As water costs continue to rise and the available resource itself becomes harder to get, a not-so-new practice of using treated wastewater from household or commercial properties for irrigation of public landscapes, commercial lots, and golf courses is gaining new momentum. To maximize the efficient use of local water supplies and increase its reliability, several members of DCWater.org. leverage their water supplies through water "reuse" programs.

The water reuse process begins with a high degree of cleansing, filtration, and disinfection of water in advanced wastewater treatment plants.The high-quality reclaimed water that flows out of the treatment plants can then be reused for a new, beneficial purpose. Throughout the process, stringent measures are used to ensure that public health and environmental quality are protected. As much as 90% of the water that goes through this reuse process can be used for park, golf course, common space, and commercial property irrigation purposes.

"Reusing millions of gallons of reclaimed water each day to conserve freshwater supplies and reduce the drain on our rivers, streams, lakes, and the aquifers plays a major role in Douglas County's water future," said John Hendrick, General Manager of Centennial Water and Sanitation District, the water provider to Highlands Ranch.85% of the water used in Highlands Ranch over the past twenty years has come from renewable surface water sources. This community, home to 92,000 residents, makes use of reuse water to maintain the Highlands Ranch Golf Club and the Metro District's Redstone Park.Centennial Water & Sanitation also operates anAquifer Storage and Recovery Program (ASR). The goal of the program is to help sustain the long-term productivity of the deep underground wells in the region, by injecting high-quality drinking water back into the wells when surface supplies are available.This practice of injecting water back into the wells benefits the region with additional stored water. Injection also avoids evaporation loss of water and risks of contamination associated with storing water in traditional surface reservoirs.In 2007, Centennial Water and Sanitation stored enough water underground to supply over 2,000 families with a year's worth of their water needs.

In the Inverness Water and Sanitation District (IWSD), 140 acres of golf course landscaping, 18 acres of open space, and the landscaping used by commercial businesses in the area have relied upon a reuse system that has been in place since 1975."We are probably one of the earliest adopters of water reuse in our area. We're proud of the fact we have been able to make the best use of these water resources for the past thirty-four years," said Mitch Chambers, engineer for Mulhern MRE, Inc. which manages the IWSD.The irrigation needs of the common area landscaping in Inverness have been well served by these efforts. "IWSD has reused every bit of water supply from its wastewater treatment plant since 1975, and, as more wastewater is generated each year with development, the IWSD expands its reuse onto additional commercial properties," said Pat Mulhern.

Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority (ACWWA), has been providing treated wastewater for irrigation to the Valley Country Club Golf Course since the early 90's, and has begun to serve other commercial customers this year.Water managers agree that the greatest benefits of water reuse include not having to buy new water, not having to incur the expense of transporting it, and not having to pay to treat the water to drinking water standards, only to use that highly treated water on landscaping.

Under Colorado's complicated system of water laws, water managers in the region have a legal right to reuse some water again and again."Reusable groundwater is unique in that nature," added Hendrick."By optimizing the resources we have through reuse, it reduces our need to acquire future water supplies," stated Steve Witter, Water Resources Manager for ACWWA. And that reality is what all the water providers in DCWater.org know first-hand.Water is not getting cheaper to buy, transport, store, treat, and provide to their respective communities. In fact, according to Hendrick, who has 30 years experience in the field, "raw water costs have doubled and in some cases tripled in the past ten years."

Plum Creek Wastewater Authority is jointly owned by Castle Pines Metro District, Castle Pines North Metro District, and the Town of Castle Rock.Three golf courses are irrigated with reuse water during the summer months - The Ridge at Castle Pines North, the Golf Club at Castle Pines, and Castle Pines Country Club. There are also plans for reuse at the Town of Castle Rock's Red Hawk Ridge golf course.Due to a recent $30 million upgrade, the water coming out of the Plum Creek Wastewater Authority's plant is very high quality. Martha Hahn, Assistant Authority Manager and Plant Superintendent of PCWA, said: "Reuse water can be used in numerous applications including irrigation, concrete mixing, dust control, and cooling towers." She added, "Recycling water is simply responsible use of a critical resource."

Next on the drawing board: these same water managers are viewing new opportunities to work together to find solutions to Colorado's growing water demands.They agree reducing water use is important, but also acknowledge conservation alone will not solve the long-term water demands without additional supply.

For more information on reuse efforts in the region, please visit: www.dcwater.org