Circular Water Management: A framework for the transition

Course Overview

Author: Dr. Hernan Ruiz Ocampo

This course examines the natural water cycle, demonstrating how human activities create a linear approach in the water industry by treating water as a single-use entity. The principles explored in this course relate to those proposed by the Ellen McArthur Foundation adapted to the water sector:

• Design water utilities out of waste and reduce pollution.

• Keep products and materials from water and wastewater in use.

• Regenerate natural systems adapted to the water sector.

These principles intersect with the water sector at three levels–micro, meso, and macro to engage and create specific focus topics divided into technologies & processes, implementation, and water management.

This course offers a Circular Economy water framework that aims to set up the shift from a linear to a circular approach, allowing us to define better strategies for a successful change to the Circular Economy.

The course also outlines the vast possibilities for the water industry’s future––including implementing innovative water technologies that transform water utilities into smart assets. Emerging ideas and technology make it possible to remove pollutants from water, meaning that water reuse, recycling, and resource recovery could become our new regular.