Water Science and Technology Vol 40 No 4-5 pp 29–36 © IWA Publishing 1999

Abel Wolman's "The Metabolism of Cities" Revisited: A Case for Water Recycling and Reuse

Slawomir W. Hermanowicz^* and Takashi Asano^**

^*Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
^**Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

Factors affecting the feasibility of water reclamation and reuse in an urban environment are discussed with special focus on reclaimed water quality and reuse applications. Water supplied to a city undergoes only small changes in quality and thus becomes a valuable resource ready for reuse and under local control. Successful development of water reuse must take into consideration technical, financial and social aspects. The quality of the reclaimed water must be matched to its intended use and alternative means of its distribution should be considered. Regional population growth patterns and their influence on economic feasibility of water reuse are examined.

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