Document Type
Report
Date of Original Version
2024
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Abstract
Project Summary
Objectives: Water reuse is an increasingly important response to water stress; however, major advancements in water reuse have neglected small, rural communities that comprise most public water systems. The objective of this project is to accelerate water reuse adoption in rural communities by increasing technical and community readiness. The general hypothesis is that community readiness for water reuse in small systems can be accelerated by a convergence of technical, informational, social, and institutional innovation. Also, we hypothesize that severe water scarcity need not be a prerequisite for water reuse implementation, given careful attention to windows of opportunity that integrate multiple community concerns.
Approach: Barriers to water reuse adoption are intertwined and complex. Therefore, our proposed work will be an integrated research and engagement program in which we: (1) address knowledge gaps and generate frameworks for overcoming these barriers, and (2) use research outputs to evaluate and accelerate community readiness for reuse in five case studies. Both general activities will be executed in parallel such that knowledge can be co-produced with decision-makers. Specific methods to address knowledge gaps include community surveys, the use of a prototype calculation engine, and desktop, bench-scale and pilot-scale evaluations of treatment technologies. Specific methods to accelerate community readiness include legal and policy analyses and case-study evaluations of five small water systems.
Expected Results: This project is expected to produce outputs and outcomes that lead to acceleration of community readiness for reuse in small systems. Specifically, key results include modular, decision support tools such as water inventories, technology databases, and cost and demand curves for reuse. These outputs will be integrated into institutional and regulatory decision-making processes in small, rural, underserved communities with results made available to communities through workshops, outreach events, and publications. We will go through many iterative processes throughout the project in which feedback from small community members and stakeholders will inform the modifications of tools and outputs so that they are indeed meaningful and useful to small communities facing unique challenges.
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Ellis, Carrie, Alexandra Russo, and Joseph E. Goodwill. "Literature review on appropriate health-based standards for direct and indirect potable reuse as well as various non-potable reuse scenarios." (2024). doi: 10.23860/water-reuse-regs.
Comment
This document is part of a larger study funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) working to accelerate community readiness for potable and non-potable reuse of rainwater, stormwater, agricultural runoff/return flow and municipal wastewater:
Funding Opportunity Title: National Priorities: Water Innovation, Science, and Engagement to Advance Water Reuse
Grant Number: 84046101-0
Project Title: Accelerating technical and community readiness for water reuse in small systems