Potential impact of onsite urban greywater reuse on the water-energy nexus of the Las Vegas Valley

Natural resources such as water and energy are critical for the function of urban systems and economic growth. However, these sectors have historically been managed separately, isolated from the influence of other sectors and sub-systems. The concept of urban nexuses in resource management has gained popularity in recent decades, highlighting the interactions between highly interlinked urban sectors. Research regarding the influence of social systems on resource management has also increased in recent years, but despite the growing popularity and relevance of these concepts in the face of climate change effects, their integration in resource management and infrastructure development is still limited. More research is needed regarding these interactions and their impacts on the availability of critical resources, especially within a local context. Micronet water infrastructure (MWI) is a relatively new concept that has been suggested as a possible strategy for developing urban water systems that are resilient to the effects of climate change. The objective of this research is to determine if MWI could feasibly be implemented in the context of the Las Vegas Valley (LVV) region of southern Nevada, and if so, how this would impact the water-energy nexus (WEN) of the valley. To do this, the technical, economic, and governmental conditions of the valley were investigated to determine what type, at what scale, and where residential MWI could feasibly be implemented in the LVV, and assuming this was completed, the potential impacts of this project on the WEN of the valley was analyzed. Document analysis and review of available literature was the main methodology used to gather and evaluate data for this research. Installing MWI was found to potentially have a more favorable impact on the WEN of the valley when compared with connecting additional homes to the centralized wastewater system. However, this analysis identified governmental conditions in the valley that constrain the feasibility of implementing residential MWI to supplement the centralized wastewater collection system. These results suggest the existence of a financial and structural “lock-in” of the valley’s water infrastructure system, which could contribute to increased vulnerability of the region’s water supply to the effects of climate change. More research is needed regarding how contextual factors and management decisions impact the availability of critical resources, and the development of strategies for identification and remediation of locked-in infrastructure systems will be critical for reducing the vulnerability of these systems to climate change.