Suitability of reclaimed wastewater effluent from decentralized wastewater plant for irrigation

Abstract

Decentralized wastewater plants have been proven to be cost-effective, easy to construct and operate and widely used in small ruler communities. The suitability of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation purpose was evaluated in this study based on the various water quality parameters, international water quality standards and water–irrigation water quality guideline (JS 1766). Twenty-seven samples were collected from a decentralized wastewater plant that is located in Balqa Governorate in Salt city, Jordan. Samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, major anions and cations, as well as biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. Study results show that water is slightly alkaline in nature. According to Jordanian domestic reclaimed wastewater standard, the use of water for irrigation has a mild-to-moderate degree of restriction. Using the US Salinity Laboratory classification scheme, there is high salinity and medium sodium water, 50% of samples falls in the area of (C3-S2) and this water is suitable for irrigation for many types of soil with low risk of increasing exchangeable sodium content. According to chloride hazards, the water for irrigation can be used for moderately tolerant plants. 74% of the samples have the residual sodium carbonate (RSC) less than 1.25 meq/L and hence suitable for irrigation. The study recommends that treated wastewater from decentralized wastewater a plant is considered as non-conventional source for irrigation.

Environmental Impact Assessment of a Dumping Site: A Case Study of Kakia Dumping Site

“…This ratio, expressed in milliequivalents per liter (meq/L), helps in assessing soil sodicity. The presence of excessive sodium quantities can negatively impact soil structure and plant growth [62,63]. Soils with SAR values greater than 13 are generally classified as sodic [64].…”

Demand Management for Water Resources in the Irrigation and Population Sectors in Jordan

“…The cost of pumping a cubic meter of groundwater has been calculated within the range of 80-120 penny per cubic meter (1.13-1.69). $/m 3 ) according to the depth of the water surface and the type of energy used to operate the pumps (Al-Hadidi, 2002). Table 2 shows the prices of irrigation water according to the stratum system.…”

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“…Thus, for most of the crops, it has been stated that the water used for irrigation should have an EC value in the range of 750-2250 μS/cm. In case, if the water contains higher EC values then the salinity management practices like adequate drainage and leaching should be properly implemented [19]. Moreover, some ions including calcium, sodium and magnesium could affect the sodium absorption ratio (SAR), another crucial factor for assessing the sodicity risk of groundwater for irrigation [20].…”

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that treated wastewater's average EC values can differ significantly. For instance, one of the studies reported EC values ranging from 781 to 2810 μS/cm, with a mean value of 1801.7 μS/cm [19]. Another study indicated that EC values in groundwater varied from 63 to 3819 μS/cm, with the majority of wells consisting of freshwater (< 1000 μS/cm) during rainy seasons [21].…”

“…It has been stressed that in order to assure sustainable agricultural activities, the treated wastewater should meet the given quality standards by involving a close monitoring just not on the EC but also at the other variables including pH, TDS, BOD, COD, nutrient contents, etc. [19].…”