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Non-potable Environmental and Economic Water Reuse (NEWR) Calculator
Citation:
Arden, S., B. Morelli, S. Cashman, Cissy Ma, M. Jahne, AND J. Garland. Non-potable Environmental and Economic Water Reuse (NEWR) Calculator. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
This study demonstrates an online calculator to aid non-potable water reuse design
Description:
The Non‐potable Environmental and Economic Water Reuse Calculator (Calculator) is a simple, web-based tool for screening-level assessments of source water options for any urban building location across the U.S. The goal of the calculator is to identify the most environmentally and cost-effective suite of source water options to meet non-potable needs as a function of geography, climate, energy grid, building size and building type. The Calculator uses Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to calculate economic cost and environmental impacts associated with onsite source water options including rainwater harvesting (RWH), air-conditioner condensation harvesting (ACH), and treatment of source-separated graywater or mixed wastewater using a membrane bioreactor (MBR). The intended user is any building designer, utility personnel or water resource professional at the state or community-level looking to evaluate source water options for onsite NPR at a preliminary (“screening level”) level of detail. The intended user is expected to meet or exceed the required knowledge and/or capability necessary to use the tool. Tool tips are provided throughout the questionnaire to guide the user.