Introduction
Small water systems across rural Nevada face pressure to provide safe and reliable drinking water under increasingly difficult conditions. Aging infrastructure, limited staffing and constrained operating budgets are compounded by climate-related stressors such as frequent, more pervasive droughts, wildfires, flooding from atmospheric river storms, extreme temperatures and power outages. These challenges are particularly significant given that small systems in rural communities make up most public water systems in the U.S., yet often operate under significant operational, institutional and financial constraints. While water reuse has emerged as a potential strategy worldwide to enhance resilience and diversify water supply, reuse adoption remains extremely limited in rural communities in the U.S., including in Nevada.
Water reuse is the process of treating wastewater so it can be safely used again for a variety of purposes, including supplementing drinking water supplies. Two primary potable reuse pathways are recognized: indirect potable reuse, in which treated wastewater is first introduced into an environmental buffer such as a reservoir or aquifer before undergoing additional treatment for drinking water use; and direct potable reuse, in which advanced-treated wastewater is delivered directly to a drinking water treatment plant or distribution system without an environmental buffer. Both approaches are gaining traction nationally, with 15 U.S. states now having potable water reuse policies, though water reuse adoption remains concentrated in larger urban systems.
To better understand the barriers to and opportunities for water reuse adoption in rural Nevada, this Extension publication draws on insights from a study involving small and rural water system operators and managers, and local decision-makers across the state. This publication is part of the Mobile Energy-Water Reuse Systems (MEWRS) project, which seeks to develop and evaluate potable water treatment and reuse technologies designed to improve water resilience in small, rural and Tribal communities. Understanding local perceptions, barriers and opportunities related to water reuse is an important step in ensuring that such technologies align with community needs and operational realities.
Conclusion
Direct and indirect potable water reuse have the potential to improve water security and strengthen water resilience in Nevada’s rural communities; however, adoption remains constrained by a set of interrelated institutional, technical and social barriers. Findings from this study highlight that aging infrastructure, limited financial resources, governance constraints, public perception challenges, technical uncertainty and staffing limitations collectively shape how participants evaluate reuse technologies. These barriers do not operate in isolation; rather, they interact to form a broader system of constraints that influences decision-making in small and rural water systems.
At the same time, a conditional openness expressed by study participants suggests that water reuse is not rejected outright but instead evaluated through a lens of practicality and feasibility. Adoption is more likely when solutions align with the operational realities of rural systems, including limited staffing; constrained budgets; and the need for low-cost, reliable and manageable technologies. This suggests that efforts to promote water reuse must extend beyond technological innovation to include strengthening institutional capacity, supporting governance processes, and engaging communities through targeted education and Extension outreach.
Importantly, the system characteristics and preferences identified in this study align closely with mobile and decentralized reuse technologies currently being developed and tested, such as Mobile Energy-Water Reuse Systems. These systems are designed to be portable, scalable and relatively simple to operate, making them well suited to address water supply disruptions, due to wildfire or floods for example, and to meet the needs of small, rural and resource-constrained communities. By reducing reliance on centralized infrastructure and enabling on-site treatment, mobile systems may offer a practical pathway to overcome several of the barriers identified by participants. They also create opportunities for phased adoption, allowing communities to gradually build familiarity, knowledge, skills, confidence and trust in reuse technologies over time. Overall, advancing water reuse in rural Nevada will require coordinated, context-sensitive approaches that integrate technological innovation with institutional support and targeted community engagement.
