Quality Requirements for Irrigation with Sewage Water

Abstract

Irrigation is an excellent use for sewage effluent because it is mostly water with nutrients. For small flows, the effluent can be used on special, well‐supervised “sewage farms,” where forage, fiber, or seed crops are grown that can be irrigated with standard primary or secondary effluent. Large‐scale use of the effluent requires special treatment so that it meets the public health, agronomic, and aesthetic requirements for unrestricted use (no adverse effects on crops, soils, humans, and animals). Crops in the unrestricted‐use category include those that are consumed raw or brought raw into the kitchen. Most state or government standards deal only with public health aspects, and prescribe the treatment processes or the quality parameters that the effluent must meet before it can be used to irrigate a certain category of crops. However, agronomic aspects related to crops and soils must also be taken into account. Quality parameters to be considered include bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens; total salt content and sodium adsorption ratio of the water (soil as well as crop effects); nitrogen; phosphorus; chloride and chlorine; bicarbonate; heavy metals, boron, and other trace elements; pH; and synthetic organics (including pesticides).