Water Reuse and other
opportunities for
Water will always be an issue
• Increasing populations means increased demand
• Locating new water supplies is increasingly difficult and costly
• Large amounts of energy used to treat and transport water
•
Anyone who can solve the problems of water will be worthy of two Nobel prizesone for peace and one for science.
– John F. Kennedy
Water quantity issues in Wisconsin:
• Concentrated pumping of
groundwater threatens
health of nearby streams.
• Communities have had to
locate alternative sources
of water because of
contamination in existing
aquifers.
• Some communities have
trouble extracting
sufficient groundwater
because of local geologic
conditions.
Water quantity issues in Wisconsin:
• Concentrated pumping of
groundwater threatens
health of nearby streams.
• Communities have had to
locate alternative sources
of water because of
contamination in existing
aquifers.
• Some communities have
trouble extracting
sufficient groundwater
because of local geologic
conditions.
Water quantity issues in Wisconsin:
• Concentrated pumping of
groundwater threatens
health of nearby streams.
• Communities have had to
locate alternative sources
of water because of
contamination in existing
aquifers.
• Some communities have
trouble extracting
sufficient groundwater
because of local geologic
conditions.
Textbook Definitions
• Wastewater – Used water discharged from
homes, businesses, cities, industry and
agriculture.
• Water Reclamation – Treatment or processing of
wastewater to make it reusable with definable
treatment reliability and meeting appropriate
water quality criteria.
• Water Reuse – The use of treated wastewater for
beneficial use, such as agriculture irrigation and
industrial cooling. Or even treating wastewater
for potable reuse.
On-site water reuse
• Most water isn’t consumed; its transformed
from potable water into a variety of lower
grades – almost all treated as wastewater
• On-site Water Reuse - Using the same water to
performing other functions that don’t require
potable water.
• Water quality standards must be met for the
intended use – treatment may be required.
Water reuse in WI
regulated by: Comm 82
• Any plumbing system that
supplies water at an outlet or
at its termination must be
designed to meet or exceed
the minimum water quality
requirements for the use it will
be put to.
Concerns with water reuse:
• Main issues to be
considered are those of
health and hygiene.
• Primarily a plumbing issue –
also a water treatment issue
• When water reuse systems
are properly installed and
maintained the health and
safety concerns are no
greater than from existing
municipal or private water
supplies.
All about identifying inefficiencies
and looking for opportunities.
Water is cheap: why invest in water
reuse?
• Downsizing private on-site wastewater
treatment systems
• Supplement water supply in groundwater
deficient regions
• Promoting greater efficiency of the existing
water supply. Water reuse helps save money
by minimizing or eliminating the need for
further expansion of the water supply or
wastewater treatment infrastructure.
Additional reasons Wisconsin should
care about water efficiency?
• It helps to ensure clean and
abundant ground and surface
water supplies for future
generations.
• It protects sensitive springs, lakes,
and streams that may be
negatively affected by water
withdrawals
• It reduces the volume of
wastewater requiring treatment
• Collecting and using rainwater can
help to reduce the impact of
sudden stormwater flowing into
our lakes, rivers and streams.
Separating the waste streams
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