Department of Ecology News Release - Feb. 14, 2001 01-024
OLYMPIA - Five projects across Washington have successfully demonstrated that reclaimed water provides an environmentally sustainable way to get maximum use of an increasingly tight water supply.
Reclaimed water is water that has been recycled or used at least once previously.
In Sequim, reclaimed water is irrigating landscaping and helping restore stream flows. In Royal City, it is recharging underground aquifers. In Ephrata, it is used at construction sites. And in Yelm, it is used for a wetland park and to fight fires.
"These projects are outstanding examples of what we can and must do all over Washington to make our water supplies stretch further so we have enough water for all of our communities, our industries, and our environmental needs," said Gov. Gary Locke.
A 1997 law directed the state departments of Ecology and Health to create and administer a demonstration program on reclaimed water and provided $10 million for five projects. Ecology recently submitted a report to the state legislature on the progress of the projects.
Ephrata, in Grant Co., reclaims 100 percent of the treated water from its wastewater treatment plant and uses it to recharge an underground aquifer.
The goal is to reduce the amount of nitrates in the underground water. The reclaimed water is also used for irrigation and is used at construction sites to mix with concrete and to control dust.
Royal City, also in Grant Co., reclaims 100 percent of its treated waste water and directs it into the area's underground aquifer. The reclaimed water is also used to wash equipment and irrigate landscaping.
Sequim, in Clallam Co., reclaims its treated waste water and uses it in various ways, including irrigating the landscape at the Carrie Blake Park, which is also an educational/promotional site that teaches others about the benefits of reclaimed water. The water also is pumped into wetlands that feed a small creek that has been short on water. With a 100 percent reclaimed treatment plant, the city's wastewater plant would no longer have a discharge and that means less pollution goes into the Straits of Juan de Fuca. That effort will help reopen shellfish beds that were near the discharge point.
Yelm, in Thurston Co., reclaims 100 percent of its treated waste water to wash down equipment at the treatment plant, fight fires, clean streets and irrigate landscaping at churches, parks and a residence. The reclaimed water also was used to create a city wetland park that includes a catch-and-release fishpond for rainbow trout.
Lincoln Co. Conservation District conducted a study to determine the financial and technical feasibility of reclaiming 44 million gallons of treated waste water from the Spokane area. The study concluded there are benefits to reclaiming the treated water to put water into the often-dry streams, lakes and ponds in Lincoln and Grant counties. Reclaiming the treated water could also provide water for producing electrical energy and other benefits.
"We're pleased with the progress of these projects, and now we need to challenge the rest of our state to follow their example," said Tom Fitzsimmons, director of Ecology. "We need to see more golf courses and parks irrigated with reclaimed water, encourage industrial and commercial uses of this resource, and help restore our drying streambeds for fish and other uses."
Ten other reclaimed-water projects have also been constructed in Washington, with 14 more projects planned during the next few years.
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