sludge Treatment Facilities: St. Elizabeth, Jamaica
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 134, Issue 1
Abstract
In the developing nation of Jamaica, 70% of the population depends upon on-site sanitation systems, which can provide an effective and low-cost option for rural wastewater treatment. However, there are serious environmental and human health effects associated with their mismanagement and deterioration. Historically, fecal sludge management has been addressed as a localized problem. Instead, we introduce a regional decision model of FS treatment options. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer programming model, which selects the optimal combination of treatment, hauling, and pumping options and their locations based on a variety of social and economic constraints. The constraint method of optimization led to an optimal trade-off curve between the number of people negatively affected and the cost of a given management plan. A sensitivity analysis documents model sensitivity to capital cost variation among potential treatment sites.
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Acknowledgments
This research was made possible through a teaching assistantship awarded to the first writer by the Tufts Water: Systems, Science, and Society (WSSS) Research and Graduate Education Program, the generous support of the Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE), and from a John R. Freeman Fellowship awarded to the first writer by the Boston Society of Civil Engineers.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 134 • Issue 1 • January 2008
Pages: 55 - 63
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 18, 2006
Accepted: Jan 22, 2007
Published online: Jan 1, 2008
Published in print: Jan 2008
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