Water Reuse and Recycling in the West: The History and Evolution of the Title XVI Program
The Title XVI program was legislatively initiated in 1992 as a program within the Department of the Interior to provide for support in the development of water reuse and recycling in the 17 western United States. Since 2000 the western united states has been in an ever increasing drought that has significantly reduced the supply of historical surface water transported to distant cities. The likelihood for continued water challenges has forced cities and municipalities to look for ways to expand their water portfolios in order to provide dependable and sustainable water supplies to the public and to industries. Water reuse and recycling has emerged as a program that can provide funding to support water development. The cost of recycled water compared to traditional water development approaches is near parity and increasingly will be important to maintaining water security.
