Considerations for Recycling Sewage Effluent in the UK

摘要

Technical, environmental, legislative and institutional considerations in relation to effluent re-use are described, with specific reference to experiences gained through the development of a scheme to augment Essex and Suffolk Water's Hanningfield reservoir with effluent from Chelmsford sewage-treatment works. Effluent standards are driven by a number of EU directives associated with protection of fisheries, recreational water quality, eutrophication and nitrate control for designated sensitive areas, and surface-water abstraction. The selection of the most appropriate strategy for re-use needs to consider public perception issues, in addition to technical feasibility and environmental concerns.