Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse in the European Union and Israel: Status Quo and Future Prospects

In the last two decades, Europe has been increasingly confronted with growing water stress, both in terms of water scarcity and deterioration of quality. Growing water demand, supply costs, and competition for good-quality freshwater reserves prompted a call for more efficient use of water resources, including a more widespread acceptance of wastewater reclamation and reuse practices. This paper shows that these practices are becoming an essential and reliable option to supplement traditional water supplies; more than 200 municipalities in Europe already benefit from this alternative water source. As well, maps showing the location of water reclamation technologies and intended reuse applications are presented here. The data in this paper are based on a conventional literature review, a survey of European and Israeli water reuse projects, and on the findings of an international workshop held in the framework of the European AQUAREC research project. Also presented is an overview of the status of water reuse in Europe and the situations in different countries, while trends are depicted in terms of applied technologies and management practices, and barriers to further development as well as incentives for adopting water reuse practices are identified.