Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater

Expanding water reuse--the use of treated wastewater for beneficial purposes including irrigation, industrial uses, and drinking water augmentation--could significantly increase the nation's total available water resources. Water Reuse presents a portfolio of treatment options available to mitigate water quality issues in reclaimed water along with new analysis suggesting that the risk of exposure to certain microbial and chemical contaminants from drinking reclaimed water does not appear to be any higher than the risk experienced in at least some current drinking water treatment systems, and may be orders of magnitude lower. This report recommends adjustments to the federal regulatory framework that could enhance public health protection for both planned and unplanned (or de facto) reuse and increase public confidence in water reuse.

--

Table of Contents:

Select a link below to start reading online free!

Front Matter i-xiii

SUMMARY 1-10 (skim)

1 A New Era of Water Management 11-26 (skim)

2 Current State of Water Reuse 27-72 (skim)

3 Water Quality 73-89 (skim)

4 Wastewater Reclamation Technology 90-115 (skim)

5 Ensuring Water Quality in Water Reclamation 116-132 (skim)

6 Understanding the Risks 133-160 (skim)

7 Evaluating the Risks of Potable Reuse in Context 161-173 (skim)

8 Ecological Enhancement via Water Reuse 174-187 (skim)

9 Costs 188-214 (skim)

10 Social, Legal, and Regulatory Issues and Opportunities 215-249 (skim)

11 Research Needs 250-262 (skim)

References 263-308 (skim)

Acronyms 309-312 (skim)

Appendix A Details in Support of the Risk Exemplar in Chapter 6 313-334 (skim)

Appendix B Computation of Average Daily Dose 335-336 (skim)

Appendix C Survey of Water Reclamation Costs 337-343 (skim)

Appendix D Water Science and Technology Board 344-344 (skim)

Appendix E Biographical Sketches of Committee Members 345-349 (skim)