Agricultural reuse: comparison between Brazilian and international quality standards

Abstract

Reused water is increasingly requested by farmers worldwide, but there is no legislation in Brazil that contains all the parameters for assessing its quality. This study aimed to compare the legal provisions in Brazil related to the quality parameters of reused water for agriculture (microbiological, physical and chemical) with those described in the main regulations of the United States, drawing a parallel with the Brazilian reality. The study is descriptive, based on queries and collections of regulations in electronic documentary data source on Google Scholar. The existing parameters described in the Brazilian regulations for agricultural reuse have been compared with the standards established in the international regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization. The main results showed that there is a discrepancy between internationals and Brazilian legislations according to physical, chemical and microbiological parameters. Therefore, the work suggests a creation of new Brazilian legislations about agricultural reuse whereas the control of hydraulic pollutants and water reuse is immature comparing to internationals levels.