Efficiency and sustainability of soil-aquifer treatment for indirect potable reuse of reclaimed water.

Abstract

An increasing number of municipalities are considering the indirect reuse of treated wastewater (recycled water) by groundwater recharge as a feasible option to augment potable water supplies. This planned approach offers several advantages compared to the conventional way of discharging effluents into surface waters, including the additional treatment afforded as the water percolates and co-mingles with groundwater (soil aquifer treatment). While groundwater recharge has been used in the United States (U.S.) for several decades and has been the subject of a number of studies, limitations in methodology and testing have prevented many within the scientific and technical community from being able to fully address a number of complex public health questions related to organic chemicals, nitrogen and microorganisms. Ongoing research being conducted in Arizona and California is directed at reducing the uncertainties about the efficiency and sustainability of soil aquifer treatment for indirect potable reuse of recycled water.