Municipal Wastewater Reuse by Electric Utilities

A report by ASME and the Water Environmental Federation - - Municipal Wastewater Reuse by Electric Utilities: Best Practices and Future Directions. 

From the report: 

"Energy and water have a well-known relationship that is interconnected and interdependent. While water production, processing, distribution, and end-use all require energy, electric utilities rely on a steady flow of water for essential functions, particularly cooling. In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that in 2005, thermoelectric power accounted for 49% of total water withdrawals, approximately 201 billion gallons per day. This portion is the highest of all U.S. water withdrawals, including irrigation, industrial use, and public supply. 

As the demand for power and water increases due to significant U.S. population increases in the coming decades due to organic growth and population shift, an increasing level of strain will be placed on the country’s already dwindling freshwater supply. A new American Chemical Society report indicates that as a result of this increasing demand and the impacts of climate change, 7 in 10 U.S. counties could risk freshwater shortages by 2050, with 1 in 3 counties classified as having a high or extreme risk of water shortages in the same time period.

The impending regional freshwater shortages and increasing electricity demand in the United States have encouraged the reuse of municipal wastewater in electric utilities. Treated by municipal wastewater plants, this reclaimed water can safely meet the water needs of the power producing process while conserving freshwater for other uses."