Although it is not at once evident, water supply and sanitation services provided by urban water and wastewater utilities consume a considerable amount of energy. Energy is an operational sine qua non in water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection, and treatment prior to disposal....

Energy consumption in the operation and maintenance phase of the urban water and wastewater network is directly related to both the quantity and the desired quality of the supplied water/treated wastewater – in other words, to the level of service provided to consumers. The level of service is...