These terms are often used interchangeably according to the terminology that different States have adopted. The technical definitions are:
Recycled Water - any water that is reused again on site or within the same industry (e.g. cooling water used to wash-down equipment).
Reclaimed Water - water going to waste that is reclaimed to be used in a different industry (e.g. agricultural irrigation of sewage effluent which would normally go to sea).

http://www.reclaimedwater.com.au/index.php

Reclaimed water is wastewater (sewage) that has been highly treated and purified, and is as clean as (or more commonly, cleaner than) standard drinking water. Reclaimed water is frequently used to irrigate golf courses and parks, fill decorative fountains, and fight fires. It can also be used to irrigate crops, as long as they will be peeled or boiled before human consumption.

Using reclaimed water has many benefits. It conserves drinking water, is less expensive, and contains higher levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, which help fertilize plants.

The costs involved with recycled water typically exceed those of standard potable water in most regions of the world, where a fresh water supply is plentiful. However, in areas where supplies of fresh water are limited, treating wastewater for reuse in certain applications is becoming an economically attractive option. This is why many cities in Southwestern United States make use of reclaimed water.

Reclaimed water is not directly mixed with potable (drinking) water, even though it is usually cleaner than drinking water. This is because the extra filtering processes may remove minerals that are present in standard drinking water, and also because humans may face psychological barriers against drinking reclaimed water. Many cities actually ban citizens from drinking, bathing in, or filling swimming pools with reclaimed water, although the risk of harmful effects associated with doing so are very low. If you irrigate your lawn or plants with reclaimed water, you should place a sign on your property warning people not to drink from the irrigation system.

On the other hand, many cities are now investigating indirect potable use of reclaimed water. For example, reclaimed water may be pumped into reservoirs where it will mix with (and be diluted by) rainwater. This mixture of rainwater and reclaimed water could then be treated again, and finally used as drinking water.

Many large cities using water from rivers are inevitably using water that came from treated sewage discharged upstream. London water had a reputation of having been drunk five times before it arrived at the tap, but this is an exaggeration. There are many large towns on the River Thames upstream of London (Oxford, Reading, Swindon, Bracknell, etc.) whose sewage discharge is subsequently used to supply London with water. This phenomenon is also observed in the United States, where the Mississippi River serves both as the destination of sewage treatment plant effluent, and the source of potable water. Research in the 1960's (London Metropolitan Water Board) demonstrated that the maximum extent of re-cycling water is about 11 times before the taste of water induces nausea in sensitive individuals. This is caused by the build up of inorganic ions such as Cl, SO4, K and Na in the water. Such ions are not removed or reduced by conventional sewage treatment.

Reclaimed water is distributed to citizens using a dual piping network, which keeps reclaimed water pipes completely separate from potable water pipes. In the United States, reclaimed water is always distributed in lavender (light purple) pipes, to distinguish it from potable water.

In many cities using it, reclaimed water is now in such a high demand that citizens are only allowed to use it on assigned days. Some cities that previously offered unlimited reclaimed water at a flat rate are now beginning to charge citizens by the amount they use.

In Singapore, reclaimed water may be labeled NEWater.

A less drastic alternative to reclaimed water is a greywater system. Grey water is water that has been used in sinks, washing machines, or showers, but does not contain sewage. In a home system, untreated grey water may be used to flush toilets or irrigate. In a city-wide system, grey water may flow in a set of pipes separate from other sewage to a treatment plant, where it can be treated and used in similar ways as reclaimed water.

Some locations using reclaimed water

• Tucson, Arizona (reclaimed water info)
• Clark County, Nevada (reclaimed water info)
• Clearwater, Florida (reclaimed water info)
• San Diego, California
• Singapore (see NEWater)
• Sydney, Australia

See also

• Greywater
• Sewage treatment
• Water filtration