Environmental Leadership — Water Resources
Reclaimed Water Program: 100,000 Gallons Per Day
Purcellville's reclaimed water program makes more than 100,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater available for non-potable reuse — reducing demand on the drinking water supply and recovering value from water that would otherwise be discharged.
What Reclaimed Water Is
Reclaimed water (also called recycled water or treated effluent) is municipal wastewater that has been treated to a quality standard safe for specific non-potable applications — construction dust suppression, agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial cooling water, toilet flushing in commercial buildings, and similar uses. It is not treated to the standard required for drinking water, but it meets the Virginia DEQ's Class A or Class B standards for reuse applications. Virginia's reclaimed water program is managed under Virginia DEQ authority, and municipalities that produce reclaimed water to qualifying standards can make it available to customers for approved uses.
The environmental logic of reclaimed water is straightforward: water that has already been collected and treated should be used for as many purposes as possible before it is discharged. Every gallon of reclaimed water used for construction irrigation is a gallon of potable water that remains in the supply system for drinking, cooking, and domestic use.
Purcellville's Program
Under Mayor Fraser's administration, Purcellville made more than 100,000 gallons per day of reclaimed water available for construction and agricultural reuse. The water is produced at the Basham Simms Wastewater Treatment Plant — the same facility whose approximately $30 million in inherited debt Fraser's administration restructured as part of its broader fiscal management program. The reclaimed water program converts the output of that infrastructure investment into an active resource: instead of simply discharging treated effluent to receiving waters, the town offers it to users who need water for dust suppression, irrigation, and similar purposes.
In western Loudoun County — an area with active construction, agricultural land, and vineyard and winery operations — the demand for non-potable water is real and consistent. Construction sites in Virginia are required to implement dust suppression measures; reclaimed water is an approved and economical source for that purpose. Agricultural users can often substitute reclaimed water for potable well or surface water for irrigation without regulatory restriction under Virginia's reclaimed water framework.
Environmental and Fiscal Benefits
Potable water supply protection
Every gallon of reclaimed water used for non-potable applications preserves the municipal drinking water supply — reducing the rate at which Purcellville must expand its water treatment and distribution capacity.
Reduced discharge volume
Water that is sold or provided as reclaimed water reduces the volume discharged to receiving waters, lowering the town's total nutrient loading to the watershed and supporting Chesapeake Bay compliance.
Revenue potential
Reclaimed water programs can generate modest user-fee revenue from construction and agricultural customers, partially offsetting the operational cost of the treatment system.
Infrastructure value recovery
The $30 million Basham Simms plant is a capital asset. Operating a reclaimed water program extracts additional value from that asset by producing a usable product — reclaimed water — in addition to compliant treated effluent.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Capacity: more than 100,000 gallons per day of reclaimed water available
- Uses: construction site dust suppression, agricultural irrigation, industrial cooling
- Source: treated effluent from the Basham Simms Wastewater Treatment Plant
- Benefit: reduces demand on potable water supply for non-potable applications
- Regulatory context: Virginia DEQ Class A reclaimed water standards
- Connection: part of Purcellville's integrated water resource management strategy