Institute for the Study of Societal Issues

Wastewater planning adversely impacts disadvantaged communities in many U.S. cities. Utilities use Triple Bottom Line (TBL) tools to try to achieve sustainability goals, but these plans often fall short in their pursuit of social justice. This paper shows the process, potential, and limitations of a TBL approach for environmental justice using the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s wastewater plan as a case study. It finds that ongoing wariness about how planners use the TBL is merited: use of the tool does not necessarily lead to social justice. Yet actors did use the ideal of sustainability as a strategic opportunity to pursue equity goals.