Recycling Treated Municipal Wastewater for Industrial Water Use

Economic Incentives and Risk Assessment
Economic incentives
and assessment/
resolution of risks will
attract industries to use
recycled wastewater
and municipalities to
incorporate recycling in
their WWTP practices.
Data Collection and Research
Information on-hand
related to treatment
requirements for
recycled wastewater
would expedite the
planning process for
recycling treated
municipal wastewater
projects.
“Demonstration” Projects
Section 4: Implementation Considerations
Recycling Treated Municipal Wastewater for Industrial Water Use
Establishing partnerships to foster recycling of treated municipal wastewater will
provide examples to evaluate reuse practices in Minnesota and the information to
develop potential, future regulatory infrastructure, address concerns with risk and
legal language for user agreements, and other institutional elements. There are
unresolved industrial concerns with risk and liability.
To gain acceptance and to recognize the benefits of recycling treated municipal
wastewater, particularly when economics are perceived to be in favor of current
practices, economic incentives will attract suppliers and customers – and can
jumpstart a broader recycling wastewater practice in Minnesota.
The cost of water currently does not factor in the benefits of conservation and
recycled wastewater competes against a low cost supply in many areas.
Information related to the treatment and distribution of recycled wastewater for
Minnesota-specific applications is lacking, specifically for cold weather and hard,
high salt concentration waters.
Site-specific water quality and customer-specific uses require water sampling and
analysis. Many of the parameters of interest in planning treatment of a water supply
are not analyzed by WWTPs discharging to receiving streams. If water quality data
were readily available, wastewater recycling may be evaluated more in the planning
stages for new or expansions/improvements or existing industries and WWTPs.
One of the questions addressed at the industrial and broad-base stakeholder meetings was what type of
demonstration projects would address the issues and concerns that were identified. The overall goal of the
project(s) would be to provide industries and municipalities information to better assess the costs and
implementation hurdles – resulting in better informed suppliers and users of recycled wastewater with an
understanding of the issues before they take on a project. Project results are also a useful part of a public
information program, showing that the recycling practice is meeting all the regulations and health indices.
Project elements and features considered important include:
Project with Established Partners. Identify regulatory, industry, municipal wastewater utility, water
utility, and other partners to form a working group that is involved with the project(s). This group would
walk “hand-in-hand” through the project and provide review and assessment of the project upon
completion.
Complete Project Process. Project partners would be involved in the complete project process: the initial
conceptual plan, facility plan, design, and construction.
Regulatory Process. As part of the complete project process, the regulatory steps for wastewater
recycling can be explored and documented. A separate subgroup could be formed to evaluate specific
regulatory elements and development of guides or fact sheets for permittees.
Public Information. A public information program integrated at the initial project stages is critical to the
success of a wastewater recycling project. This includes educating the personnel at the facility, the local
community, and those along the transmission route. This could be part of a complete project process, a
special project with more of a focus on public education methods, or a state-wide campaign to enhance
the ‘image’ for wastewater recycling in Minnesota.
Specific Technologies. Some projects can have a more technical focus to improve cost information and a
better understanding of the operation and maintenance issues for certain wastewater recycling practices.
Metropolitan Council Environmental Services 59