Summary of Georgia's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Potable Water Reuse
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.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Types of planned potable reuse approved for use in Georgia
- Water reuse treatment category/type
- Potable reuse specifications
- Upcoming state law or policy
- References
- Disclaimer
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 Georgia, potable water reuseThe use of highly treated recycled water for drinking water purposes. Includes the introduction of recycled water into an environmental buffer, such as groundwater aquifer or surface reservoir being withdrawn for potable purposes (indirect potable reuse), and the introduction of recycled water into a drinking water treatment facility or directly into a potable water distribution system (direct potable reuse). applications include indirect potable reuse (supplementing the water supply). The source of water treated municipal wastewaterTreated 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 reclaimed water. The 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
Potable water in the United States must meet all applicable Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements, including its implementing regulations (40 C.F.R. § 141) for chemical and microbial contaminants, and pollutant discharges from a point source for surface water augmentation require a federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit (40 C.F.R. § 122). Georgia approves the use of reclaimed water for indirect potable reuse (IPR). Additionally, to augment surface water with indirect potable water, individual Georgia Environmental Protection Department (EPD) permits are required for drinking water augmentation, surface water withdrawal and wastewater discharge (Georgia EPD, 2022). Georgia uses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) definition of IPR as the “augmentation of a drinking water source with reclaimed water, followed by an environmental buffer that precedes drinking water treatment” (Georgia EPD, 2022). Treatment requirements and performance standards are not specified for the removal of pathogen and chemical contaminants for IPR.
Types of planned potable reuse approved for use in Georgia
Georgia EPD (2022) defines the following approved planned potable uses:
- Indirect Potable Reuse: “the augmentation of a drinking water source with reclaimed water, followed by an environmental buffer that precedes drinking water treatment.”
Water reuse treatment category/type
Georgia defines that the source water quality must be of such quality that with reasonable treatment it will meet the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) of the Georgia Rules for Safe Drinking Water (Georgia EPD, 2022).
Potable reuse specifications
Georgia does not have additional specifications for indirect potable reuse.
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming potable reuse regulations were found for Georgia.
References:
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
EPA-Administered Permit Programs: The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, 40 C.F.R. § 122.
Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). 2022. Indirect Potable Reuse Guidance Document.
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, 40 C.F.R. § 141.
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.