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A comparison of the rate at which recycled water projects have been adopted in two U.S.states, California and Florida, suggests that differences in the nature of interagency relationshipssignificantly influence the speed and frequency with which reuse projects areimplemented. These interagency relationships include dealings between producers, distributorsand customers of both recycled and potable water, as well as the regulation ofreuse by various supervisory bodies. A statistical analysis of California reuse projectsindicates that those involving the fewest number of agencies are most readily implemented,i.e. the more complex the institutional arrangements, the longer it takes for projectsto be implemented, and the greater the likelihood that they will be postponed or rejected.Surveys of the progress of reuse in the two states suggests that when rulemakerscommunicate regularly with reuse agencies, develop guidelines that emphasize the valueof recycled water and standardize the application of rules through systematic permitting,projects can be rapidly implemented as measured by the volume of water reclaimed andreused. By contrast, when regulators maintain a more neutral position with respect to reuseand develop regulations that emphasize the wastewater origin of the product there is acorrespondingly slower rate of project implementation. One possible explanation for thisis that although the "hands-off" approach may ensure objectivity on the part of the regulators,it may also impart the message that the agencies charged with the responsibility ofdistributing recycled water are not trustworthy, or that the water is not safe. As a tentativeconclusion, it would appear that states that require reuse of a target amount of recycledwater within a short time frame might consider adopting a regulatory approach similarin some respects to that now used in Florida, where standardized permits are issued bya single state agency, significant state funding is available to defray the cost of reuse andsimple institutional arrangements are developed wherever possible in lieu of more complexmulti-party agreements. Includes 16 references, table, figures.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 01/11/2004 Number of Pages: 20File Size: 1 file , 730 KB