Summary of Utah's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Impoundments
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 impoundments approved for use in Utah
- Water reuse treatment category for impoundments
- Additional context and definitions
- Water reuse for impoundments 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 Utah, water reused for impoundmentsThe use of recycled water in an impoundment (body of water within an enclosure). This includes both unrestricted (use of reclaimed water in an impoundment in which no limitations are imposed on body-contact water recreation activities) and restricted (use of reclaimed water in an impoundment where body contact is restricted). Includes recreational impoundments, aesthetic impoundments, and ornamental impoundments with and without public access. Excludes landscape impoundments and storage of recycled water intended for other specific reuse applications (e.g., for agricultural irrigation). include impoundments of wastewater where direct human contact is likely to occur, unlikely to occur or not allowed. The source of water treated municipal wastewater Treated 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 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
Utah approves the use of treated municipal wastewater effluent for impoundment-related reuse applications including impoundments where human exposure is both likely (Type I) and unlikely (Type II) (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11). 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. Impoundments where direct human contact is likely to occur have more stringent performance standards than impoundments where direct human contact is not allowed or unlikely to occur. 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 is not explicitly specified.
Water reuse for impoundments approved for use in Utah
Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11 defines the following approved water reuse for impoundments:
- Impoundments of wastewater where direct human contact is likely to occur (Type I)
- Impoundments of wastewater where direct human contact is not allowed or is unlikely to occur (Type II)
In Utah, treated effluent impoundments are non-discharging impoundments, are not waters of the state and thus are not assigned beneficial uses or assessed for compliance with the standards associated with these beneficial uses. The uses allowed under these rules are not recreational or aesthetic.
Water reuse treatment category for impoundments
The various types of treated domestic wastewater effluent are defined by their respective treatment requirements and applicable performance standards. The respective treatment requirements are briefly summarized for reuse applications related to impoundments.
- For Type I treated domestic wastewater effluent, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment, filtration and disinfection via chlorination, ozone, UV radiation or other chemical disinfectants.
- For Type II treated domestic wastewater effluent, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment and disinfection via chlorination, ozone, UV radiation or other chemical disinfectants.
Additional context and definitions
Utah defines domestic wastewater as “a combination of the liquid or water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions, and other establishments with installed plumbing facilities, together with those from industrial establishments, and with such ground water, surface water, and storm water as may be present” and is synonymous with the term “sewage.”
Utah requires that all unsealed impoundments of treated effluent be at least 500 feet from any potable water well and that its use not result in surface runoff or “the creation of an unhealthy or nuisance condition, as determined by the local health department” (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11). Utah requires that all new buried pipe used for carrying treated effluent within the public domain, including service lines, valves and other appurtenances must be colored purple (Pantone 522 or equivalent) (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11). Identification tape reading “Caution: Treated Wastewater-Do Not Drink" is recommended if the pipe becomes discolored during construction. If Type II treated effluent is stored prior to application or impounded, fencing is required. Fencing is not required for stored or impounded Type I treated effluent. Where treated effluent is stored or impounded, warning signs stating “Warning: Treated Wastewater – Do Not Drink” must be installed and contain, purple letters (Pantone 512 or equivalent color) on a white or other high contrast background notifying the public that the water is unsafe to drink. Signs may also have a purple background with white or other high contrast lettering. The signs should also include the international symbol for Do Not Drink (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11).
Water reuse for impoundments specifications
Summary of Utah's Water Reuse for Impoundments 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)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type I (Impoundments of wastewater where direct human contact is likely to occur) |
Domestic wastewater |
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
≤10 mg/L (monthly arithmetic mean) |
Weekly composite sampling; composite samples shall be comprised of at least six flow proportionate samples taken over a 24-hour period. |
|
Turbiditya |
≤2 NTU (daily arithmetic mean) ≤5 NTU (single sample maximum) |
Continuous monitoring prior to disinfection |
||
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
≤5 mg/L |
Continuous monitoring prior to disinfection |
||
|
E. coli |
none detected (weekly median) ≤9 organisms/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
Daily grab sampling |
||
|
pH |
6–9 |
Daily grab samples or continuous monitoring |
||
|
Total residual chlorineb |
≥1.0 mg/L |
Continuous monitoring after 30 minutes contact time at peak flow (after disinfection and before the treated effluent goes into the distribution system) |
||
|
Nitrogen |
Each user of recycled water submits a project plan with a nutrient management and agronomic uptake analysis to document the proposed management of nutrients. |
n/a |
||
|
Phosphorus |
||||
|
Type II (Impoundments of wastewater where direct human contact is not allowed or is unlikely to occur) |
Domestic wastewater |
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
≤25 mg/L (monthly arithmetic mean) |
Weekly composite sampling; composite samples shall be comprised of at least six flow proportionate samples taken over a 24-hour period. |
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
≤25 mg/L (monthly arithmetic mean) ≤35 mg/L (weekly mean) |
Daily composite sampling |
||
|
E. coli |
≤126 organisms/100 mL (weekly median) ≤500 organisms/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
Daily grab sampling |
||
|
pH |
6–9 |
Daily grab sampling or continuous monitoring |
||
|
Nitrogen |
Each user of recycled water submits a project plan with a nutrient management and agronomic uptake analysis to document the proposed management of nutrients. |
n/a |
||
|
Phosphorus |
Source= Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11
* 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 If the turbidity standard cannot be met, but it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Director that there exists a consistent correlation between turbidity and total suspended solids, then an alternate turbidity standard may be established (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11).
b If an alternative disinfection process is used it must be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Director that the alternative process is comparable to that achieved by chlorination with a 1 mg/L residual after 30 minutes contact time. If the effectiveness cannot be related to chlorination, then the effectiveness of the alternative disinfection process must be demonstrated by testing for pathogen destruction as determined by the Director. (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11)
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming regulations pertaining to water reuse for impoundments were found for Utah.
References
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
Use, Land Application and Alternate Methods for Disposal of Treated Wastewater Effluents, Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11.
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.