Wastewater in Context: Systems-based Approaches to Improving Wastewater Infrastructure Transitions
Coastal communities and ecosystems around the world are some of those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In particular, the wastewater treatment systems in these areas are on the forefront of the effects of increasing frequency, duration, and intensity associated with extreme weather events. As such, decision making about adopting new wastewater technologies or transitioning to an improved treatment portfolio is an important area of research for coastal communities because they are critically linked to the health of the nearby aquatic ecosystems (i.e. tourism, fishing, cultural heritage, climate protection).
The decision making process about technology adoption and transitions in wastewater treatment, regardless of the technology’s scale— onsite, community, or centralized— requires the navigation of complex interactions between human, engineered, and environmental systems. However, the navigation of this complexity is often siloed, lacks innovation, and is performed using the reductionist approach.
The decision making process about technology adoption and transitions in wastewater treatment, regardless of the technology’s scale— onsite, community, or centralized— requires the navigation of complex interactions between human, engineered, and environmental systems. However, the navigation of this complexity is often siloed, lacks innovation, and is performed using the reductionist approach.
Significance:
This research fills the knowledge gap by using systems-based approaches to investigate the factors and relationships that influence technology adoption, sustainability, and transitions to provide decision makers with tools that simulate system-level responses to strategies promoting context-appropriate wastewater systems.
Completed Objectives:
Products and Publications:
Contact Us:
For inquiries on this project, contact Christine Prouty: christineprouty<at>gmail.com
This research fills the knowledge gap by using systems-based approaches to investigate the factors and relationships that influence technology adoption, sustainability, and transitions to provide decision makers with tools that simulate system-level responses to strategies promoting context-appropriate wastewater systems.
Completed Objectives:
- TBA
Products and Publications:
- TBA
Contact Us:
For inquiries on this project, contact Christine Prouty: christineprouty<at>gmail.com