Sustainable Wastewater Reuse to Face Water Crisis-A Case Study in Taocheng District of Hengshui(TDH), China

Municipal sewage discharges have deteriorated surface water quality and have intensified the conflict between increasing water demands and limited water resources in many regions of China. While the wastewater recycling and reuse system, as common practices to ameliorate this conflict in today's world, could both provide extra water resource and reduce or possibly eliminate pollution. However, most wastewater reclamation projects in China face economic difficulties in sustaining their operation. So a sustainable, cost-effective wastewater reclamation system is of urgently importance. This paper introduced a wastewater reclamation system designed for TDH (Taocheng District of Hengshui), which typically suffers from both water crisis and financial limitation. The design of the system mainly incorporates a sewage treatment plant, natural waterways, a constructed wetland, taking local hydrological and geographical conditions into consideration. It also addressed the system's role in guaranteeing the effluent quality and quantity, and most importantly estimated the various anticipated benefits, including one coming from accompanying land-use change, which serves as a cushion for the operational expenses of the system. In conclusion, this wastewater reclamation scheme coupled with cost-benefits consideration shows that it is a viable and feasible project and presents a sustainable and prospective solution to water crisis in China as a whole.