title: A comprehensive framework for the assessment of new end uses in recycled water schemes.
abstract: Nowadays, recycled water has provided sufficient flexibility to satisfy short-term freshwater needs and increase the reliability of long-term water supplies in many water scarce areas, which becomes an essential component of integrated water resources management. However, the current applications of recycled water are still quite limited that are mainly associated with non-potable purposes such as irrigation, industrial uses, toilet flushing and car washing. There is a large potential to exploit and develop new end uses of recycled water in both urban and rural areas. This can greatly contribute to freshwater savings, wastewater reduction and water sustainability. Consequently, the paper identified the potentials for the development of three recycled water new end uses, household laundry, livestock feeding and servicing, and swimming pool, in future water use market. To validate the strengths of these new applications, a conceptual decision analytic framework was proposed. This can be able to facilitate the optional management strategy selection process and thereafter provide guidance on the future end use studies within a larger context of the community, processes, and models in decision-making. Moreover, as complex evaluation criteria were selected and taken into account to narrow down the multiple management alternatives, the methodology can successfully add transparency, objectivity and comprehensiveness to the assessment. Meanwhile, the proposed approach could also allow flexibility to adapt to particular circumstances of each case under study.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. Electronic address: h.ngo@uts.edu.au.
authors.forename: Huu Hao
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ngo
authors.affiliation: Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Wenshan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Northwest Water Resources, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China.
authors.forename: Xiaochang C
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Gold Coast City Council, Gold Coast MC, QLD 9726, Australia.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Halloran
authors.affiliation: Sydney Olympic Park Authority, 7 Figtree Drive, Sydney, NSW 2127, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Listowski
authors.affiliation: City West Water, 247-251 St. Albans Road, Sunshine, VIC 3020, Australia.
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Corby
authors.affiliation: Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, P.O. Box 84, Port Macquarie, NSW 2444, Australia.
authors.forename: Clayton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miechel
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D058735:Environmental Policy; D059027:Recycling; D062066:Water Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Assessment framework; Decision making; New end uses; Recycled water