Department of Civil Engineering, University of Idaho , Moscow, Idaho 83844-1022, United States.
Department of Natural Resources and Society, University of Idaho , Moscow, Idaho 83844-1139, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2017 Apr 18;51(8):4158-4164. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b00363. Epub 2017 Mar 31.
Wastewater resource recovery has been advocated for decades; necessary structural pathways were long-ago articulated, and established and emerging technologies exist. Nevertheless, broad wastewater valorization remains elusive. In considering implementation barriers, the argument is made that decision-makers focus on avoiding permit violations and negative publicity by embracing a conservative/safe approach-seemingly ignoring research on economic/environmental benefits. Conversely positing that economics is a primary barrier, we investigated, characterized, and described nontechnical socio-political barriers to realizing wastewater resource recovery. Principal actors in the Pacific NW region of the U.S. (representing a progressive populace facing stringent water quality regulations) were interviewed. Results revealed that economics were, indeed, the primary barrier to implementation/expansion of the WRRF concept. Consistent throughout interviews was a prevalent sense that the "cost of doing something (different)" was a principal consideration in resource recovery actions/policies. Moreover, "economics drives decisions," and "95% the bottom line is money. Show return on investment, it will get people's attention." Who pays was also a concern: "Government isn't going to pay. The states and Federal government won't give any grants, and we can't raise rates." Applying business case evaluations was seen as a pathway to actualizing resource recovery. Most encouragingly, the consensus was that resource recovery is a necessary future paradigm, and that real barriers are surmountable.
几十年来，人们一直倡导废水资源回收；很久以前就提出了必要的结构途径，并且已经存在和新兴技术。然而，广泛的废水增值仍然难以实现。在考虑实施障碍时，有人认为决策者通过采取保守/安全的方法来避免违反许可证和负面宣传，似乎忽略了对经济/环境效益的研究。相反，假设经济是一个主要障碍，我们调查、描述和描述了实现废水资源回收的非技术社会政治障碍。采访了美国太平洋西北地区的主要参与者（代表了面临严格水质法规的进步民众）。结果表明，经济确实是实施/扩大 WRRF 概念的主要障碍。在整个采访中，人们普遍认为“做某事（不同）的成本”是资源回收行动/政策的主要考虑因素。此外，“经济驱动决策”，“95%的底线是钱。展示投资回报，它会引起人们的注意。”谁来支付也是一个问题：“政府不会支付。州和联邦政府不会提供任何赠款，我们也不能提高费率。”应用商业案例评估被视为实现资源回收的途径。最令人鼓舞的是，共识是资源回收是未来必要的范式，而且真正的障碍是可以克服的。
