David Butler

University of Exeter | UoE · Department of Engineering

Nature‐based solutions have been promoted as a sustainable solution for urban stormwater management and they are currently adopted at an unprecedented speed and scale to build sponge cities in China, with a primary aim to solving urban flood problems. However, there are limits to how much rainfall sponge cities can absorb, hence, they are unlikely...

Deep learning techniques and algorithms are emerging as a disruptive technology with the potential to transform global economies, environments and societies. They have been applied to planning and management problems of urban water systems in general, however, there is lack of a systematic review of the current state of deep learning applications a...

Preparedness for flood emergency response is crucial for effective flood management. The need for advanced flood decision support tools that aid flood management has been recognized by several authors. This work examines the variability that currently exists across England with regard to the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) data collection and processi...

Graphene‐based materials have emerged as alternative adsorbents, but their success in removing pharmaceutical contaminants has been limited due to degradation caused by restacking and limited control over their sizes and porosities. Driven by this issue, in the current study, to counteract the restacking behavior, graphene sheets are supported on a...

Benchmarking has been a useful tool for unbiased comparison of control strategies in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in terms of effluent quality, operational cost and risk of suffering microbiology-related total suspended solids (TSS) separation problems. This chapter presents the status of extending the original Benchmark Simulation Model No...

With increased commitment from the international community to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from all sectors in accordance with the Paris Agreement, the water sector has never felt the pressure it is now under to transition to a low-carbon water management model. This requires reducing GHG emissions from grid-energy consumption (Scope 2 emi...

Stormwater hazards are a significant threat across the globe. These are continuing to increase in line with urbanisation and climate change, leading to a recognition that the historic paradigm of passive management using centralised infrastructure is insufficient to manage future hazards to our society, environment, and economy. The cross-sector In...

The reliable functioning of water infrastructures is one of the key pillars for society, and it is crucial for social well-being and supports economic growth [...]

General resilience addresses the resilience of a water system to any threat including unknowns, in contrast to specified resilience to individual identified threats. However, quantification of general resilience is challenging and previous assessments have typically been qualitative or based on system properties that are assumed to be indicative of...

Planning the conversion from intermittent to continuous water supply (CWS) is rife with uncertainties. Although scenarios can be used to incorporate uncertainties in planning processes, their development and application to intermittent water supply systems are uncommon. Using drivers of water demand in water supply systems, this study developed fou...

Water resource management in the UK is multifaceted, with a complexity of issues arising from acute and chronic stressors. Below average rainfall in spring 2020 coincided with large-scale changes to domestic water consumption patterns, arising from the first UK-wide COVID-19 lockdown, resulting in increased pressure on nationwide resources. A secto...

Fractals have been identified as a common feature in many natural and artificial networks that exhibit self-similarity of the topological patterns, i.e. different parts of the system have similar structures to each other as well as to the whole system. This study investigates the fractality in water distribution networks (WDNs) and the application...

This paper explores the spatial impact of green infrastructure (GI) location on the resilience of urban drainage systems by the application of exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA). A framework that integrates resilience assessment, location sensitivity analysis and ESDA is presented and applied to an urban catchment in the United Kingdom. Three...

Complexity in water distribution systems (WDSs) poses a challenge for analysis and management of the systems. To reduce the complexity, the recent development of complex network science provides a system decomposition technique that converts a complex WDS with a large number of components into a simple system with a set of interconnected modules. E...

The Water Informatics in Science and Engineering Centre for Doctoral Training (WISE CDT) offers a postgraduate programme that fosters enhanced levels of innovation and collaboration by training a cohort of engineers and scientists at the boundary of water informatics, science and engineering. The WISE CDT was established in 2014 with funding from t...

This paper proposes a methodology to increase the level of water distribution equity in intermittent water distribution networks (WDNs) with users equipped with private tanks. The methodology makes it possible to identify optimal valve locations and settings to improve the distribution of water among users by rearranging the flow circulation in the...

The unprecedented scale and impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic has required organisations to adapt all facets of their operations. The impact on the UK water sector extends beyond engineering and treatment processes, with social, economic and environmental consequences. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with executives from ten UK water compan...

Ensuring a sustainable urban water supply for developing/low-income countries requires an understanding of the factors affecting water consumption and technical evidence of individual consumption which can be used to design an improved water demand projection. This paper compared dry and rainy season water sources available for consumption and the...

Water demand management often focuses on quantifying the benefits of water efficiency rather than the potential impact of reduced flows on the sewer network. This study assessed the impact of a high-density deployment of ultra-low flush toilets (ULFT). A pre-installation washroom survey was carried out in July 2018. Water demand and sewer network c...

Water demand measurements have historically been conducted manually, from meter readings less than once per month. Leading water service providers have begun to deploy smart meters to collect high-resolution data. A low-cost flush counter was developed and connected to a real-time monitoring platform for 119 ultra-low flush toilets in 7 buildings o...

With the extensive use of 2D flood models, the resolution and quality of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) have come under greater focus especially in urban hydrology. One of the major research areas, in this regard, is the effect of DEM resolution on flood modelling. This study first investigates the root causes of the impact of DEM resolution on ur...

Graphene and its counterparts have been widely used for the removal of contaminants from (waste)water but with limited success for the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants. Driven by this need, this study reports, for the first time, the removal of pharmaceuticals from real contaminated water samples using porous graphene (PG) as a filter-based c...

Building water-wise cities is a pressing need nowadays in both developed and developing countries. This is mainly due to the limitation of the available water resources and aging infrastructure to meet the needs of adapting to social and environmental changes and for urban liveability. This is the first book to provide comprehensive insights into t...

Automation and real-time control have long been used in urban wastewater systems. However, there is a critical need to review how real-time control contributes to sustainable water management. This review provides a systematic review of the role of real-time control towards creating a sustainable wastewater system. This review identifies the social...

Despite considerable efforts to improve water management, India is becoming increasingly water stressed due to multiple factors, including climate change, increasing population, and urbanization. We address one of the most challenging problems in the design of water treatment plants: how to select a suitable technology for a specific scenario or co...

The Water Informatics in Science and Engineering Centre for Doctoral Training (WISE CDT) offers a postgraduate programme that fosters enhanced levels of innovation and collaboration by training a cohort of engineers and scientists at the boundary of water informatics, science and engineering. The WISE CDT was established in 2014 with funding from t...

Resilience as a concept and resilience assessment as a practice are being explored across a range of social, ecological and technical systems. In this paper, we propose a new method and visualisation approach for interrogating the communication of resilience within organisational networks, using participatory social network analysis and message pas...

Anaerobic bioconversion of protein into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) can help reduce the vast quantities of protein waste generated currently and provide precursors for biorefineries of value-added, renewable chemicals or fuels. However, low yields of SCFAs during this process have limited its application, since the underlying mechanism is not f...

Societal, economic and environmental impact generated by academic research is a key focus of publicly funded research in the UK. Drawing on experiences from the Safe & SuRe project, a five-year research project that was co-produced with industry, this paper explores the challenges, learnings and benefits of co-producing research with academics and...

The paper presents the results of the Battle of Postdisaster Response and Restoration (BPDRR) presented in a special session at the first International water distribution systems analysis & computing and control in the water industry (WDSA/CCWI) Joint Conference, held in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, in July 2018. The BPDRR problem focused on how to r...

Emerging threats such as climate change and urbanisation pose an unprecedented challenge to integrated management of urban wastewater systems, which are expected to function in a reliable, resilient and sustainable manner regardless of future conditions. Traditional long term planning is rather limited in developing no-regret strategies that avoid...

Pharmaceutical pollutants have become a worldwide concern. These emerging contaminants (ECs) are ubiquitously found in different water streams with concentrations above ecotoxicity endpoints, deteriorating aquatic life and water quality. This study evaluated extensively the efficacy of porous graphene (PG) synthesised at relatively low temperature...

Rainwater harvesting systems are often used as both an alternative water source and a stormwater management tool. Many studies have focused on the water-saving potential of these systems, but research into aspects that impact stormwater retention—such as demand patterns and climate change—is lacking. This paper investigates the short-term impact of...

Global threats such as climate change, increasing urbanisation, and rapid population growth will continue to pose major challenges for the water sector over the coming decades. Questions over supply, delivery and demand, all form a central part of this argument with the themes of sustainability and resilience often included in the response. Recent...

There is increasing interest in using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in flood risk management activities including in response to flood events. However, there is little evidence that they are used in a structured and strategic manner to best effect. An effective response to flooding is essential if lives are to be saved and suffering alleviated. T...

Integrated real-time control (RTC) of urban wastewater systems, which can automatically adjust system operation to environmental changes, has been found in previous studies as a cost-effective strategy to strike a balance between good surface water quality and low greenhouse gas emissions. However, its regulatory implications have not been examined...

Green infrastructure strategies are often cited as best practice for urban water management; however, limited research has been undertaken to compare intervention effectiveness during moderate to extreme intensity rainfall events which are typically responsible for surface water flooding. This research responds to this through applying a cellular a...

Achieving urban flood resilience (UFR) at local, regional and national levels requires a transformative change in planning, design and implementation of urban water systems. Flood risk, wastewater and stormwater management should be re-envisaged and transformed to: ensure satisfactory service delivery under flood, normal and drought conditions, and...

This paper presents an adaptation of the Resilience Analysis Grid (RAG) method framed on the Resilience Engineering theory as a proposal for tackling the lack of organisational resilience metrics in the water sector of England and Wales. The method was adapted to the sector by selecting 16 indicators and the addition of a ‘Resilience Ethos’ section...

How we manage alternative freshwater resources to close the gap between water supply and demand is pivotal to the future of the environment and human well-being. Increased scarcity of water for agricultural irrigation in semi-arid and arid regions has resulted in a growing interest in water reuse practices. However, insight into the life cycle impa...

This research develops application of a strategic surface water management screening framework to enhance decision support in cities. Decision support in cities is typically constrained by resource costs of detailed analysis, this new methodology overcomes this through applying a simplified option screening process to evidence strategy and direct f...

Water recycling and reuse has become a common practice in order to alleviate pressures on the existing water sources. Over the last few years, Emerging Contaminants (ECs), such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, have been increasingly detected in the treated wastewater in Wastewater Treatment (WWT) plants across the world. This is due t...

Flooding is one of the most frequent and damaging natural disasters to affect the UK. It has the potential to cause fatalities, displacement of people, damage to properties and the environment. Evacuation flood route planning is an important part of city emergency planning and should be based on detailed understanding of flood vulnerable areas and...

Flooding can affect every aspect of our lives and road transportation is not an exception. However, the interaction between floods and transportation was not investigated closely in the past. As transportation is the lifeline of any economy, it is essential to analyse potential dangers and threads that can lead to network capacity restraints. Consi...

p>Reducing nutrient discharge from wastewater is essential to mitigating aquatic eutrophication; however, energy- and chemicals-intensive nutrient removal processes, accompanied with the emissions of airborne contaminants, can create other, unexpected, environmental consequences. Implementing mitigation strategies requires a complete understanding...

The structure and connectivity of infrastructure systems such as water distribution networks (WDNs) affect their reliability, efficiency and resilience. Suitable techniques are required to understand the potential impacts of system failure(s), which can result from internal (e.g. water hammer) or external (e.g. natural hazards) threats. This paper...

Greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting have the potential to increase the resilience of water management and reduce the need for investment in conventional water supply schemes. However, their water-savings would partly depend on the location and built-form of urban development and hence its household sizes and rainwater per dwelling. We have...

Addressing the intersection of two important emerging research areas, re-distributed manufacturing (RDM) and the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus, this work combines insights from engineering, business and policy perspectives and explores opportunities and challenges towards a more localized and sustainable food system. Analysis centred on two specifi...

As water supply in England increasingly faces threats of climate change, urbanisation and population growth, there is an imperative for household water users to be more resilient to extremes such as drought. However, since English water users have not traditionally been involved in drought management, there is need for in-depth understanding of per...

Although sludge-converted short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are promising feedstocks for biorefineries, it remains challenging to maximise SCFA production by enhancing synergies between chemical/biological hydrolysis and acidogenesis processes while employing a balanced composition of microbial communities to counteract methanogenesis. Herein, stepwi...

Despite significant consequences caused by recent events, surface water flooding has historically been of lower priority relative to fluvial and coastal risks in UK flood management. Legislation and research proposes a variety of innovative interventions to address this, however widespread application of these remains a challenge due to a number of...

This paper proposes a novel methodology for modelling the impacts of floods on traffic. Often, flooding is a complex combination of various causes (coastal, fluvial and pluvial). Further, transportation systems are very sensitive to external disturbances. The interactions between these two complex and dynamic systems have not been studied in detail...

This keynote extended abstract investigates the recent shift in the drivers, objectives and application of rainwater harvesting. A review of historical rainwater harvesting technologies was undertaken and the context set for rainwater to be valued as an alternative water resource in specific circumstances. Recent research and exemplars were reviewe...

Rainwater harvesting is increasingly being recognised as a sustainable option for both urban water and stormwater management. This study explores the potential impact of household rainwater harvesting on water supply augmentation and stormwater management in a typical three-bedroom house in Newcastle-upon Tyne, NE England. The continuous simulation...

Transportation is essential for the normal flow of the economy because it is responsible for the movement of people and goods to planned locations. Therefore, traffic disruptions can have detrimental effects on multiple services. Road transportation is vulnerable to many threads, but flooding has the potential to lead to significant road network ca...

This paper investigates the performance in terms of yield, peak stormwater discharges and annual stormwater reductions for a set of four rainwater management scenarios tested against a hypothetical household in England. The work builds on recent progress in modelling of rainwater management systems (RMS) using a mass balance approach. The novelty l...

Sustainability and resilience are both key considerations in the design and operation of wastewater systems. However, there is currently a lack of understanding of the relationship between these two goals and of the effects of increasing resilience on sustainability. This paper, therefore, presents a framework for analysis of the effects of resilie...

This research evaluates performance of a rapid assessment framework for screening surface water flood risk in urban catchments. Recent advances in modelling have developed fast and computationally efficient cellular automata frameworks which demonstrate promising utility for increasing available evidence to support surface water management, however...

Designing urban water infrastructure systems for environmental sustainability requires consideration of hydrologic performance design criteria and results from life cycle assessment (LCA). The objective of this paper is to present a study of merging hydrologic and LCA criteria into the evaluation of the environmental sustainability of rainwater har...

This paper examines the impact of weather conditions on pipe failure in water distribution networks using artificial neural network (ANN) and evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR). A number of weather-related factors over 4 consecutive days are the input of the binary ANN model while the output is the occurrence or not of at least a failure duri...

Reliability, risk and resilience are strongly related concepts and have been widely utilised in the context of water infrastructure performance analysis. However, there are many ways in which each measure can be formulated (depending on the reliability of what, risk to what from what, and resilience of what to what) and the relationships will diffe...

Rainwater harvesting is increasingly being recognised as a sustainable option for both urban water and stormwater management. This study explores the potential impact of household rainwater harvesting on water supply augmentation and stormwater management in a typical three-bedroom house in Newcastle-upon Tyne, NE England. The continuous simulation...

To better understand the impacts of flooding such that authorities can plan for adapting measures to cope with future scenarios, we have developed a modified Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to allow policy makers to evaluate strategies for improving flood resilience in cities. We showed that this framework proved an effect...

Restoring and improving harmony between human activities and nature are essential to human well-being and survival. The role of wastewater infrastructure is evolving toward resource recovery to address this challenge. Yet, existing design approaches for wastewater systems focus merely on technological aspects of these systems. If system design coul...