AWWA REUSE52076

California was the first state to implement water reuse regulations in the United States and adopted its first criteria in 1918. That state's regulations have been revised several times since then, and are currently under revision once again. In recent years, other states have adopted criteria as water reclamation and reuse have been identified as key components of total water resources management. While there are no federal regulations directly addressing water reuse, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the value of water reuse and published guidelines in 1992. Trends affecting regulatory development are presented in this paper. A number of states have or are developing water reuse regulations or guidelines. Many states have a structure with separate agencies responsible for regulating wastewater and potable water. When moving towards establishing water reuse regulation, states have been confronted with the need to identify the appropriate entity within the existing structure to establish and enforce water reuse regulations. Comparisons of various structures are presented. The existing or proposed state criteria vary considerably both in types of reuse applications allowed and in their respective treatment and reclaimed water quality requirements. Existing regulations from several states that have developed comprehensive criteria, such as Arizona, California, Florida, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, vary for reuse applications. The EPA water reuse guidelines address a number of similar reuse applications. A comparison of various standards for reuse applications is presented which leads to a discussion of the need or appropriateness of developing federal regulations for water reuse. Implementation challenges accompany the development of new regulations and raise new questions. The advantages and disadvantages of national standards will be presented in light of the potential impact on states that currently have criteria and those that have no criteria. Professional organizations such as the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) have supported reuse in a variety of ways. These efforts and their impacts are also discussed in this paper. Includes 9 references, tables.