Audubon's Everglades Policy Associate Jane Graham reports from her recent tour of a water reuse facility in Pompano Beach, Florida:

Recently I had the opportunity to tour the Pompano Beach OASIS water reuse plant. Often we hear the terms “reclaimed water” and “water reuse” but what do they actually mean and how is this water produced? Since it was Water Reuse Week, I thought it was a perfect time to find out.

Reclaimed water or “water reuse” is created by taking treated wastewater and further treating it through filtration and disinfection. “Wastewater” is exactly what it sounds like- water that has been already used, such as the contents of  septic tanks and industrial processes. You would not want to drink reclaimed water, as it has a cocktail of chemicals in it.

Water is pumped to the Pompano Beach OASIS plant from the Broward County North Regional Wastewater Facility. This is water that otherwise would be pumped out to the ocean as an “ocean outfall”.

At the OASIS plant, water is filtered through a series of different processes in large tanks. One process, known as EcoWash, filters water through tiny cones filled with sand. This is the first EcoWash facility in the United States.

Once the water is filtered, it is pumped through a series of pipes that are tested and monitored to meet a number of water quality parameters,  including nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, and chlorine. See the monitoring gear photo just above.

At the OASIS plant, they use the reclaimed water for irrigation on the lawn. Look how green the grass is- and they have used no fertilizer. Because reclaimed water still has nitrogen and phosphorus in it, it is not necessary to add additional fertilizer. In fact, adding extra fertilizer to lawns with reclaimed water may harm the environment by adding too much excess nutrients.

Thanks so much to Maria Loucraft, Isabella Slagle, and everyone else on the tour! It was an educational experience. Stay tuned for more information on water reuse.