Washington County outlines $1 billion regional water-reuse plan to bolster supplies

Melissa Anderson, Community Education News, summarized a regional water-reuse plan the Washington County Water Conservancy District is promoting to increase local water supplies and reduce reliance on imported sources. The plan calls for a two-phase regional reuse purification system that would expand use of reclaimed water for irrigation by about 2030 and pursue purified potable reuse around 2040.

"By 2042, which is the life of the district's 20 year plan right now, we're anticipating Washington County will have 300,000 permanent residents," Anderson said, linking population growth to increased demand. She said the district currently manages five reservoirs with a combined capacity of more than 100,000 acre-feet — nearly 33,000,000,000 gallons — and treats both surface and groundwater for municipal delivery.

The district's Phase 1 would produce "type 1" reuse water for outdoor and other human-contact irrigation uses and rely on a regional network that moves reuse from St. George's reclamation plant to an advanced treatment…