Water reuse in Japan

Abstract

Even though Japan has mean annual precipitation of 1,714 mm and hundreds of dams and reservoirs constructed, frequent and severe droughts have occurred in wide regions of the country. Because of rapid economic growth and concentrations of population in urban areas, water demands in large cities have stressed reliability of water supply systems and necessitated the development of new water resources with considerable economic and environmental costs. To alleviate these situations, wastewater reclamation and reuse have been implemented widely in major cities. This paper summarizes the current status of water reuse in Japan and discusses dominant uses of reclaimed water, emphasizing non-potable urban applications such as toilet flushing, industrial reuse, and environmental water.