CEEP Water Sustainability Projects

Research and active engagement with local and global communities are important components of CEEP’s academic/activist tradition. Projects at CEEP not only form the basis of original research, they also create opportunities for establishing community and professional relationships. CEEP's approach is collaborative, which allows the rich diversity of our community to influence our research. Below is a sample of some of the projects CEEP has worked on in the area of Water Sustainability.

URBAN RIVERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Sponsor:CEEP By integrating social and environmental aspects of the urban river, this project seeks to uncover the current status of the urban river, identify areas of policy need within the social, economic and environmental context of river use, and to highlight best management practices to meet the needs of river users and the environment for future generations. In addition, it is an attempt to understand the unique nuances presented by the urban river within a theoretical framework of environmental justice and social equity.

MODELING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WITH SWAT Sponsor:US Department of Agriculture and UD Institute of Soil and Environmental Quality SWAT is a new nonpoint source model that is starting to be used by several U.S. states to set total maximum daily loads or TMDLs for criteria pollutants. This research examines the Inland Bays and Chesapeake Bay watersheds and calibrates TMDLs for both areas using actual data. It may also be applied to Odessa National in New Castle County.

WATER CONSERVATION STUDIES Sponsor:CEEP and water utilities A multi-year project to develop methods for assessing policies that promote water conservation, especially in terms of stream flow and impacts on residential water consumption. The project has created econometric models of water demand that can be used to assess alternative conservation policies. It has also led to a GIS interface to examine simulated effects of conservation policies on stream flows.

SYNERGIC EFFECTS OF SUSTAINABLE WATER AND ENERGY PLANNING: INTEGRATION OF DEMAND- AND SUPPLY-SIDE OPTIONS Sponsor:Delaware General Assembly and others This work aims to evaluate state and local government strategies to enhance synergic benefits of energy and water conservation. Both demand-side and supply-side conservation practices in the areas of energy and water are considered. Policy and program options are explored to enhance synergic benefits in Delaware.