Public Acceptance: The Greatest Barrier to Widespread Water Reuse

Most knowledgeable observers would agree that the greatest barrier to the use of recycled/reclaimed water for various applications around the globe is gaining the acceptance of the public. Several highly qualified researchers have conducted studies on public perception and public acceptance over the past half-dozen years. Each of these studies has advanced the state of understanding of the public's reluctance to fully accept the use of reclaimed water, especially for indirect potable reuse. It is incumbent upon the water reuse community to move beyond gaining an understanding of public concerns to a phase in which we devise practical and workable approaches to the problem of acceptance. The water reuse community must formulate a basic strategy and then implement it. While it would be naïve to believe that every local situation is the same, it is possible for the global water reuse community to begin to agree on the basic elements of the strategy needed to ensure public acceptance. This paper will focus on these needed elements, which include common terminology, positive branding, research on microconstituents, embracing stakeholders, and communicating the value of water.