Reclaimed Water

Corey Spanier

Abstract

This paper explains what is reclaimed water and how it is produced. Also, it includes some of the problems with using reclaimed water and possible solutions. Information was obtained from the City of Tucson and Pima County. My personal beliefs and thoughts on the water issue in Tucson related to the use of reclaimed water is included.

Introduction

Secondary effluent from municipal sewage is treated further to produce reclaimed water. By using reclaimed water, groundwater which is in short supply in Tucson can be used for human and pet consumption. Reclaimed water recycles wastewater so it can be used for irrigation. Reclaimed water is the final stage of an advanced treatment process that treats wastewater to make the water useable for parks and golf course irrigation.

Materials and Methods

I had tried for many weeks to get books on my subject but there were few that related directly to my topic. When this route did not work for me I contacted Wastewater Management of Pima County. They were able to send me some interesting brochures and maps that directly related to the water situation in Tucson and the treatment of wastewater. Also, I was able to receive some information from the Internet, but not much.

Results

Reclaimed water can not solve all of the problems in Tucson but you do need to start somewhere. The way that I say this may sound negative, but it is true. If you want to help the water supply then everyone must help do his or her part. Using reclaimed water is a great alternative to exclusive use of groundwater but there are restrictions and cautions that must be applied for reclaimed water that may present too great a risk for most residents. Reclaimed water I feel should be used to help increase the supply of water in Tucson. But, using reclaimed water cannot solve all the problems. Reclaimed water today is being used in many places around Tucson already such as golf courses, parks and farms.

Sewage water from Tucson is treated at wastewater treatment plants, which are operated by Pima County (2). The city of Tucson then takes some of this water and treats it further to produce reclaimed water. The process of producing reclaimed water starts off by being sent to the secondary effluent pump station and flows down to be filtered at the Filter and Control building.

The next step of this process takes this water to the Chlorinating plant. Then it is finally ready for the water to go to the Reclaimed Water Reservoir for holding. Then it is moved to the Reclaimed Water pump station to be distributed to the public for use.

The large amounts of water that can be produced make it one of the most beneficial resources to control the over-drafting of the local watertable. The Secondary Effluent Pump station can pump as much as 8,400 gallons per minute of water (3). The Filter and Control building can treat as much as 8.3 million gallons of water per day (3). The final product although can be pumped out at 18,000 gallons per minute (3).

Although there is some controversy about distributing former sewage water, most people agree that it is a good thing to have as long as it is far away from their home. As soon as reclaimed hits close to people's homes, however, then there are mixed reactions of what people feel about the subject. People do not know all about reclaimed water but most people do know that there are some negative characteristics to this type of water. Although it has been chlorinated, people are worried about the potential for disease transmission. They know they cannot drink it, so they worry about what might be in it that prevents them from doing so. Until people are more educated on the subject of reclaimed water its use will be far below its potential. There will always be people on both sides of the topics and no matter what, you can not please everyone.

Discussion

I feel that reclaimed water is an excellent source for irrigation and that it SHOULD be used for golf courses that are away from people's houses. On the other hand though I do not think that reclaimed water is the answer to everything. I agree it can be used to save some water but other methods have also been found that are better alternatives. I feel that the people who believe in reclaimed water is the answer to a lot of our problems need to take a closer look at the families in their neighborhoods and see how it would affect them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I feel that the idea producing and using reclaimed water is good. Unfortunately the product is not of the quality that it needs to be for me to feel comfortable using it around my family and friends. Also, I feel that they should raise the price of water in order to improve its quality. I do not think, however, you can just raise the price of reclaimed water or people will use less of it. If its quality were improved and some of the cost for its production and distribute paid from the money from the recent water rate increases, this might help more people to use reclaimed water. If you just charge the people who use the water you will actually decrease usage because part of the problem now is that reclaimed water costs too much as it is now. If these changes to the water are made and it is made more safe for people to come in contact with I think reclaimed water is a wonderful solution.

Bibliography

1.Water Words summer 1990, Volume 8 number 3- Southern Arizona Water Resoures Association

2.Pima County Wastewater Department, Brochure

3.Map of water reclamation plant, City of Tucson

This is a student paper written in a First-Year Colloquia on Water Resources in the Tucson Basin in the Fall term of 1998 at the University of Arizona. For more information contact: jjriley@ag.arizona.edu

Another side is that some people are against Proposition 200. There theory is that if Phoenix can make it work why can't Tucson. One example is the "Granite Reef recharge project ........which can recharge some 120,000 acre feet of water each year at a cost of less than $10 an acre foot" (Juliani). Another argument against Proposition 200 is the TCE clean up near the Tucson airport. The water that is treated from this site is cleaner than the required EPA's standards. If this is true, then why not use chemically treated water. One thought is that if it is safe, why waste it by just putting it back into the ground. Opponents of Proposition 200 are "already pursuing those alternatives to direct delivery while they study how to use CAP water without a return to rusty, smelly water" (Bagwell 1). If they can do this while making the water safe to drink, why can't we use the water. While the people against Proposition 200 have good ideas, they too need to look at the whole picture.

Conclusion

Was Proposition 200 a good idea? Some say yes, while other firmly say no. Can we really be sure that we are getting the quality water that we deserve? If the community works together, we can get clean and safe water to drink for many years to come. No matter what, Proposition 200 will always be controversial. If it wasn't, then how can we be really sure that we are drinking safe water. This Proposition started out as an excellent idea but, some how got mixed up in the politics and went down the drain. It goes to prove that water really does run uphill toward the smell of money. This shows that some people just want all the control so they can run the show. Maybe someday we can all agree on what we should really do about our water dilemma in Tucson. By then it may be too late and everyone will have to resort to chemically treated water anyway.

References

1. Bagwell, Keith, and Volante, Enric. CAP's date with destiny: Tuesday vote will decide use. The Arizona Daily Star. 1A, November 5, 1995.

2. Bagwell, Keith, and Volante, Enric. Prop. 200's OK corners city; Vote creates TCE dilemma. The Arizona Daily Star. 1A, November 9,1995.

3. Juliani, Gerald, and Wiersma, Richard. Proposition 200: Vote 'yes' for safe, wise use. The Arizona Daily Star. 1D, October 29, 1995.

4. Pittman, David. Prop. 200 forcing CAP to lay off 25 workers. Tucson Citizen. 6C, February 1, 1996.

5. Water Consumer Protection Act. City of Tucson. http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/water/tsnwtr/issues/prop200.html

This is a student paper written in a First-Year Colloquia on Water Resources in the Tucson Basin at the University of Arizona in the Fall term of 1998. For more information contact: jjriley@ag.arizona.edu