UC Berkeley

Urban water systems in the United States are poised for massive change. Water infrastructure built in the 20th century has promoted public health and has protected ecosystems from pollution. However, much of this infrastructure is now coming to the end of its design life, and requires substantial investments to keep it functional. Our water systems also face new challenges from shifting precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and contaminants of emerging concern, among others. Modernizing our nation’s aging water infrastructure is imperative – and to meet 21st century challenges, we must do better than simply repairing it.

The next generation of urban water infrastructure can also provide other societal benefits like resource recovery from sewage, increased wildlife habitat, and improved resilience to climate change effects in addition to water supply and wastewater treatment. Yet there still is little guidance for how water managers can include broader societal goals for multi-benefit infrastructure into what have historically been singular fields of engineered water supply and wastewater treatment. Without a better understanding of how public policy ties in to water infrastructure goals, improvements may only be made in moments of crisis, and the opportunity to create multi-benefit water systems will be lost.

This dissertation seeks to support decision-makers in designing and implementing more equitable, holistic, and environmentally-sound urban water infrastructure. Chapter I assesses historical precedents for recycling sewage into drinking water in California to contextualize current concerns and challenges. Water recycling has had a rich and varied history in California; currently, potable water reuse is on the rise. Chapter II develops a legitimacy framework for potable water reuse in California, which facilitates decision-making about technologies that fit into the unique social, political, and cultural contexts of a particular locale. Chapter III provides a popular science look at the practice of potable water reuse, which is unfamiliar to many people and has faced stark public opposition in some areas. Chapter IV focuses on stakeholder perspectives to identify goals and strategies for multi-benefit wastewater treatment, as well as analyzes barriers to achieving these goals. Chapter V employs a quantitative multi-criteria decision analysis paired with stakeholder analysis and scenario planning to evaluate potential nutrient management options for the San Francisco Bay Area in uncertain future conditions.