ISO 16075-1:2015 Guidelines for treated wastewater use for irrigation projects
Overview
The increasing water scarcity and water pollution control efforts in many countries have made treated municipal and industrial wastewater a suitable economic means of augmenting the existing water supply, especially when compared to expensive alternatives such as desalination or the development of new water sources involving dams and reservoirs. Water reuse makes it possible to close the water cycle at a point closer to cities by producing “new water” from municipal wastewater and reducing wastewater discharge to the environment. The reuse of treated wastewater could be also a beneficial solution to improve water body’s quality, such as for example avoiding wastewater treatment plants discharge upstream sensitive areas (shellfish aquaculture area, swimming area).
An important new concept in water reuse is the “fit-to-purpose” approach, which entails the production of reclaimed water quality that meets the needs of the intended end-users. In the situation of reclaimed water for irrigation, the reclaimed water quality may induce an adaptation of the type of plant grown. Thus, the intended water reuse applications should govern the degree of wastewater treatment required, and inversely, the reliability of wastewater reclamation processes and operation.
Treated wastewater (TWW, also referred to as reclaimed water or recycled water) can be used for various non-potable purposes. The dominant applications for the use of TWW include agricultural irrigation, landscape irrigation, industrial reuse and groundwater recharge. More recent and rapidly growing applications are for various urban uses, recreational and environmental uses and indirect and direct potable reuse.
How BSI can support?
Training: Our expert tutors deliver a wide range of training courses either online, in-house or part of an open course to help you understand, implement and audit against the requirements to the standard.
Verification audits: By partnering with BSI to verify your compliance to international best practices, we will highlight current strengths and weaknesses in your systems with our value adding reports.
Internal audits: Let us review your organizational governance against industry-specific requirements, protocols and standards.
