← Decision Patterns Water Supply
What problem does this solve?
Treated wastewater is typically discharged to rivers or the sea. In water-scarce regions, this is a wasted resource that could supplement supply.
How it works
Treated wastewater undergoes additional advanced treatment (microfiltration, reverse osmosis, UV disinfection) to produce water safe for irrigation, industrial use, or indirect drinking supply.
Typical infrastructure
Tertiary treatment plants, membrane filtration systems, UV disinfection, distribution networks
Typical monitoring
Multi-parameter water quality monitoring, membrane integrity testing, pathogen detection
Strengths
Creates a drought-proof local supply; reduces discharge to environment; lower energy than desalination
Trade-offs
Public acceptance of drinking recycled water can be low; requires rigorous quality assurance; does not increase total water in the system
Related use cases
Operational scenarios where this pattern is applied:
Case studies
Real-world examples of this pattern in action: