Summary of Tennessee's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Consumption by Livestock
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 consumption by livestock approved for use in Tennessee
- Water reuse treatment category for consumption by livestock
- Additional context and definitions
- Water reuse for consumption by livestock 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 consumption by livestock The use of recycled water for livestock drinking water supplies. Excludes physical application of reclaimed water to pasture for milking and non-milking animals, forage crops used as animal feed, and land used for livestock grazing. reuse applications include animal feeding operations (AFOs), livestock watering and wildlife watering. 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 consumption by livestock applications including animal feeding operations (AFOs) and feed crop irrigation (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. 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). Permit conditions for livestock applications of treated municipal wastewater require AFOs to have a site-specific nutrient management plan. Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of debris, chemicals and other relevant indicators related to consumption by livestock 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 consumption by livestock approved for use in Tennessee
Tennessee (TN Code § 0400-40-06) approves the following consumption by livestock reuse applications for recycled treated municipal wastewater:
- Animal feeding operation or “AFO”: Any facility that stables, confines, and feeds terrestrial animals for a total of 45 days or more in any 12-month period. AFOs do not include facilities that sustain crops, vegetation, forage growth or post-harvest residues in the normal growing season over any portion of the facility.
- Livestock watering
- Wildlife watering
Additional consumption by livestock reuse applications for collected treated municipal wastewater are not specified.
Water reuse treatment category for consumption by livestock
Tennessee does not assign recycled treated municipal wastewater used for consumption by livestock 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). The state statute does not otherwise provide water quality parameters.
Tennessee provides parameters for the use of treated municipal wastewater for livestock watering and wildlife (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 livestock watering and wildlife.
- Hardness or mineral compounds: The hardness of or the mineral compounds contained in the water shall not impair its use for livestock watering and wildlife.
- 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 interfere with livestock watering and wildlife.
- 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 livestock watering and wildlife.
- Other pollutants: The waters shall not contain other pollutants in quantities which may be detrimental to the waters used for livestock watering and wildlife.
Additional criteria are summarized in the table for the use of treated municipal wastewater for consumption by livestock 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).
Water reuse for consumption by livestock specifications
Summary of Tennessee’s Consumption by Livestock 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)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Livestock watering, AFOs and wildlife watering |
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 consumption by livestock 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.