Welcome back to learning about the incredible things that used water can do! Having reclaimed wastewater is something that we should all be aware of, as water is not something that we have an unending supply of. Making sure that we have enough water for ourselves and continue to preserve drinkable fresh water for those that come after us is something we should all at least think about time and again. Thankfully, reused wastewater has many different uses. Here are a few of them.

1. Urban Use. Wastewater in an urban environment can be used for park irrigation, fire hydrants, street cleaning, vehicle washing, sport centers, toilet flushing, and even watering your garden.
2. Agricultural Use. Wastewater in agriculture can be used to water crops, help cultivate flowers such as roses and orchids, help create fodder, water a pasture for animals, and help to grow orchards like ones you get to pick apples from.
3. Industrial Use. Wastewater in an industrial setting is completely invaluable for many reasons. For example, it can be used for cooling in situations like nuclear energy, in processing water, in making concrete, in packing down soil, and helping with dust control.
4. Recreational Use. Having reclaimed wastewater for recreational purposes helps to give us things like golf courses that are nice and lush green, they give us fake snow on mountains for people to ski and snowboard on, and even often help with things like lakes and ponds where people can fish or swim.
5. Environmental Use. Wastewater can be used to help save unbalanced ecosystems, can revitalize marshes, bogs, swamps, and other wetlands, and can be used as an aquifer recharge.
6. Potable Use. The term potable use in regards to reclaimed wastewater normally means water that has been filtered and treated until it is safe to drink again.

One of the most incredible things to me is that this technology has even been used in space since 2009. The International Space Station has been using a device to turn human waste into drinking water and oxygen for almost ten years now, which cuts down on the need to resupply so often saving us resources and money. While we may not be as classy as NASA with our equipment, the concept is the same. You have to admit, that’s pretty darn cool.