Power plants use as much water as crop irrigation in the U.S. (Photo: Flickr)

Currently around 50 power plants across the country are using treated wastewater for cooling, according to a study by Argonne National Laboratory. The quantity of water going into power plants is roughly the same as that being used to irrigate crops, and according to John Veil, the report’s author, while some of the water is returned to its original source after it is used in cooling, withdrawing such large quantities can still be a problem, especially in times of drought.

Examples of plants using wastewater include a natural gas plant near Austin, Texas, the Palo Verde nuclear plant in Arizona and a few power plants in the Washington D.C. area.

Jim McDonald, a spokesman for Arizona Public Service, which operates the Palo Verde plant, believes Palo Verde is the only nuclear plant in the country to reuse treated wastewater, which it has done since opening in 1986. According to McDonald, the wastewater, which comes from Arizona’s biggest cities, is piped in and treated again at the plant.

Veil says that the question of cost is site-specific and is based on how much treatment the wastewater treatment plant already provides, how much additional treatment is required to meet the power plant’s needs, and how far the reclaimed water must be piped, since pumping water uses large amounts of electricity.

• Download the report: “Use of Reclaimed Water for Power Plant Cooling,” (PDF, 960 KB)
• Read background: “Treated Wastewater for Thirsty Power Plants” (New York Times, 11/4/08)