Assessing relative risks of municipal wastewater disposal options for Southeast Florida

A comparative assessment of the risks of the three current wastewater effluent disposal options and three other potential options was conducted for Southeast Florida communities. The question was how the risk to humans from the use of potable reuse compares to the other five available wastewater disposal alternatives. The need for this type of risk assessment is due to the potential to use potable reuse as a water supply and the potential resistance from the public as a result of such a proposal. Water quality data relevant to disposal of wastewater treatment plant effluent from South Florida utilities along with water quality data on the receiving waters and drinking water standards were obtained for the project. The comparison of the public health risks associated with these disposal alternatives indicated that health risks associated with deep wells and direct potable reuse were generally lower than those of the other alternatives.