Grantee Research Project Results
Accelerating Technical and Community Readiness for Water Reuse in Small Systems
EPA Grant Number: R840461Title: Accelerating Technical and Community Readiness for Water Reuse in Small Systems
Investigators: Ikuma, Kaoru , Charbonnet, Joe , Amado, Antonio Arenas , Rehmann, Chris , Ong, Say Kee , Goodwill, Joseph , Oyanedel-Craver, Vinka , Guilfoos, Todd , Kiparsky, Michael , Liu, Lu , Wang, Yu
Current Investigators: Ikuma, Kaoru , Ong, Say Kee , Oyanedel-Craver, Vinka , Rehmann, Chris , Kiparsky, Michael , Charbonnet, Joe , Amado, Antonio Arenas , Goodwill, Joseph , Guilfoos, Todd , Liu, Lu , Wang, Yu
Institution: Iowa State University , University of Rhode Island , University of California - Berkeley
EPA Project Officer: Ludwig-Monty, Sarah
Project Period: September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2026
Project Amount: $3,246,000
RFA: NATIONAL PRIORITIES: WATER INNOVATION, SCIENCE, AND ENGAGEMENT TO ADVANCE WATER REUSE (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water Quality , Water , Water Treatment
Description:
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.
Objective:
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. Additionally, 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, the proposed work will be an integrated research and engagement program in which the research team will: (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 execute 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.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 4 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 2 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
environmental justice, rural communities, technology validation, public acceptance, institutional innovationProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.