Water reuse dominated the conversation at the Regional Water Planning Group D meeting held Wednesday [June 18, Mount Pleasant Extension Office]. Harrison County Group D member Richard LeTourneau would like to see reuse become a part of Group D's water plan, and considered a separate water source in the wholesale water database.

"This whole thing is about trying to determine future water needs," LeTourneau said. "If a city needs a certain amount for municipal use, there is always some that is returned or reprocessed, and it either goes back into a basin or a reservoir, or it can be sold. What we don't want to do is count water that is resold; we don't want to count it twice as being water that was needed."

LeTourneau said it is an issue many water groups are evaluating, and provided an example of how an area city reuses water. "The city of Longview is a municipal water provider; they provide it to all the residential customers. Those customers use what they need out of it and return a portion of it," LeTourneau said. "Normally that would be water that would go back into a basin. But in this case, the city of Longview is selling that water, that reclaimed water, after they have cleaned it. They are selling that water again. So it is getting counted twice."

LeTourneau said he wants this type of reuse to be put into a database, so that it is understood that the water is being sold twice, but only needed once. "It creates the appearance of a greater need for water than actually exists," he said. LeTourneau added that just because a municipal water provider sells a certain amount does not necessarily mean they need that many gallons of raw water. "The whole purpose is to clarify where the water comes from once and where it goes twice," he said.

The group voted to table the reuse issue until more information could be provided to the members on how to go about accurately recording the reuse water.

The group heard from concerned citizens on two separate issues. David Nabors from Paris said he wanted the group to look into water from area Corps of Engineers lakes that might become available in the future. He said he would like to see part of that water secured for local consumption. John McConnell addressed the members to voice his opposition to an article published in the May/June Regional Water Planning Group D newsletter.