DOCSLIB.ORG

Sewer Mining Toolbox Helps Evaluate Reuse Opportunities

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sewer Mining Toolbox Helps Evaluate Reuse Opportunities Decentralized Treatment 21 Sewer mining toolbox helps evaluate reuse opportunities As water becomes more precious than gold in much of the world, decentralized extraction and treatment of water for reuse is drawing increased interest. Bikram Sabherwal, Jesse Wallin, and Sandeep Sathyamoorthy of Black & Veatch describe how a sewer mining toolbox can help utility managers and developers determine whether decentralized water reuse is right for them. Sustainably increasing the avail- systems are typically smaller than Figure 1 ability, reliability, and affordability 1.9 million liters per day (mld) or of water supplies is one of the great 500,000 gallons per day (gpd), and Reuse challenges facing the global commu- potential users for small- to mid-size Additional Opportunity nity of water professionals, and re- WRRFs include housing and con- Treatment Type 2 use is high on the list of alternative dominium developments, athletic Process water supply solutions. fields, universities, and distributed Although many utilities and business parks. It is important to Basic Reuse regions gravitate toward large or note that sewer mining is not a new Treatment Opportunity megascale centralized reclamation concept and has been widely prac- Process Type 1 and reuse programs, smaller-scale ticed in many countries for more decentralized treatment systems than a decade. may be more beneficial where Until now, the vast majority of specific drivers motivate them, such sewer mining projects have been Residuals as limited budgets, smaller and designed for unrestricted irrigation spread-out demands, or lack of and other decentralized non-potable To Centralized Approved reuse (dNPR) applications. But WRRF technical expertise. Decentralized Sewer treatment systems may be highly change is at hand. relevant to promote more water There is a significant increase Figure 1. Sewer mining can be used to produce fit-for-purpose waters for a range reuse at the micro-local scale, such in the global demand for potable of reuse opportunities. Return of residuals to the sewer limits onsite residuals as in residential communities or water, particularly in urban areas. handling and disposal. Graphic by Black & Veatch multi-neighborhood developments, And there is growing confidence and to help restore ecosystems. in the feasibility and reliability of Table 1. Inputs Required for the SM.Toolbox Sewer mining can be used effec- direct potable reuse (DPR) in tively to achieve these objectives developed nations. Together, these Input Comments in urban settings. A primary ben- trends suggest that strategically efit of decentralized water reuse located decentralized DPR (dDPR) Location Reference information and where applicable and available. This allows some degree of scaling to through sewer mining, for example, systems are poised to play an local conditions and costs. is that reuse water is collected and important role in efforts to close the produced at or close to the end engineered water cycle. Although System Capacity Used in calculations. user, rather than being transported sewer mining is a valuable element Sewer System Information Used to evaluate impact on the sewer. through distribution piping from in the development of a broader Includes proximity of the sewer mining facility to a centralized treatment facility. water reuse portfolio that includes the WRRF and some limited details related to the Another benefit is the potential to dDPR, important questions remain sewer system. integrate an educational component related to a range of issues, Approximate Distance to Different Enables estimation of water distribution/ for local students of all ages. including: Users transmission costs. Sewer mining, which can be a • Appropriate technology selection Central WRRF Information Used for limited evaluation on impacts on sustainable water reuse strategy, • Costs of treatment, particularly resource recovery potential at WRRF. entails mining, or reclaiming, water considering unit cost per Process Selection Currently limited to a suite of flowsheets. from a wastewater collection system treatment volume For biological treatment these include: membrane for reuse (see Figure 1). Sewer • Risks related to public acceptance, bioreactor-based and package-plant approaches mining involves three critical given the proximity to For dDPR: advanced treatment consisting of aspects: (1) decentralized treatment neighborhoods, which is a microfiltration (MF), Reverse Osmosis (RO) and is demand driven, and only the particular concern for dDPR UV mediated advanced oxidation (UV AOP). requisite volume or flow of water applications Equipment Replacement Periods Default values are based on industry experience, is extracted from the sewer; (2) the • Impact on the sewer system but user may modify. treatment process is designed to and cost implications for sewer achieve fit-for-purpose water; and system maintenance water resource recovery facilities decentralized treatment process (3) residuals from the associated • Impact on the centralized downstream merit additional are often returned to the sewer and decentralized water resource WRRFs downstream. discussion. When water is mined sent to the centralized WRRF. With recovery facility (WRRF) are from the collection system and dNPR facilities, these residuals typically returned to the sewer. The potential impacts of sewer treated for dNPR or dDPR include screenings and grit, waste These decentralized treatment mining operations on centralized applications, residuals from the sludge from a biological treatment World Water January / February 2017 22 Decentralized Treatment Figure 2 14 14 dDPR systems are poised to play an 12 12 important role in 10 10 efforts to close the 8 8 engineered water 6 6 cycle. 4 4 to potential water rates in order to Capital Expenses, CAPEX ($millions) determine the economic feasibility 2 2 of such an approach. The CAPEX associated with the 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 Non Potable Potable dNPR scenarios considered in this model system are shown in Figure Elec,. I&C Process Systems & Equip Civil Works, Bldg 2 (left panel). As expected, the pro- cess systems and equipment are Figure 3 Figure 2. Typical outputs related to the biggest proportion of the cost, capital costs from the SM.Toolbox. constituting approximately 50 per- Capital costs associated with Non Potable Reuse for the model system cent to 60 percent of the CAPEX. Civil Site Work evaluated here. The SM.Toolbox Interestingly, for this particular sys- outputs include component level tem, upgrading the smallest of these costs with uncertainty in three broad facilities (i.e., 378,500 lpd) to a po- WRRF Exterior Building categories as illustrated here (left panel). Comparison of the CAPEX table reuse system to achieve dDPR generated using the SM.Toolbox for increases the capital cost by only WRRF Interior a 100,000 gpd NPR and dDPR system approximately 35 percent (Figure (right panel). Graphics by Black 2, right panel), while potentially & Veatch significantly increasing the value Treatment Process Systems Figure 3. The SM.Toolbox outputs of the recovered resource; this is enable evaluation of the influence of an important consideration, given significant project components. Shown the opportunity to provide potable Electrical, I & C here is an example of the impact of changes in four broad cost groupings water locally. Uncertainties remain 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 on the capital cost of the modeled related to public perceptions and Percentage Change in Baseline Cost of Facility 100,000 gpd dDPR system. Graphics acceptance of potable reuse. But by Black & Veatch the SM.Toolbox provides valuable % Change in Component / System Cost 20% 10% information for planning purposes while requiring relatively limited in- process, and backwash waste financial viability of small scale ing of the synergy between dNPR/ formation and inputs. from a filtration process (e.g., disc sewer mining opportunities for dDPR systems and existing waste- In addition to providing the or membrane). These solids have urban dNPR and dDPR, Black water infrastructure. CAPEX, the SM.Toolbox can be potential to cause sewer blockages &Veatch has developed a Sewer used to evaluate the impact of and odor issues during low-flow Mining Toolbox (SM.Toolbox). Exploring options and varying design components or periods in sewer system. The vast When it is fully loaded with tools developing an approach elements on the CAPEX (Figure 3). majority of the energy embedded early in 2017, utilities can use this Black & Veatch recently tested the In this particular example, changes in the wastewater has been oxi- application in conjunction with toolbox using a model system for in the building exterior (e.g., façade dized in the dNPR facility, but the the company’s consulting services dNPR and dDPR within a relatively texture) have a very small impact on solids with more inert material to develop planning-level capital simple sewershed in the US state of the overall cost; a 20 percent change are returned to the central facility. and operating costs and assess California. dNPR was evaluated in in the building costs has less than a These inert solids reduce the the impact of component-level the range of 378,500 lpd (100,000 3-percent impact on the overall biodegradability of the treatment modifications on these estimates. gpd) to 1.9 mld (500,000 gpd) and costs. Therefore, if a significant facility influent, which is essential Additionally, the toolbox enables dNPR was compared with a dDPR enhancement of the building may
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Inclusive Business Models for Wastewater Treatment
    INCLUSIVE INNOVATIONS Inclusive Business Models for Wastewater Treatment Enterprises have developed integrated, affordable wastewater treatment solutions for industries and households to encourage reuse or safe disposal HIGHLIGHTS • Wastewater treatment enterprises treat water before disposal or recycle the water so that it can be reused. • Enterprises provide household wastewater treatment systems that are modular, have low operating costs in terms of electricity and maintenance, have silent operation and less odor and offer quick returns on investment. • Enterprises focusing on industrial wastewater treatment solutions offer efficiency and cost effectiveness. They are quickly commissioned, fully automatic, have remote monitoring, require minimal hazardous chemicals, and treat water for reuse. Summary Wastewater sources include domestic wastewater—pertaining to liquid outflow from toilets, bathrooms, basins, laundry, kitchen sinks and floor washing, and industrial wastewater—effluent water that is discharged during manufacturing processes in factories or by-products from chemical reactions. There are significant operational and financial challenges associated with wastewater treatment in marginalized residential communities, where domestic wastewater does not get treated at source, but instead is discharged to local municipal facilities or directly into water bodies. Similarly, industrial wastewater is heavily contaminated and leads to pollution and diseases, if disposed without treatment. It may also contain metals that have high market value and could potentially be recovered. Social enterprises have introduced unique technologies and integrated solutions to treat such wastewater either for safe disposal or for reuse. These solutions aim to be efficient, affordable and convenient. There are two major types of wastewater treatment plants—household (residential) systems and industrial systems. This series on Inclusive Innovations explores business models that improve the lives of those living in extreme poverty.
    [Show full text]
  • Biosolids Management at South East Water
    BIOSOLIDS MANAGEMENT AT SOUTH EAST WATER Aravind Surapaneni 22 February 2012 OVERVIEW • South East Water • Biosolids Management • Biosolids HACCP • Challenges 2 SOUTH EAST WATER • Commenced operation in 1995 • Provides water, sewerage and recycled water services in the south-east region of Melbourne • One of 3 water retailers in the Melbourne metropolitan area • 1.5 million people served in a 3640 square kilometre area • 8 STPs 3 SOUTH EAST WATER PRODUCTS • Drinking Water • Recycled Water • Biosolids • Effluent for environmental discharge • Sewage (as an ingredient of recycled water) • IWMS products (eg. Sewer mining, Storm water) SOUTH EAST WATER PRODUCT QUALITY OBJECTIVES 1.That our products be safe, sustainable and satisfy customer need. 2. That our products are backed by quality systems that emphasise optimal performance and accountability. SOUTH EAST WATER QUALITY SYSTEM BUSINESS WIDE ISO9000 ISO14000 AS4801 HACCP & ISO22000 PRODUCTS Drinking Water – IWMS (alternative sources) Raw Sewage – Discharge Effluent – Recycled Water – Biosolids 6 South East Water Sewage Treatment Plants Eastern Treatment Port Phillip Plant Bay Pakenham Longwarry Blind Bight Koo Wee Rup Lang Lang Mt Martha Western Port Somers Melbourne Water Boneo Sewage Treatment Plant South East Water Sewage Treatment Plant 2010-11 ESC REPORTING DATA (tDS) South East Water STP Sludge Produced Sludge Stored Biosolids Used Boneo 529 5150 789 Somers 225 2367 835 Mt Martha 665 2198 349 Pakenham 433 3608 194 Blind Bight 29 225 0 Koo Wee Rup 27 261 0 Longwarry 33 467 0 Lang Lang
    [Show full text]
  • Community Decision Making for Decentralized Wastewater Systems Rocky Mountain Institute Snowmass, Colorado
    National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project Case Studies of Economic Analysis and Community Decision Making for Decentralized Wastewater Systems Rocky Mountain Institute Snowmass, Colorado December 2004 Case Studies of Economic Analysis and Community Decision Making for Decentralized Wastewater Systems Submitted by Rocky Mountain Institute Snowmass, Colorado NDWRCDP Project Number: WU-HT-02-03 National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP) Research Project Final Report, December 2004 NDWRCDP, Washington University, Campus Box 1150 One Brookings Drive, Cupples 2, Rm. 11, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 DISCLAIMER This work was supported by the National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP) with funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a Cooperative Agreement (EPA No. CR827881-01-0) with Washington University in St. Louis. This report has not been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This report has been reviewed by a panel of experts selected by the NDWRCDP. The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the NDWRCDP, Washington University, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. CITATIONS This report was prepared by Richard Pinkham Booz Allen Hamilton Jeremy Magliaro Michael Kinsley Rocky Mountain Institute 1739 Snowmass Creek Road Snowmass, CO 80002 The final report was edited and produced by ProWrite Inc., Reynoldsburg, OH. This report is available online at www.ndwrcdp.org. This report is also available through the National Small Flows Clearinghouse P.O. Box 6064 Morgantown, WV 26506-6065 Tel: (800) 624-8301 WWCDCS25 This report should be cited in the following manner: Pinkham, R.
    [Show full text]
  • Wastewater-Based Resource Recovery Technologies Across Scale a Review
    Resources, Conservation & Recycling 145 (2019) 94–112 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Resources, Conservation & Recycling journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/resconrec Wastewater-based resource recovery technologies across scale: A review T ⁎ Nancy Diaz-Elsayed, Nader Rezaei, Tianjiao Guo1, Shima Mohebbi2, Qiong Zhang Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Over the past few decades, wastewater has been evolving from a waste to a valuable resource. Wastewater can Water reuse not only dampen the effects of water shortages by means of water reclamation, but it also provides themedium Energy recovery for energy and nutrient recovery to further offset the extraction of precious resources. Since identifying viable Nutrient recovery resource recovery technologies can be challenging, this article offers a review of technologies for water, energy, Wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery from domestic and municipal wastewater through the lens of the scale of implementation. System scale The system scales were classified as follows: small scale (design flows3 of17m /day or less), medium scale (8 to 20,000 m3/day), and large scale (3800 m3/day or more). The widespread implementation of non-potable reuse (NPR) projects across all scales highlighted the ease of implementation associated with lower water quality requirements and treatment schemes that resembled conventional wastewater treatment. Although energy re- covery was mostly achieved in large-scale plants from biosolids management or hydraulic head loss, the highest potential for concentrated nutrient recovery occurred in small-scale systems using urine source separating technologies. Small-scale systems offered benefits such as the ability for onsite resource recovery and reusethat lowered distribution and transportation costs and energy consumption, while larger scales benefited from lower per unit costs and energy consumption for treatment.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Water Reclamation in Water Resources Management in the 21St Century
    THE ROLE OF WATER RECLAMATION IN WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY K. Esposito1*, R. Tsuchihashi2, J. Anderson1, J. Selstrom3 1*: Metcalf & Eddy, 60 East 42nd Street, 43rd Floor, New York, NY 10165 2: Metcalf & Eddy, 719 2nd Street, Suite 11, Davis, CA 95616 3: Metcalf & Eddy, 2751 Prosperity Ave Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22031 ABSTRACT In recognition of the existing and impending stress to traditional water supply, water planners must look beyond structural developments and interbasin water transfers to secure supply into the future. In this process, it is becoming evident that various issues related to water must be integrated into a whole system approach, including water supply, water use, wastewater treatment, stormwater management, and management of surrounding water environment. In bringing disparate water assets together, alternatives to traditional water supply should arise. Integrated water resources management can provide a realistic framework for examining the feasibility of water reuse. This paper evaluates how water reuse can become a strategic alternative in water resources management. The key challenges that limit water reclamation as one of the key elements in integrated water resources management scheme are discussed, including limitations with typical centralized wastewater treatment systems and public health protection, particularly the implications of trace contaminants. The key considerations to address these challenges are presented including (1) selection of appropriate treatment processes and reuse applications, (2) scientific and engineering solutions to emerging concerns, (3) consideration for cost effective and sustainable system, and (4) public acceptance. Recent water reclamation projects are presented to illustrate the response of the engineering community to the challenges of making water reclamation and reuse a real and sustainable solution to water supply system management planning.
    [Show full text]
  • Modeling the Effects of Sewer Mining on Odour and Corrosion in Sewer Systems
    20th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, Adelaide, Australia, 1–6 December 2013 www.mssanz.org.au/modsim2013 Modeling the Effects of Sewer Mining on Odour and Corrosion in Sewer Systems N. Marleni a, S. Gray b, A. Sharma c, S. Burn c and N. Muttil a a College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, Melbourne b Institute of Sustainability and Innovation (ISI), Victoria University, Melbourne c Commonwealth of Scientific, Industrial and Research Organization (CSIRO) Email: [email protected] Abstract: Increasing demand has led to shortage of potable water in many countries. The use of alternative water sources is one of the solutions undertaken to overcome this issue. Alternative water sources can be derived from either collected rainwater, treated greywater or treated wastewater. Sewer Mining is known as an efficient technology which can reduce the cost of wastewater infrastructure required to transport wastewater because the Sewer Mining facility is usually installed close to the site that is using the treated wastewater. The treated water from Sewer Mining has been used as one of the sources of alternative water, particularly to supply water for public open spaces, garden irrigation and toilet flushing. It is conducted by extracting the sewage from sewer pipes and most of the times, disposing the sludge back to sewer pipes. The sewage extraction and sludge disposal back to sewer network is suspected to trigger sewer problems such as blockages. Several applications of Sewer Mining facility have proved to contribute to the increase of blockages in sewer pipes. Furthermore, the changes in the sewage composition after the sewage extraction and sludge disposal location lead to alteration of the sewage biochemical transformation processes, which finally were suspected to change the state of hydrogen sulphide build up.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation Report on Water Reuse Technologies
    Contents Executive summary ................................................................................................................... 3 1 Overview of the EU water reuse policy framework .......................................................... 4 2 Clarification of Key Concepts ............................................................................................. 6 2.1 Potential uses of reclaimed water ............................................................................. 6 2.2 Water reclamation technologies and processes ....................................................... 9 3 Research purpose and methodology .............................................................................. 11 3.1 Purpose and research questions ............................................................................. 11 3.2 Research methodology and documentation tools .................................................. 12 3.3 Evaluation criteria.................................................................................................... 13 4 Key findings ..................................................................................................................... 14 5 Evaluation of water reuse practices ................................................................................ 20 6 Water reuse practices in AQUARES countries and beyond ............................................. 23 6.1 Germany .................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Water Cycle Solutions for Irrigation at the Estate Scale
    WATER CYCLE SOLUTIONS FOR IRRIGATION AT THE ESTATE SCALE Geoff Bott WATER CYCLE AND IRRIGATION: INEFFICIENCIES AND SOLUTIONS Past Total Water Re-use, ‘smart inefficiencies Cycle irrigation’ Management WATER MANAGEMENT INEFFICIENCIES HowIn the it past... works Lot scale water management Rainwater tanks Domestic bores Drinking water for garden watering 50-70% of domestic water usage ex-house. Large lots Reliance on groundwater: becoming more difficult as resources becoming fully allocated Why not rainwater tanks?? TOTAL WATER MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES Towards the future... Estate scale water management opportunity for total-water-cycle principles Integrated with Water Sensitive Urban Design Non-potable water sources for irrigation: sewer mining, SHARE Demand management initiatives. Lot size, AAAAA fixtures ‘smart irrigation’ water use efficiency NON-POTABLE WATER SOURCE OPTIONS Alternatives to How it works Considerations: drinking water Determined according to soil Recognition of geomorphologic types and groundwater opportunities and constraints: resource availability: Aquifer Storage and Guildford formation / sands; Recharge. Aquifer characteristics; Stormwater harvesting and re-use (SHARE) systems; Groundwater over-allocation; Sewer mining; Lot yield and irrigation use CONVENTIONAL ASR: IMAGE EXAMPLE FROM CAMPBELLTOWN SOUTH AUSTRALIA SHARE SYSTEMS: THE CONCEPT A form of domestic-scale ASR already common on Swan Coastal Plain: Lot-level soak-wells Estate-level side entry pits / infiltration basins / swales SHARE
    [Show full text]
  • In-Building Sewer Mining System
    In-Building Sewer Mining System HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL TechDive Apr2020 Environmental Technology Water Management and Urbanisation What is the Problem? Hong Kong: 7.4 million people Due to urbanisation and population growth: Increasing demand of water resources Great demand of uninterrupted supply of good quality water Higher per capita consumption of water compared to rural areas Tokyo: 38 million people Shanghai: 22 million people New York: 8.4 million people 2 Hong Kong at a Glance Expected annual housing supply: ~43,000 unit HK’s annual water consumption: 1,012 million m3 HK’s annual sewage discharge: 1,007 million m3 Water consumption & sewage discharge: ~ 1-2% every year Pressure on sewerage infrastructure 3 Sewer Mining in Urban Cities Athens’s Demonstration Plant Sydney Olympic Park • a large scale sewer mining unit has been installed for using recycled water for toilet flushing, irrigation and ornamental fountain • Under the entire Water Reclamation and Management Scheme (WRAMS) • Substitutes more than 50% of potable water 4 In-Building Sewer Mining System A novel concept extracts clean water from domestic sewage or greywater generated from multi-storey residential buildings for on-site reuse. 5 Concept of Sewer Mining Greywater Approach 1 From shower, laundry, washing basin, kitchen and bath Blackwater Toilet Greywater Decentralised Sewer Mining Residual wastes Main Sewer Greywater From shower, laundry, washing basin, Approach 2 kitchen and bath Blackwater Toilet Combined Decentralised Sewage Sewer Mining Residual
    [Show full text]
  • Sewer Design Guide (Revised May, 2015)
    Sewer Design Guide (Revised May, 2015) City of San Diego Public Utilities Department 9192 Topaz Way • San Diego, CA 92123 Tel (858) 292-6300 Fax (858) 292-6310 Sewer Design Guide PREFACE The Sewer Design Guide is a guide for the engineer when planning and designing wastewater facilities and should be used for both public facilities and private facilities which serve multiple lots. This guide summarizes and outlines relevant City policies, applicable codes, and engineering and operational practices and procedures that have been developed in an effort to establish a cost-effective, reliable, and safe wastewater collection system. Also to be considered and used in conjunction with this design guide are all applicable current standard drawings, specifications, codes, laws and industry requirements for the planning and design of wastewater infrastructures. This guide is not intended to be an instructional text and is not a substitute for professional experience, nor is it meant to relieve the design engineer from his/her responsibility to use good engineering judgment. The design engineer shall be responsible for providing a design that, within industry standards, can be safely repaired and maintained, will provide good service and life, and will not create a public nuisance or hazard. Under most conditions, this guide should serve as a minimum standard. However, it is not meant to preclude alternative designs when the standards cannot be met, or when special or emergency conditions warrant, as long as proper authorization is obtained. The Public Utilities Department encourages “partnering”, the creation of an open working relationship between staff in each section/department and our customers, to promote achievement of mutual and beneficial goals.
    [Show full text]
  • An Integrated Framework for Assessment of Hybrid Water Supply Systems
    Article An Integrated Framework for Assessment of Hybrid Water Supply Systems Mukta Sapkota 1,*, Meenakshi Arora 1, Hector Malano 1, Magnus Moglia 2, Ashok Sharma 3, Biju George 4 and Francis Pamminger 5 Received: 22 September 2015; Accepted: 17 December 2015; Published: 24 December 2015 Academic Editors: Ashantha Goonetilleke and Meththika Vithanage 1 Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; [email protected] (M.A.); [email protected] (H.M.) 2 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Land and Water, Clayton South, VIC 3169, Australia; [email protected] 3 Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia; [email protected] 4 International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, P.O. Box 2416, Cairo, Egypt; [email protected] 5 Yarra Valley Water, Mitcham, VIC 3132, Australia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +61-383-449-841 † Based on “Sapkota, M.; Arora, M.; Malano, H.; George, B.; Nawarathna, B.; Sharma, A.; Moglia, M. Development of a framework to evaluate the hybrid water supply systems. In Proceedings of the 20th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, Adelaide, Australia, 1–6 December 2013”. Abstract: Urban water managers around the world are adopting decentralized water supply systems, often in combination with centralized systems. While increasing demand for water arising from population growth is one of the primary reasons for this increased adoption of alternative technologies, factors such as climate change, increased frequency of extreme weather events and rapid urbanization also contribute to an increased rate of adoption of these technologies.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpreting Farmers' Perceptions of Risks and Benefits Concerning
    water Article Interpreting Farmers’ Perceptions of Risks and Benefits Concerning Wastewater Reuse for Irrigation: A Case Study in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) Melania Michetti 1,* , Meri Raggi 2 , Elisa Guerra 1 and Davide Viaggi 1 1 Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy; [email protected] (E.G.); [email protected] (D.V.) 2 Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-051-2096112 Received: 12 November 2018; Accepted: 2 January 2019; Published: 9 January 2019 Abstract: Water recycling is becoming progressively more important as the need for Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) is increasing to ensure a transition towards a more sustainable use for water. Perceptions and public acceptance of water reuse are recognised as paramount factors for the successful introduction of wastewater reuse projects, regardless of the strength of scientific evidence in their favour. This article analyses perceptions of risks and benefits of using treated wastewater for irrigation purposes in agriculture when dealing with different crops. Data from an original farmer survey are analysed through descriptive statistics and a classification tree approach. The study reveals limited knowledge of wastewater treatment, yet a good level of openness towards the reuse of wastewater for irrigation. A lower risk perception and a higher acceptance level are mainly explained by positive expectations with regard to the environmental characteristics of effluent water, higher education, and specific cropping choices. Enhancing information availability is also found to positively affect social acceptance. The ease of converting current water-management practices to the new water source explains the perceived benefits of reusing water.
    [Show full text]