Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2008 - (Page 29) ©www.istockphoto.com/Amy Stebbins Strategies Report (1), which is available on the Web site, also contains a summary of the Water Reuse Program. According to DEP sources, water reuse has become an integral part of wastewater management and water resource management in Florida. During the past 15 years, Florida has become a national leader (along with California) in water reuse. Approximately 584 million gallons per day (MGD) of reclaimed water were reused for beneficial purposes in Florida in 2002 (2). As shown in Figure 1, the total reuse capacity of Florida’s domestic wastewater treatment facilities has increased from 362 MGD in 1986 to 1,162 MGD in 2002. The current reuse capacity represents about 52 percent of the total permitted domestic wastewater treatment capacity in Florida (2). The DEP reports that in 2002, reclaimed water from these reuse systems was used to irrigate 140,987 residences, 426 golf courses, 436 parks and 212 schools (2). Irrigation of these areas accessible to the public represented about 46 percent of the 584 MGD of reclaimed water reused. Figure 2 shows the distribution of reclaimed water by reuse types in Florida. While Florida has been remarkably successful in implementing water reuse, work remains to be done in this area. As reported in the 2002 Reuse Inventory (2), Florida disposed of more than 900 MGD of wastewater effluent using deepinjection wells, ocean outfalls and other surface water discharges. This represents a waste of a potentially valuable water resource. Where technically, environmentally and economically feasible, this effluent should be reclaimed and reused for beneficial purposes, the DEP reports. According to Williams, the Water Conservation Initiative represented a comprehensive evaluation of Florida’s water-supply issues. And DEP sources indicate that water reuse figured prominently in these deliberations and resulted in the publication of the Reuse Strategy Report – a DEP document that presents a detailed summary of Florida’s Water Reuse Program and names 16 major FIGURE 2. DEP: USE OF RECLAIMED WATER IN FLORIDA strategies for refi ning the program to enable more efficient and effective use of reclaimed water to conserve water and augment available water supplies. The report introduces the terms “potable quality water offset” (a measure of the amount of water saved by the use of reclaimed water) and “recharge fraction” (the fraction of reclaimed water used that effectively recharges available water supplies). The efficiency and desirability of a range of reuse activities are presented based on anticipated offsets and recharge fractions. The following are included among the 16 recommended strategies by the Florida DEP: Strategy 1 Encourage metering and volume-based rate structures for water reuse programs. Strategy 2 Implement viable funding programs for reuse projects. Strategy 3 Facilitate seasonal reclaimed water storage (including aquifer storage and recovery). Strategy 4 Encourage the use of reclaimed water in lieu of other water sources in the agricultural irrigation, landscape irrigation, industrial/commercial/ institutional and indoor water-use sectors. Strategy 7 Encourage ground water recharge and indirect potable reuse (activities with high recharge fractions). Strategy 8 Discourage effluent disposal (except as a backup for reuse projects). Strategy 10 Encourage water reuse in southeastern Florida. Williams says the 16 strategies framed in the Strategy Report (3) are designed to move Florida toward an “era of enlightenment” in water reuse – an age of efficient and effective use of reclaimed water – an age in which water reuse will play an increasingly important role in meeting Florida’s water supply needs. Second Quarter 2008 • 29
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