ABSTRACT
Beneficial reuse of reclaimed water is the use of domestic or municipal wastewater that has been treated to a suitable quality for a specific use and takes the place of potable and/or raw water that would otherwise be needed from another source. This planned practice has been implemented for decades and has been identified as an important option in water supply portfolios for many communities. However, with unique water resources challenges arising as a result of increasing populations, interannual climate variability, projections of prolonged droughts in some regions, and corresponding shifts from reliance on groundwater to surface water supplies for potable water, conjunctive water reuse is being increasingly recognized as an important approach to increase water use efficiency and to diversify water resources management portfolios. Drought is one of the most important drivers for conjunctive reuse, and national trends indicate a growing interest in providing sustainable water supply solutions through broader application of reuse. This chapter identifies the importance of reuse as part of integrated water resources planning and how conjunctive water reuse can provide a locally available, drought-proof supply of water. There are a number of reuse types that this chapter describes, and it also addresses the shift in thinking about reuse as a potable water supply. With a better understanding of the various types of reuse and how treatment technologies can be employed to meet any water quality objective, informed decisions can be made about how to implement reuse to better address the challenges of a changing climate.
