Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse Research

AbstractWater reclamation is the treatment of wastewater to make it reusable. Water reuse is the beneficial use of the treated water and can serve either nonpotable or potable applications. Nonpotable water reuse includes all water applications other than augmenting drinking water supplies. Nonpotable reuse is occurring as agricultural and landscape irrigation, recreation, wildlife habitat maintenance (stream‐flow augmentation), in‐building applications (such as toilet flushing), industrial cooling, and groundwater recharge. Potable water reuse refers to the use of highly treated reclaimed water to augment drinking water sources. Direct potable reuse, where reclaimed water after advanced treatment is piped directly into the potable water system, is limited to rare cases. For indirect potable reuse, reclaimed water can either be discharged into a surface water or infiltrated into the subsurface to augment, in part, a drinking water supply source. Infiltration into the subsurface can be accomplished by either direct injection into the aquifer or by surface spreading which provides additional soil–aquifer treatment (SAT) when water percolates through the subsurface. The majority of research activities in wastewater reclamation and reuse reflects the main concerns about potable and nonpotable water reuse, such as (1) protection of public health, (2) reliable treatment of wastewater to meet strict water quality requirements for the intended reuse, and (3) gaining public acceptance.