Summary of the European Union's Regulation for Agricultural Water Reuse
This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Treated Municipal Wastewater.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Water reuse for agriculture approved for use in the EU
- Water reuse treatment category for agriculture
- Additional context and definitions
- Water reuse for agriculture specifications (table)
- Upcoming regulations
- References
- Disclaimer
This page is a summary of the organization’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the organization for the most accurate and updated information.
In the European Union, water reuse for agriculture includes foods consumed raw, processed food crops intended for human consumption after being treated and non-food crops. The source of water treated municipal wastewater Treated wastewater effluent discharged from a centralized wastewater treatment plant of any size. Other terms referring to this source of water include domestic wastewater, treated wastewater effluent, reclaimed water, and treated sewage. is specified by the organization as treated wastewater. The write-up on this page uses the organization’s terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.
Technical basis
The European Union (EU) approves the use of treated municipal wastewater for agricultural irrigation. The EU water reuse Regulation (EU) 2020/741 published in 2020 became applicable on June 2023, and it established minimum water quality, risk management and monitoring requirements for water reuse (EU, 2020). The European Commission (EC) published in 2022 a guidance document to support the application of the regulation (EC, 2022). Water reuse for agricultural irrigation applies to food crops consumed raw or unprocessed, processed food crops (e.g., cooked or industrialized) and non-food crops (e.g., pasture and forage). The treatment requirements and performance standards for the removal of microbial contaminants, and other relevant indicators related to agriculture are summarized in the second table (EU, 2020). The sampling methods for microbiological parameters are not specified in the regulation, but the regulation recommends standard EN ISO 19458 to ensure that the microbial parameters are evaluated correctly (EU, 2020).
Reclaimed water (Categories A, B, C and D) is considered in compliance if it meets the quality requirements for Escherichia coli, Legionella spp., helminth egg, biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and total suspended solids (TSS) parameters in ≥90% of the samples (EU, 2020; Directive 91/271/EEC). None of the E. coli or Legionella spp. measurements shall exceed 1 log unit of standard deviation from the specified value in the table and all helminth egg samples should be lower or equal to 1 egg/L if reclaimed water is used for irrigation of pastures or forage. None of the BOD5, TSS and turbidity measurements shall exceed the specified values for Class A reclaimed water (EU, 2020). In addition, Class A reclaimed water should also meet the validation monitoring requirements for E. coli, coliphages and Clostridium perfringens specifications listed in the second table in ≥90% of the validation samples (EU, 2020).
Water reuse for agriculture approved for use in the EU
The EU regulation (2020) defines the following approved crops for agricultural irrigation with treated municipal wastewater:
- Food crops consumed raw, i.e., intended for human consumption in an unprocessed state (Class A, B and C)
- Root crops (e.g., carrots, onions)
- Above-ground low-growing crops (e.g., lettuce, tomatoes)
- Above-ground high-growing crops (e.g., fruit trees)
- Processed food crops intended for human consumption after being treated (Class B and C)
- Cooked or industrially processed food crops (e.g., rice and wheat)
- Non-food crops (Class B, C and D)
- Processed food crops not intended for human consumption:
- Pastures and forage (Class B and C)
- Industrial, energy and seeded crops (Class D)
- Processed food crops not intended for human consumption:
Water reuse treatment category for agriculture
The EU regulation (2020) has categorized reclaimed water into four water quality classes: A, B, C and D. These classes are defined by their respective indicative treatment requirements and applicable performance standards. These treatment requirements are briefly summarized:
- For Class A reclaimed water, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment, filtration and disinfection.
- For Classes B, C and D reclaimed water, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment and disinfection.
The following table is adapted from Table 1 of Annex I to the water reuse regulation which defines the permitted agricultural uses and respective irrigation method for each minimum water quality class (EU, 2020).
| Recycled Water Class | Crop categorya | Allowable irrigation methods |
|---|---|---|
| A | All food crops consumed raw where the edible part is in direct contact with reclaimed water and root crops consumed raw | All |
| B | Food crops consumed raw where the edible part is produced above ground and is not in direct contact with reclaimed water, processed food crops and non-food crops including crops used to feed milk- or meat-producing animals | All |
| C | Food crops consumed raw where the edible part is produced above ground and is not in direct contact with reclaimed water, processed food crops and non-food crops including crops used to feed milk- or meat-producing animals | Drip irrigationb or other irrigation method that avoids direct contact with the edible part of the crop |
| D | Industrial, energy and seeded crops | Allc |
Source: EU (2020)
a If the same type of irrigated crop falls under multiple classes, the requirements of the most stringent category apply.
b Drip irrigation is a micro-irrigation system capable of delivering water at low flowrates to plants and involves dripping water onto the soil or directly under its surface from a system of small-diameter plastic pipes fitted with outlets.
c In the case of irrigation methods which imitate rain, special attention should be paid to the protection of the health of people nearby.
Additional context and definitions
The EU regulation (2020) indicates that reuse of treated wastewater has not been practiced widely by EU members partly due to significant costs of wastewater reuse systems and lack of standardized environmental and public health standards for water reuse, specifically related to agricultural irrigation. The EU regulation (2020) attempts to harmonize the minimum requirements to encourage states to practice water reuse. In addition, the regulation mentions international standards ISO 20426:2018 Guidelines for health risk assessment and management for non-potable water reuse (ISO, 2018), and ISO 16075:2015 Guidelines for treated wastewater use for irrigation as resources for risk management plans (ISO, 2015). World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines are also mentioned but not specified. The EU regulation (2020) also indicates that the regulation does not concern biodegradable industrial wastewater (industrial sectors not specified) unless that wastewater is treated at an urban wastewater treatment plant first.
The EU regulation (2020) defines that it is the responsibility of the water treatment facility operator to monitor the point of compliance, so the treated water can be used for agricultural irrigation by meeting the minimum water quality requirements and any additional conditions set by authorities, including additional requirements from the water reuse risk management plan. The “competent authority” is responsible for ensuring that a water reuse risk management plan has been established. The risk management plan can cover single or multiple water reuse systems and should be prepared by the water treatment operator, end-users and other responsible parties. In addition, the production and supply of treated water for agriculture irrigation are subject to a permit from the “competent authority.” The “competent authority” is defined as an authority or body designated by a Member State to carry out its obligations under the EU regulation regarding the granting of permits for the production or supply of reclaimed water, regarding exemptions for research or pilot projects and regarding compliance checks (EU, 2020). The EC guidance document (EC, 2022) provides further guidance on how to perform a risk management plan according to the key elements of risk management reported in the Annex II of the EU regulation (2020).
The water reuse risk management plan must set reclamation facility operator requirements as necessary based on results of performed required risk assessments. In addition, depending on the outcome of the risk assessment(s), requirements for water quality and monitoring may be set that are additional or stricter than those required by EU regulation (2020). Additional parameters may include heavy metals, pesticides, disinfection by-products, pharmaceuticals, anti-microbial resistance and substances of emerging concern (EU, 2020).
Water reuse for agriculture specifications
Summary of the EU's Water Reuse for Agriculture Specifications
| Recycled Water Class/Category (Approved Uses) | Source Water Type | Water Quality Parametera | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A, B, C and D | Treated municipal wastewater (secondary treatment and disinfection) | Legionella spp | <1000 CFU/L when there is risk of aerosol generation | Twice a month |
| Helminth eggs | ≤ 1 egg/L for pasture or forage irrigation | Twice a month or as determined by the wastewater treatment operator based on influent concentration | ||
| A | Treated municipal wastewater (secondary treatment, filtration and disinfection) | E. coli |
≤ 10 units/100 mL; ≥ 5 Log Reduction Values (LRV) |
Once a week |
| Total coliphages/F-specific coliphages/somatic coliphages/coliphagesb | ≥ 6 LRV | Used for validation monitoring when a new treatment plant producing Class A effluent is set up. Not for routine monitoring. | ||
| Clostridium perfringens spores/spore-forming sulfate reducing bacteriac |
≥ 4 LRV for Clostridium perfringens spores, ≥ 5 for spore-forming sulfate-reducing bacteria |
|||
| BOD5 | ≤ 10 mg/L | Once a week | ||
| TSS | ≤ 10 mg/L | |||
| Turbidity | ≤ 5 NTU | Continuous | ||
| B, C and Dd | Treated municipal wastewater (secondary treatment and disinfection) | BOD (BOD5 at 20 °C) without nitrificationd,e |
≤ 25 mg/L Minimum reduction of 70-90% |
Homogenized, unfiltered, undecanted sample. Determination of dissolved oxygen before and after five-day incubation at 20 °C ± 1 °C, in complete darkness. Addition of a nitrification inhibitor. |
| TSSd |
35 mg/L Minimum reduction of 90% |
Filtering of a representative sample through a 0.45 μm filter membrane. Drying at 105 °C and weighing | ||
| B | Treated municipal wastewater (secondary treatment and disinfection) | E. coli | ≤ 100 units/100 mL | Once a week |
| C | ≤ 1000 units/100 mL | |||
| D | ≤ 10000 units/100 mL |
Source: EU (2020); Council Directive 91/271/EEC (1991)
aCampylobacter spp., rotavirus and Cryptosporidium spp. can also be used as part of microbiological water quality parameters. The target LRV for these organisms are ≥ 5, ≥ 6 and ≥ 5, respectively.
b Total coliphages were selected as the most appropriate viral indicator. If total coliphages cannot be measured, F-specific or somatic coliphages should be analyzed.
cClostridium perfringens was selected as the most appropriate protozoa indicator. Spore-forming sulfate-reducing bacteria are an alternative when the concentrations of Clostridium perfringens is low and does not allow for a ≥ 4 LRV.
d In accordance with Directive 91/271/EEC.
e BOD5 can be replaced by either total organic carbon (TOC) or total oxygen demand (TOD) if a relationship can be established between BOD5 and the substitute parameter.
Upcoming regulations
A European Commission delegated regulation for agriculture applications focused on setting technical specifications for risk management has been approved in 2024.
References
Concerning urban wastewater treatment, Directive 91/271/EEC. Annex I – Requirements for Urban Waste Water.
European Union (EU). 2020. Regulation (EU) 2020/741 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 2020 on minimum requirements for water reuse.
European Commission (EC). 2022. Guidelines to support the application of Regulation 2020/741 on minimum requirements for water reuse
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). 2018. 20426:2018 Guidelines for health risk assessment and management for non-potable water reuse.
ISO. 2015. 16075:2015 Guidelines for treated wastewater use for irrigation.
Please contact us at waterreuse@epa.gov if the information on this page needs updating or if this state is updating or planning to update its laws and policies and we have not included that information on the news page.