The effluent released by the three Member Agencies has such high quality and goes through such rigorous cleaning for many reasons, but several are listed below.

Environmental Protection: The most important reason effluent is so highly treated is to protect the environment. Effluent that has been highly treated does not greatly impact the ecosystems into which it is reintroduced.

Return Flow Credits: The water we treat and return to the Colorado River System is eligible for return flow credits. That is, every gallon we return to the River system is an additional gallon of water we can draw from the River. Nevada is allowed to use 300,000 acre feet per year from the Colorado River System. Because of return flow credits, we can draw additional water because of the highly treated water we return to the River.

Potable Water Conservation: Because we live in a desert, our drinking (potable) water is a scarce commodity. Reusing effluent allows potable water to be used more for its purpose--as drinking water--than to be used for other purposes. Effluent is reused for such purposes as water golf courses, public parks and highway medians, and as an industrial coolant (at industrial businesses such as power plants). This ensures people consume most available drinking water instead of potable water being used for lawns.