Can Real-Time LCA Lead to Better Decisions in Water Contamination Crises?

Drinking water contamination emergencies pose significant environmental, economic, and social challenges that demand rapid and coordinated responses from multiple stakeholders. However, decision-makers often lack the comprehensive information needed to make fully informed choices. To address these challenges, we developed a serious game simulating a contamination incident caused by an unregulated chemical spill. A key feature of this game is the integration of a hazard response model, which simulates the propagation of contaminants through the water system and quantifies life cycle cost, human health impact, and carbon footprint for selected response strategies. Participants take on the roles of chemical manufacturer, local resident, water treatment operator, environmental agency, and health department, working together to manage the crisis with access to the real-time hazard response model. Through this game, we aim to explore how access to LCA-driven models empowers stakeholders to make decisions that lead to improved sustainability outcomes during drinking water emergencies.