Water. desalination + reuse

4 3 2 1 0 4 3 2 1 0 Score Score October 2017 Water Reuse: Drivers, Innovations and Public Perceptions Public opinion is perceived as a much stronger bar- rier to water reuse in situations where the water will be used for drinking or watering food crops Survey respondents were asked to rate the extent to which public opinion is a barrier to water reuse in their markets for different purposes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, public opinion was rated most strongly as a barrier to direct potable reuse (DPR), scoring 3.84 out of a possible five. A whopping 70.37 per cent rated public opinion as either a "strong" or "very strong" barrier to DPR, with 50.93 per cent opting for "very strong". Those whose roles cover the Americas, Asia Pacific, and/ or Middle East and Africa (MEA) scored public opinion as a barrier to DPR lower than the average, at 3.78 for the Americas, 3.8 for Asia Pacific, and 3.73 for MEA. Respondents who indicate that their job covers Europe scored it the same as the average, 3.84. At least 50 per cent of respondents working in each of the different regions rated public opinion as a "very strong" barrier to DPR. Those who indicate that they work in the municipal sector were particularly likely to score high on public opinion as a barrier to DPR. Among this group, it scored 3.94 out of a possible five, and was rated "strong" or "very strong" by 73 per cent, with 54.6 per cent opting for "very strong." In addition, many of the write-in comments (see right and page 26) pertained to public opinion and DPR, indicating that respondents see this as an important area of focus as part of developing market potential. The next most highly scored public opinion barrier was for indirect potable reuse (IDPR); at 2.87 out of a possible five, it was rated a full 1.14 points lower than the importance of public opinion as a barrier to DPR. In this case, 37.5 per cent rated it as either a "strong" or "very strong" barrier; with 11.33 per cent opting for "very strong". Respondents whose work covers Europe tended to score public opinion as a barrier to reuse for direct or indirect potable purposes, and for irrigating food crops, higher compared to those working in other regions, perhaps indicating a lack of imperative in these markets due to greater water availability. Those focusing on the Americas tended to score lower than the other regions for DPR, IDPR and irrigation of food crops. Respondents working in MEA provided the lowest scores for public opinion as a barrier to DPR, but the highest for public opinion as a barrier to IDPR and for irrigating food crops — perhaps indicating some uncertainty in the marketplace over the direction of water reuse policy. • Public opinion as a barrier to market developments is seen as strongest by far in the case of direct potable reuse • Respondents working for municipalities are acutely aware of public opinion as a barrier to direct potable reuse • Respondents working in Europe tend to see public opinion as more of a barrier To what extent is public opinion a barrier to water reuse in your markets today, for the following purposes? Extent to which public opinion is a barrier to reuse Purpose Score Direct potable reuse 3.84 Indirect potable reuse 2.87 Irrigation - food crops 2.32 Industrial purposes 1.95 Irrigation - parks and golf courses 1.68 Public opinion WhaT ThE ScoRES mEan 1 very weak barrier 2 weak barrier 3 mid-level barrier 4 strong barrier 5 very strong barrier RESPondEnTS: americas 108, asia Pac 114, mEa 136, Europe 97, Industrial 178, municipal 163, agricultural 42 direct potable reuse Americas Americas Industrial Industrial Asia Pacific Asia Pacific Municipal Municipal MEA MEA Europe Europe Agricultural Agricultural 4 3 2 1 0 4 3 2 1 0 Score Score 3.79 2.89 3.94 2.99 3.76 2.98 Indirect potable reuse Score 3.84 Score 2.87 2.72 2.69 2.88 2.7 3.8 3.73 3.84 by REgIon by REgIon by SEcToR by SEcToR

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