Investigation of Effluent Quality of Ekbatan Wastewater Treatment Plant for Farm and Green Space Irrigation

It is essential to plan for the optimal use of both conventional and non-conventional water resources in order to successfully address water scarcity and to supply water for the growing population and urbanization in present-day Iran. Treated wastewater reuse may be considered as one solution to overcome water shortage and to avoid its wastage. The present study was, hence, designed and implemented to investigate the feasibility of reusing the effluent from Ekbatan Treatment Plant for irrigating farmlands and urban green spaces. For this purpose, certain physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the effluent were measured on a daily basis during the one-year period from April to March 2016. The values obtained were then evaluated against the standards recommended by the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization and WHO.Results revealed that the effluent complied with the standards with respect to all the parameters measured so that the effluent could be safely reused for irrigating farms and urban green spaces. The treatment process used at Ekbatan Plant was also found to record BOD and COD removal efficiencies of 97% and 95%, respectively. The findings of the present study confirm the claim that wastewater treatment and reuse may be regarded as one of the most important solutions toward optimal management of water resources under the current conditions in Iran to meet part of the growing water demand.