ANNEX I USES AND MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

ANNEX I

USES AND MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Section 1

Uses of reclaimed water

Agricultural irrigation

Agricultural irrigation means irrigation of the following types of crops:

Without prejudice to other relevant Union law in the fields of the environment and of health, Member States may use reclaimed water for further uses such as:

Section 2

Minimum requirements

Minimum requirements applicable to reclaimed water intended for agricultural irrigation

The reclaimed water quality classes and the permitted uses and irrigation methods for each class are set out in Table 1. The minimum requirements for water quality are set out in Table 2 of point (a). The minimum frequencies and performance targets for monitoring reclaimed water are set out in Table 3 (routine monitoring) and Table 4 (validation monitoring) of point (b).

Crops belonging to a given category shall be irrigated with reclaimed water of the corresponding minimum reclaimed water quality class as set out in Table 1, unless appropriate additional barriers as referred to in point (c) of Article 5(4) are used, which result in achieving the quality requirements set out in Table 2 of point (a). Such additional barriers may be based on the indicative list of preventive measures referred to in point 7 of Annex II or in any other equivalent national or international standards, e.g. the standard ISO 16075-2.

Table 1 – Classes of reclaimed water quality and permitted agricultural use and irrigation method

(a)   Minimum requirements for water quality

Table 2 – Reclaimed water quality requirements for agricultural irrigation

Reclaimed water shall be considered to be in compliance with the requirements set out in Table 2 where the measurements for that reclaimed water meet all of the following criteria:

(b)   Minimum requirements for monitoring

Reclamation facility operators shall perform routine monitoring to verify that the reclaimed water is in compliance with the minimum water quality requirements set out in point (a). The routine monitoring shall be included in the verification procedures of the water reuse system.

The samples to be used to verify compliance with the microbiological parameters at the point of compliance shall be taken in accordance with standard EN ISO 19458 or with any other national or international standards that ensure equivalent quality.

Table 3 – Minimum frequencies for routine monitoring of reclaimed water for agricultural irrigation

Validation monitoring shall be performed before a new reclamation facility is put into operation.

Reclamation facilities that are already in operation and that meet the reclaimed water quality requirements set out in Table 2 of point (a) on 25 June 2020 shall be exempted from that validation monitoring obligation.

However, validation monitoring shall be performed in all cases where equipment is upgraded, and when new equipment or processes are added.

Validation monitoring shall be performed for the reclaimed water quality class with the most stringent requirements, Class A, to assess whether the performance targets (log10 reduction) are complied with. Validation monitoring shall entail the monitoring of the indicator microorganisms associated with each group of pathogens, namely bacteria, viruses and protozoa. The indicator microorganisms selected are E. coli for pathogenic bacteria, F-specific coliphages, somatic coliphages or coliphages for pathogenic viruses, and Clostridium perfringens spores or spore-forming sulfate-reducing bacteria for protozoa. Performance targets (log10 reduction) for the validation monitoring for the selected indicator microorganisms are set out in Table 4 and shall be met at the point of compliance, considering the concentrations of the raw waste water entering the urban waste water treatment plant. At least 90 % of validation samples shall reach or exceed the performance targets.

If a biological indicator is not present in sufficient quantity in raw waste water to achieve the log10 reduction, the absence of such biological indicator in reclaimed water shall mean that the validation requirements are complied with. The compliance with the performance target may be established by analytical control, by addition of the performance granted to individual treatment steps based on scientific evidence for standard well-established processes, such as published data of testing reports or case studies, or tested in a laboratory under controlled conditions for innovative treatment.

Table 4 – Validation monitoring of reclaimed water for agricultural irrigation

Methods of analysis for monitoring shall be validated and documented in accordance with EN ISO/IEC-17025 or other national or international standards that ensure an equivalent quality.

(*1)  If the same type of irrigated crop falls under multiple categories of Table 1, the requirements of the most stringent category shall apply.

(*2)  Drip irrigation (also called trickle irrigation) is a micro-irrigation system capable of delivering water drops or tiny streams to the plants and involves dripping water onto the soil or directly under its surface at very low rates (2–20 litres/hour) from a system of small-diameter plastic pipes fitted with outlets called emitters or drippers.

(*3)  In the case of irrigation methods which imitate rain, special attention should be paid to the protection of the health of workers or bystanders. For this purpose, appropriate preventive measures shall be applied.

(*4)  The reference pathogens Campylobacter, Rotavirus and Cryptosporidium may also be used for validation monitoring purposes instead of the proposed indicator microorganisms. The following log10 reduction performance targets shall then apply: Campylobacter (≥ 5,0), Rotavirus (≥ 6,0) and Cryptosporidium (≥ 5,0).

(*5)  Total coliphages is selected as the most appropriate viral indicator. However, if analysis of total coliphages is not feasible, at least one of them (F-specific or somatic coliphages) shall be analysed.

(*6)   Clostridium perfringens spores is selected as the most appropriate protozoa indicator. However, spore-forming sulfate-reducing bacteria are an alternative if the concentration of Clostridium perfringens spores does not make it possible to validate the requested log10 removal.