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Addressing global water scarcity requires effective, sustainable water resource management. However, water resources management problems are complex challenges with multiple, often contradicting, objectives. Moreover, increasingly, questions are raised regarding the fair allocation of scarce water resources. In this study, we use multi-objective optimization as an approach to explore the trade-offs between these conflicting objectives. Questions pertaining to fair allocation are commonly integrated a posteriori. In contrast, this study explores their a priori incorporation and the impact of doing so on the trade-offs identified through multi-objective optimization. We investigate utilitarianism, egalitarianism, and prioritarianism, representing diverse theories of distributive justice. These theories guide the translation of justice principles into mathematical models, offering insights into how societal values influence water …