View article

Water resources management requires an insightful balance between water demand and water supply. U.S. water supply is at risk of shortage due to population growth, land use changes, climate change, and water use behaviors of customers. Long-term water supply planning is conventionally based on projections of population growth and demands; however, the sustainability of water resources depends on the dynamic interactions among the environmental, technological, and social characteristics of the water system and local population. This research develops a sociotechnical model to simulate the interactions among the social and engineering systems. An agent-based model (ABM) is used to simulate households and water-use behaviors and is coupled with a set of technical models, including climate change projections, a hydrological watershed model, and a water reservoir model. The ABM framework …