Q: Why does UCSD use reclaimed water?
A: The university depends on water for drinking, sanitation, fire protection, heating, cooling, air conditioning, conducting research, and landscape irrigation. Potable water supplies have been reliable in the past, and people often forget that San Diego imports most of its water. But we are literally "at the end of the line," and numerous circumstances — including drought — could cause a water shortage.
UCSD uses reclaimed water for irrigation purposes only. Using reclaimed water supports university functions and benefits the environment, while conserving potable water for other uses.
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Q: Are there health concerns for people who come in contact with reclaimed water?
A: No. The reclaimed water UCSD receives is highly treated, filtered, and disinfected through a tertiary treatment process that reduces the number of coliform bacteria to a statistical probability of equal to or less than 2.2/100 ml. This level is much lower than that customarily found in natural surface waters used for recreational purposes and meets all applicable regulatory requirements for approved reclaimed water uses.
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Q: How much water does UCSD use for irrigation?
A: UCSD uses approximately 224,000 gallons of potable water and 126,862 gallons of reclaimed water for irrigation each day.
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Q: Where can I find more information about reclaimed water?
A:
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