The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released the draft of the National Water Reuse Action Plan in recognition of the water shortages the country is currently confronting and is predicted to face in the future. The plan outlines the benefits of water reuse that have already been effectively demonstrated across the in agriculture, industrial cooling, ecosystem replenishment, landscape irrigation, and toilet flushing water. In short, water reuse enhances water security on a national and global level.
Water reclamation, or reuse, can significantly impact the availability of water resources throughout the country and assist with threats of drought. The purpose of the plan is to get feedback on 46 proposed actions, and prompt national action toward water reuse; it is the result of the collaboration of multiple federal and state agencies and representatives of the water sector. David Ross, Assistant Administrator with the Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, states, “Our goal is to issue a final Action Plan that includes clear commitments for actions that will further water reuse and help assure the sustainability, security, and resilience of the nation’s water resources.” [1]
The draft is open to public comment through December 16, 2019 to identify priorities and actions necessary to develop water reuse practices country wide as well as the key players necessary for implementation.
[1] Environmental Protection Agency (September 2019). National Water Reuse Action Plan. (FR Doc. 2019-19984). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-09/documents/water-reuse-action-plan-draft-2019.pdf.
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