New standards for treated wastewater reuse in Israel

The combination of severe water shortage, densely populated urban areas, and highly intensive irrigated agriculture, makes it essential that Israel put wastewater treatment and reuse high on its list of national priorities. Sewage treatment effluent is the most readily available water source and provides a partial solution to the water scarcity problem. National policy calls for the gradual replacement of freshwater because of the decision to increase the use of effluent and set up a committee to review existing regulations and to recommend new regulations for effluent use for irrigation or disposal to stream and receiving water. The recommended values were designed to rninimize potential damage to water sources.