Maximizing the Benefits of Reclaimed Water for Irrigating the Landscape and Protecting the Environment

Abstract

Reclaimed water is water that has been treated in municipal wastewater facilities and is safe to use for designated purposes, including residential landscape irrigation. “Water reuse” is the term used to describe the beneficial application of reclaimed water. Approximately 663 million gallons of reclaimed water are used daily in Florida. Florida is a national leader in using reclaimed water, and in 2006 Florida’s reuse program received the first U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Water Efficiency Leader Award. Using reclaimed water in Florida meets a state objective for conserving freshwater supplies, and preserves the water quality of rivers, streams, lakes, and aquifers. This publication discusses the benefits of using reclaimed water to irrigate the landscape and explains how using reclaimed water helps to protect the environment. This 4-page fact sheet was written by George Hochmuth, Laurie Trenholm, Don Rainey, Esen Momol, Claire Lewis, and Brian Niemann, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, November 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss587

[FE1091] Regulations Governing the Usage of Reclaimed Water as an Alternative Water Source for Agricultural Irrigation in Florida

“…The concentration of nutrients in reclaimed water vary from utility to utility, but it is almost always higher than that in freshwater. Excessive irrigation with reclaimed water, combined with fertilizer application, can lead to nutrients escaping from the root zone and impacting the quality of surface or groundwater (Martinez et al 2011;Hochmuth et al 2016).…”

Water Use in the Landscape: A Comparison of Water Quality and Irrigation Technologies on Behavior

“…Reclaimed water is generally viewed by water utilities and environmental regulatory agencies as a “green” alternative to potable water because it lowers the amount of effluent released into the watershed by wastewater treatment facilities and can help conserve communities' potable water supplies (Hochmuth et al., 2013). Empirical work related to green goods is often concerned with the consumer behavior and their motivation to purchase these impure public goods.…”