Water scarcity has become a problem in many semi-arid and arid regions. Crop irrigation consumes the largest amount of water, which is typically drawn from sources such as groundwater and surface water; hence it is very important to consider alternative irrigation sources for areas with limited freshwater resources. One potential irrigation water resource is treated wastewater (or reclaimed/recycled water) for agricultural fields located near urban centers. In addition to water, treated wastewater can contribute an appreciable amount of necessary nutrients for plants, reducing a portion of synthetic fertilizer demand. The suitability of reclaimed water for specific applications depends on water quality and usage requirements. The main factors that determine the suitability of recycled water for irrigation is salinity, heavy metals, and pathogens which might cause adverse effects on human, plants and soil with high levels of exposure. The scope of this presentation is to evaluate different wastewater treatment technologies and their impacts on municipal wastewater effluents. The project is a development of the Regional Water Reuse Decision-Support Model (RWRM) using GAMS software to analyze the cost-effectiveness of alternative treatment trains to generate irrigation water from reclaimed water to meet specific crop requirements as well as California Regulations (Title 22). The model chooses both the treatment processes and their intensities to meet plant requirements in a cost-minimization framework. The key element of this project is to identify the most cost-effective blending combinations across treatment processes to ensure crop yield and crop safety.

Water reuse for agriculture

251st National Meeting (2016)

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