Advocating Water Reuse

Water reuse is gathering momentum worldwide as water scarce regions focus on harnessing this underutilized resource to make their water supplies more resilient. At the heart of the movement is the WateReuse Association and its executive director Melissa Meeker. In this Water Online radio interview, Meeker discusses the Association’s three-pronged approach in advocating water reuse.

The first prong focuses on advocacy to convince leaders to willingly adopt innovative policies. By encouraging regulators to avoid policies that impede water reuse adoption, Meeker explains her overarching goal to have reuse accepted as a water resource and not classified simply as a waste stream.  

The second prong focuses on research to answer specific operational questions, fill the reuse treatment training void and ensure that public health is fully protected.

And the third prong focuses on providing the tools and guidance to utilities and state legislatures to help them engage and educate the public to get behind water reuse as a safe and logical water supply for their region. “Nothing kills a really good project like an angry public or a public that doesn’t understand their project,” Meeker explains. 

To understand Meeker’s opinion on the public’s current perception of water reuse, click below for the full interview: