Embodied Energy in the Water Cycle

Wastewater reclamation produces a recycled product. The traditional linear approach to water resource management is increasingly proving to be unsustainable due to water stress being placed on urban water management. By nature reclamation is a process that reduces the energy consumed in the water cycle and therefore is the cornerstone of sustainability in the management of water resources. The value of reclaimed water includes the embodied energy that is reclaimed from the water cycle. This paper provides the methodology for establishing a value chain in determining the economic benefit of water reclamation and identifies ways for communities to take the first steps of this resource as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases, carbon footprint and a sustainable principle of water portfolio management.