Full Description

The City and County of San Francisco, California, is developing a water recycling master plan. One of the plan's goals is to utilize recycled water for irrigation, toilet flushing and cooling water so that more high quality water will be available for expanding potable supplies. The greatest potential use for reclaimed water in San Francisco is for landscape irrigation, and the primary customer is the city's Recreation and Park Department. This paper presents the current status of a pilot study that was implemented in 1993 to determine the adverse effects, if any, of irrigating city park plants with reclaimed water. Identical sets of plants were irrigated with recycled water and with control water, either potable or non-potable groundwater. The pilot study design required irrigating a turf and woody area, and 26 species of container plants selected by nursery gardeners. Constituents of concern in the recycled water are boron, sodium and chlorides, which can cause plants to experience reduced growth, poor color, and can affect soil permeability. Analyses are conducted on samples of both plant tissue and soil to measure any effect the reclaimed water has on plants. Physical plant observations and photographs are made monthly to track changes in plant foliage, flowering or growth. The study to date found very few negative effects of irrigating with recycled water.

Product Details

Published: 01/01/1994 ISBN(s): 0898677734 Number of Pages: 19File Size: 1 file , 660 KB