Understanding Urban Water Sustainability Transitions to One Water Using
Science-based Expert Interviews
Abstract
Water management practices in cities around the world are faced with
growing social and environmental pressures. Unfortunately, the linear
“take-make-waste” approach, previously recognized as the most
conclusive practice to address water-related issues, has been found to
be unsustainable due to its dependence on the limited availability of
energy and resources. It is, therefore, necessary to change the current
linear approach dominant in most cities across the world to one that
utilizes a high degree of reuse and recycling that is known as “One
Water”. The goal of this study is to evaluate a series of expert
interviews that were conducted with utilities across the US and Canada
to gain insights into implementing One Water principles. Interpreting
several interviews is the key step to provide water managers with an
understanding of the perspective and required actions towards
transitions in urban water management. The results indicated that
although several pressures were described in the expert interviews
responses, climate change was the most frequently described pressure,
followed by water quality impairments and population growth. Moreover,
it has been identified that the studied cities have implemented several
strategies such as green infrastructure, recycled water, desalination,
and stormwater management to achieve this holistic approach. The
thematic analysis revealed that all cities demonstrated the importance
of cultural change to break down silos and support various technological
solutions. Further investigations revealed that cities encounter several
barriers that inhibit the One Water transition. One of the most
frequently discussed barriers was related to financial challenges in
most cities, especially in light of the pandemic when substantial cities
lost their revenue. In addition to the financial challenges, lack of
regulatory process and framework, institutional barriers for expanding
One Water strategies, short-term thinking, lack of collaboration,
community resistance to change, lack of public support, and water rights
were mentioned by participants as the top barriers.