What does potable reuse refer to?

• A. Treating wastewater to drinking water quality for direct use.
• B. Only using rainwater for irrigation.
• C. Discharging treated wastewater into rivers.
• D. Using groundwater that has natural filtration.

Answer: (A)

Potable reuse means treating wastewater to drinking-water quality so it can be used directly for human consumption. This involves advanced treatment to remove contaminants to drinking standards, enabling direct potable reuse when the treated water goes straight into the drinking-water supply (or indirect potable reuse when it’s returned to the environment and later treated again). The option describing turning wastewater into drinking water for direct use matches this idea, making it the best choice. Other options describe irrigation, disposal into a river, or relying on natural groundwater filtration, which do not constitute producing potable water from wastewater.