Summary of Oregon's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Consumption by Livestock

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 consumption by livestockapproved for use in Oregon
• Water reuse treatment category for consumption by livestock
• Additional context and definitions
• Livestock watering reuse specifications (table)
• Upcoming state law or policy
• References
• Disclaimer

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This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information. 

In Oregon, water reuse for consumption by livestock water reuse for consumption by livestock The use of recycled water for livestock drinking water supplies. Excludes physical application of reclaimed water to pasture for milking and non-milking animals, forage crops used as animal feed, and land used for livestock grazing. includes any agricultural use, including livestock watering. The source of water (treated municipal wastewater) 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 state as domestic wastewater. The write-up below uses state 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

Oregon approves the use of recycled water for any agricultural use, including consumption by livestock (Or. Admin. R. 340-055). All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met in addition to any state water quality standards. Any recycled water use in Oregon requires, at minimum, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit (40 C.F.R. § 122) or a Water Pollution Control Facilities (WPCF) permit and a “Recycled Water Use Plan” (Oregon DEQ, 2009). Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of microbial contaminants and other relevant indicators related to consumption by livestock and are summarized in the table. The technical basis of the turbidity and total coliform values is California’s Title 22 Water Recycling Criteria (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22).

Water reuse for consumption by livestock approved for use in Oregon

Or. Admin. R. 340-055 defines the following approved reuse applications related to consumption by livestock:

• Any agricultural use, including consumption by livestock (Class A)

Water reuse treatment category for consumption by livestock

Class A recycled water must be oxidized and disinfected. The treatment requirements are summarized for consumption by livestock:

• Class A recycled water must also be filtered and achieve a turbidity of ≤2 NTU (7-day median) and ≤10 NTU (single sample maximum) and a total coliform concentration of ≤2.2 organisms/100 mL (7-day median) and ≤23 organisms/100 mL (single sample maximum).

Additional context and definitions

Oregon defines consumption by livestock, or stockwater use, as “the use of water for consumption by domesticated animals and wild animals held in captivity as pets for profit” (Or. Admin. R. 690-300-0010(46)). Oregon defines recycled water as “any treated effluent from a domestic wastewater treatment system that (as a result of treatment) is suitable for a direct beneficial purpose” (Oregon DEQ, 2009). 

Oregon requires municipal recycled water to be distributed through pipes that are appropriately identified by color (i.e., “purple pipe”) and labelled (Oregon DEQ, 2009). Cross connections between a potable water supply and recycled water distribution system are not allowed unless the connection is through an air gap separation approved by Oregon DEQ. Oregon’s Recycled Water Use Rules also require signage to mark recycled water to prevent cross-connections. Signs must be in English and Spanish and contain language indicating recycled water is used and not safe for drinking, for example, “RECYCLED WATER USED – NOT SAFE FOR DRINKING” (Oregon DEQ, 2009). The recycled water generator must actively notify any person that may come into direct contact with recycled water (ex. employees) for all classes of recycled water and for all end uses. 

Water reuse for consumption by livestock specifications

Oregon DEQ provides a list of approved analytical methods for bacterial and turbidity testing in Table 10 of their Recycled Water Use Rules (Oregon DEQ, 2009).

Summary of Oregon's Water Reuse for Consumption by Livestock Specifications

Source= Or. Admin. R. 340-055; Oregon DEQ (2009)

* Information about sampling and monitoring requirements such as frequency, site and quantification methods not specifically listed in the table was not explicitly specified in the State-specific regulations.

^a Or. Admin. R. 340-055 specifies the frequency of bacteria and turbidity monitoring required for each recycled water Class. These requirements are also described in Oregon DEQ (2009). “For bacteria monitoring, the rule specifies a frequency of daily, 3- times/week, or weekly and includes acceptance criteria such as a “30-day log mean” (Class D) or median value “based upon the last seven days” (Classes A, B and C). The seven-day median value is intended to be made from the last seven consecutive samples that are representative of the treatment process and operating conditions. The seven consecutive samples do not need to be collected on seven consecutive days. However, collecting seven samples on a single day is not acceptable, nor is selectively choosing seven previous samples out of a larger number. When samples are collected more frequently than specified in the rule (e.g., following an upset in the treatment system or during startup), those should be used in the calculation. For other monitoring parameters, the monitoring frequency should be sufficient to reasonably characterize the recycled water stream” (Oregon DEQ, 2009). 

^b “Analytical testing methods for determining compliance with federal and state water quality standards must comply with 40 CFR Part 136, or if Part 136 does not prescribe a method, then with the most recent addition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water published jointly by the American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association and Water Pollution Control Federation [Or. Admin. R. 340-041-0061(14)]” (Oregon DEQ, 2009).

^c Specific nephelometric methods include ASTM D1889- 94,00, USGS I-3860-85, EPA Method 180.1 Rev 2.0 (1993), Standard Method 2130 B, or Standard Method Online 2130 B-01 (Oregon DEQ, 2009; Table 10).

^d Specific methods include standard methods 9222 D and 9222 D-97 and EPA (1978) for single step membrane filtration; standard methods 9222 B and 9222 B-97, USGS B-0025-8 and EPA (1978) for single step or two step membrane filtration; and standard methods 9221 B and 9221 B-99 and EPA (1978) for most probable number (5 tube, 3 dilution) (Oregon DEQ, 2009; Table 10).

Upcoming state law or policy

No upcoming regulations pertaining to water reuse for consumption by livestock were found for Oregon.

References

Appropriation of Water Generally, Or. Admin. R. 537-132.

Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.

Definitions, Or. Admin. R. 690-300-0010.

EPA-Administered Permit Programs: The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), 40 C.F.R. § 122.

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). 2009. Implementing Oregon’s Recycled Water Use Rules.

Recycled Water Use, Or. Admin. R. 340-055.  

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 1978. Microbiological Methods for Monitoring the Environment, Water, and Wastes. Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH. EPA/600/8-78-017.  

Water Recycling Criteria, Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22.

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Disclaimers

Please contact us at [email protected] 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.