PLOS Water is live

I’m happy to share the news that PLOS Water launched today!

For those who aren’t familiar with the history, PLOS (Public Library of Science) is a non-profit, open-access publishing house that arose from a movement by activist researchers who pledged not to publish in journals that put their content behind a paywall. Thousands of academic researchers signed the pledge (including yours truly) but most did not live up to it (including yours truly).

A common excuse was that there were few/no high-quality journals that accepted papers in a given researcher’s field *and* that published open access. Mike Eisen, Pat Brown, and Harold Varmus co-founded PLOS to rectify that gap, and the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation provided financial support that eventually led to the launch of PLOS One. On the heels of its success, PLOS has launched a number of specialized journals, including now PLOS Water.

I accepted the invitation to become co-Editor-in-Chief for PLOS Water last year because I admire PLOS’s commitment to advancing open science. Among other benefits, I believe the open science movement can expand opportunities for scholars in LMICs. I also think more collaboration among the many freshwater research and practice communities is key to advancing equity, efficiency, resilience, and ecosystem protection goals in the management and use of water. I want PLOS Water to be a platform that catalyzes this type of engagement.

The EIC role has been quite a learning experience for me thus far. The leadership and staff at PLOS have been supportive and very patient with my co-EIC Pierre Horwitz and me. I’m very grateful for the enthusiasm of our all-volunteer editorial board, who are helping us to balance our ambitions for enhancing the diversity (geographic, disciplinary, perspective) of voices in this field against the exigencies of academic publishing.

If you are among the researchers who have shared your manuscripts with PLOS Water, thank you. We’re sincerely jazzed to play a small role in your story. And to all in the freshwater community who support open science, I hope you’ll consider submitting your work to PLOS Water.

 

So happy to see Sara Marks's paper on pathways to rural water infrastructure sustainability in press at last! The academic machine turns slowly--much slower than that of practice in this case, as the findings from this study have helped shape aspects of the WHO's forthcoming guidelines for small drinking water supplies. I also have a hunch that many phenomena of interest in the WASH field are best analyzed with the 'equifinality' lens Sara uses in this study as opposed to the 'average effects' lens that many of us employ. Nice job sharing these tools with the sector!

Check out the paper here.

Pathways to sustainability: A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of rural water supply programs. 2018. Sara Marks, Emily Kumpel, Jean Guo, Jamie Bartam, Jennifer Davis. Journal of Cleaner Production 205 (20): 789-798.

Family cloths...

Just heard about the 'family cloth' movement. Some folks seem to be getting quite worked up about it (both pro and con). I wonder how the cost/benefit analysis would be affected by considering, in addition to pathogen exposure and aesthetic experience:

• credible water footprint estimates (the 37 gal/toilet paper roll everyone cites seems to have come originally from Lloyd Alter at treehugger.com, with no information on how the value was computed)
• recent news about synthetic fabrics and micro pollutants (of course, family cloths could be made from natural fiber fabric, but seems like most aren't)
• wastewater treatment costs (what share of sewage does TP comprise? also, if we dramatically reduced TP use would we also stop putting other stuff down the toilet, such as 'flushable' wet wipes and 'biodegradable' tampons? if so, i know an operator at the Palo Alto plant who would be *thrilled* about that...)

What other considerations are missing here?

Anyone out there who's joined the family cloth experiment and is willing to share your experience?

Engaging with media

I was recently interviewed about Water.org's SuperBowl ad for an NPR article (see link below). The journalist's ex-ante slant on the piece seemed to be that 'this must be too good to be true' and, as I think a savvy reader can glean, was hoping to get water 'experts' to tear down Water.org's WaterCredit program.

Notwithstanding Matt Damon's surprising and offensive comments on the #MeToo/Time's Up movement, I remain grateful to him and other influential individuals for getting more people interested in global water issues. I'm also happy that journalists from high profile, reputable media outlets are raising awareness further with their efforts. But the amount of effort, time, and emotional energy required to ensure that an accurate, semi-nuanced message is conveyed makes the prospect of participating in these public discussions more and more daunting. Perhaps I'm just not good at it, or am over-thinking it, or...?

Fact-Checking Matt Damon's Clean Water Promise In A Super Bowl Ad

New paper on costs and benefits of urban sanitation options

Congratulations to Jeanette Laramee, who broadens the debate on urban sanitation planning in sub-Saharan Africa by considering treatment performance, financial costs, and greenhouse gas emissions in her analysis.

--> J. Laramee, S. Tilmans, and J. Davis. 2018. Costs and benefits of biogas recovery from communal anaerobic digesters treating domestic wastewater: Evidence from peri-urban Zambia. Journal of Environmental Management 210: 25-35.  --> https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.12.064

Abstract:Communal anaerobic digesters (ADs) have been promoted as a waste-to-energy strategy that can provide sanitation and clean energy co-benefits. However, little empirical evidence is available regarding the performance of such systems in field conditions. This study assesses the wastewater treatment efficiency, energy production, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and financial costs and benefits of communal ADs used for domestic wastewater treatment in Zambia. Primary data on the technical performance of 15 ADs were collected over a 6-month period and in-person interviews were conducted with heads of 120 households. Findings from this study suggest that ADs offer comparable wastewater treatment efficiencies and greater GHG emission reduction benefits relative to conventional septic tanks (STs), with the greatest benefits in settings with reliable access to water, use of low efficiency solid fuels and with sufficient demand for biogas in proximity to supply. However, absent a mechanism to monetize additional benefits from biogas recovery, ADs in this context will not be a financially attractive investment relative to STs. Our financial analysis suggests that, under the conditions in this study, a carbon price of US$9 to $28 per tCO₂e is necessary for positive investment in ADs relative to STs. Findings from this study contribute empirical evidence on ADs as a sanitation and clean energy strategy, identify conditions under which the greatest benefits are likely to accrue and inform international climate efforts on the carbon price required to attract investment in emissions reduction projects such as ADs.

Postdoctoral opportunity

Postdoctoral Associate position
Infrastructure financing in low- and middle-income countries

The Stanford Program on Water, Health & Development seeks a motivated, independent researcher to contribute to the design and execution of applied research on the sources, models, and impacts of funding and financing for infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries. The position will be based at Stanford University, and will be supervised by Prof. Jenna Davis (Director, Stanford Program on Water, Health & Development) and Dr. Ashby Monk (Executive Director of Stanford's Global Projects Center).

The Program on Water, Health & Development was created in 2011 to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations among Stanford researchers working on these issues in low- and middle-income countries. Our goals are to strengthen the scientific basis for decision-making in the water and sanitation sector; enhance capacity within developing countries for sustainable water supply and wastewater management; provide unique training and learning opportunities for faculty and students at Stanford and partner institutions; and improve the health and well-being of households in some of the world’s poorest countries. The Global Projects Center is an interdisciplinary research center that advances understanding of the financing, development, and governance of critical infrastructure worldwide.

Responsibilities
The Postdoctoral Associate will be responsible for co-designing and leading applied research related to water and energy infrastructure financing in low- and middle-income countries, with particular emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. Early-stage research objectives include assessing risk profiles, information asymmetries, and business processes that underlie public, private, and philanthropic financing decisions, and how particular financing strategies shape outcomes for both institutional development and service delivery. The results of this work will form the basis for designing and testing innovative financing mechanisms, in partnership with our network of funding and practitioner organizations.

The initial appointment has a duration of 12 months, with the potential for extension contingent on performance. The Postdoctoral Associate will also have the opportunity to pursue additional partnerships and research ideas through the Program on Water, Health & Development, Global Projects Center, and their partners.

Required qualifications:

PhD in finance, economics, public policy, political science, planning or a related field. Relevant research and/or professional experience in low- and middle-income countries. Interest in applied research that informs decision-making and program design. Demonstrated excellence in written and oral communication skills. Ability to synthesize research findings for diverse audiences, including non-academic audiences.

Preferred qualifications:

Experience with designing and conducting case-based research, including comparative case analysis. Familiarity/experience with quasi-experimental research designs. Experience with/interest in the design and/or governance of financial organizations, particularly those invested in low- and middle-income countries.

On-the-ground experience in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as some background in water sector investment, are helpful but not required.

To apply:

Please submit the following materials in a single zip file to jnocon@stanford.edu. Please include WHD POSTDOC in the subject of your message.

    - A CV of no more than 5 pages

    - 1000-word summary of your relevant research experience and interest in the position

    - A sample of published research

    - Optional: A sample of writing authored specifically for non-academic audiences

Stanford University is committed to equal opportunity in employment, and we are especially eager to identify qualified minority and women applicants. More information on the Program on Water, Health & Development can be found at water.stanford.edu. More information on the Global Projects Center can be found at gpc.stanford.edu.

World Toilet Day: Not just butts on toilets

Raising awareness about the plight of the 2.4 billion people without a toilet is certainly a worthy cause. Lack of access to sanitation facilities is an affront to human dignity. It also creates a major public health risk of diarrheal diseases that kill about 1,300 children a day in the developing world.

The good news is the death rate from diarrheal diseases almost halved between 2000 and 2015. Does this mean that efforts to expand access to toilets – efforts promoted by events like World Toilet Day (Nov. 19) – are saving lives? The answer is yes and no.

Parallel developments such as the introduction of rotavirus vaccination, better and quicker care for those suffering from diarrheal illness, and nutritional gains for children in some regions have helped. At the same time, access to toilets is critical for capturing human waste that can carry disease-causing micro-organisms, thus reducing the risk that others in the community will be infected. Californians were reminded of this fact by the recent hepatitis A outbreak, which emerged in communities that lack access to housing and sanitation facilities.

Equally important for public health protection, however, is the transport and treatment of toilet waste before it is discharged into the environment. A recent UN report estimates that roughly 80% of global urban wastewater is released without treatment. The World Bank’s Water & Sanitation Program has helped to make that broad statistic more visible at the local level with its municipal “shit flow diagram” project. In the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, for example, 99% of the 15 million inhabitants have access to a toilet—but only 2% of human waste is adequately treated before being dumped into surface water bodies nearby. As a result, this low-lying, flood-prone megacity is continually coated in sewage.

Shifting international attention from the provision of toilets to ensuring safe management of human wastes is starting to happen. A few years ago I served on a technical working group convened by UNICEF and the World Health Organization that was tasked with developing recommendations for the new UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on sanitation. Along with several other colleagues on the team, I felt strongly that waste management—and not simply ‘butts on toilets’—had to be given priority within the new targets.

Our efforts were successful. The SDG target 6.2 is to ensure universal access to safely managed sanitation service by 2030. A household’s access is defined not simply by whether they have a toilet, but whether they have a sanitation service that includes safe storage, transport and adequate treatment of waste. The shift in definition has also drawn attention to the much larger gap in human waste management as compared to toilet access. In 2015, 68% of the world’s population had access to a toilet of reasonably good quality, but only 39% had safely managed sanitation.

Identifying political, financial, social, and technical strategies to bring safely managed sanitation service to the 4.4 billion people without it is a mammoth task. Efforts such as container-based sanitation can target hard-to-reach communities, and advancing the science and engineering for resource recovery from wastewater can help improve the economics of sanitation services. Ultimately, it is these beyond-the-toilet efforts that must be stepped up in order to make definitive progress against the burden of diarrheal disease.

New paper on taste/odor considerations in chlorine disinfection

Congratulations to Yoshika Crider on a useful investigation! Note that Elsevier is making this paper available free of charge through 10 November 2017 at this link.

Can you taste it? Taste detection and acceptability thresholds for chlorine residual in drinking water in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Yoshika Crider, Sonia Sultana, Leanne Unicomb, Jennifer Davis, Stephen P. Luby, Amy J. Pickering

Abstract

Chlorination is a low-cost, effective method for drinking water treatment, but aversion to the taste or smell of chlorinated water can limit use of chlorine treatment products. Forced choice triangle tests were used to evaluate chlorine detection and acceptability thresholds for two common types of chlorine among adults in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where previous studies have found low sustained uptake of chlorine water treatment products. The median detection threshold was 0.70 mg/L (n = 25, SD = 0.57) for water dosed with liquid sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and 0.73 mg/L (n = 25, SD = 0.83) for water dosed with solid sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC). Median acceptability thresholds (based on user report) were 1.16 mg/L (SD = 0.70) for NaOCl and 1.26 mg/L (SD = 0.67) for NaDCC. There was no significant difference in detection or acceptability thresholds for dosing with NaOCl versus NaDCC. Although users are willing to accept treated water in which they can detect the taste of chlorine, their acceptability limit is well below the 2.0 mg/L that chlorine water treatment products are often designed to dose. For some settings, reducing dose may increase adoption of chlorinated water while still providing effective disinfection.

Water Security journal launch August 29th

Attending SIWI World Water Week in Stockholm?  

Please join us to mark the launch of a new journal, Water Security, and attend a showcase panel session on sanitation and health. 

Professor Joan B. Rose (Michigan State University) will talk about her research as well as the opportunities and challenges of connecting research with practice.

Mr. Michael Markus (Orange County Water District) will reflect on collaborations with researchers in his role as General Manager of the Orange County Water District, winner of the 2008 Stockholm  Industry Water Award.

Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, August 29, 5:00

Room NL 253, City Conference Center

Kenya leading with CBS-friendy sanitation policy innovation

Based on their experience with Sanergy, Sanivation, and other container-based sanitation service providers, Kenya’s new Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene Policy has recognized CBS as an 'improved' sanitation option.

Under what conditions can CBS services address  perennial challenges of serving low-income households, such as high and ‘lumpy’ costs, low rates of home ownership, space constraints, and low demand for waste treatment? These open-access papers include discussions of these questions, and also present findings from our collaboration with the Haitian NGO, SOIL, on a new CBS service in Cap Haitien:

S.Tilmans etal.2015. Environment and Urbanization 27(1).

K. Russel et al. 2015.Environment and Urbanization 27(2).

 

Congratulations to Joan Rose!

Congratulations to Professor Joan Rose of Michigan State University, who has been named the 2016 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for her contributions to "assessing risks to humans from water and creating guidelines and tools for decision-makers and communities to improve global wellbeing."
For more information on Prof. Rose's work, see this news release by the Stockholm International Water Institute.

Container-based sanitation webinar on March 17!

Learn more about the role that container-based sanitation (CBS) can play in expanding safe, affordable sanitation services to low-income urban communities in a webinar organized by the Water, Health and Development Program at Stanford University.

A panel of experts working in Haiti, Kenya, and Ghana will discuss their experiences with this innovative approach to safely managing human waste. The webinar will introduce the CBS concept, present case studies, and offer a moderated Q&A session. More information is available here; please register for the webinar here!

 

 

The friendly skies

Resource recovery comes to aviation: Fulcrum Bioenergy is refining jet fuel from municipal solid waste (but not fecal sludge)!

Farm Waste and Animal Fats Will Help Power a United Jet

By JAD MOUAWAD and DIANE CARDWELL

JUNE 30, 2015

New York Times 

 

CH2M wins Stockholm Industry Water Award

Passionate advocate for water reuse wins 2015 Stockholm Industry Water Award

Stockholm (09 June 2015) – CH2M, a Colorado-based global service and engineering company, has been named the winner of the 2015 Stockholm Industry Water Award, for developing and advancing methods to clean water, and increasing public acceptance of recycled water.

“CH2M has long recognized that our global community cannot afford to use water once and dispose of it—fresh water sources are too precious and growing more scarce. We are proud to receive the 2015 Stockholm Industry Award for our leadership in the evolution and acceptance of purifying wastewater effluent to create drinking water,” said Greg McIntyre, CH2M Global Water Business Group President.
CH2M has invented, implemented and refined methods for cleaning used water back to drinking water quality. But, since this water is only valuable if people actually use it, the firm has put significant and successful effort into building public understanding and acceptance. They pioneered the application of social science research to better understand the underlying reasons for why people reject the notion of reuse and what might be done to change that mindset. This research, combined with demonstrations, education and transparency has dispelled myths around use of treated wastewater and paved the way for a surge in interest in and acceptance of potable reuse.
“Our planet does not hold any enormous, unknown sources of fresh water. We have to live with what we have. With growing populations and more unreliable precipitation patterns, it is essential to increase our reuse of water in the future,” says SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren, and adds: “CH2M has understood this. In working for public acceptance of drinking treated wastewater, they have taken a step beyond engineering, and shown impressive commitment to wise water management.”
“Through rigorous testing and analysis of both technical processes and societal perceptions, CH2M has created the opportunity to close the urban water loop,” states the Award Committee in their citation.
CH2M’s first notable success in wastewater recycling came in the 1960s, when CH2M pioneered the third, advanced stage of effluent treatment by successfully removing excess phosphorous, nitrogen and trace metals, restoring the used water of the South Tahoe Public Utility to pristine purity. Through a series of improvements, tests and large-scale implementation, the technology of treating used water back to drinking water quality was further refined to increase reliability, efficiency, and sustainability.
In the 1970s, CH2M designed the world’s first surface water indirect potable reuse plant, improving the water quality for more than one million people in northern Virginia—raising the bar for cost-effective wastewater treatment.
“CH2M was founded out of a deep belief that engineering technology could make the world a better place. While technological innovation is an important part of our contribution to water reuse, many of the pivotal water reuse milestones would not have been built if the public had not accepted them. Through technology and innovative public education tools, we will continue to contribute to a more sustainable water future,” said Brock McEwen, CH2M’s Global Water Technology Director.
CH2M continued to evolve water reuse practices and in the early 2000s worked with Singapore’s national water agency, to not only prove the safety of potable reuse, but to win public acceptance with the country’s NEWater project. By combining state-of-the-art technology and public education tools, unprecedented public acceptance of water reuse was achieved.
“In a rapidly urbanizing world where the vast majority of sewage spills untreated out into the environment, the transformative technologies and strategic communication of this year’s SIWA winner has provided a significant step towards future water security of cities.” the Award Committee concludes.

SIWA – recognizing water excellence in the business world
The Stockholm Industry Water Award (SIWA) was established in 2000 to stimulate and celebrate outstanding and transformative water achievements by companies in improving production, managing risks, finding solutions and contributing to wise water management. The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) were partners in establishing the award, which is also supported by International Water Association (IWA) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

 

New paper on container-based sanitation

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we have been able to publish this as an open-access article! Feel free to disseminate.

Container-based sanitation: Assessing costs and effectiveness of excreta management in Cap Haitien, Haiti

Sebastien Tilmans, Kory Russel, Rachel Sklar, Leah Page, Sasha Kramer, Jennifer Davis

1. doi: 10.1177/0956247815572746Environment and Urbanization April 2015 vol. 27 no. 1 89-104
   

   Abstract

   Container-based sanitation (CBS) – in which wastes are captured in sealable containers that are then transported to treatment facilities – is an alternative sanitation option in urban areas where on-site sanitation and sewerage are infeasible. This paper presents the results of a pilot household CBS service in Cap Haitien, Haiti. We quantify the excreta generated weekly in a dense urban slum,⁽¹⁾ the proportion safely removed via container-based public and household toilets, and the costs associated with these systems. The CBS service yielded an approximately 3.5-fold decrease in the unmanaged share of faeces produced, and nearly eliminated the reported use of open defecation and “flying toilets” among service recipients. The costs of this pilot small-scale service were higher than those of large-scale waterborne sewerage, but economies of scale have the potential to reduce CBS costs over time. The paper concludes with a discussion of planning and policy implications of incorporating CBS into the menu of sanitation options for rapidly growing cities.

Want to pass the Water for the World Act?

The Water for the World Act has now passed both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

 

The next step in both the Senate and the House is to bring it up for a full floor vote, then send it to President Obama's desk for signature.

 

There are a very few days remaining in this session of the U.S. Congress, however. Some sector specialists fear that the bill will die if it doesn’t pass both the House and the Senate in the next few working days.

If you want to help advocate for the passage of the Water for the World Act, you can:

1) Contact your Representative and each of your Senators. Ask them to support the bill, and to bring it to the floor of the House/Senate for a vote. You can find contact information for your representative and senators here: https://www.congress.gov/members

2) Forward this message to others 

A copy of the Senate version of the Act can be found here: 

Senate Version – Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014 (S. 2946)

 

Talking points about the Act that were prepared by the NGO Water Advocates can be found here:

Key Messages – Water for the World Act

 

Congratulations to the re.source, winners of a 2014 US Environmental Protection Agency P3 award!

In many of the world’s overcrowded urban slums, residents must choose between open defecation, crowded public toilets or expensive private pit latrines that can't be emptied safely. A Stanford team working on a sustainable solution recently won a $15,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the opportunity to compete for up to $75,000. See the full story here.

Congratulations to the Lotus Water team, winners of the 2014 Reed Elsevier WASH Alliance Prize!

The WASH Alliance prize of $15,000 was awarded to the Stanford Program on Water, Health and Development. Researchers have designed a community-scale, fully automated chlorine dosing device for shared water points in low-income urban settings that requires neither reliable electricity nor 24/7 supply to function consistently. Support from the Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge will allow them to be able to construct, install and maintain 150 devices serving 10,000 people in Dhaka, Bangladesh. These installation sites will be used to evaluate health impacts and test the viability of different potential business models.

See the Lotus Water website for more information about this ambitious project!

Forbes article on sanitation "software" vs. "hardware"

"Why a toilet alone won't do the job" -- Jessica Altenberger
Our own re.source is mentioned toward the end of the piece!

Sustainable Development Goals: Proposed stand-alone goal for water & sanitation, refining indicators

Global targets related to water and sanitation access were comprised within Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7 of "ensuring environmental sustainability." For the post-2015 period, a more focused goal of "ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all" was proposed on July 19. The text of this goal and associated targets in the current proposal is:


Proposed goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1 by 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.2 by 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.3 by 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse by x% globally
6.4 by 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity, and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
6.5 by 2030 implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.6 by 2020 protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
6.a by 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water and sanitation related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
6.b support and strengthen the participation of local communities for improving water and sanitation management

(The complete proposal can be found here.)

These goals and targets will undergo further revision in the months ahead. Equally important is the finalization of associated definitions and indicators for monitoring during the SDG period. What do we mean by "adequate and equitable sanitation," "untreated wastewater," and "sustainable withdrawals"? How should these ideas be measured for global monitoring? The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) recently released a draft report outlining proposed indicators for the 17 SDG targets under consideration, but it has lots of "to be determined" placeholders, particularly regarding industrial waste discharges, wastewater/biosolids re-use, and water resources management.

The good news is that the debate over definitions and indicators is happening now, before the launch of the SDG period on January 1, 2016. As SDSN Executive Director Guido Schmidt-Traub noted in a recent blog post, the indicators used to monitor progress toward the MDGs were finalized several years after the adoption of the goals. Let's hope that the WASH community can agree on targets, indicators, and definitions that are both ambitious yet practical and useful for decision-makers.