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Why Should We Be Concerned About Wastewater Quality and Reuse?

Why Should We Be Concerned About Wastewater Quality and Reuse?. Fred Corson, Ph.D. Why Am I Concerned?. Pertinent Regulations Contaminants of Concern Groundwater Contamination Future actions?. Pertinent Regulations. Safe Drinking Water Act Clean Water Act Title 22

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Why Should We Be Concerned About Wastewater Quality and Reuse?

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  1. Why Should We Be Concerned About Wastewater Quality and Reuse? Fred Corson, Ph.D.

  2. Why Am I Concerned? • Pertinent Regulations • Contaminants of Concern • Groundwater Contamination • Future actions?

  3. Pertinent Regulations • Safe Drinking Water Act • Clean Water Act • Title 22 • Antidegradation Policy

  4. Safe Drinking Water Act & Clean Water Act • Regulate Only 127 Chemicals of 87,000 chemicals produced!!

  5. Pertinent Regulations • Safe Drinking Water Act • Clean Water Act • Title 22 • Antidegradation Policy

  6. Emerging Wastewater Contaminants of Concern • Currently unregulated organic chemicals • Growing Items of Commerce • Drugs, hormones, detergents • Plasticizers, pesticides, fire retardants • Hormonally active at very low concentrations

  7. Santa Rosa Wastewater • Copper, lead, nickel, cyanide • Excessive nutrients • Up to 60 mg/l total organic carbon • Most organics unidentified • Endocrine disruption activity observed

  8. Groundwater Contamination • Percolation from storage and Laguna • Percolation under current reuse projects • Major new urban reuse proposed • Major north county ag reuse proposed • Nature of treatment process

  9. Ultimate Solution: Reverse Osmosis Treatment In Singapore RO water is bottled and sold Orange county recharges aquifers with RO water

  10. Ultimate Solution:Reverse Osmosis Treatment • Increasing value of clean water • Decreasing cost of treatment • Tightening regulations

  11. Strategy:Accelerate Decision to use RO • Data on organic contaminants in municipal wastewater • Data on effectiveness of current RO facilities • Data on organic contaminants in Santa Rosa wastewater • Increase costs for interim options via CEQA and regulatory processes

  12. North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board • Tough updated discharge permit • New permit required for discharge relocation • New requirements for wastewater reuse

  13. New Requirements for Wastewater Reuse • Meet same effluent limitations as discharge • No surface runoff from reuse area • No groundwater degradation • Groundwater quality study

  14. Regulations are improving • Wastewater contains organic contaminants • Human health and environmental impacts are likely • Contaminants can and must be removed • Must accelerate move to RO • Progress is being made

  15. What Can Each of Us Do? • Understand wastewater regulations • Understand wastewater quality concerns • Input into all stages of CEQA process • Input into permitting process for discharge and reuse

  16. Thank you! Questions?

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