Thanks for the information, and for the white paper that Steve sent. I will read it.
Before I do though, let me ask this.
Is effluent water similar to reclaimed? At least in Albuquerque, where I live now, using reclaimed or effluent water saves money, but not water. Effluent water would normally be returned to the Rio Grande after some processing, but if it is instead used on golf courses, that means the water is mostly lost instead of going back to the Rio, where it could have been used again downstream. At least that's how I understand it.
Alex, effluent, reclaimed, recycled...all the same for saying treated waste water.
I don't know if your comment about waste water in NM is correct though.
I've done a few projects in NM with effluent as the source and NM effluent discharge permits are very strict. On our projects we had to assure that no effluent would ever find its way to a creek, stream, or any water way.
And, whatever your take, when a golf course is switched from ground water or potable to reclaimed waste water, it is viewed a saving water as water is no longer removed from the aquifer specifically for turf irrigation.
Plus, using effluent definitely does not save money as treatment required to make the water safe for use on a public area and the infrastructure required to deliver the water is quite expensive. Most of the time switching to effluent is mandated by law and involves a cost increase for the end user, not a decrease. In some cases where the switch is voluntary, there may be a negotiated deal where the end user pays less, but it almost always increases maintenance costs since the poor quality of effluent requires mitigating actions to prevent salt build up.