Technology 2005: 2nd Joint Specialty Conference for Sustainable Management of Water Quality Systems for the 21st Century: Life Cycle Cost and Life Cycle Assessment of Decentralized Water Reuse Systems as a Sustainable Cost Effective Alternative

A life cycle cost analysis (LCC) and a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a recently constructed New York City decentralized water reuse system that serves a USGBC LEED™ Gold Certified, 27-story, 270-unit residential high rise building was compared to a conventional building of similar size and configuration that does not employ water reuse. The assessment provides a detailed view of the benefits and costs of decentralized water reuse as a means of achieving sustainable urban development. The LCC indicates that the decentralized water reuse system is more expensive over a 25-year period, even though New York City has implemented an incentive plan that includes a 25% rate reduction for such systems. The higher cost of installation and O&M associated with the higher level of treatment along with the lack of public subsidies for the decentralized system are not offset by the 56% water reduction and 63% wastewater reduction being realized. To the contrary, the LCA indicates that the decentralized water reuse system has a lower environmental impact than the conventional centralized approach.