While recycling is a term generally applied to aluminum cans, glass bottles, and newspapers, water can be recycled as well. Water recycling is reusing treated wastewater for beneficial purposes such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and replenishing a ground water basin (referred to as ground water recharge).
Water is sometimes recycled and reused onsite; for example, when an industrial facility recycles water used for cooling processes. A common type of recycled water is water that has been reclaimed from municipal wastewater, or sewage. The term water recycling is generally used synonymously with water reclamation and water reuse.
Through the natural water cycle, the earth has recycled and reused water for millions of years. Water recycling, though, generally refers to projects that use technology to speed up these natural processes. Water recycling is often characterized as "unplanned" or "planned." A common example of unplanned water recycling occurs when cities draw their water supplies from rivers, such as the Colorado River and the Mississippi River, that receive wastewater discharges upstream from those cities. Water from these rivers has been reused, treated, and piped into the water supply a number of times before the last downstream user withdraws the water. Planned projects are those that are developed with the goal of beneficially reusing a recycled water supply.
source: http://www.epa.gov/region09/water/recycling/index.html
it's the future: obstacules may be surpassed
Hello!
We should recycle all of our water, as it doesn't require more water to be extracted from the natural world. Also, it'll always be available, as long as there are people taking showers and using it for toilet flush, per example.
Of course, there are some obstacules.
The energy needed to recycle water may mean that it will compromise future fight against energy consumption. To me, this means that we should try harder on the increase of efficiency of these processes and that we should invest more on the development of autonomous membrane technologies, which filter water with almost no energy spending.
We will have to invest huge amounts of money in this revolution. However, let's think this way: some countries, like Singapure (NEWater: see page 67 B.S.), are already doing it, because they have no better alternative: their fresh water supply is very limited and their population imense. So, we'll probably have to do that change too, one day. One day, when groundwater shall have been totally extracted and there shall be disputes over water taken from rivers and when that water shall be so polluted that the rate of cancers will increase.
So, why not doing that investment now and avoiding those serious consequences? Better now than later.
Finally, we have to think that this water won't have less quality than traditional fresh water. You may not like the idea of drinking your own wastewater, but let's think rationally: all of the impurities and even molecular-scale substances may be extracted from water using membrane technology (reverse osmosis). So, it'll be more controled so that it'll be even cleaner than traditional water, which may contain pollutants.
I don't see why aren't governments doing more on this.
what is water recycling?
in Italy there are some towns(like Ferrara)where wastewater has recycled and reused for drinkwater.this system is exspensive but usefull to save new water supply. It's important that people learn to use better water. it's necessary don't use cleansing with Cl and pestcides
i agree
i agree to what the person before me has said. we shouldn`t be selfish and only think about ourselves, instead we should take a moment to think about what impact our actions have on the enviroment. we shouldn`t always be thinking about ourselves and how water shortage affects us.
Water Recycling Can Decrease Diversion of Freshwater
Water Recycling Can Decrease Diversion of Freshwater from Sensitive Ecosystems
Plants, wildlife, and fish depend on sufficient water flows to their habitats to live and reproduce. The lack of adequate flow, as a result of diversion for agricultural, urban, and industrial purposes, can cause deterioration of water quality and ecosystem health. Water users can supplement their demands by using recycled water, which can free considerable amounts of water for the environment and increase flows to vital ecosystems.