Advanced Ecotechnology for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment and Reuse - Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes - page 395

favorable public opinion toward reuse projects. The local politics of who actually
owns and gets the benefit of reused water may also be influenced by local religious
leaders.
In terms of science and engineering, ecotechnology is suitable for wastewa-
ter reuse projects. It can meet the WHO standards for agricultural irrigation.
Ecotechnology may also have a special role to play in decentralized reuse appli-
cations. Decentralized treatment for reuse does not have the visual and olfactory
luxury of being far away and out of mind that most centralized treatment systems
enjoy. Few people enjoy seeing the stark industrial features of conventional waste-
water treatment in their neighborhood. Wetland treatment systems have the ability
to blend into the landscape. The beauty of plant-based systems is a benefit to public
acceptance of wastewater treatment.
Choice of ecotechnology will depend heavily on geography and local resources.
Climate is an essential consideration. Designs change a great deal between warm
and cold or moist and dry climates. Local availability of materials is fundamental
to design. Economics cannot be ignored. Just as vital is the question of institutional
and cultural support for a technology under consideration. The engineered ecology
of a wetland or pond treatment system for wastewater reuse is intimately bound to the
human ecology of place, culture, and economics.
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