The availability of surface water for irrigating agricultural land is decreasing due to natural disasters (droughts) and the increasing demand for food production. As a result, the need to use treated wastewater (TWW) has been growing over the years. TWW is wastewater that is treated in a treatment plant before being discharged. In Europe, the use of TWW for irrigation in agriculture is most applied in Spain and Italy; however, in the Republic of Slovenia, TWW is not used for irrigating agricultural land. The quality of TWW that can be used for agricultural irrigation is prescribed in the European Regulation EC 2020/741; however, wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in the Republic of Slovenia do not meet the prescribed standards, making system upgrades necessary. Every water reuse system is unique because it must be tailored to local conditions. It is necessary to anticipate the method of wastewater treatment and required analyses, depending on the final purpose of the wastewater. The use of TWW must not have negative effects on soil, plants or public health (bacterial infections). Upgrading WWTPs to allow for the reuse of treated water is also associated with financial investment, which is twofold: the investment cost of the upgrade and the operating cost of the system. These costs must be distributed among all sectors that benefit, not just agriculture. The distribution of financial investment must also be incentivizing for farmers to opt for using TWW in agricultural irrigation, which will be reflected in the food chain through the ensured quantity of agricultural products and their prices.
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