Water Reuse: Criteria, Treatment, and Quality

Freshwater resources are in short supply worldwide because of population growth, pollution of water bodies, climate change, and poor water management. Therefore, water reuse has become a necessary measure to mitigate the water shortage crisis. Two major types of water reuse measures have been developed: potable usage, which can be used directly after high levels of treatment, and nonpotable usage in agricultural irrigation, urban settlements, and industries. Reclaimed water systems usually require construction of upgrades to a treatment system to treat wastewater to the required quality level and construction of distribution systems to transport treated water. Technologies applied for wastewater treatment include physical, chemical, and biological methods. Some human health and environmental risks have been identified related to use of reclaimed water in agricultural irrigation and nonpotable urban water usage.