The Water Reuse System Database | Water Reuse in North America

Database last updated: January 15, 2023

This national database was started by the Columbia University Water Center in partnership with Hazen and Sawyer and The WateReuse Association as part of The Water Research Foundation Project # 5040, Successful Implementation of Onsite and Distributed Water Reuse Systems. The original database includes information on over 300 onsite and distributed water reuse systems in a standardized format. Efforts were made to include diversity in sources, end uses, and locations. All data is accessible via the dashboard.

We plan to periodically update the database with new information. You can submit additional information for inclusion in future updates here.

Accessing the Information

The database is accessible via a 2-section dashboard. The top section of the dashboard is referred to as the "Browser" section and the window below that is referred to as the "System Profile" section.

Dashboard User Guide

Organization

Included Fields

Browser Layout

System Profile Search Tool Layout

Examples

Overview

The dashboard has two parts, each of which allows you to explore the database in different ways:

Browser

The Browser allows users to filter the database to get a list and map of specific types of systems. Keep in mind that systems with missing information in a field will automatically be removed from the list when a filter is applied to that field.

Filter Options

Included Fields

There are two groups of information:

Key Facts
Details

The Key Fact fields are shown both the Browser part of the dashboard and the System Profile part of the dashboard. The Details fields are only available in the System Profile part of the Dashboard

Key Facts (Standardized Across Systems)

Field Name: Field Description
Project Name: Project name. Note: A single project may have multiple systems.
System Name: System name. Note: There can be multiple systems per project.
Startup Year: Year when the system was first started up
Design Capacity (gpd): The maximum number of gallons that can be supplied by the water reuse system per day. This is typically dictated by treatment capacity. Storage capacity is used for rainwater-to-irrigation systems.
Service Population: The number of people that could be exposed to treated water from the reuse system in a day, sometimes referred to as the exposed population.
Source(s): A brief list of alternative water sources collected.
End Use(s): A brief list of applied end uses.
Reused Volume (gal/yr): The gallons of treated water that are reused (and not just treated) each year.
Potable Offset (%): The percentage of onsite water demand met by reuse water, which offsets the use of traditional water sources.
Effluent Reduction (%): The percentage reduction in wastewater effluent volume achieved by water reuse.
Setting: The type of construction (new vs. retrofit) and the development density of the area (urban vs. suburban vs. remote).
Configuration Category: A simplified classification of system configuration. For single-building systems, the category assigned includes a descriptor of property type (e.g., residential, mixed use, commercial). Systems that are connected to more than one property/building that are classified as cluster system.
Special Cases: A list of special cases that may be of interest to database users. These include Sewer Mining, Affordable Housing, LEEF Certification, NetZero Water, Energy Recovery.
Drivers: A brief list of applicable implementation driver categories.
ROI (years): The simple payback period for the water reuse system (in years).
Other Attributes: A list of special cases that may be of interest to database users. These include Affordable Housing, Energy/Nutrient Recovery, Golf Course, Green Roof, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, LEED Platinum, Living Building Challenge, Net Zero/Positive Water, Other Green Building Certification, and/or Sewer Mining.

Detailed Information

Field Name: Field Description
System Location: Street address of the system including city, state, zip code, and country. This is the only field that is not included in the data downloads from the dashboard because it is a concatenation of multiple fields that are only available in the downloaded spreadsheet.
Summary: Project summary
Collection: Available details about the water sources collected, such as descriptions of rainwater/stormwater catchment areas, the number of air handling unites from which condensate is collected, the fixtures from which greywater is collected, and pre-treatment collection tanks.
Distribution and Use: Available details on reuse flows, including average volumes of water collected, treated, and used (sometimes broken out by application). Where possible, information is also presented as a percentage offset of potable water demand.
Site Description: Available details about the properties or buildings from which alternative sources are collected and reuse water is distributed. These include the type of development, the neighborhood in which the site is located, the lot size, square footage of buildings, the number of stories in a building, and information on how the space is used.
Configuration: The number and type of properties/buildings from which water is collected and the number and type of properties/buildings at which treated water is reused.
Treatment and Storage: Available details on treatment processes used and post-treatment storage.
Maintenance: Description of maintenance needs.
Monitoring and Reporting: Available information on monitoring and reporting.
Implementation: Available information on the water reuse system designer, installer, owner, and maintainer.
Permits: Available information on the permits required for the water reuse system.
Timeline: Available information on key milestones in project or reuse system implementation.
Motivation: Available details on implementation drivers.
Utility Role: Details on the utility’s role in the water reuse system’s implementation.
Stakeholder Engagement: A description of stakeholder engagement during the planning and design, construction, and/or operation and maintenance phases of project implementation.
Project Costs: Available information on project costs.
Project Financing: A description of how project costs were financed.
System Costs: Available information on system costs.
System Financing: A description of how the water reuse system costs were financed.
Operation Measures: Available information on various operation measures (besides potable offsets, which are included in the “Distribution” field), such as utility bill savings, energy recovered, power consumption, chemical consumption, sludge disposed, and/or required operator hours.
Challenges: A description of challenges encountered during the planning and design, construction, and/or operation and maintenance phases of project implementation.
Lessons Learned: Lessons learned through system implementation.
Contacts: Contact information, such as affiliation, title, and email address.
Reference ID: A unique identifier for references because each reference may document multiple systems. This identifier is used at the end of Detail or Summary fields to credit specific sources as necessary.
Reference Link: A URL for accessing the reference.
Description: A citation and a brief description of the data source and its contents.

Browser Layout

Section 1 is where users can set filters to search the database. Filter may be set for Water Source, System Driver, System Configuration, End Use, Design Capacity (gpd), Setting, Other Attributes, Country, State, and System Name. Click on the return arrow button at the top of the page to reset filters.
Section 2 shows the number of systems that meet selected search criteria. No filters were applied in Figure 5‑1, so the search returned all 310 systems in the database.
Section 3 maps the locations of each system in the search results. Hovering over a point on the map allows you to see the system name. The color of the point indicates the water source. For systems with more than one water source, the data point is split between the respective colors. The map can be zoomed in/out and moved, as needed.
Section 4 is an exportable table of summary characteristics for systems that met the selected search criteria. This table only displays a few important fields – all fields can be viewed on the System Profile page. Cells for which information is missing have been intentionally left blank.

System Profile Search Tool

This part of the dashboard is useful for viewing all available information for specific systems. Users can see all the standardized fields that show up in the browser, as well as more detailed non-standardized information (i.e., paragraphs) extracted from the listed references.

Section 5 allows the user to search the database by System Name, Country, or State. Once selected, the system name is displayed at the top of the page. Click on the return arrow button at the top of the page to reset filters.
Section 6 displays the project name associated with the selected system. Since a single project may have multiple systems associated with it, the number to the right of the Project Name displays the total number of systems associated with the project. The system selected in Figure 5‑2 is only one of two systems associated with the Arch Nexus SAC project.
Section 7 presents all available information for the selected system in three field groupings: Summary, Key Facts, and Details. While most of the “Key Facts” are provided on the Browser page, the “Summary” and “Details” fields are only available on the System Profile page. The specific fields included in each field group are described in Table 5-1 and Table 5-2 and appear in that listed order if information is available. Unlike the Browser page where missing information is denoted by a blank cell, empty fields are not shown on the System Profile page.
Section 8 provides information on the references for gathered system information. Where necessary and possible, references for specific fields are cited using the Reference ID at the end of the field text. Hyperlinks and a brief description are available for each reference.

Examples of How to Use it

Example Question 1

What kinds of effluent reductions have been achieved by wastewater reuse systems at multifamily residential buildings in cities with CSOs?

Get a list of systems using the Browser with the following filters:
- Source: “Municipal Wastewater”
- Configuration: “Single Building – Multifamily”
- Drivers: “Combined Sewer Overflows”
Scroll to the right until you get to the “Effluent Reduction (%)” column. Please note that this information may not be available for all systems on the list.

Example Question 2

Where in the US are condensate recovery systems being implemented and who can I contact for more information about the constructed systems?

Get a list of systems using the Browser with the following filters:
- Source: "Condensate"
The map will automatically update to show the locations of projects on the list.
Use the System Profile page to look up information for individual systems. You can start typing in the name of the system in the System Name bar or select it from the dropdown. Scroll to the bottom of the Details section to see if anything is listed in the "Contacts" field.

Example Question 3

What types of water reuse projects are in a specific city (i.e., New York City)?

Hover your mouse at the top right corner of the map on the Browser and select the "Focus mode" symbol. This will enlarge the map to the entire screen. Use your mouse to zoom in on New York City. Hover over the mapped projects to get their names, sources, end uses, and design capacities.
Once you know the system names, you can look up additional summary information for them in the table. It will be easiest to find them if you sort the table by System Name (click on the column name) after narrowing the listed systems to the statewith the following filters:
- Country: "USA"
- State: "NY"
You can also use the System Profile Search Tool to look up the individual systems. Find a system by typing it's name or selecting it from the dropdown in the System Name bar in the top left corner of the screen. When you start typing into the bar, it will narrow the dropdown list. You can also narrow the dropdown list for easier selection using the following filters:
- Country: "USA"
- State: "NY"