Quantity not quality: Promoting sustainable wastewater practices in Jordan

Abstract

Jordan, the second most water-scarce country in the world, is gradually increasing its reliance on treated wastewater for its water supply; more than 90% of treated wastewater is used either in agricultural or industrial activities in Jordan. However, in Jordan, all treated wastewater plants are constructed upstream of dams, the latter being used to store treated wastewater. Most dams in the country were originally constructed to collect freshwater through rainfalls. Mixing this source of freshwater with treated wastewater decreases the dams' water quality. This study examines the effects of mixing freshwater with treated wastewater in dams by comparing water samples from the outflows of selected wastewater treatment plants and different dams with historical hydrochemical data of dam water before the diversion of treated wastewater. This study finds that the quality of dam water, in which freshwater has been mixed with treated wastewater, notably decreases. Hence, this study formulates policy recommendations on how to ensure a sustainable water supply that ensures the quality necessary to different water uses, making the suggestion of a separate storage system in dams.