Performance Assessment Method for Small- and Medium-Sized Urban Water Systems: Development and Implementation

ABSTRACT Performance assessment of Small and Medium-Sized Water Systems (SMWSs) is important for operational, tactical, and strategic decision-making. In this study, a performance assessment method has been developed and applied to five drinking water, three wastewater, and two stormwater utilities using 39, 30 and 27 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a semi-arid region. The KPIs were aggregated to determine a performance index using a Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution method. K-nearest neighbors and penalty methods were used to estimate missing KPIs data. The results indicated that only two drinking water utilities and one wastewater utility had been rated as ‘high’ performance. None of the utilities in stormwater performance was rated as ‘high’. The developed method can assist decision-makers in evaluating SMWSs performance holistically, build operational management strategies, and identify necessary interventions in overcoming water systems challenges across each urban water system component.