Dr. Khosrow FarahbakhshSchool of EngineeringUniversity of Guelph

A SYSTEM’S APPROACH TO WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

Facts or Fiction?•We make many assumptions about the world around us• The whole is the sum of its parts

• Small forces have small impacts, large forces have large impacts

• The role of science is to help us predict outcomes

• Every problem has one right answer

• Infections are caused by the domination of infectious organisms

• Adding chlorine in the water distribution system prevents the formation of a biofilm and minimizes the growth of pathogens

The Web of Assumptions• We live in a world of assumptions

• These assumptions tend to dictate our decisions and actions

• A collection of assumptions about the world is called a paradigm

• Once the paradigm is fixed, the outcomes are, more or less, predetermined

• To change the way we live (our world) we must then change our paradigm

• Birth of a paradigm often follows the death of the old paradigm

Birth of a New Scientific Paradigm • Quantum Mechanics• There are always multiple possibilities• Relationships are more important than objects

• Thermodynamics• Quality is more important than quantity• Quantity is conserved, but quality always degrades (2nd Law)

• Chaos• Non-linearity and the butterfly effect• Irregularities are norm rather than exception

• Complexity• All systems are in the state of in-equilibrium and are self-organizing• Dissipation is the main mode of self-organization

• System’s thinking• All the above• The whole is much greater than the sum of its component parts

The New Paradigm and Water Management

Fractal Geometry – A Patterned Universe

Change May not be as Difficult as we Think!