Recycling Treated Municipal Wastewater for Industrial Water Use

Cost by Standard Industry Categories
Section 3: Recycled Wastewater System Components and Costs
Recycling Treated Municipal Wastewater for Industrial Water Use
The potential costs for a recycled wastewater supply are shown in Figure 3.7 and listed in Table 3.10 for
the general industry categories. Costs listed in Table 3.10 are for both the treatment and total system costs
of a 5-mile transmission system, while Figure 3.7 displays only the treatment costs. As expected, the
range of costs is high given the diversity of industries in these general industry categories and the variable
Figure 3.7. Range of Treatment Costs for a 1 mgd Supply by Industry Category
Water Utility Costs ---------------------------
Power Cooling-Recirculating
Power Cooling-OnceThrough
Other (Miscellaneous)
Non-Metals
Metals
Petroleum/Chemical/Ethanol
Industrial Cooling-OnceThrough
Sand & Gravel Washing $0
Mining
Pulp & Paper
Agricultural
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
Recycled Wastewater Supply Treatment Cost Range*
($/1000 gallons)
*Costs in addition to recycled wastewater base system costs
water quality of
WWTP effluent.
However, the values
indicate that, for a 1
mgd supply
transmitted 5 miles,
the cost of service for
lower levels of
treatment can
compete with potable
water supplies. Most
industries with a
water demand of 1
mgd or less are more
likely to use a potable
source, depending on
their water quality requirements. For these industries, reclaimed water could provide an alternative to a
potable source, assuming multiple industries are supplied from one WWTP for a combined demand of 1
mgd or higher.
Storage Costs
While most WWTPs have a consistent diurnal pattern that varies during the weekdays and weekend,
recycled wastewater demand will vary with the customer or set of customers. For this study, storage costs
were estimated based on the assumption that 50% of the water volume produced per day could be stored.
Additional storage that may be required by individual customers and located at the customer’s sites was
not considered in this analysis.
Storage was assumed to be provided in an underground concrete tank, for which the unit cost of
construction is estimated to be $1.70/gallon of the storage. The capital cost of storage was estimated to be
$850,000 per mgd of the annual average recycled wastewater demand. When included in the cost of
service, storage is estimated to add approximately 20 cents to the total system cost to produce 1000
gallons. Storage costs equate to about 13% of the cost of service for a 1 mgd supply with a 5-mile
transmission system. For a 1 mgd recycled wastewater system supplying a “base” quality water, storage
was estimated to increase costs from $1.35/1000 gallons to $1.55/1000 gallons.
Metropolitan Council Environmental Services 53