Reclaimed water safe to use—LOTT study

A decade-long LOTT Clean Water Alliance study assured reclaimed water has "very low risk" to human health and "no risk" to ecological health.

During the Lacey City Council work session yesterday, LOTT Clean Water Alliance presented its decade-long study on the safety of reclaimed water as a long-term measure in addressing the region's growing needs.

"As the community continues to grow, we need to have options for wastewater treatment," said LOTT Assistant Executive Director Matt Kennelly.

Kennelly said the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant, LOTT's main treatment facility, treats about 13 million gallons per day, while the Martin Way Reclaimed Water Plant located in Lacey treats about two million gallons per day.

Kennelly explained that LOTT Environmental Planning and Communications Director Lisa Dennis-Perez said the study addresses the community's questions about the safety of reclaimed water and the risks of residual chemicals that may remain in the water.

Dennis-Perez said that to assess the potential risk to humans and wildlife, they established a monitoring well network and tested the wastewater, reclaimed water, surface water, and groundwater that passes through the system.

Dennis-Perez said they also created a computer model for the study to estimate conditions 100 years into the future,

Dennis-Perez said the study would be updated over time as there is a need to keep tabs on new information.

"We do expect conditions will change," Dennis-Perez said. "We know that the chemical landscape will change over time, so related research will continue."