The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board Tuesday passed a resolution proclaiming Sept. 9-15 as “Water Reuse Week.”
By declaring “Water Reuse Week,” the District joins the Governor’s office and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in an effort to promote water reuse and the need for water conservation.
Water reuse is a key component in meeting the current and future water needs of the region.
Water reuse is the use of reclaimed water, which is wastewater that has received at least secondary treatment. Reclaimed water is primarily used for irrigation, but it can also be used for other purposes. Using reclaimed water helps offset the demand for ground water and surface water. This alternative, non-traditional water source reduces stress on environmental systems, provides economic benefits by delaying costly water system expansions, and eliminates the need to discharge wastewater effluent to surface waters.
This resolution highlight’s the District’s ongoing commitment to promote and encourage water reuse. This commitment will result in the development of projects which utilize more than 225 million gallons per day of reclaimed water within the District by 2010.
Water Reuse Week coincides with the 22nd Annual WateReuse Symposium, which is being held in Tampa Sept. 9-12. This is the first time the WateReuse Association has held its annual event in the Bay area. The association is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources through education, sound science and technology using reclamation, recycling, reuse and desalination.
More than 700 people from all over the world are expected to attend the symposium, which is dedicated to water reuse and desalination.
For more information about water reuse or reclaimed water, please visit the District’s web site at www.WaterMatters.org/conservation/reclaimed/.
For more information about the WateReuse Symposium, please visit the WateReuse Association’s web site at www.watereuse.org/.