Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
Ecosystem Service Logic Model

Wastewater Management – Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades

Geographic Context
Project Type
Wastewater treatment plant - USGS

Wastewater treatment plants are offsite, centralized systems meant to remove toxins, pathogens, organic material, and more from sewage and wastewater coming from residential, industrial, and municipal environments.

The remaining water after this treatment process is known as grey water and could potentially be used for services such as crop irrigation and industrial cooling processes. Greywater reuse can increase water productivity and reduce freshwater demand in places where freshwater is not an unlimited resource (which is most places.) To date, there does not appear to be wide-scale implementation of wastewater treatment plants harnessing and supplying municipalities with gray water for reuse.

Outcomes & Metrics

Outcomes for project types may be strongly or weakly linked, or if not labeled as such, not designated. Resilience-linked outcomes are marked with "R."

See all GEMS metrics, including full descriptions. Click on any metric below to jump directly to its details.

Strongly-linked outcomes:

Outcome

Project Metrics

Program Metrics

Outcome:

Economic Activity - Restoration/Intervention (R)

Outcome:

Social Cost of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (R)

Outcome:

Water System Costs - Freshwater Cost

Outcome:

Water System Costs - Wastewater Treatment Costs

Weakly-linked outcomes:

Outcome

Project Metrics

Program Metrics

Outcome:

Human Health - Mental Health & Psychological Well-Being (R)

Outcome:

Human Health - Skin and Respiratory Effects of Toxin Exposure (R)

Outcome:

Human Health - Waterborne Disease (R)

Outcome:

Property Protection & Value - Property Value (R)

Outcome:

Water System Costs - Drinking Water Treatment Costs