Water Reuse/Recycling and Reclamation in Semiarid Zones: The Israeli Case of Salination and "Hard" Surfactants Pollution of Aquifers

The essence of three case studies in relation to the global problem of surface and groundwater contamination by inorganic salts and biodegradation-resistant ("hard") nonionic surfactants (APEOs) is presented and the results analyzed as far as the long-term consequent water salt and APEO profiles are concerned. The main conclusion derived is that sustainable large-scale reuse/recycling and reclamation in semiarid zones requires a combined desalination-biological treatment of APEO-free sewage/wastewaters before their reuse. This should be done without delay in order to ensure the quality of the supplied water from the scarce resources and to avoid, most probably, an irreversible process of aquifer contamination in these zones.