Onsite Water Systems: An Expanding Reuse Paradigm

Abstract

Key Takeaways:

• The growth of onsite water reuse (OWR) is clear: 19 US states have regulations or guidelines that allow the practice
• An onsite water system is a decentralized system that collects, treats, and reuses water at the property where it is generated, rather than sending it to a centralized facility
• Stakeholders interviewed for this issue view OWR as an additional tool to support reuse and conservation goals
• Drivers for OWR include: (1) water scarcity, (2) lack of centralized wastewater capacity, and (3) economic advantages
• Key challenges for implementation include: (1) cost, (2) lack of public health requirements and program organization, and (3) stepping out of the “municipal mindset”
• Top solutions to address challenges: (1) legislation and regulations, (2) mandates and incentives, and (3) experience
• The rapid development of OWR across the US shows that the practice is moving into the mainstream