Guidelines for water reuse 2012

For decades, communities have been reusing valuable reclaimed water to recharge groundwater aquifers, irrigate landscapes and agricultural fields, provide critical stream flows, and provide industries and facilities with an alternative to potable water for a range of uses. While water reuse is not new, population increases and land use changes, combined with changes in the intensity and dynamics of local climatic weather patterns, have
exacerbated water supply challenges in many areas of the world. Furthermore, treated wastewater is increasingly being seen as a resource rather than simply ‘waste.’ In this context, water reclamation and reuse have taken on increased importance in the water supply of communities in the United States and around the world in order to achieve efficient resource use, ensure protection of environmental and human health, and improve water management. Strict effluent discharge limits have spurred effective and reliable improvements in treatment technologies. Along with a growing interest in more sustainable water supplies, these improvements have led an increasing number of communities to use reclaimed water as an alternative source to conventional water supplies for a range of applications. In some areas of the United States, water reuse and dual water systems for distribution of reclaimed water for nonpotable uses have become fully integrated into local water supplies. Alternative and efficient water supply options, including reclaimed water, are necessary components of holistic and sustainable water management. [authors abstract]