Chapel Hill, NC Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Chapel Hill does not mandate reclaimed water use; it encourages it. Section 23-61 defines reclaimed water as highly treated effluent from a wastewater treatment plant that can be safely used for non-potable purposes approved by applicable regulatory agencies, distinguishing it from 'raw water' drawn before treatment and from 'graywater,' household wash-basin, bathtub, or shower wastewater that may only be reused under practices regulatory agencies approve. Section 23-66(a) makes it OWASA's policy and practice to publicize periodically the availability, feasibility and allowable uses of reclaimed water, alongside methods of collecting and storing harvested rainwater in devices such as rain barrels and cisterns.

The same section directs OWASA to strongly encourage, as one of several voluntary year-round conservation measures, that customers use harvested rainwater and/or reclaimed water for indoor and outdoor purposes where allowable and practical, under Section 23-66(a)(4). Because these are policy and promotional provisions rather than use mandates, the ordinance imposes no permit, fee or penalty tied specifically to reclaimed water, and no property owner is required to connect to or use a reclaimed water system. The provision sits within Article IV's broader water conservation standards, which otherwise regulate potable water waste and irrigation days under Sections 23-62 and 23-64, underscoring that reclaimed water is offered as a substitute for potable supply rather than something the town compels anyone to install.