Economics of Wastewater Treatment and Recycling: An Investigation of Conceptual Issues

In the context of continuous droughts, the search for alternative water sources and increasingenvironmental restrictions on discharge of treated wastewater into natural water bodies, treatedwastewater recycling offers a potential solution. In this paper the methods needed to assess thequestions - to what extent treated wastewater can complement the existing water sources indifferent sectors and at what cost - are discussed? It was concluded that a comparative BenefitCost Analysis of different combinations of uses and treatment levels would be a criticalcomponent in the development of a decision support tool which could be used by urban plannersand water authorities. It was also found that community acceptance of recycled water,distribution of costs and benefits of recycling and its broader impact on regional development areissues that need to be considered, along with the economics of wastewater recycling.