StreamPlan: a support system for water quality management on a river basin scale

StreamPlan was developed as an integrated, easy-to-use software system for analysing alternative water quality management policies on a river basin level. These include uniform emission reduction and effluent standard based strategies, ambient water quality criteria and least-cost strategies, total emission reduction under minimized costs, mixed strategies, local and regional policies, and strategies with economic instruments. A distinctive feature of StreamPlan is the integration of a detailed model of wastewater generation on the municipal level with water quality modelling and policy analysis tools on a river basin scale. StreamPlan allows the modelling of cost and abatement efficiency of different wastewater treatment plant upgrading schemes based on projected wasteloads and a description of existing facilities. StreamPlan is composed of six spreadsheet workbooks and an external linear programming package. The power and familiarity of spreadsheet operations enhance ease of use. The spreadsheetʹs own programming language seamlessly integrates databases and models in workbooks and worksheets into a complete system. Moreover, the total development time for the system was just over one person year.