Water 2050: Securing Our Future in a Circular Water Economy

Circular Water Economy: Drivers, Impacts and Action
AWWA’s Water 2050 Initiative has highlighted the importance of becoming more circular as we strive to envision the future of water and chart a course for future success and sustainability. Several of the recommendations from recent Water 2050 Think Tanks focused on the issue of circularity. In general, the concept of a Circular Economy is becoming more commonplace in our society. As such, the circular water economy (CWE) is becoming increasingly important to environmental sustainability and is the key to a resilient, robust, and secure water future. Regulations, water scarcity, and sustainability are driving this shift towards a CWE.

However, there remains confusion as to what a CWE entails. It is often thought of as water reuse, when in essence, it is much more complex. Moreover, the elemental differences between a linear economy and a circular one, particularly regarding water, are often misunderstood. There also remains a paucity of understanding of how the One Water concept fits in with a CWE. If we are to achieve the goals of Water 2050, it is critical that all stakeholders in the water community and the general public clearly understand the concept of CWE and see the benefits of striving towards becoming more circular in a water context.

This session will begin by providing a baseline understanding of the general concepts of a circular economy, a CWE, and their importance to a secure water future. It will discuss the different drivers of circularity and CWE, i.e., water scarcity, regulation, costs, sustainability, etc. Then, it will discuss the impacts of focusing on CWE and its importance to other aspects contributing to our water community such as technology, innovation, types of treatment, and water sources, among others. This exposure will allow the webinar audience to begin thinking about approaching projects with a circular mindset versus a linear one. A discussion will be provided on how the water community can measure water circularity and work towards achieving it. Finally, the realizable benefits of CWE will be presented and emphasized.

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