Summary of Tennessee's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Agriculture
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
- Water reuse for agriculture approved for use in Tennessee
- Water reuse treatment category for agriculture
- Additional context and definitions
- Water reuse for agriculture specifications (table)
- 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 Tennessee, water reuse for agricultureThe use of recycled water for production of both crops for human consumption and non-food crops of commercial value. This reuse application excludes consumption by livestock, onsite non-potable reuse, and landscaping. reuse applications include irrigation of food crops, irrigation of non-food crops, irrigation of fiber crops, processing of food crops and processing of non-food crops. The source of water 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 reclaimed water from non-discharging wastewater systems. Tennessee uses the term non-discharging wastewater systems to describe systems in which wastewater is treated to meet the minimum criteria with the intent of being used as reclaimed water for non-potable purposes. 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
Tennessee approves the reuse of treated municipal wastewater for agriculture reuse applications including irrigation of food, non-food and fiber crops as well as processing of food and non-food crops (TN Code § 0400-40-06). 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 and any relevant rule requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) (124 Stat. 3885). Treated municipal wastewater is subject to specifications under Tennessee’s State Operating Permits (SOPs) which authorize operation of non-discharging sewerage systems, given compliance with permit conditions (TN Code § 0400-40-06). Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of debris, chemicals and other relevant indicators related to agriculture and are summarized in the table. The technical basis for developing the specifications and/or removal of debris, microbial contaminants, chemicals and other relevant indicators is not explicitly specified.
Water reuse for agriculture approved for use in Tennessee
Tennessee (TN Code § 0400-40-06) approves of these agriculture reuse applications for recycled treated municipal wastewater:
- Irrigation of food crops
- Irrigation of non-food crops
- Irrigation of fiber crops
- Processing of food crops
- Processing of non-food crops
Additional agriculture reuse applications for collected treated municipal wastewater are not specified.
Water reuse treatment category for agriculture
Tennessee does not assign recycled treated municipal wastewater used for agriculture to a category or class. For non-discharging wastewater systems, Tennessee describes that “facilities that treat municipal and/or domestic wastewater, but do not discharge into waters of the state, shall be limited in terms of BOD5 and other pollutants such as NH3-N, NO3-N, and fecal coliform as necessary. Limits shall be set in such a way to assure efficient operation and protection of groundwater” (TN Code § 0400-40-05-.09).
Tennessee provides parameters for the use of treated municipal wastewater for irrigation (TN Code § 0400-40-03-.03). The following parameters do not have a provided quantitative criteria value.
- Dissolved oxygen: There shall always be sufficient dissolved oxygen present to prevent odors of decomposition and other offensive conditions.
- Temperature: The temperature of the water shall not interfere with its use for irrigation purposes.
- Hardness or mineral compounds: The hardness of or the mineral compounds contained in the water shall not impair its use for irrigation.
- Solids, floating materials, and deposits: There shall be no distinctly visible solids, scum, foam, oily slick, or the formation of slimes, bottom deposits or sludge banks of such size or character that impair the usefulness of water for irrigation purposes.
- Toxic substances: The waters shall not contain toxic substances whether alone or in combination with other substances which will produce toxic conditions that adversely affect the quality of the waters for irrigation.
- Other pollutants: The waters shall not contain other pollutants in quantities which may be detrimental to the waters used for irrigation.
Additional criteria are summarized in the table for the use of treated municipal wastewater for agricultural irrigation purposes.
Additional context and definitions
Tennessee defines the reuse of reclaimed water as “the application of reclaimed wastewater of sufficient quality to be reused in non-discharging wastewater systems in a manner protective of human health and the environment” (TN Code § 0400-40-06-.02). Tennessee uses the term non-discharging wastewater systems to describe systems in which wastewater is treated to meet the minimum criteria with the intent of being used as reclaimed water for non-potable purposes (TN Code § 0400-40-06-.02).
Tennessee states that treated municipal wastewater must be applied at a calculated agronomic application rate which varies by density of crops, season, ambient weather conditions, shade coverage and characteristics of reclaimed wastewater. Agronomic application rate is defined as “the application of reclaimed wastewater to meet nutrient or hydraulic uptake needs of food crops, feed crops, cover crops, or vegetation grown on land, the latter category including but not limited to athletic fields and ornamental landscaping” (TN Code § 0400-40-06). To ensure there is no unpermitted discharge, Tennessee requires that treated municipal wastewater used for irrigation must not be applied in excess of the evaporation rate plus the uptake of the vegetation in the immediate distribution area (TN Code § 0400-40-06.10).
Water reuse for agriculture specifications
Summary of Tennessee’s Agriculture Reuse Specifications
| Recycled Water Class/Category (Approved Uses) | Source Water Type | Water Quality Parameter | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Irrigation |
Treated municipal wastewater |
Dissolved oxygen |
Sufficient dissolved oxygen to prevent odors of decomposition, among other offensive conditions. |
Not specified |
|
pH |
6.0 to 9.0 |
Not to fluctuate more than 1.0 unit in this range over a period of 24 hours. |
||
|
Solids, floating materials and deposits |
No distinctly visible solids, scum, foam, oily slick or the formation of slimes, bottom deposits or sludge banks |
Not specified |
Source = TN Code § 0400-40-03-.03
* 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.
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming regulations pertaining to agriculture reuse applications were found for Tennessee.
References
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
Division of Water Pollution Control, TN Code § 0400-40.
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), 124 Stat. 3885.
General Water Quality Criteria, TN Code § 0400-40-03-.03 (2019).
Permits, Effluent Limitations and Standards, TN Code § 0400-40-05.
State Operating Permits, TN Code § 0400-40-06 (2022).
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). 2023a. ARP Competitive Grant Workshop Series: Water Reuse.
TDEC. 2023b. Water Quality State Operating Permits (SOP).
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.