Quality of re-used water in the European Union BluePrint . one - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Quality of re-used water in the European Union

BluePrint ……. one alternative supply option — water re-use for irrigation or industrial purposes — has emerged as an issue requiring EU attention. Re- use of water ……..is only used to a limited extent in the EU. This appears to be due to the lack of common EU environmental/health standards for re-used water and the potential obstacles to the free movement of agricultural products irrigated with reused water. The Commission will look into the most suitable EU-level instrument to encourage water re-use, including a regulation establishing common standards. ……, to ensure the maintenance of a high level of public health and environmental protection in the EU.

Circular Economy …….. the reuse of treated wastewater in safe and cost-effective conditions is a valuable but under-used means of increasing water supply and alleviating pressure on over-exploited water resources in the EU. Water reuse in agriculture also contributes to nutrients recycling by substitution of solid fertilisers. The Commission will take a series of actions to promote the reuse of treated wastewater, including legislation on minimum requirements for reused water.

Council Conclusions EMPHASISES that water re-use, in addition to other water saving and efficiency measures, can be an important instrument to address water scarcity and to adapt to climate change as part of integrated water management; CALLS ON the Members States to take measures to promote water re-use practices, taking into account regional conditions where appropriate and whilst ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the environment, as water re-use can also deliver benefits in terms of economic savings, environmental protection, stimulating investments in new technologies and creating green jobs; STRESSES that well-treated urban waste water can be re-used for a variety of purposes in the agricultural sector, industrial applications, sustainable urban development and protection of ecosystems; and NOTES with interest the intention of the Commission to present in 2017 a proposal on minimum quality requirements for reused water in the EU

Relevant Directives 91/271/EEC – Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) 91/676/EEC – Nitrates Directive 98/83/EEC – Drinking Water Directive (DWD) 2000/60/EC – Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2006/118/EC – Groundwater Directive (GWD) 2008/105/EC – Environmental Quality Standards Directive (EQSD) (as amended by 2013/39/EC)

Minimum Quality Standards Objective of the technical document: Develop minimum quality requirements for water reuse in: -Agricultural Irrigation - Aquifer recharge - Ensure a high level of health and environmental protection - Ensure full consistency with EU regulatory framework - Guarantee feasibility

Minimum Quality Standards Focus: Wastewater covered under the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, namely: -Urban Wastewater - Industrial wastewater from the industrial sectors listed under Annex III of the UWWTD Use-Categories: Considers only agriculture irrigation and aquifer recharge for reclaimed water use. -Agriculture irrigation includes non-food crops, processed and other food crops and food crops eaten raw; and - Aquifer recharge includes direct and indirect recharge of aquifers.

Minimum Quality Standards Technical document which: - Stipulates the water quality parameters to be monitored and establishes quality limits , - Includes preventive measures for minimising health and environmental risks as well as monitoring requirements, - Promotes human health , - Promotes protection of the environmental matrices (like soil, biota, surface water and groundwater), - Takes into account existing relevant EU legislation , and - Is expected to support EU legislation on water reuse.

Minimum Quality Standards Proposal developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), with consideration to: - Experts consultation (on a voluntary basis) - Stakeholder comments - Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) consultation - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) consultation Proposal is still under development by JRC.

Reclaimed Water Mgmt Framework Risk Assessment Health risk assessment Health outcome targets Water quality targets Performance targets Specified technology targets Environmental risk assessment Preventive measures and multiple barrier approach Monitoring Validation Operational Verification

Risk Assessment Health and environmental risks of agriculture irrigation with reclaimed water - Health risks (consumers, workers, nearby communities) - Livestock risks and related human risks - Environmental matrices risks Health and environmental risks of aquifer recharge with reclaimed water - Drinking water, the most stringent potential use - Environmental matrices risks

Preventive Measures Preventive Measures - Common preventive measures for agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge - Preventive measures specific for agriculture irrigation - Preventive measures specific for aquifer recharge Common preventive measures: - Control of distribution systems - Water sources protection - Control of access and buffer zones - Control of groundwater quality

Monitoring Tolerable Risk 10 -6 DALYs per person per year (health-outcome target) Reclaimed water monitoring - Microbiological parameters - Physico-chemical parameters

Monitoring Reclaimed water quality criteria (common for all uses) - Compliance with UWWTD (91/271/EC) - Do not compromise the fulfilment of the EQSD (2008/115/EC) - Point of compliance: final reclaimed water effluent after the adequate treatment, and point of application: - At the irrigation point for agricultural irrigation - After the vadose zone for aquifer recharge by surface spreading - At the injection point for aquifer recharge by direct injection

Microbiological Parameters Reference pathogens (optional for validation monitoring) - Campylobacter - Enterovirus - Cryptosporidium Indicator microorganisms (validation monitoring for all uses and verification monitoring for certain uses) - Bacteria - Viruses - Protozoa

Physico-chemical parameters Common physico-chemical parameters for some categories of use of agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge for verification and/or for operational monitoring. - TSS - Turbidity - Other operational parameters - Physico-chemical parameters for agricultural irrigation - Physico-chemical parameters for aquifer recharge

Agriculture irrigation Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD 5 ) Chemical Oxygen Demand Agronomic Parameters: TDS, Sodium, Chloride, Boron, Nitrate, Bicarbonate, pH Aluminium, Arsenic, Beryllium, Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Copper, Fluoride, Iron, Lithium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Lead, Selenium, Tin, Tungsten, Titanium, Vanadium, Zinc Other chemical parameters: - Directive 86/7/EC - Stricter national limits - Annex II and III of Directive 91/676/EEC

Aquifer Recharge Total Organic Carbon Threshold value approach from Groundwater Directive - Nitrates - Active substances in pesticides and relevant metabolites - Conductivity - Heavy Metals Compounds of emerging concern (Biocides, Hormones, Pharmaceuticals, Veterinary drugs, Personal Care Products) - N-Nitrosodimethylamine, PFOS, PFOA, 1,4-Dioxane, Tolylfluanide/DMSA, MTBE, Glyphosate/AMPA AMR/ARG

Bioassays Considering that target analyses is insufficient to cover main risks, and that hundreds of substances can potentially be tested, the use of bioassays (combined effects monitoring) is proposed in the document. The use of the following validated, commercial bioassays and effect-based trigger values is proposed for: - Estrogenic (ER α ) - Androgenic (AR) - Progestagenic (PR) - Glucocrticoid (GR)

AMR/ARG Antimicrobial resistances and antibiotic resistance genes - Emerging thread also via wastewater, although so far no hard evidence was found that this is an issue for water reuse - Of concern in some Member States - Proposal to use as optional approach the cefotaxime resistance of E. Coli - Good indicator of human sources of antibiotic resistances - E.Coli is a common harbour to acquired ARGs - Wide-spread - Of clinical concern - Associated with other AMRs

Public Consultation https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/W aterReusepublicconsult

Public Consultation 1. Perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to water reuse - Potential Benefits of water reuse in agriculture irrigation - Potential benefits of water reuse in aquifer recharge - Main barriers to a wider uptake of water reuse solutions in agriculture irrigation - Main barriers to a wider uptake of water reuse solutions in aquifer recharge - Types of water sources currently used for agriculture irrigation and groundwater recharge