The availability of water is one of the key elements of urban and rural development. The Western United States has dealt with the problem of inadequate water supply for many years; in recent years the concern over ways to meet the water needs of growing populations and industries has been nationwide. This thesis is built upon the concept that municipal wastewater reuse is an increasingly important option in the development of new water supplies and that there are four identifiable factors which affect the evolution of reuse applications. In opening chapters the nature of wastewater reuse and its applications are reviewed; technological, economic, social acceptance, and legal-institutional issues are discussed as the major factors affecting the use of reclaimed wastewater. The preliminary hypothesis of this thesis is that legal and institutional factors are critical obstacles to the reuse of wastewater in satisfying municipal water demand in the State of Virginia. The objective of this thesis is to explore this preliminary statement and generate some information on the nature of legal and institutional factors in Virginia. The City of Virginia Beach is used as a case study because of the City's active interest in water supply and reuse issues, and because of the availability of information. The State level decision making context within which Virginia localities operate in the areas of water supply and sewage treatment is covered and the institutional and legal issues involved in Virginia Beach's recent reuse proposal are discussed. It is concluded that the hypothesis appears to be supported by the evidence available in Virginia Beach; however, the institutional and legal factors are strongly influenced by State agency perceptions of public health and technological uncertainties in the reuse field. Recommendations for further study are presented in the final pages. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning