Understanding the blockages: stakeholder perceptions of greywater reuse in Metro Vancouver.

Greywater reuse – using water from sinks, showers and laundry to flush toilets and irrigate landscapes - is often cited as a management technique with potential to increase the efficiency of urban water use. Yet, in spite of government interest and opportunities for water conservation and environmental protection, only approximately 3% of British Columbia’s total wastewater is being recycled. Understanding the barriers to greywater reuse would aid resource managers in designing better policies and facilitating appropriate implementation. In the present study, Q methodology is used to explore key stakeholder perspectives concerning the presence and relative importance of possible barriers to greywater reuse in Metro Vancouver. Three distinct perspectives (Institutional Reformers, Centralized Managers and Technical Pragmatists) are identified and illustrated. Points of consensus and conflict among the three perspectives are illuminated and used to discern options for approaching the identified barriers.