Christopher J. Martinez, Ph.D
Development of a Tool for Wet-Weather Storage and Potential Nitrogen Leaching from Reclaimed Water Land Application Systems

Christopher J. Martinez, Ph.D
279 Frazier Rogers Hall
PO Box 110570, University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611
Phone: (352) 392-1864 x279
Fax: (352) 392-4092
Email: chrisjm@ufl.edu

The use of treated municipal wastewater (reclaimed water) for agricultural and landscape irrigation reduces withdrawals from natural surface and ground waters by providing an alternative source of water; minimizing the impact on this limited natural resource. Applied appropriately, reclaimed water can also be used to recharge groundwater aquifers. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection 2006 Reuse Inventory, Florida reuses 660 million gallons of reclaimed water each day.
The purpose of this project is to develop a tool that will be used for the permitting and design of slow-rate reclaimed water land application systems in the state of Florida. Specifically, the tool will:
• Determine off-line wet-weather storage requirements using site-specific rainfall and plant-specific evapotranspiration.

• Provide an estimation of annual nitrate loading to groundwater.

• The tool is be freely available and web-accessible via the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.