Hobbies And Interests
Irrigation and Drinking Water
Recycled water is most frequently used for irrigation of agricultural or municipal lands. Other possible uses include cooling of electric plants, industrial processing, mixing concrete, or flushing toilets. Additionally, the recycled water that could be used for irrigation, when further treated -- allowed to rest in a reservoir and then put through reverse osmosis filtering and a disinfection process -- can even be used as drinking water again. The long-term projections for water recycling predict a greater dependence on recycling in arid regions. To facilitate recycling, water used to flush toilets will likely be diverted from less contaminated wastewater in the future. This is already being done in Irvine, Calif., by the Irvine Ranch Water District, according to information obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) website.
Reduced Pressure on Water Sources
Long-term increases in water recycling could reduce human impacts on sensitive aquatic ecosystems. Recycling water reduces drawdown or depletion of underground aquifers, which, in coastal locations, helps prevent salt water from invading and contaminating the freshwater, according to the EPA. It also means that less water is diverted from surface water sources such as rivers and constructed reservoirs. The Colorado River, which has been drying up and is predicted to lose up to 20 percent more of its volume by 2050, according to the 2010 article "The Colorado River Runs Dry" from the Smithsonian Magazine website, is completely consumed before it reaches the ocean, which influences the ecological health of the entire ecosystem. Also, untreated wastewater can cause ecological damage as it is discharged into rivers, estuaries or oceanic environments.
Increased Soil Salinity
Wastewater recycling does have some potential negative long-term consequences, including increasing the salinity of soils where it is used for irrigation. Drinking water has some natural salinity, and water softeners add to the salt content of waste water. When that water is applied as irrigation water, most of the water evaporates or is taken up by plants, leaving the salt behind. Over years, salt can build up in the soil to levels that cannot be tolerated by crops or landscaping plants, making the land unsuitable for growing.
Public Health Concerns
Future development of water recycling also raises some public health concerns. Wastewater contains bacteria such as fecal coliform or salmonella and can also contain harmful chemicals such as pesticides, steroids and other hormones. Bacteria present an immediate risk, but the harm from chemical exposure is often cumulative over the course of years. When recycled water is used for food production or, more importantly, for drinking water, potential contaminants need to be addressed as a part of planning and facility design.