Decision support system for the optimal design of district metered areas

The establishment of district metered areas (DMAs) is widely recognized as one of the most effective techniques for the optimal management of water distribution networks (WDNs). However, its implementation in real cases is a very challenging task that requires decision aiding. In this work, a comprehensive methodology for the optimal design of DMAs is presented and discussed. The proposed approach consists of a two-objectives optimization problem subjected to a number of constraints related to the topology of the network, financial issues and the network hydraulics. A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) is combined with tools from graph theory for the solution of the problem. The validation of the model and the calibration of the parameters are performed through the application to a well-known example from the literature. Low cost as compared to the budget and a good saving in leakage are obtained.