Progress and Promise Transitioning to the One Water/Resource Recovery Integrated Urban Water Management Systems

Abstract

Changing circumstances and the availability of new technologies are causing urban water systems to transition from managing system components in a separate and linear fashion to an integrated “One Water” approach that focuses much more on recovering resources, including water, energy, nutrients, and other materials. These systems often include both distributed and centralized components and are referred to as hybrid systems. The components of these integrated One Water and resource recovery systems are described, along with the benefits that they provide. Enabling factors, along with impediments, are described, including new technologies, the need to balance human services and environmental needs, the continuing evolution of optimal system configurations, concerns created by new and emerging issues, and the need to adapt existing institutions and practices. The literature reviewed illustrates the growing research interest in these topics, along with progress translating these approaches into practice.