A Manual for Water and Waste Management - World Tourism ...

Given the technical nature of wastewater reuse a wastewater engineer or water
conservation and reuse expert should be hired to:
Identify conveyance and storage requirements for wastewater reclamation and
reuse.
Assess existing treatment infrastructure and the amount of retrofit required to
install a wastewater reclamation system.
Estimate the cost of retrofitting, installation, operation and maintenance by
using cost benefit analysis in order to assess the payback period.
Identify the treatment required to implement the reuse options. Geographic, climatic
and economic factors dictate the appropriate degree and form of wastewater
reclamation.
Check local reuse standards. In many developing countries where standards are
unavailable, World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for microbial and viral
removal requirements can be used. Potential health risks associated with
wastewater reclamation and reuse relate to the extent of direct exposure to
reclaimed water and the adequacy, effectiveness and reliability of the treatment
system. Protection of human health should be a major consideration in a
wastewater reuse program.
Case Study: The Cities of Calvia and Rimini
The city of Calvia in the Balearic Islands in Spain, and the Italian balneary of Rimini on the
Adriatic Sea are both located in the Mediterranean biodiversity conservation hotspot, and
heavily dependent on tourism. Both experienced over-development in tourism facilities and
environmental degradation in the 80s, but faced the challenge with often radical measures.
In the case of Calvia, a Local Agenda 21 process managed by the municipality led to closing
and even implosion of hotels, expansion of sewage systems, landscape renovation and
creation of additional protected areas. The establishment of an environmental levy on hotel
room sales in 2001, with extensive public awareness and marketing campaigns, provided
important resources for environmental management – in spite of significant resistance from
tour operators and tourists.
In Rimini, effluents with high organic content and coastal eutrophization from fertilizers led to
algal blooms and heavy fish mortality in 1985, with ensuing odors and visible pollution
causing occupancy rates to fall around 25%. The tourism industry then led local authorities
to engage agribusinesses to reduce use of fertilizer and hotels to improve wastewater
management. Regular monitoring guaranteed compliance with stricter regulations.
Awareness and marketing campaigns gradually led to image improvement and the tourism
flows were re-established by the end of the decade. The image of both destinations today is
associated with their leading efforts towards sustainable tourism (UNEP, Tourism and Local
Agenda 21, 2003)
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