Water reuse plays an important role in water resource, wastewater, and ecosystem management in Florida. It reduces demands on valuable surface and ground water, sources used for drinking water. Reclaimed water also reduces discharges to surface waters, recharges ground water, and postpones costly investment for development of new water sources and supplies. Water reuse has allowed some communities to continue to grow where the availability of historically used freshwater sources has become extremely limited.
Water reuse involves taking domestic wastewater, giving it a high degree of treatment, and using the resulting high-quality reclaimed water for a new, beneficial purpose. The resulting water is called reclaimed water. Extensive treatment and disinfection ensure that public health and environmental quality are protected. Reclaimed water can be used for many purposes including:
Irrigation of golf courses, parks, residential properties, highway medians, and other landscaped areas.
Urban uses such as toilet flushing, car washing, dust control, and aesthetic purposes (i.e. decorative lakes, ponds, and fountains)
Agricultural uses such as irrigation of edible food crops such as, citrus, corn, and soybeans; other crops such as, pasture lands, grasslands, and other feed and fodder crops; and irrigation at nurseries
Wetlands creation, restoration, and enhancement
Recharging ground water with the use of rapid infiltration basins (percolation ponds), absorption fields, and direct injection to ground waters
Augmentation of surface waters that are used for drinking water supplies
Industrial uses including plant wash down, processing water, and cooling water purposes
Continuous monitoring of the reclaimed water is required and ensures excellent water quality for protection of the public and the environment. The Florida Department of Health has stated a reuse facility designed, constructed, and operated in accordance with applicable rules poses no threat to public health. The use of reclaimed water has increased significantly throughout the nation, state, and district for all types of uses.
Upcoming Symposium
The Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District invites you to participate in a one-day symposium with panel discussions by elected officials, technical experts, regulators and policy implementers involved in water supply issues. This symposium provides an open forum for current and future civil engineers, elected officials and the general public to discuss Our Future with Reuse/Reclaimed Water.
Water Supply Plans
Water Reuse
Symposium![ASCE / SFWMD Reuse One Day Symposium - May 15, 2009 [pdf 245 KB]](http://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/14943378.GIF)
