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<br /> <br />Water recycling, however, is not without its <br />drawbacks. The need for treatment facilities and a <br />delivery system separate from the potable supply <br />can create high costs - a deterrent for developing a <br />recycling program if a less expensive source of <br />water is available. Water quality can be an issue. <br />Recycled water, if highly saline, can damage salt- <br />sensitive crops, landscape plants or groundwater <br />basins. Additionally, while the supply of recycled <br />water is continuous, some demands like landscape <br />irrigation, are seasonal. Moreover, questions arise <br />over what to do with unused supplies of recycled <br />water (particularly during wet months) when effluent <br />discharges are limited by law. <br /> <br />Public perception has proven to be another obstacle <br />for recycled water. Despite general acceptance of <br />non-potable uses of recycled water, concerns have <br />been raised by some over indirect potable uses, such <br />as adding recycled water to groundwater or other <br />surface water supplies. Some water users believe <br />that although current filtration technology can <br />eliminate known chemicals and pathogens, contami. <br />nation by unidentified chemicals and pathogens <br />remains a possibility. Compounding the problem is <br />the so-called "yuck factor." How the public perceives <br />converting wastewater into potable water has proven <br />a stumbling block in some instances. A plan to <br />develop a water recycling program in San Diego for <br />potable reuse was shelved in 1999 after public <br />opposition (see page 10). Understandably, public out- <br /> <br />". <br /> <br />~~', <br />~. <br /> <br />reach and communication have become a crucial <br />link to gain public acceptance of recycled water use. <br /> <br />It is important to note that most surface water <br />supplies already contain amounts of treated waste- <br />water. For example, the Sacramento and San <br />Joaquin rivers - that converge in the Delta - already <br />have numerous secondary-treated effluent <br />discharges. During the summer months, about <br />80 percent of the San Joaquin River is agricultural <br />discharges. The same holds true for other water- <br />ways around the state. These waters, after treatment, <br />meet Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements <br />before being piped to the consumer as potable <br />water. <br /> <br />One thing is for certain: water recycling is here to <br />stay. In 1995,485,000 acre-feet of municipal waste- <br />water were recycled annually in California. (An acre- <br />foot is about 326,000 gallons or enough water to fill <br />a football fieid to a depth of one-foot.) The state is <br />expected to reclaim and reuse 1 million acre-feet <br />annually by 2010, with numbers continuing to grow <br />into the millennium. <br /> <br />Using recycled water am <br />help provide a drought <br />resistant supply of water. <br />a limitation exemplified <br />by this /99/ picture of <br />Lake Oroville during the <br />/987-/992 drought. <br /> <br />This Layperson's Guide, part of a continuing series <br />published by the Water Education Foundation, <br />provides an overview of the major issues in water <br />recycling. It includes discussions of the process, <br />history, legislation, public perception, quality, costs <br />and examples of water recycling projects. <br /> <br />t ..r'~Y~.'. ~-. <br />. .. ." .."::::Z- .~. .<, _ <br />- <br />