Abstract
Water reuse via land application is old technology; but the water balance only design approach and practice has not worked well. There are many benefits of water reuse by irrigating crops; however, there are some risks if not designed properly. When the design approach uses a combined water-nutrient-salt balance, the most effective and sustainable, long-term system is achieved. This approach provides a design based on land area requirements, on-site water storage, and economic return from the irrigated crops. The single, most often overlooked step in the water balance is accounting for the water stored in the soil. When spread over large areas, this quantity of water results in considerably less required surface water storage, which saves capital costs. This design approach has been used successfully on multiple sites for over 30 years without failure.
Highlights
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When designing land application systems as a final disposal of treated wastewater, careful consideration should be given to the applicability of the reuse potential with respect to emerging contaminants present in the water source
The engineer needs to consider good agricultural practices to maintain an effective and sustainable land application system; and, the agronomist must understand that the purpose is the treatment and disposal of the wastewater and maximizing profits is not the only concern
Summary
Reuse of water on land has been practiced for many years and may be the oldest approach to treat and dispose of wastewater [1,2,3]. When designing land application systems as a final disposal of treated wastewater, careful consideration should be given to the applicability of the reuse potential with respect to emerging contaminants present in the water source. When designing irrigation systems to reuse water there are many factors that need to be considered; but one of the important factors is the approach. The engineer needs to consider good agricultural practices to maintain an effective and sustainable land application system; and, the agronomist must understand that the purpose is the treatment and disposal of the wastewater and maximizing profits is not the only concern. The bottom line is that there is a strict balance between the water, nutrients, and salts applied and how each of those items are processed and managed
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