In one successful and time-tested form of wastewater reuse, highly treated sewage is blended into natural sources of drinking water, then the two are treated together before being delivered to households.
Public education, advanced technology, and financing options can make water reuse a reality
Today, planning water infrastructure should involve thoroughly investigating water reuse — also known as wastewater recycling or reclamation. In areas that face water supply problems due to increasing demand, more arid conditions, or both, reuse can serve as an essential lifeline.
The water sector refers to water reuse as an alternative water source. Treated effluent can be reused for virtually any nonpotable application, such as landscaping or agricultural irrigation, washing and dust reduction, toilet flushing, and more.
Recycled water is also used for drinking water, most often through indirect potable reuse, which means the treated water is mixed with natural water sources and the blended source of raw water is treated as usual before distribution. With enough treatment, recycled wastewater can even be used directly for drinking water.
Treating wastewater for reuse often costs less than desalination over time and frequently is less than withdrawing more water from natural sources where there is competition for inadequate supplies. By removing competition for scarce resources, water reuse can also improve community relations for water-intensive businesses and industries. In general, having more water available through reuse benefits businesses, agriculture, communities, and the environment, helping to grow economies and nurture ecosystems.
Recycling wastewater also mitigates the effects of overpumping groundwater from aquifers. Overpumping may lead to numerous negative effects, including saltwater intrusion, aquifer collapse (which prevents their recharge), and attendant ground subsidence that can damage nearby buildings and roads.
Another powerful benefit of wastewater reuse is its demonstrable contribution to sustainability. It offers clear metrics that stand out to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investors from a crowd of sometimes unconvincing sustainability claims.
What are the benefits and challenges of wastewater reuse, and what’s standing in the way of adoption?
Barriers to Water Reuse
Psychological barriers to adopting water reuse remain a challenge, particularly in the United States, where what is informally known as “the yuck factor” is common. Water decision-makers may show a preference for the familiar when choosing strategies, even when newer, better ones exist.
Water reuse also faces regulatory challenges, with stricter standards often applied to effluent intended for reuse, for instance, California’s Title 22 and China Class 1A reuse standards.
While water reuse offers long-term cost benefits (as discussed earlier, treating wastewater for reuse often costs less than desalination or developing new water sources), upfront costs can be a barrier. These initial expenses, particularly in traditional design-bid-build projects, can sometimes limit the quality and capacity of the reuse system if budgets are tightly constrained.
The reuse process also requires specialized technical expertise, but many entities do not have the organizational resources to attract and retain the qualified water workforce required.
Overcoming Barriers to Reuse
Fortunately, the barriers to water reuse can be overcome. One of the most persistent obstacles is public reluctance, often rooted in what’s known as the “yuck factor.” This psychological hurdle can be addressed through public education, transparent communication, and meaningful community engagement — all of which have proven effective in increasing acceptance of water reuse initiatives.
Fluence provides a range of solutions that help clients meet strict regulatory requirements, including those like California’s Title 22 and China’s Class 1A standards. To simplify operations, Fluence also offers Smart Operations technology — a convenient app-based platform that enables remote, real-time monitoring and management of advanced water reuse systems, helping operators stay in control with ease and efficiency.
Financial considerations often present another barrier, especially the upfront costs associated with traditional infrastructure projects. However, it’s important to look at the full economic picture. Treated wastewater can provide a reliable water supply that offsets costs linked to water scarcity, such as sourcing alternative supplies, enforcing drought restrictions, or suffering productivity losses. Fluence’s experts help clients assess the true financial viability of reuse, weighing both short-term investment and long-term savings.
For organizations seeking to avoid capital expenditure altogether, Fluence offers Water Management Services — a comprehensive, end-to-end solution. These performance-based BOO (Build-Own-Operate) contracts cover every phase of infrastructure delivery, including design, engineering, construction, operations, workforce management, and regulatory compliance. Available to both public and private entities, this model allows customers to benefit from water reuse without the burden of maintaining in-house expertise or navigating complex regulatory landscapes on their own.
Aspiral™ Flex for Water Reuse
Fluence offers turnkey, modular solutions for water reuse. For example, the Aspiral™ Flex product line delivers a new level of resilience and plug-and-play simplicity with advanced processes including:
- Membrane bioreactor (MBR)
- Membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR)
- Advanced membrane processes, including ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis
Any level of reuse effluent quality can be achieved, including drinking water quality for direct potable reuse, as well as ultrapure water for industrial operations.
Fluence engineers have designed the Aspiral™ Flex plants with a simplified building-block approach. Once units are customized at the factory for site-specific feed water parameters and effluent quality targets, they are shipped and installed with unprecedented simplicity. The modular blocks are handled just like standard shipping containers, easing logistics.
Decentralized plants, like the Aspiral™ Flex, can bring benefits for customers seeking local reuse benefits without needing to connect to distant centralized treatment plants. They can be located at the source of need, eliminating the need for long pipeline runs and the high energy costs and maintenance that go along with them.
Learn More about the Possibilities of Water Reuse
With the technology available to us today, it no longer makes sense to use precious fresh water only once. Contact the experts at Fluence to learn more about reuse technologies, smart deployment strategies, and resilient solutions that can transform your enterprise or community.
