Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.0
3.0
Journals
Water
Special Issues
Optimal Design of Water Distribution Systems
water-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Water Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Optimal Design of Water Distribution Systems

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2026 | Viewed by 2043

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dariusz Kowalski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Water Supply and Wastewater Disposal, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 40 B, 20-618 Lublin, Poland
Interests: water supply; sewage systems; exploitation; design; modelling
Dr. Paweł Suchorab

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Water Supply and Wastewater Disposal, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 40 B, 20-618 Lublin, Poland
Interests: water supply; hydraulic modelling; digital twins; optimal design; fractals; digital transformation; stormwater management; sustainable urban drainage

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water distribution systems (WDSs), classified as part of a critical infrastructure, aim at providing safe and sufficient drinking water access. The shape and capacity of water supply networks directly influences the water delivery and hence the optimal design of WDSs should be applied both to the development of new systems and to the upgrading of existing ones. The evolving challenges in urban water management such as the variability of water demands, aging infrastructure and environmental factors make the design process complex and challenging.

Within the context described above, this Special Issue invites original research and case studies focused on the optimal design process of water distribution systems. Key areas include the integration of hydraulic and water quality aspects into the design frameworks, taking into account cost and energy efficiency as well as the resilience of water supply network operation. Both practical applications and novel theoretical approaches of WDS designing are welcome. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Paweł Suchorab
Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. Dariusz Kowalski
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • water distribution systems
  • optimization
  • optimal network design
  • hydraulic modelling
  • resilience
  • energy efficiency
  • cost-efficiency

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

28 pages, 6106 KB  
Article
Designing Water Distribution Networks in Quasi-Real and Real-World Scenarios Using the Fractal-Based Approach
by Paweł Suchorab and Dariusz Kowalski
Water 2026, 18(7), 828; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18070828 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 394
Abstract
The primary objective of water supply systems is to ensure a reliable delivery of water in appropriate quantity, quality, and pressure. Designing water supply networks involves determining their geometric layout and capacity by selecting suitable pipe routes and sizes. Since the network layout [...] Read more.
The primary objective of water supply systems is to ensure a reliable delivery of water in appropriate quantity, quality, and pressure. Designing water supply networks involves determining their geometric layout and capacity by selecting suitable pipe routes and sizes. Since the network layout influences pipe diameters, routing and sizing should be conducted simultaneously. This paper presents an application of the fractal-based method for designing water distribution networks (WDNs) in which the pipe routes and diameters are mathematically justified. The proposed approach takes into account the total pipe length, the total angular change in pipeline routing, construction costs, and water delivery priorities. Additionally, the method was tested under both quasi-real conditions (in the virtual city of Micropolis) and in real-world complex settlement. The results of the sizing process were also compared with those obtained using the genetic algorithm approach. Verification of the proposed method in both quasi-real and real-world scenarios showed a smaller total pipe length (by 9.53% and 12.17%), a lower maximum water age (11 and 87 h), and a comparable energy demand. The SRS method enables simultaneous determination of pipe diameters and layout routing, while ensuring proper hydraulic performance of the network due to the application of evolution theory rules which results in quasi-optimal solutions for WDN designing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Design of Water Distribution Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 1690 KB  
Article
Evaluation and Management of Water Losses in Water Distribution Systems: Towards the Implementation of Directive (EU) 2020/2184
by Iwona Deska, Urszula Kępa and Agnieszka Ociepa-Kubicka
Water 2026, 18(5), 527; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050527 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 617
Abstract
In accordance with the provisions of Directive (EU) 2020/2184, the largest water supply companies in the European Union (EU) will be required to report real water losses starting from 2026. The recommended water loss performance indicators (PIs) are the infrastructure leakage index (ILI) [...] Read more.
In accordance with the provisions of Directive (EU) 2020/2184, the largest water supply companies in the European Union (EU) will be required to report real water losses starting from 2026. The recommended water loss performance indicators (PIs) are the infrastructure leakage index (ILI) rating method or “another appropriate method”. The article presents results of research aimed at examining the relationship between the ILI and other selected PIs for water losses in selected Polish water distribution systems (WDSs) located in southern Poland. The highest values of determination coefficients for the linear relationships between the ILI and PIs were obtained in the case of intermediate normalized PIs for real losses expressed both as a volume of water per km of mains per 1 m H2O of pressure (R2 = 0.951) and as a volume of water per service connection per 1 m H2O of pressure (R2 = 0.9365). A very strong linear correlation with the ILI was also obtained in the case of basic normalized PIs for real losses, expressed as the volume of water per service connection (R2 = 0.7336). The moderate linear correlation was detected in the case of the percentage PIs for water losses. Results show that the recommended indicators, which can be used when the ILI cannot be calculated, should be the intermediate or basic operational normalized indicators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Design of Water Distribution Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 909 KB  
Systematic Review
Managing Water Supply Systems in Arid Regions: A Systematic Review of Optimization Techniques Under Water Scarcity
by Charles Odira Maxwell, Zablon Isaboke Oonge, Patts A. Odira, Gilbert O. Ouma, Enrica Caporali and Marco Lompi
Water 2026, 18(8), 938; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080938 - 14 Apr 2026
Viewed by 511
Abstract
Water scarcity, climate variability, and increasing water demands are placing growing pressure on water supply and distribution systems, particularly in water-scarce environments. Optimization-based approaches have become central to improving system design, planning, and operation. This study presents a structured review of optimization techniques [...] Read more.
Water scarcity, climate variability, and increasing water demands are placing growing pressure on water supply and distribution systems, particularly in water-scarce environments. Optimization-based approaches have become central to improving system design, planning, and operation. This study presents a structured review of optimization techniques applied to water distribution systems under conditions of scarcity, intermittency, or aridity, and introduces a context-aware classification framework incorporating system scale, population, and scarcity severity. PRISMA (“Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses”) principles are adopted. Relevant studies are identified through Scopus and Google Scholar, screened using criteria focused on system type, optimization relevance, and explicit consideration of scarcity, intermittency, or aridity, and classified by optimization stage, methodological approach, geographical context, and main findings. The review is dominated by benchmark network studies under water scarcity, while real-world applications in arid regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East, remain underrepresented. Deterministic least-cost designs are inadequate under water scarcity, whereas multi-objective approaches deliver more reliable systems. The review shows a mismatch between the optimization focus of the benchmark studies, which is mainly in the design phase, and the real-world applications, which mainly focus on optimization of the operations of the existing systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimal Design of Water Distribution Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop