Water reuse: Overview of current practices and trends in the world with emphasis on EU states

2014

Description

Water reuse has been practiced for over 5000 years; however, during the last 100 years efforts have been made in many regions of the world, for the production of high quality reused water, following strict quality guidelines. Technological advances are now permitting the production of reclaimed water suitable for direct potable pipe to pipe applications. In developed areas with intense water scarcity, water reuse is currently practiced in an efficient way. Such places include Southern USA (primarily, California, Florida, Texas and Arizona), Australia, Singapore, Israel and countries in the Persian Gulf. In Europe, there is a significant variation between the North and the South, with respect to water scarcity, and respectfully with water reuse applications. The states of Southern Europe (with the exception of Malta) have enforced regulations for safe water reuse, to encourage this practice. In some cases, however, (like in Italy and in Hellas), unjustifiable strict regulations may achieve the opposite, due to the difficulty and high cost in monitoring reused water quality. The EU Commission has recently organized a working group to assess the issue at the European level, aiming to establish European quality criteria for water reuse. It is expected that by the end of 2015, a uniform EU strategy on water reuse will be proposed. It is expected that water reuse may contribute in saving of over 30% of total water used, especially in some water deficient regions, with projection for further increase, as more and more wastewater is conveyed to wastewater treatment plants. The present article aims to present an overview on water reuse status worldwide, with emphasis on Europe. It is expected that controlled water reuse will prevail, as more countries will establish quality criteria.

Water Utility Journal volume 8 pages 67-78

http://www.ewra.net/wuj/pdf/WUJ_2014_08_07.pdf

Cited by chapter 6, and usgcrp-climate-human-health-assessment-2016. (reference: 21563247)