Analysis of treated wastewater reuse potential for irrigation in Sicily

In Mediterranean countries, water shortage is becoming a problem of high concern affecting thelocal economy, mostly based on agriculture. The problem is not only the scarcity of water in terms ofaverage per capita, but the high cost to make water available at the right place, at the right time withthe required quality. In these cases, an integrated approach for water resources managementincluding wastewater is required. The management should also include treated wastewater (TWW)reclamation and reuse, especially for agricultural irrigation. In Italy, TWW reuse is regulated by a quiterestrictive approach (Ministry Decree, M.D. 185/03), especially for some chemical compounds andmicrobiological parameters. The aim of the paper is the evaluation of TWW reuse potential in Sicily.A Geographic Information System (GIS) was built at regional level to quantify and locate the availableTWW volumes. In particular, the characteristics of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) wereintegrated, through the GIS, with data on irrigation district areas. Moreover, in order to evaluate theItalian approach for reuse practice in agriculture, the water quality of different TWW effluents wasanalysed on the basis of both the Italian standards and the WHO guidelines.