Moving Toward a Multi-Benefit Approach for Water Management

Authored by: Pacific Institute and Professor Bob Wilkinson of the University of California, Santa Barbara

Our partners at the Pacific Institute and collaborator Professor Bob Wilkinson are developing a framework for incorporating multiple benefits of water projects into decision-making. The draft multi-benefit framework, released in April 2019, outlines a process for engaging with stakeholders to systematically evaluate and incorporate the broad benefits and trade-offs of water management options into decision-making. It is now being applied through test cases to help expand the usefulness and reach of the framework.

To access the Phase 1 report click the link below.

Overview of Clean Water State Revolving Fund Eligibilities

Overview of Clean Water State Revolving Fund Eligibilities

This 2016 EPA report details the wide variety of water quality protection efforts the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program can fund, including water conservation and efficiency and distributed green infrastructure. Click below to download the report and learn more.

Lifelines: The Resilient Infrastructure Opportunity

Lifelines: The Resilient Infrastructure Opportunity

Hallegatte, Stéphane, Jun Rentschler, and Julie Rozenberg. 2019. Lifelines: The Resilient Infrastructure Opportunity. Sustainable Infrastructure Series. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1430-3. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO

This report from the World Bank Group finds that investing $1 in more resilient infrastructure is beneficial in 96 percent of thousands of scenarios exploring possible future socioeconomic and climate trends. The authors cite localized water solutions such as rainwater harvesting and decentralized water treatment systems among the types of resilient infrastructure that contribute to these benefits.

Click the link below to download the full report.

County-Scale Rainwater Harvesting

County-Scale Rainwater Harvesting Feasibility in the United States: Climate, Collection Area, Density, and Reuse Considerations

Mounir William Ennenbach, Paulina Concha Larrauri , and Upmanu Lal

Roof rainwater harvesting has the potential to augment water supplies for urban and suburban uses throughout the United States. Studies of the performance of roof rainwater harvesting at the building and city scales in the U.S. are available, but a countrywide overview of the potential at the county scale has not been done before. This study aims to fill that gap by providing a county-level analysis of the potential of roof-based rainwater harvesting for urban water use in the U.S. by assessing the viability of roof rainwater harvesting as a water resource in each county, evaluating the performance of a “typical” roof rainwater harvesting system in each county, and evaluating the effect of adding a water reuse element to the “typical” roof rainwater harvesting system analysis.

Case Studies on New Water Paradigm

Sustainable Water Resources Management, Vol 3: Case Studies on New Water Paradigms

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF), and Tetra Tech

This report identifies and evaluates the foundation and requirements for sustainable water infrastructure at the community and watershed scales. The report is intended for stormwater, wastewater, water supply sectors, as well as the electric power sector. The project looked at two communities, Tuscon, AZ, and Northern Kentucky.

 

Innovative and Integrated Stormwater Management Report

Innovative and Integrated Stormwater Management Report

NYC Department of Environmental Protection

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) owns and operates one of the largest wastewater and stormwater collection systems in the world including a combined sewer system. To develop and create the most effective stormwater management program possible, DEP looked to its peers in other municipalities to understand which methods have been successful in implementing stormwater management programs and meeting regulatory requirements. This report provides an overview to enable communities to make informed and effective decisions for our community as we continue to develop and implement our stormwater management program.

Alternative Ways to Fund Innovation and Water

Tapping Into Alternative Ways to Fund Innovation and Multi-purpose Water. Projects: A Financing Framework from the Electricity Sector

Authored By:

Kim Quesnel, Stanford
Newsha K. Ajami, Ph.D, Stanford
Noemi Wyss, University of California, Irvine

In this report, the authors examine case studies of successful distributed energy projects and identify the tools used to develop, finance, and implement these solutions. The report develops a financing framework that could assist the water sector transition to include distributed infrastructure solutions.

 

Blueprint for One Water

Blueprint for One Water presented by the Water Research Foundation

Authored By:
Cindy Paulson, PE, PhD, Principal Investigator
Wendy Broley, PE, Co-Principal Investigator
Lynn Stephens, PE, Co-Principal Investigator

This blueprint explores critical steps for developing One Water approaches, case studies for utilities that have taken innovative one water approaches, methods for overcoming potential barriers, and key outcomes. Intended to guide One Water planning, this report documents and guides utilities, cities, counties, municipalities, water professionals, and other stakeholders across drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, reuse, watershed management, stormwater, and energy and resource recovery.

Overview of Greywater Reuse

Overview of Greywater Reuse: The Potential of Greywater Systems to Aid Sustainable Water Management

Authored By:
Lucy Allen, Pacific Institute
Juliet Christian-Smith, Pacific Institute
Meena Palaniappian, Pacific Institute

As the need for freshwater resources grows and new supplies are becoming scarce, many communities around the world are exploring different ways to meet their local water needs. Greywater reuse can be an important strategy in this effort when used near to the generation point, it can significantly reduce demand for freshwater and energy use. Learn more about what greywater can do for your community from our partners at the Pacific Institute.

 

Roadmap for Sustainable Water Resources

Roadmap for Sustainable Water Resources: New Article by Peter Gleick Addresses Challenges and Strategies

By Peter Gleick, Pacific Institute

This article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences dives into four key strategies for water managers, planners, and utilities to address in order to tackle the water problems facing the Southwest of the United States. By (1) rethinking our water assumptions, (2) working to reduce demand, (3) improving water management, and (4) addressing climate change implications on our water systems, we will be ready to create a roadmap towards a more sustainable water future.