Intergenerational equity based optimization model joint of water allocation and water quality management

Intergenerational equity based optimization model joint of water allocation and water quality management | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Intergenerational equity based optimization model joint of water allocation and water quality management Chunlan Lv, Liming Yao, Yanli Chen, Qian Huang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6125869/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Jun, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Global warming and the excessive exploitation of water resources have sparked significant concerns about water scarcity and the degradation of aquatic ecosystems. To improve integrated water resource management, a multi-objective optimization model has been devised, combining water allocation with water quality management, with a focus on environmental intergenerational equity. This model prioritizes efficiency and sustainability to balance socio-economic development and integrated water resource management while preserving aquatic ecosystem health.To ensure sustainable water allocation for both present and future generations, an adapted Bentham-Rawls criterion has been introduced. This criterion facilitates balancing current and future equity in water resource management. It uses a binary utility function that considers both water usage and pollution levels, thereby promoting fair water quality across generations. Furthermore, to integrate social development with integrated water management for sustainable resource use, the model includes mean economic benefit efficiency. This takes into account the costs related to wastewater treatment within the multi-objective framework for water resource allocation, ensuring a comprehensive approach to sustainable water management. By incorporating the competition between present and future generations and addressing the conflict between rapid economic development and the continuous deterioration of water environmental quality, the proposed optimal strategy more accurately represents an inter-temporal utilization pattern for integrated water allocation and water quality management compared to existing strategies. Using the heavily polluted Tuojiang River basin in China as a case study, the practicality and rationality of this model have been validated. Compared to previous models, this intergenerational equity-based optimization model for joint water allocation and water quality management demonstrates lower water pollution accumulation, reduced sewage treatment costs, higher total social welfare, and ensures sustainable water resource management. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Hydrology Intergenerational equity Water pollution accumulation Sustainability Integrated water resources management. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Jun, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 25 Mar, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Mar, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Mar, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Mar, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 15 Mar, 2025 Editor invited by journal 07 Mar, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 06 Mar, 2025 First submitted to journal 28 Feb, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6125869","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":425715462,"identity":"10092c86-198f-440e-88f9-fc7630712441","order_by":0,"name":"Chunlan Lv","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Yibin University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chunlan","middleName":"","lastName":"Lv","suffix":""},{"id":425715463,"identity":"557a1355-4b36-46c0-9f5c-a4b830f4d51a","order_by":1,"name":"Liming Yao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sichuan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Liming","middleName":"","lastName":"Yao","suffix":""},{"id":425715464,"identity":"a78c40c1-1dc4-49e6-a96f-92b67a1178ce","order_by":2,"name":"Yanli Chen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Yibin University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yanli","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""},{"id":425715465,"identity":"f5cfbaa1-db09-4765-a8b9-550480bde8a8","order_by":3,"name":"Qian Huang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAwElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAwbGBgaGCjDJwMBDvJYzQJKNeC1AwNhGihZz9uTGz4Xz7GQ33G9gfPC2jUHenJAWy56HzdIztyUbbzjGwGw4t43BcGcDIYfdSGyQ5t12IBGohU2at40hweAAYS3Nv3nngLWw/yZWS5s0bwPEFmbitJx52GbNcyzZeOaxxGbJOeckDDcQ1HI8/fFtnho72b7Dhw9+eFNmI0/QFgaGBBgDnAAkCKpH1jIKRsEoGAWjAAcAAEGTQoAGT6TDAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Chengdu University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Qian","middleName":"","lastName":"Huang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-02-28 06:38:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6125869/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6125869/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03670-9","type":"published","date":"2025-06-04T15:57:18+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":84242503,"identity":"8e013c6f-753b-417d-8a8c-36701004da47","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-09 16:08:48","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1187690,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SpringerNatureLaTeXTemplate.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6125869/v1_covered_53e8a019-1044-416a-9fb2-cdab2a977936.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Intergenerational equity based optimization model joint of water allocation and water quality management","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Intergenerational equity, Water pollution accumulation, Sustainability, Integrated water resources management.","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6125869/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6125869/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eGlobal warming and the excessive exploitation of water resources have sparked significant concerns about water scarcity and the degradation of aquatic ecosystems. To improve integrated water resource management, a multi-objective optimization model has been devised, combining water allocation with water quality management, with a focus on environmental intergenerational equity. This model prioritizes efficiency and sustainability to balance socio-economic development and integrated water resource management while preserving aquatic ecosystem health.To ensure sustainable water allocation for both present and future generations, an adapted Bentham-Rawls criterion has been introduced. This criterion facilitates balancing current and future equity in water resource management. It uses a binary utility function that considers both water usage and pollution levels, thereby promoting fair water quality across generations. Furthermore, to integrate social development with integrated water management for sustainable resource use, the model includes mean economic benefit efficiency. 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