Newspaper Coverage of Potable Water Recycling at Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment System, 2000–2016

Kerri Ormerod,Leann Silvia

doi:10.3390/w9120984

Abstract

Water planners in water-strapped communities in the western United States and beyond increasingly consider potable water recycling an important water management strategy. Although potable water recycling can increase an otherwise limited urban water supply, the threat of public or political opposition often looms large. This paper examines newspaper coverage of the most widely celebrated potable water reuse project in the world—the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) in Orange County, California, USA. The case study examines the coverage of GWRS contained in local, national, and international newspapers during an era of significant investment and repeated expansion. Despite the potential controversy associated with drinking recycled wastewater, there was no negative newspaper coverage of GWRS from 2000–2016. Much of the coverage was mundane, however several articles embraced infrastructure and technology as key to developing new water resources while protecting public and environmental health. Although potable water recycling is presented as an innovative solution capable of solving several problems at once, a close analysis reveals that recycled water may not fulfill the promise of an uninterruptible urban water supply.

Highlights

Potable water recycling is a management strategy that is increasingly being considered by water planners in regions where rapid economic and population growth is threatened by water availability [1].Non-potable water recycling, for example using recycled water for irrigation purposes, is a rather non-controversial form of reuse
Potable water recycling is presented as an innovative solution capable of solving several problems at once, a close analysis reveals that recycled water may not fulfill the promise of an uninterruptible urban water supply
The results highlight the tone of the coverage of the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) and provide insight into newspapers as sources of information on potable water recycling

Summary

Introduction

Potable water recycling is a management strategy that is increasingly being considered by water planners in regions where rapid economic and population growth is threatened by water availability [1].Non-potable water recycling, for example using recycled water for irrigation purposes, is a rather non-controversial form of reuse. While many potable reuse projects have been proposed, some have been halted due to public opposition and flat-out refusal to drink what was once sewage water, as was the case in San Diego County, California, United States (US). Given the possibility of public upset, the success of the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) in Orange County, California, US has emerged as the international model for potable water recycling [3,5]. Orange County is an urban area south of Los Angeles County and north of San Diego County in southern California. It is California’s third most populous and second densest county [36]. Neighboring Orange County Sanitation District provides effluent used for recycling

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