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. 2021 Nov:3:1-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2021.100013.

Informing remediation of benzene contamination in drinking water distribution systems through multi-criteria decision analysis

Levi M Haupert  1 , Jon McDonnell  2 , Kathy Martel  2 , Michael D Miles  2 , Matthew L Magnuson  1
Affiliations

Informing remediation of benzene contamination in drinking water distribution systems through multi-criteria decision analysis

Levi M Haupert et al. J Hazard Mater Adv. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

When contamination incidents occur in drinking water distribution systems, utilities need to select the remediation technologies most suited to their system-specific conditions and the contaminants of concern. Technology selection often involves balancing competing priorities. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is a promising approach that has been used extensively in other industries but not yet in drinking water system remediation. This paper discusses development of a computer-based tool that allows practitioners to leverage the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a well-established method of MCDA, to select remediation technologies based on their effectiveness and their compatibility with the practitioner's project objectives. This paper focuses on benzene, a contaminant implicated for many years in contamination incidents following spills and, more recently, wildfires.

Keywords: Analytic hierarchy process; Benzene; Decontamination; Drinking water; Multi-criteria decision analysis; Remediation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Logic Flow of Water-APT. Information inputs into the decision process are shown at the top of the figure. Information from the inputs flows into the shaded area which encloses the steps in the AHP implementation of Water-APT. The output of the AHP process then feeds into the decision objective, which is selection of the remediation technology.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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