Grantee Research Project Results
2023 Progress Report: 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 , 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 Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2022 through August 31,2023
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
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. We will test these hypotheses through 6 objectives: (1) Develop water inventory to overcome the water information barrier; (2) Develop validated list of fit-for-purpose technologies to overcome lack of guidance on appropriate technologies; (3) Construct projected cost curves that incorporate environmental benefits; (4) Identify ways to overcome social barriers to public acceptance; (5) Foster institutional innovation to overcome organizational barriers; and (6) Conduct case studies to accelerate community readiness for water reuse in five small communities across the US.
Progress Summary:
Objective 1
A comprehensive water inventory was developed for incorporated and unincorporated places. Our assessment includes and comparisons with hydrologic models, other gridded datasets. Preliminary outcomes have been obtained for 32,188 communities, including small and large communities, including incorporated or unincorporated places. Water sources include surface water, recharge, wastewater, and rainwater. Additionally, ArcGIS and Google Earth Engine models have been developed for the aggregation at different scales to each water source, along with the generation of watersheds for all 32,188 communities.
Objective 2
We compiled into a searchable, sortable spreadsheet tool the health-based regulations for various potable and non-potable reuse scenarios in California, Rhode Island, Texas, Iowa, Massachusetts, Colorado, Arizona, European Union, World Health Organization, Canada, Australia, and Japan. These regulations were analyzed to compile a comprehensive list of the most common regulations across the specified regions for each water quality parameter, categorized by source and end use. In addition, a strategic technology scan framework was developed as a tool for small communities and used to identify low-input, moderate-readiness technologies with knowledge gaps that could be resolved by further research. Using metrics of treatment performance, costs, and personnel/materiel inputs, 73 individual water treatment technologies have been at least partially evaluated using a spreadsheet tool for technology selection. The results of the scanning process also informed the selection of five technologies to further evaluate and validate in the laboratory.
Objective 3
Literature review for monetized value of environmental and social benefits/costs pertaining to water reuse is in progress. A master spreadsheet has been created to document findings from 39 relevant publications. We are in the process of documenting existing methods for estimating environmental and social benefits.
Objective 4
Based on literature review, the research design of this study is set to use the contingent valuation method with dichotomous choice question to estimate customers' willingness to pay for water reuse. An online survey was designed to estimate the WTP for recycling four different types of water: rainwater, storm water, wastewater, and agriculture runoff. Two focus groups were conducted to improve the design of the survey instrument.
Objective 5
We have engaged with our key partner, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, as well as with other potential informants and collaborators. We have also been in contact with potential partners in local government and consulting in Colorado, our primary case study state, engaging in preliminary conversations.
Future Activities:
Objective 1: Ongoing tasks include validating methodologies, cleaning data, and quality control for each water source. Furthermore, we are actively working on integrating the information into an interactive application within Google Earth Engine. Objective 2: We will initiate the laboratory-based validation of five low-input technologies in Year 2. Objective 3: In Year 2, we will complete the master spreadsheet and standardize methods for quantifying environmental/social benefits/costs for this study. Objective 4: We will recruit responses from small communities of less than 10k population to participate in the online survey. Data will be analyzed to identify people's willingness to pay for water reuse. Objective 5: We will complete interview protocol design, obtain human subjects research approvals, and start conducting interviews in CO and CA. Objective 6: We will identify case study small communities and initiate discussions to identify mutual goals for this effort.
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.