Summary of Pennsylvania'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 industrial applications approved for use in Pennsylvania
- Water reuse treatment category for industrial applications
- 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 Pennsylvania, 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. includes reuse for boiler feed water, evaporative cooling, hydraulic fracturing and industrial process water. 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 municipal 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
Pennsylvania approves the use of recycled water for industrial applications including boiler feed water, cooling water, hydraulic fracturing and 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. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has established treatment guidelines for the reuse applications that are allowable in Pennsylvania. These treatment guidelines are designed “to ensure that reclaimed water discharges are free from substances that pose a serious threat to public health, safety, and welfare” and are protective of “human health, as well as the environment” (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012). All reuse projects in Pennsylvania are required to obtain a Water Quality Permit from DEP (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012). Pennsylvania guidelines include specific treatment requirements, which vary by the class of reclaimed water. Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators related to impoundments and are summarized in the table. The technical basis for developing the specifications and/or removals of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators were taken from Pennsylvania DEP’s Dry Stream Policy (Pennsylvania DEP, 2008).
Water reuse industrial applications approved for use in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania DEP (2012) defines the following approved industrial applications:
- Boiler feed water (Class C)
- Evaporative cooling water (Class C)
- Hydraulic fracturing (Class C)
- Industrial process water (Class C)
Water reuse treatment category for industrial applications
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 Class C reclaimed water, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment and disinfection via chlorination or UV.
- In cases where UV light is used for disinfection, a dose of ≥75 mJ/cm2 is required.
- In cases where chlorine is used for disinfection, a total chlorine residual of at least 1.0 mg/L should be maintained for a minimum contact time of 30 minutes at design average flow.
Additional context and definitions
Pennsylvania defines reclaimed water as “treated wastewater used in accordance with applicable guidelines for beneficial purpose as a substitute for water withdrawn from a surface or groundwater source. The term reclaimed water includes both recycled and reused water.” (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012). They define wastewater as “the combination or the liquid or water-carried wastes removed from residences, institutions, and commercial and industrial establishments” (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012).
Pennsylvania requires that municipal reclaimed water lines and appurtenances be color coded purple and identified as carrying non-potable water (Pennsylvania DEP, 2012). For public access systems, the public should be notified about the use of reclaimed water, typically via signage and the use of purple signage is recommended. In restricted access areas, all employees must be notified in writing and receive awareness instructions about the exposure to reclaimed water.
Water reuse for industrial applications specifications
Summary of Pennsylvania'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Class C Reclaimed Water (Boiler feed water; Evaporative cooling water; Hydraulic fracturing; Industrial process water) |
Municipal wastewater |
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
<30 mg/L (monthly average) 45 mg/L (single sample maximum) |
Weekly monitoring |
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
<30 mg/L (monthly average) 45 mg/L (single sample maximum) |
|||
|
Fecal coliform |
<200 organisms/100 mL (monthly average) 800 organisms/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
|||
|
Total chlorine residualb |
≥1.0 mg/L (maintained for a minimum contact time of 30 minutes at the design average flow) >0.02 mg/L (at point of reuse application) |
Continuous online monitoring |
||
|
UV light design dosec |
≥75 mJ/cm2 under maximum daily flow ≥60 mJ/cm2 (if porous membrane filtration was used) ≥40 mJ/cm2 (if semi-permeable membrane filtration was used) |
Continuous monitoring of lamp intensity, UV transmittance and flow rate |
Source = Pennsylvania DEP (2012)
* Information about sampling and monitoring requirements such as frequency, site and quantification methods not specifically listed in the table was not explicitly specified in the state-specific regulations.
a Samples for all parameters, other than fecal coliform and disinfection byproducts, should be taken at the point of discharge from the treatment plant. Samples for fecal coliform and disinfection byproducts should be taken at the point of reuse.
b Only applies if chlorine was used for disinfection.
c Only applies if UV light was used for disinfection.
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming regulations related to water reuse for industry were found for Pennsylvania.
References
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). 2008. Policy and Procedure for Evaluating Wastewater Discharges to Intermittent and Ephemeral Streams, Drainage Channels and Swales, and Storm Sewers.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). 2012. Reuse of Treated Wastewater Guidance Manual 385-2188-002.
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.