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<br />Page 16
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<br />Closing the Loop
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<br />cooperative efforts," DOHS is, as a result, reviewing and
<br />revising its ten year old wastewater regulation criteria,
<br />The third step is to create a streamlined, accessible regu-
<br />latory process, The use of effluent water has expanded quickly
<br />in Arizona because lbe state has established clear regulatory
<br />aulbority over the use of reclaimed water, Effluent reuse and
<br />recharge are regulated by the Arizona Department of Environ-
<br />mental Quality (DEQ), Pursuant to lbe state Supreme Court's
<br />decision last year inArizona Public Service Co, v, Long, DEQ is
<br />the only state body with jurisdiction over effluent, and its
<br />authority extends only to quality issues, It has created a
<br />straightforward procedure for allowing contracts for the sale or
<br />supply of reclaimed water, For example, having included turf
<br />irrigation among the approved uses for reclaimed water, DEQ
<br />does not review or approve individual contracts for effluent
<br />sales for this purpose.
<br />By contrast, an arrangement between Pleasant Valley
<br />Water County District, in Camarillo, CA, to buy reclaimed
<br />water from the City of Thousand Oaks reveals the complexities
<br />that contracts can encounter when the legal and regulatory
<br />framework is not specified, The City has been discharging
<br />water into Conejo Creek from its Hill Canyon Wastewater
<br />Treatment Plant since 1961, But permits for the sale will be
<br />needed from the State Water Resources Control Board, the
<br />Department of Fisb and Game (concerned over the potential
<br />impact on wildlife), and the Corps of Engineers, In addition,
<br />environmental approval under tbe California Environmental
<br />Quality Act is required, Permission will not be easy to obtain,
<br />In its application to tbe State Water Resources Control Board,
<br />the city is claiming appropriative rights to all the water it
<br />discharges from its treatment plant, but irrigators and water
<br />districts have protested, claiming tbat they have been using the
<br />discharged water for many years,
<br />As the costs of new water supplies rise, the benefits of
<br />reused water will rise proportionately, In fact, as the market
<br />value of reclaimed water rises and as dual distribution systems
<br />extend reused water services to more customers, tbe benefits of
<br />conserving water througb mandatory water conserving plumb-
<br />ing fIXtures will decline, Each gallon saved by a low-flush toilet
<br />is a gallon tbat cannot be used for landscape irrigation, or
<br />groundwater recharge, When toilets are flushed witb gray
<br />water, the benefits of special fIXtures are reduced, The rusb to
<br />mandate plumbing fIXture codes, introduced in Washington,
<br />Texas, and Nevada this year, makes no allowance for the
<br />
<br />possibility of water reuse, and may actually discourage recla-
<br />mation projects,
<br />Financial and regulatory considerations are not the only
<br />factors delaying the development of recycling projects, The
<br />public worries over the potential health risks, In the past, was-
<br />tewater treatment plants have failed to perform as well as
<br />expected--what safety standards protect users against break-
<br />downs? "At this stage in the development of potable water
<br />reuse projects," concludes a water engineer, "a demonstration.
<br />scale plant is required to satisfy regulatory agencies that lbe
<br />recovered water quality is suitable for reuse," For example,
<br />the Denver Water Department has operated a 1 mgd demon-
<br />stration plant for seven years, The project has shown that was-
<br />tewater can be economically treated to equal or even exceed
<br />the water quality of other potable water sources, But even after
<br />a successful demonstration project, state and local govern-
<br />ments may have to market reclamation programs by demon-
<br />strating their economic and environmental benefits to the
<br />public and by winning customer confidence in their ability to
<br />operate reuse programs safely,
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />CONCLUSION
<br />
<br />In most western states, reclaimed water will only meet a
<br />part of growing future demands, But, as many communities
<br />have already demonstrated, it can yield water at lower cost than
<br />many of the alternatives now under serious consideration. If
<br />states take the appropriate steps, they can ensure that re-
<br />claimed water, developed at a reasonable cost, will be an im-
<br />portant part of future municipal water portfolios,
<br />A1tbough reclamation projects are expensive, states
<br />should hesitate before committing extensive state funding,
<br />Communities would be tempted to wait until state funding is
<br />available and will have less incentive to fmd the most efficient
<br />ways of reusing waste water,
<br />Tbe most important role for state governments is to create
<br />a legal and regulatory framework that is comprehensible and
<br />timely, This involves establishing rights to reclaimed water that
<br />can be freely marketed, A large part of the costs of most
<br />projects can be recovered by tbe sale of the effluent. It also
<br />involves reviewing health and safety regulations to ensure tbat
<br />tbeyestablisb clear standards for the use of reclaimed water for
<br />irrigation and even potable use, And it requires streamlining
<br />the approval process so that project sponsors are not tied up for
<br />montbs of permitting before an array of regulatory agencies
<br />each demanding different information and conducting hear-
<br />ings on different time scbedules, 0
<br />
<br />.
<br />
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<br />amounts, terms, use contract provisions, and status of transactions in receiving necasary agency approval. It also reports on key federal agency actions, I[,[I~,
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<br />'ght 1991 by Stratecon, Inc. AU material is protected by copyright and must not be reproduced wiLhout written pcrmisoion rrom the publisher.
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