Tromble, Graves article in AWWA journal touts water reuse
Garver Water Technology Leader Evan Tromble, PE, Ph.D., and COO and former Regional Water Director Michael Graves co-authored an article published in the American Water Works Association Water Science journal that compared the benefits of water source development and conveyance projects to potable water reuse for growing municipalities working to find solutions for evolving water supply needs.
Water reuse, the article states, is generally less costly than new source development and conveyance projects at low flow rates, especially for advanced water treatment schemes that are based on biologically activated carbon (BAC), and treatment schemes based on reverse osmosis (RO) also become cost competitive to conveyance at greater distances. While taking into account cost and carbon footprint, the article states that water reuse scenarios are competitive with a wide range of water conveyance scenarios, and “should be more frequently considered by communities needing to augment their water supply.”
To illustrate the developed models’ cost estimate procedure, the article compared the application to three Oklahoma cities that experience comparable average rainfall per year, are considered mid-latitude, and with comparable climates. While considering that half of the water demand would come from an alternative source – DPR or water conveyance – advanced treatment was found to be cost competitive with conveyance.
“Managers would do well to consider reuse in their portfolio of water supply options, in spite of public reluctance,” the article states.
The article, written along with Jim Chamberlain and David Sabatini, each of the University of Oklahoma School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science; can be accessed for AWWA members here.
To learn more about Garver’s Water Technology Team, visit our Water Technology Team page.
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