Wastewater Treatment and Reuse as a Tool for the Social and Environmental Improvement of Populations Within Protected Environments

Abstract

Downsized conventional water treatment systems as used for small population wastewaters are extremely inefficient. In practice, due to high maintenance and operation costs their use is frequently discontinued in many small municipalities that cannot afford to treat their wastewater, which is finally dumped untreated. Land application systems have been a suitable treatment system, due to their low operation and maintenance costs and their high yield. However, the most recent change in the Spanish legislation (RD 1620/2007) promotes their adaptation into the more socioeconomically beneficial water reuse systems. In this study, a techno financial analysis was used for the establishment of land application systems of water treatment and reuse in 12 municipalities located within the protected environment ‘El Rebollar’, Salamanca, Spain.