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Toulouse pioneers wastewater reuse in France with Val’Réu project
Toulouse has launched the Val’Réu project aimed at reusing wastewater, noting that it is the first city in France to experiment with wastewater reuse.
City authorities headed by Mayor of Toulouse Jean-Luc Moudenc pointed out that the move will help to save water by making full use of treated wastewater.
As part of the project, wastewater treated at the Toulouse-Ginestous-Garonne treatment plant will be reused to water green areas and clean roads, rather than released into the Garonne.
Toulouse is carrying out several experiments to test the quality of treated wastewater and is building a station to supply the water to tankers that will distribute it.
Besides watering green spaces and cleaning roads, the water will be used for flushing toilets, which is being tested at universities in Toulouse.
It will also be tested for washing metro trains, with city authorities stressing that experimentation will eliminate potential health risks.
During the project, up to 2% of the wastewater treated at the plant will be sent to a new filtration plant on the outskirts of Toulouse. The plant will filter wastewater with a membrane developed by Polymem company which specialises in production of fibre membranes.
Toulouse concluded that the project will help to reduce consumption of drinking water by making use of treated wastewater, which is in line with the city’s environmental and circular economy plans.
(Photo credit: Toulouse)
