Site Suitability Analysis for Natural Systems for Wastewater Treatment with Spatial Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 138, Issue 2
Abstract
When decentralized strategies are considered for managing wastewater, natural systems for wastewater treatment (NSWT) (constructed wetlands) seem to be strongly preferred in comparison with the conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment systems. However, because of their high land requirements, land-use suitability analysis should be conducted to specify adequate areas for their accommodation. Multicriteria spatial decision support systems have emerged as the technology that takes into account both decision criteria and constraints in complex land-use planning problems. This study presents a multiattribute decision analysis approach called the spatial fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (SFAHP) to support raster-based land-use suitability studies for the implementation of NSWT. The SFAHP enables decision makers to circumvent vagueness when they perform evaluations using linguistic variables. Its application in a region of Northeastern Greece using a two-level criteria hierarchical model demonstrates its potential use for suitability analyses.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the staff of the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Department of the Institute of Mineral and Geology Explorations and especially the hydrogeologist I. Romaidis for providing us with the data regarding groundwater pollution issues in the area in question.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 138 • Issue 2 • March 2012
Pages: 125 - 134
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 21, 2009
Accepted: Apr 30, 2011
Published online: May 13, 2011
Published in print: Mar 1, 2012
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