The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has developed
guidance describing how the use of reclaimed water will initially be regulated in the
state. While Massachusetts is a relatively water-rich state, at least in comparison to other
sections of the United States, there are several parts of the state where a combination of
rapid growth and demographic changes have caused water resource areas such as
aquifers, rivers, ponds, and wetlands to suffer changes associated with significantly lower
water tables and diminished streamflow. The drought during the spring and summer of
1999 has exacerbated these conditions. As a result, a number of communities have been
forced to implement severe water use restrictions. In some instances, the development of
public drinking water supply wells or even individual private wells has been curtailed.
Additionally, tough new surface water quality discharge standards, coupled with a
growing shortage of technically viable groundwater discharge sites, have left
communities facing difficult and increasingly expensive wastewater treatment and
disposal issues. The use of reclaimed water for situations that do not require potable
water will conserve new potable water sources and reduce the pressure to over-employ
existing sources as well as to provide cost-effective and environmentally sound options
for wastewater disposal. This paper presents exerpts from the approved
Massachusetts reclaimed water policy.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 160 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 23 |
| Published : | 01/01/2000 |
