Summary of Pennsylvania's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Landscaping
This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Treated Municipal Wastewater.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Water reuse for landscaping approved for use in Pennsylvania
- Water reuse treatment category for landscaping
- Additional context and definitions
- Water reuse for landscaping specifications (table)
- Upcoming state law or policy
- References
- Disclaimer
This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information.
In Pennsylvania, water reuse for water reuse for landscapingThe use of recycled water on land to assist in the irrigation of vegetation in residential and non-residential areas. Includes impoundments to store water for irrigation , ornamental vegetation, parks, school yards, sporting facilities (including golf courses), private gardens, roadsides and greenbelts, and cemeteries. Excludes irrigation of areas used for agriculture, commercial reuse applications, or any centralized non-potable reuse. includes golf courses, public parks, playfields and residential landscaping. The source of water treated municipal wastewater Treated wastewater effluent discharged from a centralized wastewater treatment plant of any size. Other terms referring to this source of water include domestic wastewater, treated wastewater effluent, reclaimed water, and treated sewage. is specified by the state as municipal wastewater. This write-up uses state terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.
Technical basis
Pennsylvania approves the use of reclaimed for water reuse for landscaping irrigation and impoundments. All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met. Pennsylvania requires specific treatment for the reuse of reclaimed water for landscaping in areas where public access is expected. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has established treatment guidelines for the reuse applications that are allowable in Pennsylvania and permits the use of Class B and Class C water for landscaping. These treatment guidelines are designed “to ensure that reclaimed water discharges are free from substances that pose a serious threat to public health, safety, and welfare” and are protective of “human health, as well as the environment” (Pennsylvania, DEP 2012). All reuse projects in Pennsylvania are required to obtain a Water Quality Permit from DEP (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012). Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators for water reuse for landscaping and are summarized in the table. The technical basis for developing the specifications and/or removals of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators were taken from Pennsylvania DEP’s Dry Stream Policy (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012).
Water reuse for landscaping approved for use in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania DEP (2012) defines the following approved water reuse for landscaping:
- Irrigation of golf courses, public parks and playfields (Class B)
- Residential landscaping (Class B)
- Aesthetic impoundments (e.g., decorative ponds or fountains not intended for recreational use) (Class C)
Water reuse treatment category for landscaping
The various classes of reclaimed water are defined by their respective treatment requirements and applicable performance standards.
- For Class B reclaimed water, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment, filtration and disinfection via chlorination or UV.
- In cases where UV light is used for disinfection, a dose of ≥100 mJ/cm2 is required.
- In cases where chlorine is used for disinfection, a total chlorine residual of at least 1.0 mg/L should be maintained for a minimum contact time of 30 minutes at design average flow.
- For Class C reclaimed water, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment and disinfection via chlorination or UV.
- In cases where UV light is used for disinfection, a dose of ≥75 mJ/cm2 is required.
- In cases where chlorine is used for disinfection, a total chlorine residual of at least 1.0 mg/L should be maintained for a minimum contact time of 30 minutes at design average flow.
Additional context and definitions
Pennsylvania defines reclaimed water as “treated wastewater used in accordance with applicable guidelines for beneficial purpose as a substitute for water withdrawn from a surface or groundwater source. The term reclaimed water includes both recycled and reused water.” (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012). They define wastewater as “the combination or the liquid or water-carried wastes removed from residences, institutions, and commercial and industrial establishments” (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012).
The use of Class B (or better) reuse water is required in areas where public exposure is likely (referred to as “Unrestricted Public Access Systems”).
Pennsylvania requires that municipal reclaimed water lines and appurtenances be color coded purple and identified as carrying non-potable water (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012). For public access systems, the public should be notified about the use of reclaimed water, typically via signage (the use of purple signage is recommended). In restricted access areas, all employees must be notified in writing and receive awareness instructions about the exposure to reclaimed water.
Water reuse for landscaping specifications
Summary of Pennsylvania's Water Reuse for Landscaping Specifications
| Recycled Water Class/Category | Source Water Type | Water Quality Parameter | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods)*a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Class B Reclaimed Water (Irrigation of golf courses, public parks, playfields and residential landscaping) |
Municipal wastewater |
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
<10 mg/L (monthly average) 20 mg/L (single sample maximum) |
Weekly monitoring |
|
Turbidity |
<10 NTU (monthly average) 15 NTU (single sample maximum) |
Continuous monitoring |
||
|
Fecal coliform |
<2.2 organisms/100 mL (monthly average) 23 organisms/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
Monitoring 2/week |
||
|
Total chlorine residualb |
≥1.0 mg/L (maintained for a minimum contact time of 30 minutes at the design average flow) >0.02 mg/L (at point of reuse application) |
Continuous online monitoring |
||
|
UV light design dosec |
≥100 mJ/cm2 under maximum daily flow ≥80 mJ/cm2 (if porous membrane filtration was used) ≥50 mJ/cm2 (if semi-permeable membrane filtration was used) |
Continuous monitoring of lamp intensity, UV transmittance and flow rate |
||
|
Nitrogen |
Not specified |
Not specified |
||
|
Phosphorus |
Not specified |
Not specified |
||
|
Class C (Aesthetic impoundments) |
Municipal wastewater |
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
<30 mg/L (monthly average) 45 mg/L (single sample maximum) |
Weekly monitoring |
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
<30 mg/L (monthly average) 45 mg/L (single sample maximum) |
|||
|
Fecal coliform |
<200 organisms/100 mL (monthly average) 800 organisms/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
|||
|
Total chlorine residualb |
≥1.0 mg/L (maintained for a minimum contact time of 30 minutes at the design average flow) >0.02 mg/L (at point of reuse application) |
Continuous online monitoring |
||
|
UV light design dosec |
≥75 mJ/cm2 under maximum daily flow ≥60 mJ/cm2 (if porous membrane filtration was used) ≥40 mJ/cm2 (if semi-permeable membrane filtration was used) |
Continuous monitoring of lamp intensity, UV transmittance and flow rate |
||
|
Nitrogen |
Not specified |
Not specified |
||
|
Phosphorus |
Not specified |
Not specified |
Source= Pennsylvania DEP (2012)
* Information about sampling and monitoring requirements such as frequency, site and quantification methods not specifically listed in the table was not explicitly specified in the State-specific regulations.
a Samples for all parameters, other than fecal coliform and disinfection byproducts, should be taken at the point of discharge from the treatment plant. Samples for fecal coliform and disinfection byproducts should be taken at the point of reuse.
b Only applies if chlorine was used for disinfection.
c Only applies if UV light was used for disinfection.
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming regulations pertaining to water reuse for landscaping were found for Pennsylvania.
References
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). 2012. Reuse of Treated Wastewater Guidance Manual 385-2188-002.
Please contact us at [email protected] if the information on this page needs updating or if this state is updating or planning to update its laws and policies and we have not included that information on the news page.