Criteria for Determining Level I and Level II Water Reclamation and Available Supplies for Bulletin 160-93

1. Additional water supplies resulting from recycled water occur where the existing outflow from a waste water treatment plant is directly discharged to a salt sink or the Pacific Ocean. These supplies were counted as new water supplies. In other areas, reuse of existing agricultural drainage and waste water treatment outflow already occurs and thus recycling of this water will not add to the State's overall water supplies. For example, outflow from waste water treatment plants in the Central Valley is generally put into streams or ground water basins and is reused. Recycling of such outflow does not generate new supply but would be a change in the waste water treatment and use process. Therefore, recycling in this area of the State will not contribute additional supplies for the State. An exception is in the westside of the Tulare Lake Region where outflow from treatment plants could be lost to a salt sink (such as unusable ground water) without any reuse.
   
   
2. Recycled water added to a coastal stream for environmental enhancement was counted as both a supply and an environmental demand.
   
   
3. Recycled water used for ground water recharge for ocean salinity barriers in coastal basins was not counted as a supply because, in general, it prevents further degradation of the existing ground water supply rather than adding new supply. Recycled water used within the treatment plants was not counted as a supply.
   
   
4. Future water recycling: for Bulletin 160-93, the total future water recycling was based on the WateReuse Association's 1993 survey and is divided into Level I and Level II facilities as follows: Level I water recycling projects are projects that are moving forward after having undergone extensive investigation and have a 75 percent or greater likelihood of being implemented; Level II water recycling projects are the remaining projects.

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