Considerations Related to the Application of the EU Water Reuse Regulation to the Production of Snow from Reclaimed Water

Recovering water from waste water is increasingly used. It is a part of the circular economy, enabling saving water resources. The EU regulation to use reclaimed water to irrigate crops regulates the principles of appropriate water quality preparation and indicates the possibilities of its use. An important element of the regulation is the obligation to carry out a risk assessment as the basic tool to ensure safety in the use of reclaimed water. One of the uses of reclaimed water on green areas could be ski resorts producing artificial snow. The solution to produce artificial snow from reclaimed water is still not popular. No case realized in Europe could be found, although attempts were made in the Alps to implement such projects. Australia and the USA have the most experience. Despite the positive aspect of water recovery, there are questions about the impact of snow produced in this way on the environment and the safety of users. The first project to produce artificial snow using reclaimed water appeared in Polish ski resort Kasina. Its purpose is to feed the snow guns with water coming from the local waste water treatment plant. The quality parameters of water recovered as a result of MBR technology indicate that it meets the legal requirements; however, the plant operator did not receive a water permit. The solution may be to conduct a reliable risk assessment for this local solution. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.