Dear Grace,You are asking a ...

Dear Grace, You are asking a question on a very complex issue: desalination and water reuse are two alternative water resources that are helping to secure water supply. Their technical-economic viability and environmental impacts depend on many local conditions and constraints. If additional water volumes are required for non-potable applications, water reuse should be considered first. When you have desalination in arid regions, water reuse will help to valorize the economic value and embodied energy in desalted water. It is important to stress also that the choice of the tools how to estimate environmental impacts can also influence the final results (LCA, eco footprint, etc). Another important issue is the public attitudes and acceptance.