Use Of Potable Water Research Articles

A feasibility study of ultrafiltration/reverse osmosis (UF/RO)-based wastewater treatment and reuse in the metal finishing industry

Conventional treatment of wastewater from the metal finishing industry is generally based on physical-chemical treatment. Although the effluents from this can be discharged directly there is an increasing interest in industrial wastewater reuse. This requires further wastewater treatment. Here we studied the technical and economic feasibilities of adding an ultrafiltration process as a pre-treatment for removing dissolved and colloidal contaminants >0.4 μm, and to eliminate membrane fouling before a final reverse osmosis process resulting in permeate that would meet reuse criteria. The results show that the ultrafiltration–reverse osmosis treatment removed between 91.3% and 99.8% of the contaminants from the effluent, such as metal elements, organic, and inorganic compounds. Contaminants such as suspended solids, nickel, ammonium nitrogen, sulphate nitrogen, chemical oxygen demand, and biochemical oxygen demand were completely removed, the concentrations in the permeate being under the detection limits, thus the quality of the ultrafiltration–reverse osmosis process met the reuse criteria. This demonstrates the technological feasibility of wastewater reuse during electro-plating processes and the pre-treatment of powder coating processes. An economic feasibility analysis was performed based on a reuse capacity for 30,000 m3 per year of treated water for two selected production lines at the Gorenje facility at Velenje, Slovenia. Specifically, the current water costs (including the operational costs of wastewater treatment, potable water use for industrial process and pre-treatment, and taxes) were compared with the investment required to implement the ultrafiltration–reverse osmosis processes. Based on the presented scientific results, the analysis shows that there is a potential for implementing this process within the metal finishing industry.

Dynamic metabolic profiling of the marine microalga Chlamydomonas sp. JSC4 and enhancing its oil production by optimizing light intensity

BackgroundMarine microalgae are among the most promising lipid sources for biodiesel production because they can be grown on nonarable land without the use of potable water. Marine microalgae also harvest solar energy efficiently with a high growth rate, converting CO2 into lipids stored in the cells. Both light intensity and nitrogen availability strongly affect the growth, lipid accumulation, and fatty acid composition of oleaginous microalgae. However, very few studies have systematically examined how to optimize lipid productivity by adjusting irradiance intensity, and the metabolic dynamics that may lead to improved lipid accumulation in microalgae have not been elucidated. Little is known about the mechanism of lipid synthesis regulation in microalgae. Moreover, few studies have assessed the potential of using marine microalgae as oil producers.ResultsIn this work, a newly isolated marine microalga, Chlamydomonas sp. JSC4, was selected as a potential lipid producer, and the effect of photobioreactor operations on cell growth and lipid production was investigated. The combined effects of light intensity and nitrogen depletion stresses on growth and lipid accumulation were further explored in an effort to markedly improve lipid production and quality. The optimal lipid productivity and content attained were 312 mg L−1 d−1 and 43.1% per unit dry cell weight, respectively. This lipid productivity is the highest ever reported for marine microalgae. Metabolic intermediates were profiled over time to observe transient changes during lipid accumulation triggered by combined stresses. Finally, metabolite turnover was also assessed using an in vivo13C-labeling technique to directly measure the flow of carbon during lipid biosynthesis under stress associated with light intensity and nitrogen deficiency.ConclusionsThis work demonstrates the synergistic integration of cultivation and dynamic metabolic profiling technologies to develop a simple and effective strategy for enhancing oil production in a marine microalga. The knowledge obtained from this study could be useful in assessing the feasibility of marine microalgae biodiesel production and for understanding the links between dynamic metabolic profiles and lipid biosynthesis during the course of microalgal cultivation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-015-0226-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A methodological proposal for the evaluation of potable water use risk

Water shortages are due to a number of factors such as pollution of sources, decrease of water availability, climate change, wrong use of water resources and the inaccurate management of water systems, including the physiological dysfunctions of waterwork facilities. In order to improve the planning of emergency management, forecasting and prevention of this type of risk, it is helpful to address the study of the risk of potable water use. Through the analysis of water systems in all its components, key factors have been identified that influence the incorrect operation of systems and it was possible to define the risk for potable water use in order to formulate an initial proposal for an estimation method.

Aquaponics business in Europe: some legal obstacles and solutions

Aquaponics is a rapidly emerging agricultural practice, which combines recirculating aquaculture systems (the RAS technology) with the soil-less (hydroponic) cultivation of vegetables. The advantages in terms of productivity and efficient use of resources are huge. Aquaponics contributes to the solutions of some of the crucial problems our planet is facing: availability and use of potable and irrigation water, pollution of surface waters through animal farming, and management of fertilizer resources. It has been described as one of the “Ten technologies which could change our lives”.

Effect of Using Well Water as Mixing Waterin Concrete

Water quality has been a matter of concern in civil engineering projects.Most specifications require the use of potable water because its chemical composition is known and well regulated. In some situations where potable water is not ready available, many water types which are unacceptable for drinking may be satisfactorily used in concrete, such as the well water. In this study, Well water is being investigated the feasibility of using well water as a mixing water in concrete. Water samples were obtained from three different wells. The chemical properties of these samples were investigated in the laboratory. Eight mixes were prepared from two types of cement (ordinary and sulfate resisting Portland cements) and these samples of well water as well as distilled water in order to make a comparative study. The concrete specimens were cured and tested for compressive,splitting tensile and flexural strengths at(3, 7, 28) days. The results, when compared with the results of control mixes (made with distilled water), showed that same effect of well water on the concrete strengths approximately. Therefore, the well water with acceptable limits in its chemical analysiswas suitable for use in production of concrete with acceptable strength.

Optimizing biodiesel production in marine Chlamydomonas sp. JSC4 through metabolic profiling and an innovative salinity-gradient strategy.

BackgroundBiodiesel production from marine microalgae has received much attention as microalgae can be cultivated on non-arable land without the use of potable water, and with the additional benefits of mitigating CO2 emissions and yielding biomass. However, there is still a lack of effective operational strategies to promote lipid accumulation in marine microalgae, which are suitable for making biodiesel since they are mainly composed of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Moreover, the regulatory mechanisms involved in lipid biosynthesis in microalgae under environmental stress are not well understood.ResultsIn this work, the combined effects of salinity and nitrogen depletion stresses on lipid accumulation of a newly isolated marine microalga, Chlamydomonas sp. JSC4, were explored. Metabolic intermediates were profiled over time to observe transient changes during the lipid accumulation triggered by the combination of the two stresses. An innovative cultivation strategy (denoted salinity-gradient operation) was also employed to markedly improve the lipid accumulation and lipid quality of the microalga, which attained an optimal lipid productivity of 223.2 mg L-1 d-1 and a lipid content of 59.4% per dry cell weight. This performance is significantly higher than reported in most related studies.ConclusionsThis work demonstrated the synergistic integration of biological and engineering technologies to develop a simple and effective strategy for the enhancement of oil production in marine microalgae.

Providing information promotes greater public support for potable recycled water

In spite of the clear need to address water security through sourcing new and alternative water supplies, there has been marked resistance from some communities to the introduction of recycled water for potable use. The present studies tested the effectiveness of providing relatively brief information about the recycled water process and the safety of recycled water on cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses. Three information conditions (basic information or basic information plus information about pollutants in the water, or information that puts the risk of chemicals in the water in perspective) were compared to a no information control condition. Across three experiments there was general support for the hypothesis that providing information would result in more positive cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to recycled water. Information increased comfort with potable recycled water and, in general, participants in the information conditions expressed more positive emotions (Experiment 1 & 3), less negative emotions (Experiment 3), more support (Experiment 1 & 3), and lower risk perceptions (Experiment 1 & 3) than those in the no information control condition. Participants who received information also drank more recycled water than control participants (Experiment 1 & 2, although the differences between conditions was not statistically significant) and were significantly more likely to vote in favor of the introduction of a recycled water scheme (Experiment 3). There was evidence, however, that providing information about the level of pollutants in recycled water may lead to ambivalent responses.

The Influence of Nutrients on Turfgrass Response to Treated Wastewater Application, Under Several Saline Conditions and Irrigation Regimes

The vast development of golf courses implemented in arid and semiarid regions, and the intense aquifer pumping rate of the water needed to irrigate these grass lands, provokes saline problems, mainly in the coastal areas, due to sea water intrusion. The reuse of treated wastewater to irrigate golf courses is considered as an alternative to the use of potable and ground water. The objective of this work was to study the response of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon, L. Pers) to several irrigation rates I with reused treated municipal wastewater in two locations in southern Portugal. Three different irrigation regimes based on different values of electrical conductivity (ECw), namely ECw = 0.3 dS m−1 (potable water; control treatment), ECw = 1.6 dS m−1, and ECw = 2.4 dS m−1, using the sprinkler point source as experimental design, were established. Grass yield (aboveground biomass) was recorded monthly, and linear regressions between yield and net irrigation rates I were obtained. The results showed a clear and pronounced influence of the nutrient concentration in wastewater on the response of the turfgrass irrigated under several water regimes and saline conditions. Higher irrigation rates (I > 6 mm d−1) triggered higher yields, but this increase was slightly lower under higher salinity conditions (ECw = 2.4 dS m−1). We conclude that wastewater can be used to irrigate turfgrass as an alternative to potable water due to the presence of significant quantities of some essential nutrients, like K. However, the EC of wastewater can be a limiting factor.

Rain water harvesting as additional water supply for multi-storey buildings in Arba Minch, Ethiopia

During the last years, multi-story buildings (MSBs) have been introduced in Arba Minch and other Ethiopian cities as condominium houses. Constructed at the edge of the city boundaries, they have a standardized design including flush toilets. The water supply scheme in place can hardly cope with the water demand inside the new buildings. Shortage of water causes many problems in bathing, washing and flushing toilets. These unhygienic conditions are inducing toilet blockage, smells in the houses, infection which can lead to a negative effect on health. The more people are moving into these condominium houses, the more these problems arise. The objective of this paper is to study the feasibility of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as additional water supply for MSBs. Two MSBs were selected as a pilot plot in Bekele Mola site. In this case, flashing toilet by rainwater could save 33 m3/month of potable water. That means we can reduce the use of potable water for non-potable-water needs by 42 L/household/d. This RWH system is recovering only 19.5% of water demand and 84% of flushing water demand with maximum 130 habitants at the pilot buildings. The supply is limited by the amount of rainfall and the size of the catchment area. In addition, the installation price is relatively high.

Flat-plate collector construction and system configuration to optimize the thermosiphonic effect

Thermosiphon systems heat potable water or heat transfer fluid and use natural convection to transport it from the collector to storage. This type of technology is applied extensively in countries with good sunshine potential. One such example is Cyprus, which is currently the leading country in the world with respect to the application of solar water heaters for domestic applications, with more than 93% of the houses equipped with such a system. The performance of such a system depends on many factors including the collector construction and the arrangement of the system, mainly with respect to the distance between the top of the solar collector and the bottom of the storage tank and the solar collector slope, which affects both the energy collected and the hydrostatic pressure of the system. A typical system in Cyprus uses 3 m2 of collectors, 160 l storage, its collectors are usually inclined at 45° from horizontal and has 15 mm copper riser tubes and header tubes with a diameter of 28 mm. The collector absorber plate is also made from copper. The main objective of this paper is to investigate through modeling and simulation possible configurations, which will optimize the performance of the system. For this purpose, a number of riser and header tube diameters were considered ranging from 6 mm to 35 mm, slopes from 20° to 90° and distances between the top of the collector to the bottom side of the storage tank ranging from ±15 cm. The system is modeled using TRNSYS and simulated with the Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) of Nicosia, Cyprus. The results showed that the best-optimized system is obtained for small header and riser pipe diameters and very close performance is obtained for various combinations. Therefore, the decision on the optimum system should depend on cost issues, which are currently very important because of the increased price of copper and operational problems depending on the hardness of the water in the area of installation, which could cause scale deposits that could clog the riser pipes. The optimum slope is found to be equal to the latitude plus 10°, i.e., 45°, although a smaller slope does not affect the performance a lot, and the optimum distance between the top of the collector and the bottom of the storage tank is −15 cm. These findings should prove valuable for the collector and systems designers and manufacturers.

Estimation and Analysis of Irrigation in Single-Family Homes in Central Florida

AbstractThere are several studies that have estimated how much water is used for residential irrigation, principally at the national level, with outputs varying from 30 to 64% of total household potable water use. A methodology to estimate irrigation from potable use data in central Florida is presented in this paper. Monthly potable water billing records of single-family homes for the City of Tampa Water Department (TWD) and Orange County Utilities (OCU), Florida, were available from 2003 to 2007. Basic indoor water use at the household scale was estimated using two methods: the minimum month method and the per capita method. A range of impervious surfaces values (5, 15, and 20% from total green area) was considered to estimate the irrigable area. Irrigation was estimated on a monthly basis as the difference of total water use minus the estimated indoor water use, divided by the irrigable area. The estimated irrigation values were compared to a monthly theoretical irrigation requirement calculated by a d...

Incorporating potable water sources and use habits into surveys that improve surrogate exposure estimates for water contaminants: the case of bisphenol A

Human biomonitoring studies for water contaminants are often accompanied by surveys relying solely on total drinking water consumption rates, thus, failing to account for specific water sources (bottled and tap water) and use habits, such as water used for preparing cold/hot beverages (coffee, tea, juice, etc.). Despite the extensive use of bisphenol A (BPA) in polycarbonate (PC)-based water contact materials, rarely do BPA biomonitoring studies focus on various PC water uses and sources. Better resolved water consumption rates could reduce the uncertainty associated with surrogate daily BPA intake estimates using fine-tuned surveys. This approach provided a proof of concept on inclusion of water consumption from various sources and uses into estimates of daily intake for water contaminants like BPA found in water-contact materials. The next steps would be in quantifying the extent of improvement in exposure assessment that adds value to refined survey designs.

Quantitative study of cross-contamination with Escherichia coli, E. coli O157, MS2 phage and murine norovirus in a simulated fresh-cut lettuce wash process

The water management in fresh-cut produce processing is an important factor affecting the microbial quality and safety of fresh-cut produce. For this study, a commercial lettuce washing process was simulated using two subsequent washing baths (WB). The worst case scenario, when no sanitizers are used and still common in some European countries, was investigated to fully understand the potential for cross-contamination and to obtain baseline data for further risk assessment. The two cross-contamination processes (from lettuce to water and from water to lettuce) were included in the simulation study and the transfer of Escherichia coli, E. coli O157, MS2 phage and murine norovirus was quantified. The mean reduction of initially contaminated lettuce through the washing in two successive WB was limited: 0.3 ± 0.1 log CFU E. coli/g after washing in WB1 and an additional reduction of 0.2 ± 0.1 log after WB2. The microbial load of the water in the washing baths, initially starting off with potable water, increased rapidly during the washing process of the contaminated lettuce. Furthermore to quantify the transfer of the four implicated micro-organisms from contaminated water to the lettuce, the first washing bath was inoculated with either approximately 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 log CFU E. coli/100 ml or 4.8, 5.6 or 6.7 log CFU E. coli O157/100 ml, 4.0, 5.1 or 6.5 log PFU MS2 phages/100 ml or 6.5 log PFU/100 ml norovirus surrogate MNV-1. The contamination of the subsequently washed lettuce portions resulted in levels of ca. 1.0 up to 1.9 log CFU E. coli/g after passing the two washing steps. In addition, after a rapid initial increase, due to spill over of water from WB 1 to WB2, the contamination of WB2 further augmented during the washing process to approximately 1.0 to 0.5 log below the inoculation level of WB1. Transfer of E. coli O157, MS2 phages or MNV-1 from the water to the lettuce was respectively 0.9% ± 0.3%, 0.5% ± 0.2% and 0.5 ± 0.1% after WB1 and resulted in a contamination level for the highest inoculum level of WB1 of respectively ca. 2.9 ± 0.1 log CFU/g, 3.7 ± 0.1 log PFU/g and 4.4 ± 0.1 log PFU/g lettuce. The quantitative data of lettuce contamination and transfers established in this study further highlight the vulnerability of fresh produce to cross-contamination during the washing stage and stresses that notwithstanding the use of initial potable water and partial refreshment of water but without the use of sanitizers, microbial pathogens (or indicator organisms) may easily be introduced and reside for prolonged periods in washing baths enabling cross-contamination to the final fresh-cut product.

Static Fluid Condensers for the Containment of Refluxing Solvent

Allihn-type condensers have been modified to contain a fixed volume of ethylene glycol. These condensers do not require circulating fluid or bulky and expensive “heat sinks” and demonstrate acceptable solvent retention of high as well as low boiling solvents under reflux conditions. This inexpensive, effective, and “waterless” apparatus mitigates spill and flooding risks associated with circulating fluid condensers and provides a sustainable solution to the use of potable water for condensing purposes.

An Investigation of Intestinal Parasitic Infections Among the Asymptomatic Children in, Southern Ethiopia

Background: Children under five years, particularly aged 2-4 years (24-48 months), are more vulnerable to intestinal parasitic infections. This is because, children with this ages may contract infective agents during their intense activities, and adventures such as crawling or walking on bare ground, sand or grasses or eating mud/pica. Increased population density, lack of awareness, poor sanitation, and poor public health practices, and environmental sanitations, affect the prevalence of parasitic infection in tropical countries. Moreover, the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among the asymptomatic children aged under five is not well studied. Objectives: The objectives of this study was to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among the asymptomatic children aged 6-59 months in selected Southern Ethiopia including Gedeo, Amaro, Walyta and Kambata. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out and the sampling design combined multistage sampling methods including, both simple random sampling technique, population density and systematic random sampling techniques. The course of this study took over a period of 5 months, from September 2009 to January 2010. Study participants were estimated by convenient sampling method to include 406 asymptomatic children (217 females and 189 males) from the systematically selected households of the study sites. Parasitological diagnosis of the parasites was done using the standard parasite and ova method. A total of 406 stool specimens were examined by a direct microscopy using a normal saline (0.9%) and lugol’s iodine wet mount techniques to determine the infection of intestinal parasites and the analysis of the data was made manually using thematic framework method. Results: Of the total 406 study participants, 170 (41.9%) children were found to have single and double intestinal parasitic infections whilst 236 (58%) children were free from the suspected parasites. Ascaris, lumbricoides, amoeba spp, Giardia lamblia, Trichuris trichiura, hookworms spp, Strongyloides stercoralis, and Hymenolepis nana were identified in both single and double infections. Double infections were found in 19 (11.2%) asymptomatic children of the total positive cases and the rest were single infections. In both single and double infections, ascaris was found to be the most dominant infective agent accounted 111(59%) out of the total 187 parasitic load of infection, followed by amoeba spp.31 (16.6%) and Trichuris trichiura 17(9%). Higher proportions of infected age groups were 25-48 while the least infected age groups were 6-24 and 49-59 months. Concluding Remarks and Recommendations: This baseline study indicated higher prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in the study area and therefore, much effort is remaining to fight against parasitic infection. Along with regular deworming intervention, health education including infection cycle, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, use of potable water and proper use of latrine should be given due attention to prevent and control parasitic infections among children in both urban and rural areas.

Continuous Real-time Detection of Microbial Contamination in Water using Intrinsic Fluorescence

With the rapid increase in global population, geographically changing drought conditions and the ensuing potential water shortage, water quality has become a major concern. In some extreme cases, such as Arizona, the population may have to switch and use recycled toilet water for potable use in the near future. However, our current monitoring methods for drinking water do not provide fast and reliable results to deal with these challenges. By using intrinsic fluorescence, microbial contamination in water can be monitored in real-time, continuously, without sample collection or contact and at very low concentration. The detection limit of the instrument designed specifically for this purpose and reported here is ~50 bacterial cells/L. By monitoring the fluorescence of cellular components of microorganisms, their concentrations and metabolic states (live, dead, spores) can be determined. These fluorophores include reduced pyridine nucleotides (RPNs), flavins, and cytochromes to distinguish live cells; cytochromes for dead cells; and calcium dipicolinic acid (DPA) for spores. By using this method, a wide range of microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoa, amoebae, fungi and other microorganisms can be detected

New Geographies of Water and Climate Change in Peru: Coupled Natural and Social Transformations in the Santa River Watershed

Projections of future water shortages in the world's glaciated mountain ranges have grown increasingly dire. Although water modeling research has begun to examine changing environmental parameters, the inclusion of social scenarios has been very limited. Yet human water use and demand are vital for long-term adaptation, risk reduction, and resource allocation. Concerns about future water supplies are particularly pronounced on Peru's arid Pacific slope, where upstream glacier recession has been accompanied by rapid and water-intensive economic development. Models predict water shortages decades into the future, but conflicts have already arisen in Peru's Santa River watershed due to either real or perceived shortages. Modeled thresholds do not align well with historical realities and therefore suggest that a broader analysis of the combined natural and social drivers of change is needed to more effectively understand the hydrologic transformation taking place across the watershed. This article situates these new geographies of water and climate change in Peru within current global change research discussions to demonstrate how future coupled research models can inform broader scale questions of hydrologic change and water security across watersheds and regions. We provide a coupled historical analysis of glacier recession in the Cordillera Blanca, declining Santa River discharge, and alpine wetland contraction. We also examine various water withdrawal mechanisms, including smallholder agriculture, mining, potable water use, hydroelectric power generation, and coastal irrigation. We argue that both ecological change and societal forces will play vital roles in shaping the future of water resources and water governance in the region.

Offsetting water conservation costs to achieve net‐zero water use

Achieving net‐zero water use (in which annual potable water use is no greater than annual rainfall) and achieving reasonable payback periods for water conservation measures were investigated for a proposed mixed‐use housing development in Davis, Calif. Water efficiency scenarios were analyzed for indoor water use and landscape watering, along with the use of graywater and rainwater on landscaping. Potential cost savings were found in both water utility reductions associated with water conservation and energy efficiency associated with decreases in hot water use. The feasibility of selling carbon offset credits in California's new cap‐and‐trade program by reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the water–energy nexus was also investigated. Results indicated the feasibility of achieving net‐zero water use at the scale of a single‐family residence and the entire community through indoor and landscaping water conservation measures without the need for graywater or rainwater reuse.

Association of drinking-water source and use characteristics with urinary antimony concentrations

Environmental factors, such as storage time, frequency of bottle reuse and temperature, have been shown to facilitate antimony (Sb) leaching from water- and food-packaging materials. The globally escalating consumption of water packaged in Sb-containing bottles, such as that of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), could increase human daily Sb doses. This study set out to investigate the relationship between drinking-water source, use characteristics, and urinary Sb concentrations (U-Sb) accompanied with survey responses of a healthy (n=35) Cypriot participant pool. One spot urine sample was collected during administration of questionnaire, while a second spot urine sample was collected from the same individual about 7 days later. Urinary and water Sb concentrations were measured with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Survey responses showed that bottled water summed over various volumes and plastic types, such as polycarbonate and PET contributed to an average 61% of daily water consumption. Water sources such as tap, mobile stations (explained in a following section), and well water contributed to 24%, 14%, and 2% of an individual's daily water consumption pattern, respectively. Average daily potable water use of both bottled and tap water by individuals consisted of 65% drinking-water, while the remaining 35% was water used for preparing cold and hot beverages, such as, tea, coffee, and juices. A significant (P=0.02) association between per capita water consumption from PET bottles and urinary creatinine-unadjusted concentrations was observed, but this relationship did not remain after inclusion of covariates in a multivariate regression model. In the creatinine-adjusted regression model, only gender (female) was a significant (P<0.01) predictor of U-Sb, after adjusting for several covariates. It is proposed that consumption data collection on various water uses and sources among individuals could perhaps decrease the uncertainty associated with derivations of acceptable daily Sb intakes.

Bermudagrass and Seashore Paspalum Establishment from Seed Using Differing Irrigation Methods and Water Qualities

Two approaches, irrigation with impaired waters, and use of subsurface drip irrigation, have been identified as strategies to reduce the use of potable water for landscape irrigation. A study was conducted at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces in 2008 and 2009 to investigate the establishment of Princess 77 bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.)] and Sea Spray seashore paspalum [Paspalum vaginatum (Sw.)] seeded in March (dormant) or June (traditional). The grasses were irrigated at 98% reference evapotranspiration with saline [electrical conductivity (EC) = 2.3 dS m−1] or potable (EC = 0.6 dS m−1) water from either a sprinkler or a subsurface‐drip system. Establishment did not differ between the two grasses regardless of seeding date, irrigation type, or water quality. Generally, grasses that were seeded dormant reached 75% cover faster and exhibited greatest ground cover at the end of both growing seasons. When data were averaged over water qualities and seeding dates, sprinkler irrigation resulted in greater ground cover (90% in 2008 and 92% in 2009) than drip irrigation (58% in 2008 and 80% in 2009) at the end of both research periods. Highest EC levels at rootzone depths of 0 to 10 cm were observed in November 2009 on plots drip irrigated with saline water, averaging 4.4 dS m−1 compared to 2.3 dS m−1 on sprinkler irrigated plots. Our results indicate that when using subsurface‐drip irrigation, early seeding is required to successfully establish seashore paspalum and bermudagrass from seed in one growing season.