A water supply network includes node components and edge components, wherein the edge components transport water between the node components. The edge components is controllable in relation to its flow behavior for water. A method for controlling the water supply network includes the steps of determining a planning horizon, which includes a number of time slices; determining upper and lower limits for feeds and prospective withdrawals of water in the time slices; determining possible operating configurations of the at least one edge component; determining energy costs for an activation of the edge component in the time slices; determining permissible states of node components; determining current states (initial states) of edge or node components; and determining a control plan for the at least one edge component on the basis of the determined information in such a manner that a predetermined water balance is maintained in each time slice averaged over time.