Cost Studies for Renovated Wastewater

The possibility of using renovated wastewater as a supplementary source of water for municipal water supply has intrigued sanitary engineers for some time. This paper describes two case studies that provide the basis for an economic evaluation of renovated wastewater in municipal water supply. These case studies were of the Dallas, Texas, and San Diego, California, water utilities, both in water-short areas. Two options are considered for reuse: treating wastewater and transporting it to existing reservoirs, and treating wastewater to a higher level than in the first option and transporting it directly to the headworks of the water treatment plant. The cost for these two options are compared with the cost of a reservoir development program in Dallas and purchasing water from the California Aqueduct in San Diego. For both utilities, renovated wastewater was more expensive than acquiring additional water from normal sources.