Manatee County Government
About Reclaimed Water
Nature Recycles Water
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The supply of water in the world is finite. Water is neither being created nor destroyed. The same amount of water is available today as was available when the dinosaurs roamed. Nature reuses water and so can we. The "hydrologic cycle" is an endless loop of water recycling. Water evaporates from lakes and oceans to form clouds. Rainfall then establishes lakes and streams. Some water percolates into the ground to become groundwater, some of which flows into streams and lakes. Water in lakes and streams evaporates, or flows into the sea where it evaporates. And the cycle goes on and on. The same water has been used and reused through this cycle millions and millions of times.
Conserving our Natural Resource
Manatee County, like other coastal communities in Florida, has seen tremendous growth over the years. It is also in these coastal communities that ground water supplies are the most limited, shallow, and vulnerable to overdraft, contamination, and salt water intrusion. As rapid growth increases the demand for fresh water, the challenge of developing alternative water sources to satisfy future needs becomes critical. Fortunately, science and technology have developed economical ways to conserve limited fresh water supplies...reuse of reclaimed water.
Reclaimed Water
Irrigating with reclaimed water is not much different from irrigating with well or tap water except that reclaimed water does not currently have time restrictions for usage. Reclaimed water is also much less expensive than potable water. To take advantage of the program, you must already have, or are willing to install, a sprinkler system. Existing, in-ground sprinkler systems can be connected with little or no modifications. Reclaimed water is nutrient-rich, but because of its origin and composition, the use of reclaimed water is restricted by state and local regulations. Manatee County produces reclaimed water under the Department of Environmental Protection rule 62-610, Part III.
What is Reclaimed Water?
Use of reclaimed water is taking what we once considered to be wastewater, giving it a high degree of treatment, and using the resulting high-quality reclaimed water for a new, beneficial use. Cleaning or removing impurities from wastewater is like washing dishes after a meal. We don't throw away the dishes every time we use them. Extensive treatment and disinfection by the wastewater treatment plant ensure that public health and environmental quality are protected. A multi-stage treatment process eliminates pathogens (solids, organics, and viruses), but the reclaimed water still retains nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients that work as fertilizers to enhance ornamental plant and turf grass growth. This process produces water ideal for lawn sprinkling and other irrigation purposes, but not suitable for human or animal consumption.
Saving Fresh Water
Water studies reveal that in many communities, up to 50 percent of the scarce drinking water that flows through water meters each month is used to maintain landscape and turf grass. This trend can be reversed in Manatee County since much of the demand for irrigation can be met with reclaimed water, thus helping to save precious potable water supplies. In addition to residential irrigation use, many golf courses and farms throughout the country use reclaimed water, saving even more potable water.
