Summary of Georgia's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Industry
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 industry approved for use in Georgia
- Water reuse treatment category for industry
- Additional context and definitions
- Water reuse for industrial applications 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 Georgia, the state does not define specific approved applications of water reuse for industryThe use of recycled water for industrial applications, often created at the industrial facility. This includes recycled water generated through onsite processes such as boiler water, cooling water, manufacturing water, and oil and gas production, as well as recycled water generated offsite and imported elsewhere for industrial reuse applications. . The source of water treated municipal wastewaterTreated 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 domestic wastewater (or combination of domestic and industrial wastewater). The write-up on this page 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
Georgia approves the use of recycled water for industrial applications, including industrial process water. All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met in addition to any state water quality standards. Georgia requires a permit through Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), and an additional National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit may be required dependent on whether the wastewater generated exceeds the reclaimed water demand. Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators and are summarized in the “Water reuse for industrial applications specifications” table. The technical basis for developing the specifications and/or removals of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators is not explicitly specified.
Water reuse for industry approved for use in Georgia
Georgia DNR (2011) and Georgia DNR (2022) do not define specific approved industrial applications of reclaimed water.
Water reuse treatment category for industry
Georgia uses the following definitions of reclaimed water and urban water reuse:
- Reclaimed water: “domestic wastewater or a combination of domestic and industrial wastewater that has been treated to stringent effluent limitations so that the reclaimed water is suitable for use in areas of unrestricted public access” (Georgia DNR, 2022).
- Urban water reuse: “the use of reclaimed water as a substitute for other water sources for the beneficial irrigation of areas that may be accessible to the public. This includes areas such as golf courses, residential and commercial landscaping, parks, athletic fields, roadway medians, and landscape impoundments. Expanded uses, beyond urban water reuse, may also include fire protection, aesthetic purposes (landscape impoundments and fountains), industrial uses and some agricultural irrigation” (Georgia DNR, 2022).
The various classes of reclaimed water treatment are defined by their respective treatment requirements and applicable performance standards. The respective treatment requirements are briefly summarized for industrial applications:
- For reclaimed water intended for urban water reuse and other expanded uses, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment followed by filtration and disinfection or equivalent treatment. Equivalent treatment includes other process trains such as physical-chemical treatment followed by membrane filtration that “may provide equivalent results” (Georgia DNR, 2022).
Additional context and definitions
Monitoring of groundwater and surface water is generally not required for reuse systems in Georgia (Georgia DNR, 2022). However, the EPD may determine that groundwater monitoring is required on a case-by-case basis at the time of permitting. Monitoring of groundwater and surface water will be required on reclaimed water land application systems (RLAS).
All municipal reclaimed water piping must be purple in color, identified with labels or signs as “Reclaimed Water” and a three-foot minimum distance between reclaimed water piping and potable water piping must be maintained (Georgia DNR, 2022). For municipal reclaimed water intended for urban water reuse and other expanded uses, all reclaimed water valves, fire hydrants and outlets must be colored purple and labelled to warn the public and employees that the water is not intended for drinking (Georgia DNR, 2022).
Water reuse for industrial applications specifications
Summary of Georgia's Water Reuse for Industrial Applications Reuse Specifications
|
Recycled Water Class/Category (Approved Uses) |
Source Water Type | Water Quality Parameter | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods)a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Reclaimed water- Urban water reuse |
Domestic wastewater (or combination of domestic and industrial wastewater) |
5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) |
≤5 mg/L |
Weekly and may be increased if deemed necessary upon notification by the EPD. |
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
≤5 mg/L |
|||
|
Turbidityb |
≤3 NTU |
Continuous monitoring of filtered water prior to disinfection |
||
|
pH |
6–9 standard units |
Daily and may be increased if deemed necessary upon notification by the EPD. |
||
|
Disinfectant residual |
Detectable at the delivery pointc |
Monitoring includes activities such as measuring chlorine residual or the inspection, calibration and recording of UV output and transmittance at the delivery point. |
||
|
E. coli |
≤ 20 counts/100 mL (monthly geometric mean) ≤ 40 counts/100 mL (weekly geometric mean) 75 counts/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
Daily and may be increased if deemed necessary upon notification by the EPD. |
||
|
Enterococcid |
≤ 4 counts/100 mL (monthly geometric mean) ≤ 8 counts/100 mL (weekly geometric mean) 9 counts/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
Daily and may be increased if deemed necessary upon notification by the EPD. |
Source= Georgia DNR (2022)
a All sampling and analysis shall adhere to the requirements of 40 CFR 136 unless otherwise stated in the permit. The operations manual must address the routine equipment inspection and calibration schedule (Georgia DNR, 2022).
b Any water exceeding 3 NTU should be automatically rejected. Routine calibration of turbidimeter and other online analyzers should be performed.
c Strongly recommended (Georgia DNR, 2022).
d Enterococci are used as water quality criterion instead of E. coli only for facilities discharging treated wastewater to marine waters under an NPDES permit and that are required to meet EPD reuse standards and/or that are supplying reuse water on a side-stream basis (Georgia DNR, 2022).
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming regulations related to water reuse for industry were found for Georgia.
References:
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), 124 Stat. 3885.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). 2011. Guidelines for Reclaimed Water Systems for Buildings.
Georgia DNR. 2022. Guidelines for Water Reclamation and Urban Water Reuse.
Please contact us at waterreuse@epa.gov 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.