Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Wastewater Model

The document details how climate indicators—specifically precipitation, runoff, and temperature—from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) are integrated into the SAVi Wastewater model. It provides a literature review on how these variables affect wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) capacity and efficiency, such as the impact of heavy rainfall on sewage overflows and the effect of temperature on nutrient removal. The report includes simulation results for Johannesburg, demonstrating that climate-induced sewage overflows and urban runoff increase energy use, energy costs, and the social cost of carbon, while also causing environmental damage through nitrogen leaching.

• Precipitation impacts wastewater treatment plants by causing runoff that leads to overflows, which reduces treatment efficiency and increases operational costs; extreme flow can cause a complete shutdown of the facility.
• Temperature changes affect the efficiency of pollutant removal in wastewater treatment. While higher temperatures can increase the removal efficiency of some pollutants, they can also promote the growth of algae and parasites that reduce overall efficiency and increase treatment time.
• Increased wastewater viscosity, driven by low precipitation and higher temperatures, leads to accelerated depreciation of infrastructure and higher maintenance costs due to increased sludge settlement in sewers.
• Simulation results for Johannesburg under the IPSL RCP8.5 scenario indicate that between 2020 and 2080, cumulative energy use for wastewater treatment in the CDS climate impact scenario is projected to be 2.25% higher than the no-impact scenario, totaling an additional 679 MWh.
• The monetized impact of sewage overflows in the simulation includes an increase in energy costs by 135,803 USD, the social cost of carbon by 14,735 USD, and additional costs of 204,343 USD for nitrogen leaching into the environment.
• In the urban stormwater runoff simulation, the CDS climate impact scenario shows a 13% reduction in cumulative stormwater loads (5.83 billion liters vs 6.7 billion liters) between 2020 and 2100 compared to the no-impact scenario, but introduces higher peak loads, with a maximum monthly load of 37.8 million liters.
• Increased stormwater loads in the simulation are projected to raise total energy use by 5.4% compared to the no-impact scenario, equivalent to approximately 1,627 MWh over 80 years.

APA

Perera, O. (2020). Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Wastewater Model. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-09/intregration-climate-data-savi-wastewater-model.pdf

Chicago

Perera, Oshani. Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Wastewater Model. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-09/intregration-climate-data-savi-wastewater-model.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Perera |first1=Oshani |title=Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Wastewater Model |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=September 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-09/intregration-climate-data-savi-wastewater-model.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{perera2020integration, author = {Perera, Oshani}, title = {{Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Wastewater Model}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-09/intregration-climate-data-savi-wastewater-model.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }