New project on irrigation of crops with recycled wastewater

A new project coordinated by RISE will look at the practical and safety aspects of this circular water use. In the project Secured production and safe crops: a field-based test of treated urban wastewater for irrigation we take the waste water from an urban wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and use it to water crops.

This project will help decide if the 18 million cubic meters of water that is annually produced by this single WWTP can be used to safely irrigate crops. We will observe how well the crops grow and produce, comparing to crops irrigated with tap water. We will also measure whether or not pharmaceutical substances accumulate in the plants and seeds, so that we know if they are safe to eat.

The project is funded by the JTI Foundation with co-financing from RISE.