Planning and Economics
Content
· Planning for water recycling
· Economic evaluation of water recycling projects;
· Project funding mechanisms
· Water recycling data and statistics
Planning for Water Recycling
In the face of limits on available surface water resources, and increasing vulnerability to drought and climate change, many water authorities are looking to diversify their sources of supply. Options to diversify supplies include groundwater sources, use of recycled water, or desalination of seawater. Recycled water is a good source for diversifying supplies because it a steady source of water during droughts and it is available close to urban areas.
In preparing strategic water plans for the next 30 to 50 years, many water authorities are setting targets to supply a significant proportion of future water needs by using recycled water.
New water recycling projects need to undergo project evaluation to ensure that land use planning and environmental assessment requirements can be met. Community consultation with the community and stakeholders is needed early in the life of a project to explain the choices available and ensure feedback community preferences, concerns and issues are addressed.
Economic Evaluation of Water Recycling Projects
Water recycling projects may confer external benefits to society – “public goods” – such as avoiding the need to develop new freshwater sources, avoiding the environmental impacts of effluent discharges or improving the sustainability of water systems.
The economic evaluation of projects should consider not only the direct benefits and costs but also the indirect (external) benefits and costs arising from the project.
Project Funding Mechanisms
There have been various examples where government funding support has been provided to facilitate the development of water recycling projects, as recognition of the external, public good benefits that the projects provide.
Water Recycling Data and Statistics
A worldwide summary of water recycling data can be found in Jiminez & Asano (2008).
References
Asano, T. et al (2007) Water reuse: issues, technologies and applications, McGraw-Hill New York, ISBN-13: 978-0-07-145927-3, Part 5: Implementing Water Reuse,
- Chapter 25: Planning for Water Reclamation and Reuse.
Jiminez, B. & Asano, T. (2008) Water Reuse: An international survey of current practice, issues and needs, IWA Publishing, London, ISBN1843390892
- Section 1: Water reclamation and reuse around the world.
- Section 16: The economic dilemmas of water management and reuse.
- Section 28: Economic analysis of reuse projects: a methodology for private and public reuse cases.
