传统上，水的再利用被认为是保护有限自然资源的一个方面 资源然而，由于水需求至少在地区上威胁到供水，过去的政策 事实证明，在重复使用返回流和 保护下游用水者和环境是相互冲突的。问题是产权， 监管机构和公众利益。本文对这些问题进行了探讨 一个国家的特定法律的背景，但新兴的原则有更广泛的应用。

Water reuse has traditionally been encouraged as one facet of conserving a limited natural resource. However, as water demands threaten, at least regionally, to eclipse supply, past policies are proving inadequate to avoid the flashpoint when reuse of return flows and the interests in protecting downstream water users and the environment collide. The issues are property rights, regulatory authority, and the public interest. This paper discusses these issues in the context of the particular laws of one state, but the emerging principles have far wider application.