Summary of Georgia’s Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Rainwater Collected Onsite for Non-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 Rainwater Collected Onsite.

On this page:

• Technical basis
• Types of onsite non-potable reuse approved for use in Georgia
• Water reuse category/type
• Additional context and definitions
• Onsite non-potable reuse 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 Georgia, onsite non-potable water reuse onsite non-potable water reuse The use of treated onsite collected waters for non-potable purposes at the single-building or district scale. This reuse application excludes the use of recycled water from a centralized treatment and distribution system for landscape irrigation or commercial uses. include toilet flushing, cooling tower makeup water and automatic clothes washing. The source of water (rainwater collected onsite) rainwater collected onsite Precipitation collected at the district or regional scale is classified separately under 'stormwater.' is specified by the state as rainwater. 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

Georgia approves the onsite non-potable reuse of rainwater for automatic clothes washing, cooling tower makeup water and toilet and urinal flushing (Georgia DNR, 2012). All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met in addition to any state water quality standards. For onsite non-potable reuse of rainwater, rainwater is required to pass through an approved filter system and undergo disinfection by an approved method that employs one or more disinfectants (see the table for more information). The technical basis for the rainwater filtration and disinfection requirements is not explicitly specified.

Types of onsite non-potable reuse approved for use in Georgia

Georgia DNR (2012) defines the following approved onsite non-potable reuse applications of rainwater: 

• Automatic clothes washing,
• Cooling tower makeup water,
• Toilet and urinal flushing.

Water reuse category/type

Georgia does not assign treated rainwater used for onsite non-potable reuse to a category or class.

Additional context and definitions

The respective treatment requirements for gray water and rainwater are briefly summarized for onsite non-potable reuse applications:

• Rainwater is required to pass through an approved filter system (downspout filter, leaf screen or strainer basket) and disinfected by an approved method that employs one or more disinfectants, such as chlorine, iodine, ozone or UV (Georgia DNR, 2012). Rainwater systems of less than 200-gallon capacity for outdoor non-potable applications normally do not need disinfection.
  • Rainwater is defined as “water collected from runoff of roofs of buildings or homes after a rain event” (Georgia DNR, 2012).

Onsite non-potable reuse specifications

Summary of Georgia's Non-potable Reuse Specifications

Sources = Georgia DNR, 2012.

Upcoming state law or policy

No upcoming onsite non-potable reuse regulations were found for Georgia. 

References:

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

Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). 2012. Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code. Chapter 15. Rain Water Harvesting Systems.

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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.