AWWA SOURCES59221

Reclaimed water is a readily available, drought proof supply that is difficult to develop. Public health, public perception, water rights, poor understanding of available water resources, environmental concerns and the cost of production and distribution are just some of the reasons that lead to difficulties in developing this resource. Probably the most significant difficulty in the development of water reclamation and reuse in Washington State has been the inability to convince people that water reclamation can be the answer to many needs. But those who should be the most easily convinced have proven to be the most difficult audience. These are engineers and managers working in the potable water and wastewater industries. This paper discusses how future success of the program will depend on marketing water reclamation and reuse to these important constituents. The paper summarizes water reclamation in Washington State, describes the current approach and lists the skeptics to the program. Current planning efforts are discussed and a list of reasons for resistance is given. A marketing plan to win over these skeptics is presented.