When water saving limits recycling: Modelling economy-wide linkages of wastewater use

Jonas Luckmann; Harald Grethe; Scott McDonald

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2015.11.004

When water saving limits recycling: Modelling economy-wide linkages of wastewater use

Water Res. 2016 Jan 1:88:972-980. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.11.004. Epub 2015 Nov 6.

Authors

Jonas Luckmann¹, Harald Grethe², Scott McDonald³

Affiliations

¹ Agricultural and Food Policy Group (420a), University of Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany. Electronic address: luckmann@uni-hohenheim.de.
² Agricultural and Food Policy Group (420a), University of Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany. Electronic address: grethe@uni-hohenheim.de.
³ Agricultural and Food Policy Group (420a), University of Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany. Electronic address: scott.mcdonald@uni-hohenheim.de.

PMID: 26624230
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.11.004

Abstract

The reclamation of wastewater is an increasingly important water source in parts of the world. It is claimed that wastewater recycling is a cheap and reliable form of water supply, which preserves water resources and is economically efficient. However, the quantity of reclaimed wastewater depends on water consumption by economic agents connected to a sewage system. This study uses a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to analyse such a cascading water system. A case study of Israel shows that failing to include this linkage can lead to an overestimation of the potential of wastewater recycling, especially when economic agents engage in water saving.

Keywords: Cascading water use; Computable General Equilibrium model; STAGE_W; Shadow price; Wastewater reclamation; Wastewater recycling.

MeSH terms

Israel
Models, Theoretical
Recycling / economics*
Waste Disposal, Fluid*
Wastewater / analysis*
Wastewater / economics
Water Resources
Water Supply* / economics

Substances

Waste Water