The aim of this paper is to introduce the philosophy and mechanisms of technology assessment as a potential tools to contribute to the development of planning and decision making about technology and infrastructure of water resources. This paper is abstracted from my M.Phil study that included a review and critique of planning in public utifities, particularly as it effects water supply system, and a review of the technology of water supply, in region of the world where water is scarce. This is followed by a practical demonstration of the implementation of techniques for technology assessment focusing on a replacement model involving life cycle costing (LCC). Finally the M.Phil study had suggested recommendation for the implementation of technology assessment in Kuwait. Cost reduction in water resources planning is possible in any type of water production plant from relative reductions in personnel and other overhead costs. Increased costs also might be incurred due to water transportation and the type and size of the production plants. Once the water needs of an area are established, the problem of meeting those needs becomes the trade-off issues and balancing the various factors to arrive at the most economic, technological, social and other arrangements. Other factors affecting the selection of an appropriate water supply system are overall cost and efficiency of the system overtime, relative costs of supplying, storing, distributing the produced water and the cost of disposing and treating the used water.
This paper is presenting the replacement model analysis in calculating the economic type and total cost in terms of net present value (NPV) implementing a LCC techniques modified from the replacement model of Cranfield Institute of Technology, Centre for Transport Studies adapted from Susamms, 1983 [11. Several scenarios are to be presented to demonstrate the implementation of the replacement model on two water production technologies; reverse osmosis (RO) and multi stage flash (MSF) aiming to demonstrate how the use of replacement analysis can contribute to the relevant decision issues in water resources planning in regard of future technological and economical changes.