Research efforts will concentrate on that arise at the interface between energy and water resources planning, and on water system reliability. For the first area of concern, mathematical programs will be developed to analyze water supply for traditional and new energy uses, with modifications to simulate imperfect water markets in which environmental, institutional, and political considerations will be examined. The contamination of groundwater by the disposal of oil and gas brines will also be studied together with risk-benefit analysis of alternative disposal methods. The reliability of urban water supply will be examined, taking into account the probability of equipment failure, incidents of contamination, unexpected changes in demand, etc. The techniques based on loss-of-load expectation and frequency-duration methods used by the electric utility industry will be adapted to the water supply case.
