Characterizing and Managing Salinity Loadings in Reclaimed Water Systems

The problem of salinity in reclaimed water is growing as more utilities choose to use reclaimed water for irrigation and other purposes. This project is the first comprehensive look at this problem on a national level. The project conducted literature reviews on the sources of salinity to municipal wastewater and on constraints to using reclaimed water, conducted two surveys of utilities that reclaim water, and summarized regulations regarding reclaimed water. Salt balances were developed for sewersheds in five case study utilities integrating extensive field sampling, a household survey, and a newly developed model, Water Quality (WQ) Analyst. Finally, the net annualized cost of potential salinity mitigation practices was determined using an economics model. CD included with full Appendices.