Application of economic analyses for evaluation of water treatment plants

Analyses of the costs of surface water treatment plants (WTP) in Poland show that unit capital and operating costs decline with increasing production. Costs of depreciation, electricity consumption and salaries have the largest share in the total WTP operating costs. Life cycle costing has shown that additional WTP costs may be related to maintenance of too many rapid gravity fi lters. In the case of complex water supply systems a large water manufacturer is often treated as a reserve source, but assurance of resident supply reliability increases the WTP operating costs. Water treatment plants are also charged with flood protection costs.