For several years “resource recovery” has been the watchword in the clean-water sector. Now the term of choice is the “circular water economy.”
Either term bespeaks environmental responsibility — using water resources wisely, capturing and reusing nutrients, saving energy and curtailing greenhouse gases. The Water Environment Federation has issued a report that stresses the economic value of these practices.
Titled Valuing the Circular Water Economy: A $47 Billion Opportunity for U.S. Utilities, the report argues that three approaches — reduce, recover, regenerate — “aren’t just environmentally responsible, they’re smart business. They can strengthen infrastructure, reduce costs and unlock long-term value for both communities and the private sector.”
Change in perspective
For decades, the approach to water management was “extract, use, discard.” That has led to rising costs, environmental harm and loss of economic opportunity. Specifically, aquifers were depleted, stormwater caused flooding and degraded waterways, wastewater effluent carried nutrients into streams and utilities faced rising costs.
On the economic side, the report envisions $28 billion in value from enhancing system efficiency and minimizing waste (Reduce), $12 billion from capturing latent value from wastewater (Recover) and $6.5 billion from replenishing and revitalizing natural water systems (Regenerate).
Eye on regeneration
Most operators understand the Reduce and Recover sides. Regeneration is a newer concept and at present comes into play less frequently. Today, groundwater sources are often drawn down without regard for long-term sustainability. And stormwater is typically treated as a nuisance to be diverted, instead of a resource to be deployed.
But regeneration offers ways to fix and strengthen water systems by aligning water management and ecological processes. “Regeneration strategies treat ecosystems, including wetlands, aquifers and watersheds, as active infrastructure,” the report says. Runoff capture and groundwater recharge improve water quality while helping to reduce flooding, increase biodiversity and provide climate resiliency.
One approach, called managed aquifer recharge, uses excess water to replenish depleted groundwater. In this process, wastewater effluent or stormwater can be fed into wells or basins to stabilize groundwater levels, slow land subsidence and resist saltwater intrusion. Natural stormwater management absorbs and filters rainwater where it falls.
This includes features like green roofs, permeable pavement and restored wetlands. Taken together, these measures can also help cool urban areas, reduce local flooding and create public green spaces.
The WEF report is not the only word on the potential value of the circular water economy.
The American Biogas Council notes enormous potential for growth in biogas-to-energy. The council estimates that biogas systems at wastewater treatment plants in the United States could more than triple, from 1,217 sites today to 3,750.
The WEF report concludes, “Water matters, and this is our pivotal moment in the United States. Circular water offers a powerful, lucrative opportunity to transform water systems into engines of resilience, innovation and long-term value.” To read the report, visit.wef.org or simply search on the title.
