Reclaimed water
Reclaimed water is wastewater (sewage) that has been highly treated and purified, and is as clean as (or more commonly, cleaner than) standard drinking water. Reclaimed water is frequently used to irrigate golf courses and parks, fill decorative fountains, and fight fires. It can also be used to irrigate crops, as long as they will be peeled or boiled before human consumption.
Using reclaimed water has many benefits. It conserves drinking water, is less expensive, and even contains higher levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, which help fertilize plants.
Reclaimed water is not directly mixed with potable (drinking) water, even though it is usually cleaner than drinking water. This is because the extra filtering processes may remove minerals that are present in standard drinking water, and also because humans may face psychological barriers against drinking reclaimed water. Many cities actually ban citizens from drinking, bathing in, or filling swimming pools with reclaimed water, although there are no harmful effects associated with doing so. If you irrigate your lawn or plants with reclaimed water, you should place a sign on your property warning people not to drink from the irrigation system.
On the other hand, many cities are now investigating indirect potable use of reclaimed water. For example, reclaimed water may be pumped into reservoirs where it will mix with (and be diluted by) rainwater. This mixture of rainwater and reclaimed water could then be treated again, and finally used as drinking water.
Many cities, especially those located in drier areas of the United States, make use of reclaimed water. It is distributed to citizens using a network of pipes that is completely separate from potable water pipes. Reclaimed water is always distributed in lavender (light purple) pipes, to distinguish it from potable water. In many cities using it, reclaimed water has such a high demand that citizens are only allowed to use it on assigned days. Some cities that previously offered unlimited reclaimed water at a flat rate are now beginning to charge citizens by the amount they use.
In Singapore, reclaimed water may be labeled NEWater.
Some locations using reclaimed water
- Tucson, Arizona (reclaimed water info)
- Clark County, Nevada (reclaimed water info)
- Clearwater, Florida (reclaimed water info)
- Singapore (see NEWater)