Raising levels of water recycling

Economics, not lack of technology, stands in the way of wider reuse
Heiner Markhoff Straits Times 26 Jun 10;

FRESH water is a finite and scarce resource.

How to ensure an adequate supply of fresh water is a large, growing and immediate concern for developed and developing nations alike.

Driven by population growth, industrial development and other factors, many areas now face a stark reality: water resources are either under severe pressure or are simply unavailable.

This same reality prompted the Singapore Government to implement the 'four taps' strategy to ensure water supply for its inhabitants and economic growth.

One of these 'taps' is water reclamation and reuse.

Water reuse is critical to make the most of our freshwater resources. It involves extensively treating wastewater and using the resulting high-quality reclaimed or recycled water to supplant freshwater usage in industrial processes, for crop or landscape irrigation, or elsewhere.

Leading the world in this area is Singapore, where Newater now provides an impressive 30 per cent of total water consumption, mostly for industrial use, with 40 per cent anticipated by 2020.

Singapore consumes about 1.7 billion litres of water daily. To achieve the 40 per cent target, another 340 million litres per day will have to be met by Singapore's five Newater plants.

Other regions and countries have even farther to go.

Many water-reuse projects in other parts of the world are already in place or are being implemented.

Although global reuse capacity will have tripled from 2008 to 2016, accounting for some US$47.5 billion (S$66.3 billion) worth of project transactions, the world's water problems are so severe that this noteworthy initial progress is nonetheless a drop in the bucket compared to what can, and must, be done.

It is not for lack of technology. Treatment and disinfection technology has long existed to ensure that public health and environmental quality are protected.

For example, technology has enabled reclaimed water to be used for crop irrigation for more than 100 years, landscape irrigation for more than 70 years and drinking water augmentation for more than 40 years.

What stands in the way of greatly expanded water reuse is economics.

While financial and regulatory incentives encouraging water reuse do exist, they tend to be project-focused or limited in scope. Therefore, governments and public-private partnerships must come together to create a coordinated system of financial incentives and regulations to stimulate water reuse practices and habits on a wider basis.

Governments in water-scarce regions often are looking for ways to expand water recycling and reuse.

It is important to know and understand the policy options available. To that end, GE commissioned a White Paper that provided a menu of policy options, drawing on examples from around the world.

The research found that there were four major types of policies being used to increase water recycling and reuse: education and outreach; removing barriers; incentives; and mandates and regulation.

Education and outreach

THIS is one of the tools commonly used by governments with water recycling programmes.

This is critical to encourage reuse and to overcome any public concerns about the safety and quality of recycled water.

Universal techniques to raise awareness of water recycling include recognition and awards programmes; information dissemination and educational outreach; technical assistance for industrial users such as water-use audits, technical manuals, construction and permit application guidelines; and reporting of water consumption, discharge and reuse.

Removing barriers

BARRIERS to water recycling come in many forms such as technological, financial and regulatory.

Oftentimes, municipal, state or regional water code does not recognise the use of recycled water.

The first steps are to set specific quality standards for recycled water and to provide guidance on the use of reclaimed water.

Although local communities may be constrained by state or federal requirements, they do have control over their own building and development codes and local funding.

Incentives

INCENTIVES used by communities to encourage water recycling most commonly take the form of economic incentives that make recycled water cheaper than potable water.

Another approach is to tie water usage to conservation programmes and exempt recycled water users from many of the community's conservation requirements.

Still others involve property rights and payments for the reuse of recycled water; pricing schemes that use higher rates for potable water; subsidies or grants for water recycling and reuse technologies; and programmes for government procurement of water recycling infrastructure.

Other examples of these types of financial and regulatory incentives include direct subsidies usually in the form of grants; tax deductions or reduced lease payments; compensating water users for recovering and reinjecting treated water into its original source; pricing that imposes higher charges for the use of potable water; and regulatory relief by eliminating certain requirements for users of recycled water.

Mandates and regulation

COMMUNITIES facing severe water restrictions due to natural water scarcity, population growth or resource overuse frequently adopt laws requiring the use of recycled water.

Two common approaches to mandating the use of recycled water are requirements for regional and local wastewater treatment and water supply districts, and requirements for residents and businesses.

In July, GE will be releasing a follow- up White Paper building upon the original data by offering examples of the policies that have the most impact that governments around the world have already implemented to promote water reuse.

The White Paper is geared towards policymakers and influencers including government officials, industry associations and non-governmental organisations.

The world is fortunate that technology already exists to make widespread water reuse possible.

What are needed now are effective policies, financial incentives and regulatory strategies which will truly make it possible to ensure an adequate supply of fresh, clean water for the world's thirsty population.

We look forward to discussing critical issues and solutions related to global water use and reuse at the Singapore International Water Week coming up next week.

The writer is the president and chief executive officer of water and process technologies for GE Power & Water.