Water reuse : potential for expanding the nation's water supply through reuse of municipal wastewater

277 Pages·2012·10.89 MB·English

by  National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on the Assessment of Water Reuse as an Approach for Meeting Future Water Supply Needs

Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
Committee on the Assessment of Water Reuse as an Approach
for Meeting Future Water Supply Needs
Water Science and Technology Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
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Support for this study was provided by the Environmental Protection Agency under contract number
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refect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
COMMITTEE ON THE ASSESSMENT OF WATER REUSE AS AN
APPROACH TO MEETING FUTURE WATER SUPPLY NEEDS
RHODES R. TRUSSELL, Chair, Trussell Technologies, Pasadena, California
HENRY A. ANDERSON, Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Madison,
Wisconsin
EDMUND G. ARCHULETA, El Paso Water Utilities PSB, El Paso, Texas
JAMES CROOK, Environmental Engineering Consultant, Norwell,
Massachusetts
JÖRG E. DREWES, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado
DENISE D. FORT, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
CHARLES N. HAAS, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
BRENT M. HADDAD, University of California, Santa Cruz, California
DUANE B. HUGGETT, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
SUNNY JIANG, University of California, Irvine, California
DAVID L. SEDLAK, University of California, Berkeley, California
SHANE A. SNYDER, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
MARGARET H. WHITTAKER, ToxServices LLC, Washington, D.C.
DALE WHITTINGTON, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
North Carolina
NRC Staff
STEPHANIE E. JOHNSON, Study Director, Water Science and Technology
Board
SARAH E. BRENNAN, Program Assistant, Water Science and Technology
Board (from July 2010)
STEPHEN RUSSELL, Program Assistant (until July 2010)
v
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
Preface
Starting in the late 19th and through most of the valuable because of the unique individual expertise and
20th century, the United States built a substantial intellect each of member brought to the task. Once
infrastructure to capture fresh water and bring it to again, as it does so well, the NRC assembled a collec-
our farms and cities. Although efforts to add to that tion of the nation’s best minds from a broad spectrum
infrastructure continue, by most measures the amount of disciplines and assigned them to work together to
of water delivered has not materially increased in the address an issue important to the nation’s future. Once
past 30 years, but the U.S. population has continued to again, the process worked beautifully and, in a col-
climb. The National Research Council (NRC, 2001) laborative spirit, these individuals worked together to
said, “In this new century, the United States will be produce many insights none of us had as individuals
challenged to provide suffcient quantities of high- when we walked into our frst meeting and a report
quality water to its growing population.” This report is that the committee should be proud of.
part of an ongoing effort by the NRC to understand the Those who have been on an NRC committee
tools the nation has available to address the challenge know that staff play a critical role in the success of the
identifed in that statement—in this case, the role water project. Our study director, Stephanie Johnson, is an
reuse might play in the nation’s water future. amazing woman—organized, disciplined, persistent,
The committee formed by the NRC’s Water Sci- able to cope with great detail, and a fabulous technical
ence and Technology Board performed a critical assess- writer. She was in constant communication with all of
ment of water reuse as an approach to meet future water us; reminding us of our assignments, providing us with
supply needs. The report presents a brief summary of critical comments, personally writing some sections of
the nation’s recent history in water use and shows that, the report, and thoroughly editing our myriad styles
although reuse is not a panacea, the amount of waste- to produce a document that speaks with a single voice.
water discharged to the environment is of such quantity This report would not have happened were it not for
that it could play a signifcant role in the overall water her effort. The committee is also grateful for the assis-
resource picture and complement other strategies, such tance provided by Stephen Russell and Sarah Brennan,
as water conservation. The report also identifes a re- project assistants, who handled administrative details
search agenda designed to help the nation progress in of the meetings, did supporting research, and aided in
making the most appropriate use of the resource. report preparation.
For each of us, our most precious resource is our Thanks are also due to the sponsors who provided
time. This project was a substantial project, involving support for the study. This report was undertaken with
eight meetings. I want to thank the members of this support from a myriad of sponsors. More than half of
committee for their most generous contribution of their the study funding was provided by the Environmental
personal time to this project. That time is especially Protection Agency, with the remaining funding from
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
viii PREFACE
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the National Science Bryan Brooks, Baylor University; Charles Gerba, Uni-
Foundation, the National Water Research Institute, versity of Arizona; Jerome Gilbert, Engineering Perfec-
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the tion, PLLC; Robert Hultquist, California Department
Water Research Foundation, Orange County Water of Public Health; Anna Hurlimann, The University of
District, Orange County Sanitation District, Los An- Melbourne; Blanca Jimenez, Instituto de Ingenieria
geles Department of Water and Power, Irvine Ranch UNAM; Stuart Khan, University of New South
Water District, West Basin Water District, Inland Wales; Margaret Nellor, Nellor Environmental Asso-
Empire Utilities Agency, Metropolitan Water District ciates, Inc.; Larry Roesner, Colorado State University;
of Southern California, Los Angeles County Sanitation Dan Tarlock, Chicago Kent College of Law; George
Districts, and the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Tchobanoglous, University of California, Davis (emeri-
Control Agency. tus); Michael Wehner, Orange County Water District;
The committee held meetings at several locations, and Paul Westerhoff, Arizona State University.
including California, Florida, Colorado, Texas, and Although reviewers were asked to, and did, provide
Washington D.C. In particular the committee would constructive comments and suggestions, they were not
like to thank the individuals and agencies who gave asked to endorse the conclusions and recommendations
presentations and provided tours to help the committee nor did they see the fnal draft of the report before its
in its deliberations (see Acknowledgments). release. The review of this report was overseen by Ed-
In draft form the report was reviewed by individu- ward Bouwer, Johns Hopkins University, and Michael
als chosen for their breadth of perspective and technical Kavanaugh, Geosyntec Consultants. Appointed by the
expertise in accordance with the procedures approved NRC, they were responsible for making certain that an
by the National Academies’ Report Review Committee. independent examination of this report was carried out
The purpose of this independent review was to provide in accordance with NRC procedures and that all review
candid and critical comments to assist the NRC in en- comments received full consideration. Responsibility
suring that the fnal report is scientifcally credible and for the fnal content of this report rests entirely with
that it meets NRC standards for objectivity, evidence, the authoring committee and the NRC.
and responsiveness to the study charge. The reviewer
comments and the draft manuscript remain confden- R. Rhodes Trussell, Chair
tial to protect the deliberative process. We thank the Committee on the Assessment of
following reviewers for their criticisms, advice, and in- Water Reuse as an Approach for
sight, all of which were considered and many of which Meeting Future Water Supply Needs
were wholly or partly incorporated in the fnal report:
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Water Reuse: Potential for Expanding the Nation's Water Supply Through Reuse of Municipal Wastewater
Acknowledgments
Many individuals assisted the committee and the Josh Johnson, Senate Committee on Energy and
National Research Council staff in their task to create Natural Resources
this report. We would like to express our appreciation Rai Kookana, CSIRO Land and Water, Australia
to the following people who have provided presenta- Mark LeChevallier, American Water
tions to the committee and served as guides during the Audrey Levine, U.S. Environmental Protection
feld trips: Agency
Mong Hoo Lim, Public Utilities Board, Singapore
Richard Atwater, Inland Empire Utilities Agency Dean Marrone, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Jared Bales, U.S. Geological Survey James McDaniel, Los Angeles Department of Water
Robert Bastian, U.S. Environmental Protection and Power
Agency Mark Millan, Data Instincts
Curt Brown, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wade Miller, WateReuse Foundation
Shonnie Cline, AWWA Research Foundation David Moore, Southwest Florida Water Management
Glenn Clingenpeel, Trinity River Authority District
Betsy Cody, Congressional Research Service John Morris, Metropolitan Water District of
Phil Cross, Conserv II Southern California
James Dobrowolski, U.S. Department of Agriculture Jeff Mosher, National Water Research Institute
Mark Elsner, Southwest Florida Water Management Lynn Orphan, Clean Water Coalition
District Pankaj Parekh, Los Angeles Department of Water
Chris Ferraro, Florida Department of Environmental and Power
Protection Larry Parsons, University of Florida
James Franckiewicz, U.S. Agency for International Mark Pifher, Aurora Water
Development Robert Quint, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Bertha Goldenberg, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Mark Sees, Orlando Easterly Wetlands
Department Peter Silva, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Brian Good, Denver Water Mark Squillace, University of Colorado Law School
Bruce Hamilton, National Science Foundation Marsi Steirer, City of San Diego Department of
Larry Honeybourne, Orange County Health Care Water
Agency Frank Stephens, Gwinnett County Water Resources
Martin Jekel, Technical University of Berlin, Ray Tremblay, Los Angeles County Sanitation
Germany Districts
ix
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.