The lack of adequate flow, as a result of diversion for agricultural, urban, and industrial purposes, can cause deterioration of water quality and ecosystem health. Water users can supplement their demands by using recycled water, which can free considerable amounts of water for the environment and increase flows to vital ecosystems. In California, Mono Lake s water quality and natural resources were progressively declining from lack of stream flow. In 1994, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was required to stop diverting one-fifth of the water it historically exported from the basin. The development of water recycling projects in Los Angeles has provided a way to partially offset the loss of Mono Basin water, and to allow the restoration of Mono Lake to move ahead.
Water recycling decreases discharge to sensitive water bodies.
In some cases, the impetus for water recycling comes not from a water supply need, but from a need to eliminate or decrease wastewater discharge to the ocean, an estuary, or a stream. The South Bay Water Recycling Program has the capacity to provide 21 million gallons per day of recycled water for use in irrigation and industry. By avoiding the conversion of salt water marsh to brackish marsh, the habitat for two endangered species can be protected. Wetlands provide many benefits, which include wildlife and wildfowl habitat, water quality improvement, flood diminishment, and fisheries breeding grounds. For streams that have been impaired or dried from water diversion, water flow can be augmented with recycled water to sustain and improve the aquatic and wildlife habitat.