Affordable, Yet Effective Ways to Fight Drought

Researchers examine the response to a lengthy drought in Melbourne, Australia, to develop an approach for building new water supply infrastructure that won’t break the bank

Dec 21, 2017 | by Kyle Rogers |

Fighting Drought — Melbourne, Australia, built a $5 billion desalination plant in response to a 12-year drought, but now that the drought is over, the plant hasn't been used enough to justify the expense. (Courtesy of The Age)

Small additions to water supply infrastructure rather than expensive, large-scale projects. That’s the better approach for combatting problems like drought, according to an MIT-based research team.The team focused on the city of Melbourne, Australia, for its recently released paper, “Water Supply Infrastructure Planning: Decision-Making Framework to Classify Multiple Uncertainties and Evaluate Flexible Design.” It looked at Melbourne’s lengthy drought from 1997 to 2009, which led to the construction of a $5 billion desalination plant. Approved in 2007, the plant went online in 2012. But since the drought had ended by then, the plant’s use has not lined up with its hefty

Please login or register to view TPO articles. It's free, fast and easy!