The Use of Municipal Recycled Water: Agronomic, Environmental, and Management Issues.

Municipal recycled water is a viable alternative source of irrigation for turfgrasses in arid and semi-arid regions and in highly populated areas, where water is fast becoming a limited natural resource.  Increased level of sewage water treatment and improved recycled water chemical quality created this option. Increasingly, recycled water is being used to irrigate parks, roadsides, landscapes, golf courses, cemeteries, and athletic fields.  Although ultimately recycled water use is dictated by local policies, irrigating turfgrass landscapes with recycled water should be seriously considered where domestic water is not readily available or too expensive. Among the factors affecting the decision to use recycled water for turfgrass irrigation are human health, environmental considerations, and, most importantly, recycled water’s dissolved salts and chemical characteristics.