A inexorabilidade do reúso potável direto

Abstract

Watershed transposition is a two thousand years policy developed by the Romans to satisfy their continuously growing water demand, leading to the construction of an extensive network of aqueducts. The practice remains nowadays, solving the supply problems in one region in detriment of another. The modern solution in terms of water resources managements to treat and to reuse wastewater locally available in the urban settings to complement public supplies. Non potable reuse is widely applied in a wide range of developed as well as in industrializing countries. Presently, the proposal has been evolved to potable reuse by making use of the existing distribution systems, eliminating, in this way, the costs associated to parallel lines to supply reuse water. The basic environmental, public health and managerial criteria, as well as advanced treatment and water quality certification systems now available allow for the use of local water resources to produce “safe water”, which is, certainly not provided through conventional systems treating highly polluted waters. Potable direct reuse for public supply has already been established in several states of the United States as well in Australia, Belgium, Namibia, Singapore and South Africa, without detected health effects associated. Existing well succeeded precedents, the expectancy of an additional security on water supply and water quality are important positive factors for the acceptance of direct potable reuse. On the other hand negative factors associated to public perception and acceptance, may, if community information and awareness is not adequately promoted, be a source of restriction for direct potable reuse. However, the most critical negative factors originate from regulatory bodies, by adopting a conservative behavior and proposing irrationally restrictive regulations, contributing only for the hindering of the very important practice of water reuse in Brazil.