The public education and involvement program was an essential part of the water reuse project with strong involvement of the local media. As a results, a numbers of brochures, flyers, articles in the newspapers, TV and radio speeches have been published to convey information to a large number of people.
Community consultation and information were performed by the organisation of forums (public meetings) with broad interest groups including local populations, local entities, municipalities, water utilities, legislative officers from the earliest
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stage of development of water reuse programs. Several workshops have been organised with interest groups to validate proposed technologies, their performances, risks associated, costs and benefits to catchment scale water conservation and sustainable development.
The sustainable development policy was the key issue of public forums and education programs. Water reuse is included as an important element of this strategy as a complementary and cost effective alternative resource to desalination.
The highlights from the discussions on the perception of water reuse during the public forums and workshops are as follows:
Strong support of the local population for the protection of the environment, and in particular the lagoon from wastewater discharge,
Recognition of environmental benefits of water reuse by all stakeholders not only for the protection of the environment, but also for the valorisation of desalted water by its recycling for non-potable purposes,
Understanding of the relevance of the holistic approach for sustainable development including water, waste and energy management with social and economic advantages for the local population.
The role of decision makers
One of the most important keys to the success of the water reuse scheme in Bora Bora was the strong political engagement and motivation of the elected representatives, in particular, the leading role of the mayor Gaston Tong Sang. Periodically, public meetings had been organised to present and explain the policy of integrated resource management respecting the natural environment and integrating the spirit of the unique Polynesian traditional way of life (Figure 10.6). The Water Supply Master Plan for the next ten years includes water reuse as an important element of the integrated resource management strategy.
Health authorities have been included in the public consultations since the beginning of the project and actively participated in the scoping meeting and workshops. The management of water quality and the reliability of operation were the critical factors for the trust of local authorities in the effective risk management. The positive feedback from operation and from large end-users allowed obtaining permits non only for the landscape irrigation, but also for various other non-potable urban uses.
Figure 10.6 View from a scoping meeting on integrated water resource management and water reuse by the mayor of Bora Bora (a) and participant in a water reuse workshop (b).
MilestonesinWaterReuse:TheBestSuccessStories
Public acceptance and involvement
The good acceptance of water reuse and the diversification of water reuse applications were favoured by the trust of stakeholders in the safety of recycled water and the advantages of water recycling. The water reuse scheme and advanced tertiary treatment have been presented and discussed during public and scoping meetings, 3 to 6 times a year.
In particular, public forums organised in the treatment plant were very successful (Figure 10.7). During these meetings, not only major stakeholders were invited, but also different interest groups and the local population.
10.6 CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED
To better preserve public health and overcome all constraints of public perception, a membrane tertiary treatment has been implemented in the tourist Island of Bora Bora for the production of high-quality recycled water. The advanced wastewater treatment using ultrafiltration helped to develop trust in water reuse. Consequently, the demand for recycled water steadily increased during the last few years with a wide diversification of urban uses, not only for irrigation, but also for other urban uses such as cleaning, industrial and commercial uses and fire protection.
The main keys to success for this water reuse scheme were the strong commitment of elected officers and the implementation of adequate public communication and education programmes. The leading role of politicians and the good governance, with the suitable pricing of water services, enabled the achievement of good cost efficiency of water reuse.
The close involvement of local authorities, water professionals, all stakeholders and local population have made it possible to recognize the economic viability of water reuse in Bora Bora and to clearly identify the numerous advantages and benefits. This includes the preservation of the outstanding environment and the release of an equivalent volume of potable water for domestic purposes, local economic development, and a reliable water supply to the local population in case of drought.
The presence of luxury tourism on the Island is not such a source of environmental degradation, as might be expected. On the contrary, thanks to the suitable pricing of water services, which calls for a greater contribution to the hotels, tourism provides funding for high quality public services. This includes highly efficient desalination facilities and water recycling that compensate for the water stress and protect the lagoon, which is the most precious heritage of the Island. The strong effort of the community of Bora Bora for integrated resource management was granted in 2000 with the label “Blue Flag of Europe”, which is the symbol of an exemplary environmental quality.
The main outcomes have been the trust in recycled water and the recognition of the economic and environmental benefits of water reuse with perspectives for new water reuse projects. Following the great success of urban water reuse in Bora Bora, several new water reuse projects with the extension of the existing recycling facility are now under consideration, including the extension of the fire protection network and construction of a new fire reservoir and the construction of a new membrane recycling facility with the production of multi-quality recycled water for golf course irrigation (150 ha) and aquifer recharge (UF/RO treatment facility) for indirect potable reuse.
Figure 10.7 Public forums organised in the water recycling plant.
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The main drivers, benefits and challenges of water reuse in Bora Bora are summarised in the following Table 10.4.
Saving of high quality freshwater water for potable water supply (10% of the water demand).
Safeguard of the lagoon and its biodiversity.
Cost saving for large end users (charge for recycled water 2.5–3.0 times cheaper).
Prevention of revenue loss of building and tourist companies due to potable water use restrictions during droughts (estimated up toE3 to 50 million).
Fast and easier implementation than new
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View of the landscape of the luxury hotels in Bora Bora.
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