POLICY STATEMENT 132

EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF RECLAIMED WATER SYSTEM

PREPARED BY: Jamie Revels, P.E., Director of Utilities
SUPERSEDES: 10/30/14
ADOPTED BY COUNCIL: 6/11/20
EFFECTIVE: 6/11/20

Purpose and Background

Cary developed a reclaimed water system that went online June 22, 2001. Reclaimed water is an integral part of Cary’s water resources strategy for meeting long-term water demand requirements. This policy has been adopted to ensure the continued orderly expansion and effective utilization of the reclaimed water system.

Policy

Residents and businesses within the reclaimed water service area shall utilize Cary’s reclaimed water
system for secondary water use facilities including irrigation systems, cooling towers, and other potential uses as determined to be feasible by the Director of Utilities. Secondary water use facilities for landscape and ground irrigation systems shall be required to use reclaimed water, where available. All other secondary water use facilities, such as cooling towers, shall be encouraged to utilize reclaimed water, where available.

Cary has designated a reclaimed water service area, as shown in Figure 1, where reclaimed water will be provided according to the Reclaimed Water Master Plan. For development within the reclaimed water service area the developer shall install, and shall be responsible for the full cost of, reclaimed water infrastructure along the entire site frontage as well as any required reclaimed water infrastructure within the site. The developer shall extend the reclaimed water system to the development and shall be responsible for the full cost of this infrastructure. If reclaimed water is unavailable, the developer shall install a temporary interconnection with the potable water system and all on-site secondary water use facilities identified for reclaimed water shall be designed to be readily converted to use reclaimed water when reclaimed water supply is available to the site. Cary may provide potable water supply to secondary water use facilities until reclaimed water is available to the site and connection to the Cary’s reclaimed water system is possible. The potable water supply shall be isolated by suitable backflow prevention as required by the Cary Code of Ordinances (Chapter 36, Utilities) and the Standard Specifications and Details manual. Once reclaimed water is available to the site, permanent disconnection from the potable water system and connection to the reclaimed water system is required.

There may be limited circumstances in which strict adherence to this Policy is not feasible or desirable. In these circumstances, the Director of Utilities may approve development which does not conform to the standards set forth in this policy if such development (i) will not adversely impact Cary infrastructure, and (ii) will maintain the intent and purpose of the Policy.

See Figure 1, the reclaimed water service area. 

RELATED POLICY STATEMENTS: 

Other policy statements include provisions related to this policy statement, including but not limited to: Utility System Extension and Connection Policy, Policy Statement 23.