Summary of Arizona's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Landscaping

This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Treated Municipal Wastewater.

• Technical basis
• Water reuse for landscaping approved for use in Arizona
• Water reuse treatment category for landscaping
• Additional context and definitions
• Water reuse for landscaping specifications (table)
• Upcoming state law or policy
• References
• Disclaimer

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This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information. 

In Arizona, water reuse for landscaping water reuse for landscapingThe use of recycled water on land to assist in the irrigation of vegetation in residential and non-residential areas. Includes impoundments to store water for irrigation , ornamental vegetation, parks, school yards, sporting facilities (including golf courses), private gardens, roadsides and greenbelts, and cemeteries. Excludes irrigation of areas used for agriculture, commercial reuse applications, or any centralized non-potable reuse. includes residential, schoolground, open access and restricted access landscape irrigation and golf course irrigation. The source of water (treated municipal wastewater) treated municipal wastewater Treated wastewater effluent discharged from a centralized wastewater treatment plant of any size. Other terms referring to this source of water include domestic wastewater, treated wastewater effluent, reclaimed water, and treated sewage. is specified by the state as municipal wastewater. This write-up uses state terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.

Technical basis

Arizona approves the use of reclaimed wastewater for landscape irrigation and impoundments in areas with both open and restricted access (Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11). All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met. Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators for water reuse for landscaping and are summarized in the table. More stringent performance standards are required for reclaimed water used for landscape irrigation in areas with open access compared to reclaimed water used in areas with restricted access. The technical basis for developing the specifications and/or removals of microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators is not explicitly specified.

Water reuse for landscaping approved for use in Arizona

Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11 defines the following approved water reuse for landscaping:

• Residential landscape irrigation, schoolground landscape irrigation, open access landscape irrigation (Class A)
• Golf course irrigation, restricted access landscape irrigation (Class B)
• Landscape impoundments (Class B)

Water reuse treatment category for landscaping

In Arizona, reclaimed water is defined as “water that has been treated or processed by a wastewater treatment plant” (Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11). The class A and B requirements apply to the direct reuse of reclaimed water.

The various classes of reclaimed water treatment are defined by their respective treatment requirements and applicable performance standards. The respective requirements are briefly summarized for water reuse for landscaping. 

• For Class A reclaimed water, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment, filtration and disinfection.
• For Class B reclaimed water, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment and disinfection.

Additional context and definitions

In Arizona, “open access” means that access to reclaimed water by the general public is uncontrolled (Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11). “Restricted access” means that access to reclaimed water by the general public is controlled (Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11).

A “landscape impoundment” is a manmade lake, pond or impoundment of reclaimed water created for storage, landscaping or for aesthetic purposes only (Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11). Swimming, wading, boating, fishing and other water-based recreational activities are prohibited in landscape impoundments (Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11).

Requirements for signage and the use of purple pipes for the conveyance of reclaimed water for reuse applications are not specified.

Water reuse for landscaping specifications

Summary of Arizona's Water Reuse for Landscaping Specifications

Source= Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11

* Information about sampling and monitoring requirements such as frequency, site and quantification methods not specifically listed in the table was not explicitly specified in the State-specific regulations.

^a Required if alternative treatment processes or alternative turbidity criteria are used, or reclaimed water is blended with other water to produce Class A+ or Class A reclaimed water.

Upcoming state law or policy

No upcoming regulations pertaining to water reuse for landscaping were found for Arizona.

References

Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.

Water Quality Standards, Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11.

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Disclaimers

Please contact us at waterreuse@epa.gov if the information on this page needs updating or if this state is updating or planning to update its laws and policies and we have not included that information on the news page.