Wastewater Reuse Potential in Turkey: Legal and Technical Aspects

Abstract

Treated wastewater is one of the potential water resources in especially arid and semi arid regions. Overall, Turkey is not poor in terms of water sources. However, due to distribution of water in time and in space water shortage is felt. Wastewater reuse potential is especially high during summer months for agricultural and recreational purposes. In coastal areas of Turkey treated wastewaters from the coastal settlements are reused to irrigate the green areas and parks. Surplus effluents are discharged into the sea by use of marine outfall pipes. Extended aeration type of activated sludge processes followed by chlorination is the most common form of the treatment. Agricultural reuse is encouraged in inland rural regions. Simple wastewater treatment methods such as stabilization ponds are popular in rural areas. Water quality standards regulating irrigational wastewater reuse are recently set in Turkey. Guidelines given by World Health Organization (WHO) are generally adopted except the limits for the intestinal nematodes and the residual chlorine. Irrigational reuse standards as well as the degree of the treatment have to be revised based on the local experiences. Assurance of a given effluent quality is one of the major problems in management of the wastewater reuse in rural areas. Local examples are presented to illustrate this point.