Site Index

Water Reuse: Planning for the Future

Regulations Will Help Virginians Use Water Wisely
Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) implements federal and state environmental laws that help Virginians meet our environmental responsibilities.  Currently, the DEQ has developed a regulation to promote and encourage the use of reclaimed water in a manner protective of human health and the environment.  The Water Reclamation and Reuse Regulation (9 VAC 25-740-10 et seq.) is scheduled for publication in 2008.

Using reclaimed water is a safe and proven practice widely accepted and implemented throughout the U.S.  Over time, Virginia’s reclaimed water regulations will help the Commonwealth achieve successes similar to those currently enjoyed by many other states.  Florida, in 2006, used over 660 million gallons per day of reclaimed water.  The beneficial uses included irrigating more than 200,000 residences, 460 golf courses, 680 public parks and 270 school yards.  In North Carolina, reclaimed water presents a growing and viable alternative to potable water for state-approved beneficial purposes such as irrigation, which is especially important during periods of drought.

Water Supply Plans and Water Reuse Help Regions Meet Their Future Needs
Virginia requires each locality and region to develop and submit a comprehensive water supply plan.  The purpose of these plans is threefold:   1) ensure that adequate and safe drinking water is available for all citizens; 2) encourage promote, and protect all other beneficial uses of the Commonwealth’s water resources; and, 3) encourage, promote, and develop incentives for alternative water sources, including but not limited to desalinization.  Each plan identifies near- and long-term water needs, examines current water demand, and forecasts water needs for the next 30 to 50 years, based on population data.

Included in the plans are methods for securing the water needed to meet those demands.  As the plans are developed, water reuse will provide non-potable solutions and figure prominently as a way to conserve, protect, and manage all water supplies.

Planning for Water Reuse in Our Cities and Counties
Cities and counties are well-positioned and encouraged to promote and develop the use of sustainable resources such as reclaimed water for the immediate and long-term benefit to all Virginians.

City and county staff are in the unique position to help their communities prepare the comprehensive water supply plans that forecast population growth and evaluate the resources needed to support that growth.  Those resources include drinking water, wastewater collection and treatment, and reclaimed water.

When it comes to planning for reclaimed water, the following may be considered:

• Location of population growth centers, green infrastructure, and spaces with potential to use reclaimed water irrigation for agriculture, forests, wetlands, parks, and medians.

• Identification of current and future reclaimed water applications.

• Location of decentralized and/or centralized wastewater treatment systems to support growth centers and green infrastructure. The decentralized systems may be located outside the service areas provided by existing centralized treatment facilities.

• Ways to incorporate and encourage water reuse to the extent practicable for industry and agriculture.

In addition to city and county staff, residents figure prominently in how reclaimed water needs are met within their locality.  Through public meetings and educational forums, individuals can help identify their needs and benefits from the use of reclaimed water.  In this way, residents will help prepare a secure future in their communities and promote a sustainable environment.

Planning for Water Reuse Systems
HRSD operates and maintains wastewater treatment facilities that serve the 1.6 million residents of Hampton Roads and the Middle Peninsula.  Currently, HRSD’s facilities could provide about 165 million gallons of reclaimed water per day.  To effectively harness the benefits of this reclaimed water source, local and regional planning efforts are needed.

HRSD is working in partnership with each jurisdiction to evaluate the local water reuse needs.   Long-range planning efforts for water reuse systems may include:

• Estimating the amount of water reuse needed to support the jurisdiction’s water supply plan.

• Determining the jurisdiction’s level of involvement in the operation and maintenance of water reuse systems.

• Identifying potential reuse projects that provide environmental enhancement, assist with water resource management, and support community development.

• Developing cost-recovery mechanisms for financial soundness.

Water reuse projects may affect several jurisdictions.  Planning efforts for these projects can be facilitated by HRSD and the Hampton Roads and Middle Peninsula Planning District Commissions in partnership with local jurisdictions and regulatory agencies.  This approach will also help Hampton Roads attain a level of water sustainability that will enable our communities to flourish.

Reclaimed Water Distribution Systems
Reclaimed water is approved for industrial, agricultural, irrigation, fire protection, and ornamental uses.  HRSD owns and operates nine major and four small wastewater treatment plants in the Hampton Roads and Middle Peninsula areas.  These facilities already treat wastewater to reclaimed water quality standards for some applications.  This reclaimed water can then be distributed to localities or directly to industries or other end users.  Some specific applications may require additional treatment based on the user’s needs and the potential for public contact.  Additional treatment can be provided by HRSD, the distributor, or the end-user.  

Localities and industries can opt to build, operate, and maintain their own reclaimed water storage and distribution systems or rely on HRSD to provide these services.  The fees charged to customers for reclaimed water will finance the upkeep, maintenance, renovations, and new installations associated with these systems.

Nationwide, all pipes and fixtures that distribute reclaimed water are purple to distinguish reclaimed water from drinking water because reclaimed water is not suitable for drinking.

HRSD is dedicated to helping its customers obtain the highest efficiency from their reclaimed water infrastructure, and can provide assistance to localities and industries for planning, applications, use restrictions, system maintenance, and cross-connection controls.

How Satellite Water Reclamation Systems Work
When the need for reclaimed water is not located near an existing water reclamation plant, satellite water reclamation systems are an economically viable option.  Installing long distances of reclaimed water distribution pipelines from existing treatment plants can be costly.  Satellite water reclamation systems are sited near the point of use, thus reducing the distribution pipeline costs.

Satellite systems are small wastewater treatment plants.  They treat wastewater obtained from nearby large-diameter pipelines to reclaimed water quality standards.  The facility’s wastes are introduced back into the large-diameter pipeline for further treatment at the existing larger wastewater treatment plant.  These facilities are designed to be neighbor-friendly and odor-free. The satellite water reclamation systems are designed to produce only the quantity of reclaimed water needed.

Satellite water reclamation systems make good engineering sense.  They reduce the demands on existing wastewater collection systems and treatment plants.  They help communities meet future treatment needs without having to increase system capacity.  In growing areas like Hampton Roads and the Middle Peninsula, satellite systems may reduce and even help eliminate nutrient discharges to the Chesapeake Bay.

HRSD is dedicated to supporting localities by building or contract-operating satellite water reclamation systems within its service area to help provide high-quality reclaimed water at an affordable cost.

Proactive Planning for Effective Treatment Systems in Rural Communities
Wastewater treatment is an essential service for any residential, commercial, or industrial development.  Decentralized wastewater systems represent a new opportunity to serve nearly 25 percent of existing American households and much of the new development.  These systems are typically found in rural areas not served by large centralized municipal systems.

Decentralized systems are best suited for combining small clustered developments or communities previously serviced by multiple individual septic systems.  Individual septic systems treat and discharge directly to adjacent soils, ditches, and bodies of water.  Septic systems degrade over time through neglect of needed maintenance and age.  Malfunctioning septic systems can degrade our surface and ground waters.  Usually a properly maintained decentralized system greatly improves the level of treatment provided.

Many Virginia counties, including ones in the tidal region, have recognized the problems with improperly maintained private septic systems.  Recently, a local government study indicated that problems occur because homeowners are unaware of the routine inspection and preventive maintenance required to keep septic systems functioning properly.

Communities are planning for long-term, reliable solutions to meet wastewater disposal needs in rural areas.  Some are enhancing their existing programs to help homeowners better manage their septic systems.  Others are building decentralized advanced wastewater treatment systems and implementing innovative uses of reclaimed water that improve the community and promote stewardship of our most precious natural resource - water.

This type of proactive planning enables rural communities to develop treatment systems that are healthy, sustainable, efficient, and cost effective.  Incorporating reclaimed water helps communities conserve and protect existing ground water or surface water supplies while supporting planned and managed growth.  Reclaiming water also helps manage nutrients for beneficial uses rather than discharging them to the Bay.

These decentralized wastewater systems help provide for sufficient water supplies both now and in the future, and represent an economical way to protect the environment in which we live.

Return to Water Reuse

Please tell us what you think of our site. - writeus@hrsd.com
---

Billing | Jobs | Departments | Contact Us | Home
About HRSD | Customer Info and HRUBS | Bids and RFPs | Project Updates
News and Education | Nutri-Green®Compost | Environmental Mgt. System
Record Drawings | Connection Standards | GIS Online | Municipal Assistance
Privacy Statement | Webmaster

Hampton Roads Sanitation District - HRSD © 2006