Federal Agency Participation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidelines for Water Reuse debuted in 1980, and was updated in 1992 and 2004. Since then, water reuse practices have continued to develop and evolve. An updated edition of the guidelines offers the opportunity to compile new information and greater detail about a wide range of reuse applications, and introduces new health considerations and treatment technologies supporting water reuse operations.The 2004 Guidelines for Water Reuse document was built on information generated by the substantial research and development efforts and extensive demonstration projects on water reuse practices throughout the world, ranging from potable reuse to wetlands treatment. Some of the most useful sources referenced to develop this update included proceedings from American Water Works Association/Water Environment Federal (AWWA/WEF) Water Reuse conferences, WEF national conferences, and WateReuse conferences; selected articles from WEF and AWWA journals; materials provided by the guidelines review committee; and a series of Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) reports on water reclamation and related subjects published by the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences, WEF/AWWA. Similar resources will be used as references during the 2012 update.As a result of the continued evolution of reuse practices and regulations, EPA has committed to continue to review and update these guidelines as necessary and appropriate. In addition to addressing new applications and technology, this guidelines update will also be used to link the most updated regulatory information to a central, accessible location. As with previous guidelines, note that the statutes and regulations referenced may contain legally binding requirements by state, local or tribal governments. Any EPA decisions regarding a particular water reuse project will continue to be made based on the applicable statutes and regulations.