Feature
Coming Soon to
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY PARK:
CLASS ‘A’
Reclaimed H2O By Max Schlossberg
C
omprising 60 to 75% of green vegetation by mass, there is no more essential a component of plants than water. Accordingly, the quality and resilience of local ecosystems rely on its availability. Penn State’s leadership has long recognized the importance of water quality. Likewise, WE ARE wholly committed to local resource recovery and protection that supports base flow to Spring Creek and its delicate tributaries. A full summary of past and present initiatives supporting these objectives is available here: opp.psu.edu/sustainability/water. Regarding effective wastewater treatment, the less impact on our ecosystems…the better. While the end of an engineered system’s functional life ideally yields replacement for some, Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant recently seized an opportunity to make an inestimably effective upgrade. This, combined with highly efficient bio-engineering and membrane filtration technology advancements, now comprises new infrastructure that will facilitate the recovery, treatment, and delivery of ‘Class A’ reclaimed water across the University Park campus! 18 Pennsylvania Turfgrass • Fall 2021
What does this mean? Those of us managing plant systems in support of Penn State’s mission should embrace and commit to effective resource adoption when afforded the opportunity. The extent to which we utilize reclaimed water protects valuable ground water resources! Doing so essentially ‘skips the middleman’ and avoids risk and expense incurred through land application of ‘Class C’ reclaimed water 365 days a year. Only ‘Class A’ reclaimed water is permitted for irrigation of unrestricted public areas and edible crop systems of the Commonwealth. Resultingly, the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) mandates more intense water quality testing protocols for ‘Class A’ than all lesser reclaimed water designations. Furthermore, every gallon of safe and convenient Class A effluent used to foster plant growth, function, and health, precludes the energy-intense extraction and treatment of one-gallon potable water from the ground. It’s not unlike what Charlie Sheen calls winning, but in a wholesome way that the Lorax approves.
