Managing Risk in Water Reuse: Policy Analysis

Abstract: Water scarcity is an increasingly prevalent problem, with changing hydrological regimes due to climate change and human development taxing freshwater systems. One way to tackle this issue is through planned water reuse. This thesis explores the context of the agricultural application of treated wastewater in the European Union where Directive 2020/741 Minimum Requirements for Water Reuse was recently adopted. A document analysis was conducted of the EU Member States with the highest rates of water reuse who also had national level legislation governing water reuse for agriculture (Cyprus, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal), the EU’s Regulation 2020/741 and international norm-setters in the water reuse space (California and Australia). It was found that the principles of risk assessment and risk evaluation are not consistently and thoroughly included in the policies analyzed. The policies reviewed use a combination of three risk evaluation factors: crop categories, water classifications, and irrigation method for operationalizing risk management strategies. All policies take risk reduction actions, however there is not consistency in what these are. These risk reduction actions appear to be designed with human health first and foremost in mind, potentially neglecting environmental health concerns. The uncertainties and complexity of water reuse are minimally alluded to in water reuse policies, but present significant challenges to managing risk.