One out of every four gallons of water at Penn State is recycled through a wastewater irrigation system. Todd Bowersox, professor of silviculture, is trying to improve the system.

Bowersox and Lisa Kelso (graduate-forest resources) are experimenting with the implementation of new plant species that would be more successful in tolerating large amounts of nutritious water.

"Originally plant species from the upland forest system, such as chestnut oak, black oak and scarlet oak, existed in the irrigation areas," Kelso said. "We have clear cut 60 acres of land and planted new species there, including green ash, quaking aspen, and sycamore."

Bowersox said students at Penn State might not be aware the irrigation system exists.

"The fact that Penn State recycles its water is overlooked," Bowersox said. "Students are interested in recycling paper and plastics, but the idea of recycling water is relatively novel."

In the late 1960s, research and development of the wastewater irrigation system began. The wastewater generated at Penn State was causing problems with eutrophication in streams, and an alternative solution had to be found.

The Wastewater Distribution Committee was formed, and in 1983 the Toftrees irrigation system was implemented.

Penn State was one of the first institutions in the United States to systematically look at the possibility of renovating wastewater through irrigation of forests and croplands on a year-round basis, according to the committee.

Kelso, who is doing research in Toftrees, the area where the system is located, explained how it works.

"The water on campus is sent to a wastewater facility, where it goes through several different aerobic processes that break down nutrients," Kelso said. "It's then piped out to the Toftrees area, where it is irrigated in a series of irrigation pipes."

The wastewater is applied to farm crops and forest areas, and the plants in the irrigation field can use the nutrients in the water.

Also, different microbes in the soil can break down nutrients, Kelso said. The water then recharges in wells and eventually ends up back on campus.

"Pennsylvania naturally gets 45 inches of precipitation a year," Kelso said. "The irrigation fields receive an additional two inches a week, which makes an extra 104 inches a year."

The new plant community that Bowersox and Kelso created was costly, and the Office of Physical Plant provided funds.

"The cost came out to be about $1.50 per tree, which includes the cost of herbicides and fencing to keep deer out," Kelso said. The cost includes the implantation of 72,000 seedlings, he added.

An advantage of the irrigation system is that it is continuous, which can be useful during the summer months when droughts occur.

Also, it provides irrigation for agricultural lands and prevents problems with eutrophication, Kelso said.

A disadvantage of the irrigation system is that August through April is when the most wastewater is produced, but the growing season is during the summer.

Also, during the winter, freezing temperatures cause ice to accumulate on trees and shrubs in the Toftrees forest area. This may look beautiful, but it's causing branches to break, Kelso said.