Lohan and Kirksey Ecosystems as Infrastructure

7/28/2019 Lohan and Kirksey Ecosystems as Infrastructure

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Ecosystems as InfrastructureBy Eric Lohan and Will Kirksey

Living Machines Systems, L3C

1180 Seminole Trail, Suite 155Charlottesville, VA 22901

434.973.6365

www.livingmachines.com



http://www.livingmachines.com

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Overview:

Nothing is as important to living organisms aswater. Water also serves as a crucial designelement to advance green building as anintegrating element of natural and humanecosystems. In fact, recent innovations inintegrated water resource design and advancedecological wastewater treatment systems allow

using “Ecosystems as Infrastructure”.

Water has only recently become a considerationfor green building. Individual facilitieshave usually been a part of a larger waterinfrastructure. Now in many regions, thatlarger infrastructure is overtaxed, aging, andexpensive to maintain. At the same time,fresh water resources are being stressedas demand outpaces replenishment. New

ecological engineering approaches such as LivingTechnology® from Living Machine Systems allowsgreen building advocates to directly addresswater problems at the facility and communitylevel.

The emerging ecological model of water andwastewater infrastructure is analogous to thestructure of ecosystems. Natural ecosystemsare decentralized and composed of largenumbers of diverse, fractal components that use

and reuse water, energy, and materials locally.The streams and rivers in a region display adecentralized structure of repeating patternsat different scales and nutrients are utilizedand recycled all along the way with naturalenvironmental processes.

Likewise, human water and wastewater systemscan be decentralized and can utilize ecologicaltreatment technologies. To be successful thismodel requires maintaining and even improvingon the public health advances that wereobtained by the centralized municipal systemsin the past. Work is underway in a variety ofquarters to develop the new standards, newregulations, new tools, new partnerships, andnew technologies that are necessary.

This new approach has the potential tofundamentally transform our relationship withwater. The ‘once-through’ centralized approachis giving way to an emerging movement towarddecentralized wastewater treatment andreuse. This movement is spreading just likethe succession process of new species in anecosystem. These decentralized, ecological

systems are saving water, energy, and moneywhile supporting sustainable communitydevelopment.

Sustainably regenerating our watershedsrequires a functional and effectivewater infrastructure using a full range ofdecentralized, cost-effective technologies.Advanced ecological wastewater treatmentsystems are especially appropriate in this role.

Recent innovations allow the packaging ofenhanced, complex ecosystems to be appliedas reliable water treatment systems. Thesetreatment systems offer signicant advantages

as fractal components of an integrated networkof treatment units deployed to improve theregional ecosystems and watersheds.

The COnvenTiOnalapprOaCh:

The current centralized approach, withsome exceptions, is focused on large-scale,

centralized systems, using water once beforesending it downstream, and treating allwater to drinking standards regardless ofintended use. In many areas, this approachrequires moving water long distances, withobvious high consumption of energy, and usingtreatment technologies that also are largeenergy consumers and usually generate a largequantity of sludge needing further treatmentand disposal. Many scientists, engineers,and community leaders are now aware thatcontinuing this approach to water infrastructureisn’t sustainable. It can’t continue to deliverthe quality, quantity and consistency of waterwe currently consume, much less meet thedemands of the future. Furthermore, we can’tafford to maintain and expand this system.




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The current model outlined in Figure 1is complex, energy intensive, and waterinefcient. The explosive growth in population

and economic activity over the past century isoverwhelming the ability of centralized systemsto serve the need. Limits are appearing thatwere unimaginable 100 years ago. For example:

•Water resources are declining in qualityand quantity – the ‘once-through’ model ofcentralized treatment is outpacing watershedregeneration.•The capacity of receiving waters is being

exceeded – the quantity of waste is so largein most places that dilution is no longeradequate.•Centralized systems have large greenhouse

gas impacts from energy consumption and gas

emissions.•Large quantities of sewage sludge are being

produced, requiring further treatment anddisposal•Maintenance and new construction costs are

becoming intolerable1

Simply put, our centralized water system isreaching the point of diminishing returns;resources have become constrained, and wecan’t sustain even current levels of performance

in the future. We need to think about creatingsmarter, more natural wastewater treatmentapproaches.

The Ecological Model – DecentralizedInfrastructure Systems:An alternative approach for wastewatertreatment is to apply an ecological model towastewater infrastructure. This model appliesecological concepts to both the design of theregional infrastructure and the design of thespecic treatment processes. The ecological

1 Water systems are showing evidence of a basicprinciple of general systems science: as size increaseslinearly, the cost to grow and maintain a system tends toincrease exponentially. The USEPA estimates that if capitalinvestment and O&M costs remain at current levels thegap in funding for 2010-2019 will be almost $600 billionfor water and wastewater infrastructure.

model aims to integrate the best of existinginfrastructure with new decentralized watermanagement and treatment systems. Thisintegrated network will be designed tosupplement, protect, and restore natural watercycles by treating pollution near the sourceand reusing water locally. This promotesan integration of human and ecological

communities into one water-based framework.

Natural streams and rivers display adecentralized structure of repeating patternsat different scales. Small streams or brooksmay transport entrained sediments or nutrientsto wetland areas scattered throughout theupper reaches of the watershed, which helpimprove water quality. At other points in thewatershed, when seasonal rains raise water

levels, riparian oodplains slow the ow rateof the river and intercept large amounts ofsediment and nutrients. If one component ofthis process is impaired there are numerousback up components at the same scale ordifferent scales that can rebuild the lostcapacity. Integrated strategies for decentralizedwastewater treatment and water reuse atmultiple scales can mimic this approachimproving the overall effectiveness of our waterinfrastructure (Figure 2).

A broader recognition and application of thisnew approach requires improving awareness ofthe possibilities among the major stakeholders.A new decentralized wastewater strategy mustbe put in place that is cost-effective, safe,technically sound, and sustainable economicallyand ecologically. Such a strategy will includeand maintain the best of the current systemsand existing tactics, such as low impactdevelopment and water conservation. Inaddition, continued, reliable access to waterrequires the new approach to be resilient in theface of changing regional conditions and helpdeal with ongoing drought and water scarcitychallenges.

Beyond being a well-conceived approach to




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Figure 1. Conventional centralized wastewater treatment and disposal model ©Worrell Water Technologies




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Figure 2. Ecological decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse model ©Worrell Water Technologies




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providing water, the new water strategy mustalso contribute to addressing other interrelatedissues such as energy, climate change, andeconomic strength. An ecologically based modelof wastewater treatment infrastructure has thepotential to meet all of these goals. Signicant

work is underway by a number of organizationsand associations, notably including the Alliance

for Water Stewardship and the Consortiumof Institutes for Decentralized WastewaterTreatment.

The Ecological Model – Treatment TechnologiesThe ecological model can be applied not onlyto the design of regional infrastructure butalso to the design of wastewater treatmenttechnologies that play a pivotal role in theselarger systems. Most centralized or municipal

treatment facilities use an activated sludgeapproach to wastewater treatment. Thistechnology uses diffused air to accelerate thegrowth of bacteria and the removal of nutrients.It requires a very small footprint but uses alarge amount of energy. This conventionalprocess is most stable at larger scales. Smallerdecentralized applications require much greateroperational attention and may not be able toconsistently meet the water quality standardsrequired for wastewater reuse.

The evolution of this technology over thelast two decades has allowed decentralizedtreatment systems to be much more widelyapplicable. The activated sludge process hasbeen modied with the addition of membrane

ltration technology to create Membrane

Bioreactors (MBRs). These membrane lters

help polish efuent from the activated sludge

treatment process creating consistent highquality efuent required for reuse and further

shrink the footprint of activated sludge systems;but, they also increase the energy requirementsof an already energy intensive process.

Another approach has been adopted in thedevelopment of advanced wetland treatmentsystems. Wetland treatment systems mimic

natural treatment processes in nature usingmore complex communities of bacteria, othermicroorganisms, and plants living on rockaggregate to remove nutrients.

Early systems were energy efcient but required

a very large footprint and hence were notappropriate for suburban or urban applications.

A new generation of advanced wetlandtreatment processes have been developed whichturbo-charge wetland processes with the useof high efciency pumps. These systems are

high-performance and reliable combinations ofecological science, engineering, and informationtechnologies.

Tidal wetlands (see the Living Machine® description in the appendix) are among the most

efcient of ecological treatment processes.Tidal wetlands reduce the footprint of earlywetland designs by 80%, yet require less than25% of the energy of MBRs. These systems canbe readily incorporated into urban and suburbansites due to the compact footprint. Because theyare also beautiful in addition to being functionalthey have been incorporated into site design oreven into building architecture as atria.

Making the Transition

Water issues are among the most complexfacing our communities right now, combiningenvironmental, economic, and human healthfactors. Addressing these issues with theconventional approaches isn’t working, butthe necessary evolution requires substantial,coordinated effort – both bottom up and topdown. In particular, we need to reexamine andupdate policies, design standards, engineeringmodels and analysis tools, monitoring andcontrol technologies, funding programs, andmanagement structures to support decision-making and maintain quality and public healthstandards.

These efforts are much too extensive to detailhere, but the following areas need to beaddressed:




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• Design standards– technical examinationand expansion of existing design standardsby engineering societies and researchorganizations; creation of new standardsas necessary to ensure that there areclearly dened performance standards that

protect public health and the environment.• Engineering models and technologies –

develop new analytical tools, informationsystems, construction techniques, remotemonitoring and control methods, andperformance tracking approaches. Theseshould improve the ability to evaluate,design, build, and operate individualtreatment systems as well as integratedregional wastewater ecosystems.• Funding programs – examine governmentfunding and grant programs to remove

barriers, equalize subsidies, andprovide a level playing eld for funding

decentralized, ecological treatmentsystems.• Management structures – experimentwith new ways of management, ownership,and operations of regional systems. Forexample, centralized management andownership of decentralized systems bya municipality or regional authority mayoffer advantages in cost effectiveness,

quality control, and coordination oftreatment. In other cases, ownership by acooperative or by a DBOO (design, build,own, operate) private utility companycould be appropriate.• Policies– review of the laws andregulations governing water and publichealth to identify and remove unwarrantedbarriers to adapting innovativetechnologies while continuing to ensureprotection of the public. The lack of unied

national or in many areas even statestandards for water reuse has hampereddevelopment and implementation of newtechnologies and systems. 2

2 A recent report commissioned by the Cascadia

USGBC ‘Code regulation and systemic barriers affecting

Living Building Projects’ identies seven important steps

for modifying the regulatory environment to foster the

These efforts require the support of a diversegroup of professionals who need to be educatedon the current limitations of centralizedsystems and both the strengths and limitationsof a decentralized ecological approach. Newpartnerships are required to develop andimplement this approach. Professionals who willplay a key role in this process include:

1. Municipal water and wastewater ofcials

2. Environmental and public healthregulators

3. Environmental Engineers4. Water resource specialists and planners5. Architects and landscape architects6. Engineering contractors and builders7. Knowledgeable civic leaders8. Progressive developers

9. Industry leaders10. Wastewater treatment plant operators

The complexity of natural water systems, theintricacies of existing water infrastructure andthe complicated existing legal and regulatoryrequirements for water use, disposal, andreuse rule out simple prescriptive qualitativeor quantitative standards for sustainablewater use and reuse. Despite these challenges

a few standards have been developed or areunder development that attempt to provide atemplate for sustainable water infrastructure.

1. LEED – The US Green Building Council

(USGBC) Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design (LEED) standardsare the most widely adopted and mostwell developed standards for greenbuilding. LEED standards promotewater efcient xtures, xeriscaping,

and water reuse for irrigation, toiletushing, and other water reuse

requirements. Although these standardshave played a key role in launchingthe green building movement in the

adoption of sustainable systems and technologies. Thesesteps are particularly relevant for supporting water reuseprojects and are described in Appendix 2.




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US, they have been criticized by wateradvocates as water credits are moredifcult to achieve than others and are

frequently passed over.

2. Living Building Challenge – TheCascadia regional group of the USGBC

has recently developed a new standard,

the Living Building Challenge (LBC). LBCdoes not have elective credits but onlyprerequisites. The water prerequisitesinclude:

Prerequisite Ten – Net Zero Water

100 percent of occupants’water use must come fromcaptured precipitationor reused water that isappropriately puried

without the use ofchemicals.Prerequisite Eleven – Sustainable

Water Discharge

100 percent of storm waterand building water dischargemust be handled on-site.

These standards set a much higher barfor water reuse but may place unrealisticexpectations on small buildings. The LBC

is trying to solve watershed problems byfocusing only on the building scale, whichmay not be the optimum approach.

3. Water Neutral – The LEED andLBC approaches address the building

industry but many other industries anddevelopment practices affect the watercycles in our communities. A UNESCO

Working Group is developing criteria thatreect a more comprehensive approach

to ‘Water Neutral’ development andindustries. They dene three criteria:

1. Dening, measuring and

reporting one’s water footprint;

2. Taking all action that is

reasonably possible to reduce the

existing operational water

footprint;

3. Reconciling the residual water

footprint by making a reasonable

investment in establishing or

supporting projects that focus on

the sustainable and equitable use

of water.

4. Alliance for Water Stewardship – While the approach developedby the UNESCO group provides a

general template there are no bindingrequirements to give the languagecredibility. New water standards areunder development by the Alliancefor Water Stewardship an umbrellaorganization that represents key waterand environment NGOs including the

Pacic Institute, The Water EnvironmentFederation, World Wildlife Foundation,the Nature Conservancy, and the

European Water Partnership. The goalof these standards is to apply the LEED-type framework exclusively to waterinfrastructure from a holistic and globalperspective. It could become a veryimportant tool.

Communities will need to draw from these

approaches and others to develop standardsthat t with their specic requirements. There

is no one size ts all solution but it is hoped

that tools developed will be exible enough to

become widely applicable.

Adopting the StrategiesThe implementation of an integrated waterstrategy for a community or a facilityrequires a basis of detailed knowledge ofwater ows in community infrastructure and

the in the surrounding environment. Thisinformation may be developed from a numberof sources depending on scale. Regional GISdatabases often contain a wealth of importantinformation about soil conditions, land use, anddevelopment. Weather data can be applied toidentify opportunities for rainwater harvesting.




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Utilities are increasingly using informationmanagement systems to streamline utilityoperations. A variety of government agenciesmaintain important information about water andenvironmental quality including the USGS, EPA,NOAA, and the NRCS.

Signicant work is generally required by a

trained analyst to integrate the various sourcesinto an effective decision-making framework.In addition, a sustainable water reuse planrequires an understanding of the water usagedemands and projections for the future. Oncean accurate knowledge of water sources anduses is obtained, it is possible to develop awater budget or water footprint. This shoulddetail the sources of water used in a community,including potential nontraditional sources such

as rainwater or stormwater, and potential waterreuse opportunities as well as a detailed viewof water uses. By identifying water sources andsinks we can qualitatively match high qualitysources with uses such as municipal water forpotable applications and lower quality watersources such as reclaimed water with uses suchas toilet ushing or cooling towers.

The second goal of the water budget isquantitative and requires detailed calculations

or estimations of water sources and sinks andallows the development of water efciency

and reuse strategies which accurately matchwater availability with water requirements.Water budgets are necessarily linked to designstandards or goals. There are two commoninterpretations of how to balance a waterbudget, with respect to ‘developed conditions’or ‘pre-developed conditions’.

In an example using the ‘developed conditions’interpretation, the Thames Gateway Project,a 40 mile redevelopment project along theThames Estuary from the London Docklands toEssex, is proposing to increase density by 10percent without increasing the total water useof the area by implementing efciency upgrades

in new and existing buildings. This interpretation

has been criticized because in many casesdeveloped conditions are unsustainable andshould not be used as a baseline even if newdevelopment doesn’t make it worse.

By contrast a water budget from the SustainableUrban Design Plan for Lloyd’s Crossing, a

35-square-block mixed-use area of Portland

Oregon, developed by Mithun and a team ofgreen design experts targets pre-developedconditions. Design targets reference waterows and quality that would occur on a similar

area of undeveloped Oregon forest providing atruly sustainable reference point (see Figures3-5 for predevelopment, current conditions andproposed development water budgets).

The water budget provides the framework for

designing sustainable water infrastructure.This process entails designing infrastructuresystems and selecting technologies that achievethe required ows and quality for each use.

At present there is no systematic process forachieving this goal. As discussed above, thisprocess will entail a variety of stakeholders anddesign professionals working closely together.Only a few communities have begun to addressthese questions so models are limited andwhat may be ideal in one community may be

inappropriate in another.

A few key considerations should drive the designof sustainable water infrastructure systems.

1. Infrastructure systems shouldbe designed to optimize theirinterrelation with the naturalhydrologic cycle. Utilizing lowimpact development practices suchas bioswales and other naturalstormwater retention or detentionstrategies is one example.

2. Sustainable infrastructure systemsshould be developed at multiplescales and should be mutually self-reinforcing across all scales.

3. Water infrastructure should be




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designed to support local reuse ofwater and nutrients to avoid thehigh cost and energy consumptionrequired for long-distance watermovements.

4. Sustainable water infrastructuresystems should utilize technologiesthat are also energy efcient and

cost effective from a capital andlifecycle perspective. A number oftechnologies such as desalinationsacrice energy efciency for

water efciency and thus are not

likely to be successful long-termsolutions in many areas.

5. Innovative technologies andsystems must protect public healthas well as or better than existing

systems. These systems mustalso foster public acceptance ofrecycled or reclaimed water byeliminating all odor and color fromwater before reuse, even for non-potable applications.

Implementing Technologies

At the core of sustainable water infrastructuresystems are decentralized wastewater

treatment systems. These systems are generallycomposed of six discrete steps as representedin Figure 6. Wastewater conveyance systemscollect and transport wastewater from avariety of sources. Treatment processes includephysical treatment such as ltration, screening,

and clarication, which can remove inorganic

materials or larger organic constituents.Biological treatment processes such as MBRs andadvanced wetland systems remove suspendedsolids and dissolved organic constituents suchas carbonaceous materials, and nutrients suchas nitrogen, and phosphorus. After biologicaltreatment, nal ltration and disinfection may

be required to remove any remaining viruses,bacteria or other harmful microorganisms

Implementation of these technologies requires

selecting applications that are appropriate for agiven scale. Figure 7 provides examples of waterreuse process diagrams at three different scales:building scale, institutional or community scale,and municipal scale. Different technologies andwater reuse goals are appropriate at differentscales. The optimum overall performancefrom a cost and water efciency perspective is

achieved by developing appropriate projects ata variety of scales.

For maximum effectiveness implementing newtechnologies must be appropriately targeted.The application of new decentralized treatmentand reuse systems should be focused in areas ofrapid growth or failing existing treatment (e.g.septic systems or package plants), in regionalnetworks as a means of avoiding expansion of

a centralized plant and the interconnectinginfrastructure, and as stand alone applicationsto serve specic needs. In this way they help

rehabilitate and extend the life of existingcritical infrastructure by reducing the load onthese systems.

These decentralized systems should beconstructed in the context of an integratedregional natural and human ecosystem, so thatthe design of specic wastewater treatment

technology can help integrate natural watercycles with human and environmental needs.In some cases, it may be appropriate to undoor modify some of the existing infrastructurewith strategies such as sewer mining to reusewater, removing water control structures, orrestoring natural water channels. Environmentaland infrastructure benets can also be

designed to enhance the local economy. Theselection of wastewater treatment technologycan be coupled with the creation of businessopportunities and new jobs. By involvingcommunity interests in planning of water reuseopportunities it is possible to optimize thecreation and maintenance of livelihoods andlocally productive economic activity.

Opportunities to implement sustainable




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Figure 6. Decentralized wastewater treatment system components ©Worrell Water Technologies




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Figure 7. Example water reuse designs at three different scales: building scale, community or institutional scale,

and municipal scale ©Worrell Water Technologies




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infrastructure development and water reusewill be different in each community butwill generally be easy to identify since wecollectively waste a lot of water. Four differentprojects examples are described in Appendix 3to illustrate projects in urban, suburban, andrural areas from the Southeast to the Southwestand the Rocky Mountains to the Northwest.

Conclusion

The members of the design communityhave long been practical visionaries – seeingalternatives for improvement and bringing themto life, creating the future in the process. Weknow that there is no desirable, sustainablefuture without adequate, high-quality waterowing through human society and through

the ecosystems that support it. It’s timeto accelerate the evolution of our waterinfrastructure to an ecological model that willbe the basis of truly green building and greencommunities.

Water is a common denominator demonstratingthat Human communities and the naturalenvironment are all part of the same ecosystem.That is a powerful concept offering afoundation for 21st Century design. Integrating

green community design with Ecosystems asInfrastructure promotes viability, value, andresilience in the relationship of nature andhuman ecosystems.

Living Machine Systems, L3C, (and predecessor companies

under the same ownership) has been developing advanced

ecological wastewater treatment systems for 15 years.

Our signature technology, called Living Machines®

integrates tidal wetland ecosystems, engineering, and

information technologies to create Living Technology ®

These high efciency technologies have been used to

treat wastewater from a variety of sources, including

municipal, zoos, animal shelters, and food production;

and have been applied to a variety of reuse applicationsincluding irrigation, toilet ushing, cooling towers, and

wash water. Clients have included M&M Mars, the Port

Authority of Portland, Oregon, the San Francisco PUC

Furman University, the Esalen Institute, the US Genera

Services Administration, Oberlin College, the US Navy, and

the Emmen Zoo in the Netherlands.

Eric Lohan is General Manager for Living Machine Systems

Eric has worked for ten years on the development of the

Living Machine® technology and is coauthor of ve patents

on advanced wetland technologies. Will Kirksey, PE is

Global Development Ofcer for Living Machine Systems

and Senior Vice President for WWT, the parent company.Will has over 35 years of experience in environmenta

engineering and policy, including senior roles with the

Florida Governor’s Ofce, Battelle Labs, and the Civi

Engineering Research Foundation.




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Appendix 1 Appendix 2The lack of unied national or in many areas

even state standards for water reuse hashampered development and implementation ofnew technologies and systems. A recent reportcommissioned by the Cascadia USGBC ‘Code

regulation and systemic barriers affecting Living

Building Projects’ identies seven important

steps for modifying the regulatory environmentto foster the adoption of sustainable systemsand technologies. These steps are particularlyrelevant for supporting water reuse projects.

1. Identify and address regulatory

impediments. Byzantine and in somecases outdated standards for water reuseare hampering the adoption of newtechnologies and stiing innovation.

2. Create incentives matched with goals. Water savings that accruefrom water reuse should result indirect economic savings similar to netmetering approaches for solar energy.Unfortunately this is not always the case.

3. Develop education and advocacy

programs. With proper training andsupport the regulatory communitycan become the strongest allies ofappropriate sustainable water reuse

technologies. Community leaders,developers, and design professionalswould all benet from understanding

more about successful new technologiesor applications.

4. Accelerate research, testing,

development, deployment, and

monitoring. States and particularly thefederal government need to developappropriate incentives to certify newtechnologies to assure their performancebut also foster the development ofnew technologies. This should includeappropriate consistency and reciprocityamong jurisdictions. Every new cellphone does not have to undergo uniqueperformance and safety evaluations inevery US city in which it is sold.




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5. Create Green Zones, designated

sustainable development districts. Thereare always risks associated with theimplementation of new technologies andsystems. The Green Zone model allowsnew technologies to be demonstratedon a provisional basis with adequateregulatory oversight.

6. Facilitate the creation of a holisticintegrated regulatory process. Forwater system approval there arefrequently overlapping and conicting

water regulations for public health,environmental protection, and resourceallocation. A holistic integratedregulatory process would allow socialand environmental goals to be met mosteffectively.

7. Ensure social equity in policies thatsafeguard public health, safety, and

welfare. Frequently water reusepractices are targeted at addressing theneeds of the wealthy (irrigation of golfcourses) while parks in working classneighborhoods do not have access toreuse water for irrigation. In the US andglobally the poor have disproportionatelyborn the cost of environmental pollution.

Appendix 3

Four different projects examples are describedbelow to illustrate projects in urban, suburban,and rural areas from the Southeast to theSouthwest and the Rocky Mountains to theNorthwest.

Example Projects:

Oregon Health and Science University,Portland OR

The Center for Health and Healing at the

Oregon Health and Science University alongthe Willamette River in Portland is 16 storiestall and totals about 400,000 square feet. Thisstructure uses a series of interconnected water

systems designed by Interface Engineering toreduce municipal water use and to eliminatesurges of stormwater. While all potable watercomes from municipal supply, highly efcient

sinks, showers, and toilets are used throughoutthe building, and rainwater is captured andstored in a 22,000-gallon cistern for re

suppression, HVAC (heating/ventilation/air-

conditioning) cooling towers, as well as radiantcooling.

Collected rainwater is also used for a portionof the toilet ushing demand and building

wastewater is treated onsite with an MBR inthe basement. Treated and disinfected water isreused for toilet ushing as well as irrigation.

All wastewater is disposed on site through theirrigation system. A green roof on the buildingcollects a portion of the rainfall and reducesstormwater runoff. With these design changes,the building’s potable water demand is reducedby over 60% -- saving an estimated 5 milliongallons of water per year.

Guilford County Schools, NC

When a suburban school district outside ofGreensboro NC wanted to build a new middle

school and high school campus they estimated




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that sewer connection fees would be over $4million dollars. They opted for a decentralizedapproach to water reuse at less than onequarter of that price. A 365,000 gallon concreterainwater cistern was constructed to collectrunoff from the roofs of both buildings. All toiletushing on campus is provided with rainwater.

The roof of the tank is used as a regulation size

basketball court. All wastewater is treated by aLiving Machine® advanced wetland treatmentsystem. The system is located between the twobuildings and provides aesthetic and educationalbenets in addition supplying irrigation water

for all of the school’s athletic facilities.

Dallas Animal Shelter, TX

The City of Dallas recently built a new city

wide animal shelter to facilitate the care andadoption of stray animals. This large facilityrequires 10,000 gallons of water per day toclean animal kennels. A reuse system wasbuilt to collect and treat wash-down waterfrom kennel cleaning with a Living Machine®Tidal Wetland system and a three-stagedisinfection system. Reclaimed water is thenreused for kennel washing. By reducing thepotable requirements for wash-down by up to70 percent, this system saves approximately

1 million gallons of water per year, enough tosupply 100 homes.

BP, Casper WY

Signicant water reuse potential exists in

industrial applications and in environmentalremediation. In Casper, Wyoming BP is spending

the next 100 years or more cleaning uppetrochemicals that have leached into the soiland contaminated groundwater. They are usingan advanced wetland system designed by NorthAmerican Wetland Engineers that reclaimsalmost 1 billion gallons of water per year thatis then used for irrigation of an adjacent golfcourse. This energy efcient process was also

cost effective saving BP at least $12 million overother alternatives.

References

Asano, T., F. Burton, H. Lerenz, R. Tsuchihashi,and G. Tchobanoglous. 2009. Water Reuse:Issues, Technologies, and Applications. McGrawHill Books, New York, NY.Kadlec, R.H. and S. Wallace. 2008. TreatmentWetlands 2nd Edition. CRC Press Boca Raton, FL.

Lohan, T. (ed) 2009. Water Consciousness.Alternet Books, San Francisco, CA.

Vickers, A. 2001. Handbook of Water Use andConservation. Water Plow Press, Amherst, MA.

Nonprot Organizations

Water Environment Federation www.wef.orgThe Pacic Institute www.pac-inst.orgAlternet Water Blog www.alternet.org/water/

Design Firms

2020 Engineering, Bellingham, WA,www.2020engineering.comAlliance Environmental LLC. , Hillsborough, NJ,

www.allianceenvironmentalllc.comInterface Engineering, Portland, OR, www.interfaceengineering.comMithun, Seattle, WA, www.mithun.comNaturally Wallace, Minneapolis, MN, www.naturallywallace.com

Sherwood Design Engineers, San Francisco, CA,www.sherwoodengineers.comWorrell Water Technologies, Charlottesville, VA

www.livingmachines.com

Water Standards

US Green Building Council www.usgbc.orgCascadia USGBC and Living Building Challenge

www.cascadiagbc.orgAlliance for Water Stewardship www.allianceforwaterstewardship.org




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Figure 1. Living Machine Process

1. InuentwastewateriscollectedfromavarietyofsourcesandowsintothePrimaryTank.

2. SolidssettleandaresolubilizedinthePrimaryTank.

3. EfuentowsthroughalterintotheRecirculationTank.

4. InuentispumpedtotheTidalFlowWetlands(TFW)whichalternatelyllanddrainprovidinganideal

environment for bacteria and plants which consume nutrients in the wastewater.

5. AfterinitialtreatmentintheTFWwaterispumpedtotheVerticalFlowWetlands(VFW).VFWremove

anyremainingsolidsandnutrientsaswatertricklesthroughthewetland.

6. After biological treatment in the Living Machine® wastewater may be disinfected before reuse for toile

ushing,irrigation,coolingtowers,washwaterorothernonpotableapplications.

© Worrell Water Technologies/Interface Multimedia

Living Machine STEP Sheet




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Figure 2. Comparison of wastewater treatment technologies based on energy use and footprint requirements for

agivenvolumeofow.Comparisonwascreatedat100m3or26,000gallonsperday©WorrellWaterTech -




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Figure 3. Example predevelopment water budget from the Lloyd Crossing Sustainable Urban Design Plan and

Catalyst Project © Mithun/KPFF




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Figure 4. Example current development water budget from the Lloyd Crossing Sustainable Urban Design Plan

and Catalyst Project © Mithun/KPFF



http://www livingmachines com

Figure5.Exampleproposed2050developmentwaterbudgetfromtheLloydCrossingSustainableUrban

Design Plan and Catalyst Project © Mithun/KPFF

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Lohan and Kirksey Ecosystems as Infrastructure

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