The California Water Recycling Criteria (encoded in Title 22 of the California Code of Administration) allow 43 specified uses of recycled water, including irrigation of all types of food crops, parks and schools, golf courses, and landscaping. These criteria include different water quality requirements for different types of irrigation. The District’s recycled water meets the highest quality standard, “Unrestricted Use.”
In addition to crops and landscaping, the criteria also outline recycled water use for industrial applications such as cooling towers and toilet flushing. In specific instances recycled water can also be used for groundwater recharge. California’s regulations are among the most stringent in the world and have been used as a model for many other countries’ guidelines and water reuse regulations.
In the Napa Valley, recycled water is used to irrigate golf courses, vineyards, landscaping, pastureland, parks, playing fields, and a cemetery. Using recycled water for irrigation in place of potable or groundwater helps conserve water resources.