5 research outputs found
Beyond User Acceptance: A Legitimacy Framework for Potable Water Reuse in California
Water
resource managers often tout the potential of potable water
reuse to provide a reliable, local source of drinking water in water-scarce
regions. Despite data documenting the ability of advanced treatment
technologies to treat municipal wastewater effluent to meet existing
drinking water quality standards, many utilities face skepticism from
the public about potable water reuse. Prior research on this topic
has mainly focused on marketing strategies for garnering public acceptance
of the process. This study takes a broader perspective on the adoption
of potable water reuse based on concepts of societal legitimacy, which
is the generalized perception or assumption that a technology is desirable
or appropriate within its social context. To assess why some potable
reuse projects were successfully implemented while others faced
fierce public opposition, we performed a series of 20 expert interviews
and reviewed in-depth case studies from potable reuse projects in
California. Results show that proponents of a legitimated potable water reuse project
in Orange County, California engaged in a portfolio of strategies
that addressed three main dimensions of legitimacy. In contrast, other proposed projects that faced extensive public opposition relied on a smaller
set of legitimation strategies that focused near-exclusively on the
development of robust water treatment technology. Widespread legitimation
of potable water reuse projects, including direct potable water reuse,
may require the establishment of a portfolio of standards, procedures,
and possibly new institutions