What is Water Supply Replenishment? 

The practice of using purified recycled water to replenish rivers, reservoirs, or groundwater for the purpose of increasing and enhancing local water supplies.

Creates a New Source of High Quality Water

In some regions water is transported hundreds of miles, purified to improve quality, used once by customers, and purified again before being discharged as wastewater. Water Supply Replenishment creates a new source of high quality water by leveraging existing resources and past investments.

Improves Drought Resiliency

Being able to offer full water service during droughts is critical for maintaining local economies and quality of life. Most water supplies are impacted by yearly variations in rainfall and snow pack. This means that communities must have reservoirs in order to provide adequate service during droughts. Water Supply Replenishment creates a predictable water supply that increases drought resiliency without having to build costly new reservoirs.

Deposits Water in the Bank

Water Supply Replenishment returns water to existing storage assets. Reservoirs or groundwater basins can be replenished even during a drought, which maximizes the value of these important assets and reduces the likelihood of future shortages. Today, many communities dispose of treated wastewater even when reservoirs are well below optimum levels.

Enhances Water Quality

Because of the low quality of the source water, Water Supply Replenishment projects purify the water to extremely high standards. Employing multi-step purification processes and comprehensive testing enhances water quality.

Is Financially Compelling

Water Supply Replenishment is financially compelling for many reasons. It leverages previous investments made in transporting and purifying the water. It can eliminate or delay the need to build costly new reservoirs. It avoids the cost of constructing separate purple pipe infrastructure because the water is returned to the potable water system and delivered through existing pipes. It uses precious investment dollars to enhance water quality.

There are challenges…

Because they use recycled water to augment the potable water supply, Water Supply Replenishment proposals are provocative and will come under public scrutiny.  Some projects have met opposition and were ultimately cancelled.  Cancellation can cost the community millions of dollars, and often tarnishes the reputation of the sponsoring utility.

But the Good News Is

Water Supply Replenishment is a compelling option for increasing water resources, there are success stories, and we have best practices for managing the dialogue with the community.

Success is At Your Fingertips

In order to develop the trust necessary for success, most water utilities will need to make changes in the way they manage water quality, conflict, and how they communicate. This website helps water utilities build the trust necessary to ensure that Water Supply Replenishment receives fair consideration in their communities

For more information on this subject visit:  http://www.watereuse.org/Foundation/index.html