Expert stakeholder attitudes and support for alternative water sources in a groundwater depleted region

Perception and acceptance towards water reuse in the Southeast United States: A public survey

The growing global water crisis has increased the need for alternative water sources. Among the potential solutions to mitigate the current challenging situation, water reuse has been considered and implemented, especially during the past decade. Public perception/acceptance represents one of the most common challenges related to the wide implementation of water reuse. To evaluate its public awareness and better understand the reasons behind the public skepticism for outdoor and indoor activities, a survey was conducted in the Southeast United States. The survey included open-ended questions, questions with five-point Likert scales, and multiple-choice questions. A total of 203 responses were considered for the final analysis. Participants, mostly in the 18-60 age range, hold at least a high school diploma (94 %). The age of the participants had an association with the knowledge related to the wastewater treatment method adopted in their household (chi squared, X2 = 28.8, p = 0.055). Participants 1) selected the U.S. EPA as the most credible organization in the field of drinking water, 2) were more willing to use recycled water for removing road dust, watering private yards or non-edible crops, public toilets, and firefighting than for watering edible crops/orchards or livestock feed, and 3) were reluctant to use recycled water when direct-human contact or ingestion can occur. While only 8 % were willing to use recycled water for drinking, the addition of further treatments combined with environmental regulations, frequent sampling campaigns, and educational activities highlighting possible treatments and potential benefits related to water reuse, will increase the participants' willingness to implement water reuse more widely.

Risk-Yuck Factor Nexus in Reclaimed Wastewater for Irrigation: Comparing Farmers’ Attitudes and Public Perception

The successes and failures of water reuse schemes are shaped by complex interrelationships between technological, economic, and socio-political factors. However, it has long been recognized that the main challenges to more effective water management are largely social rather than technical. This article reviews the recent literature (2007–2017) to analyze driving factors associated with farmers’ concerns and public perception of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation. The aim of the paper is to synthetize how both environmental and health risks and the yuck factor could be addressed in order to promote mutual understanding between farmers and the public. Results show: (1) how farmers and the public perceive environmental and health risks in a similar way, (2) how the yuck factor is more noticeable for the public than farmers, and (3) how constructed wetlands, reclaimed water exchange consortiums, product certification, and direct site visits to water reuse infrastructure could be promoted in order to foster understanding between farmers and the public. The article concludes by providing key research questions for managers and public authorities relating to how to focus on the study of technical and social issues related to water reuse.

Student support and perceptions of urine source separation in a university community

Urine source separation, i.e., the collection and treatment of human urine as a separate waste stream, has the potential to improve many aspects of water resource management and wastewater treatment. However, social considerations must be taken into consideration for successful implementation of this alternative wastewater system. This work evaluated the perceptions of urine source separation held by students living on-campus at a major university in the Southeastern region of the United States. Perceptions were evaluated in the context of the Theory of Planned Behavior. The survey population represents one group within a community type (universities) that is expected to be an excellent testbed for urine source separation. Overall, respondents reported high levels of support for urine source separation after watching a video on expected benefits and risks, e.g., 84% indicated that they would vote in favor of urine source separation in residence halls. Support was less apparent when measured by willingness to pay, as 33% of respondents were unwilling to pay for the implementation of urine source separation and 40% were only willing to pay $1 to $10 per semester. Water conservation was largely identified as the most important benefit of urine source separation and there was little concern reported about the use of urine-based fertilizers. Statistical analyses showed that one's environmental attitude, environmental behavior, perceptions of support within the university community, and belief that student opinions have an impact on university decision makers were significantly correlated with one's support for urine source separation. This work helps identify community characteristics that lend themselves to acceptance of urine source separation, such as those related to environmental attitudes/behaviors and perceptions of behavioral control and subjective norm. Critical aspects of these alternative wastewater systems that require attention in order to foster public acceptance after implementation are also highlighted, such as convenient and aesthetically pleasing methods for waterless toilet paper disposal.

A mini-review on the impacts of climate change on wastewater reclamation and reuse

To tackle current water insecurity concerns, wastewater reclamation and reuse have appeared as a promising candidate to conserve the valuable fresh water sources while increasing the efficiency of material utilization. Climate change, nevertheless, poses both opportunities and threats to the wastewater reclamation industry. Whereas it elevates the social perception on water-related issues and fosters an emerging water-reuse market, climate change simultaneously presents adverse impacts on the water reclamation scheme, either directly or indirectly. These effects were studied fragmentally in separate realms. Hence, this paper aims to link these studies for providing a thorough understanding about the consequences of the climate change on the wastewater reclamation and reuse. It initially summarizes contemporary treatment processes and their reuse purposes before carrying out a systematic analysis of available findings.