An integrated approach to water resources development of the Tehran regionin Iran

In this paper, a system approach to water resources development in Tehran M etropolitan Area, with its complex system of water supply and demands, is d iscussed. Water resources in this region include water storage in the Lar, Latyan, and Karaj reservoirs, the Tehran aquifer, as well as water discharg e in local rivers and in drainage channels (mainly supplied by urban runoff and wastewater). This study consists of three phases of long-term water re sources planning and management in the Tehran metropolitan area. In each ph ase, a different level of details among different components of the system is considered. In the first phase, optimal operating policies for Tehran re servoirs and a decision support system are developed. In the second phase, interactions between surface and ground water resources as well as surface runoffs and wastewater disposal in different subareas are investigated. The water table fluctuations as a result of implementing sewerage collection p roject was also simulated. In the last phase, long-term scenarios for water resources and agricultural development in the Southern part of Tehran are defined, and the effects of each scenario on the quality and quantity of su rface and ground water resources are studied.