Brussels, 26 June 2023
Today, new standards for the safe reuse of treated wastewater in agricultural irrigation, the Water Reuse Regulation, are entering in force across most of the EU. The regulation sets common minimum water quality requirements for the safe reuse of treated urban wastewater in agricultural irrigation, to facilitate the uptake of this practice. The new rules will help farmers gain access to more sources of safe water for irrigation, essential in the context of recurrent droughts, and increase transparency. They will also help preserve the water resources needed by the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The rules will now apply in all Member States except those that have decided to make use of a regulatory opt-out clause (see this map showing water reuse is or not allowed).
Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginius Sinkevičius, said:
“Water is a precious resource that is becoming more and more scarce. Just as we are increasingly reusing other materials and rare commodities, urban wastewater can be successfully treated with the available technologies. That opens many possibilities for farmers who can use such reclaimed water safely for irrigation. With these new standards, consumers and farmers can be confident in the quality and safety of agricultural produce irrigated with reclaimed water”.
While water reuse is already successfully deployed in some Member States and in other parts of the world, only 2.4 % of the total treated urban wastewater is being reclaimed and reused in the EU. It varies widely between Member States, as some Member States reuse as much as 89% of treated wastewater, while most use very little or none at all.
In the context of the European Green Deal, both the Circular Economy Action Plan and the new EU Climate Adaptation Strategy refer to wider use of treated wastewater as a way to strengthen the EU’s ability to respond to the increasing pressures on water resources. It is also in line with the Water Action Agenda adopted at the UN 2023 Water Conference, with particular focus on access to sufficient water of good quality and adaptation to climate change.
More information is available in this news item.
Source – EU Commission