An Optimization Model for Water Management Based on Water Resources and Environmental Carrying Capacities: A Case Study of the Yinma River Basin, Northeast China

In this study, an inexact two-stage stochastic programming (ITSP) model was developed for supporting water resources allocation for the four main water use sectors (industry, municipal, environmental, and agriculture) and total amount control of the pollutant emissions. The Yinma River Basin in northeast China was selected for a case study. A number of scenarios corresponding to different flow levels were examined. The flow levels reflect different probabilities of water resource availability and environmental carrying capacity. The results revealed that the optimal allocation strategies for each sector depend on water resource carrying capacity, wastewater treatment capacity, the total amount of regional control, and the water environment carrying capacity. Water ecology projects were identified that are needed to treat contaminated water and to address the insufficient carrying capacity for pollutant emissions generated in water-using processes. The results will be helpful for establishing sensible water management systems that integrate the development and utilization of water resources and protect the environment, and for providing a basis for water pollution prevention plans, the model can be used to guide management interventions to improve the water environment by regional pollutant emission control and the improvement of carrying capacity in the Yinma River Basin.