Chances are Arlington residents don't know that water being used for everything from dust control and irrigation at the 750-acre Arlington Landfill - or, for that matter, keeping Chester Ditto Golf Course green and lush - is of the recycled kind.

Since last spring, Arlington has made use of reclaimed water, which is proving to be a beneficial resource all over the country, particularly for an increasingly growing number of cities such as Arlington.

Reclaimed water is actually highly treated wastewater. Arlington purchases reclaimed water from the City of Fort Worth's Village Creek Reclamation plant. The purpose: sustainability and water conservation.

In fact, it costs less than drinking water and when used for irrigation, reduces fertilizer use, as some nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, remain. Using reclaimed water reduces stress on drinking water supplies especially during times of drought.

Basically, it means that business owners and possible homeowners in the future, can water their lawns using reclaimed water as an alternative to treated water, thereby decreasing the demands on other water sources, said Water Utilities Civil Engineer Valery Jean-Bart.

";Additional water supplies will be needed in the future, so anything we can do to conserve water is a good thing,' said Jean-Bart. ";Reclaimed water is just as important as any other source of water.

Aside from the Arlington Landfill and the 165-acre Ditto Golf course (via an existing pond), J.W. Dunlop Sports Complex is also being served with a six-inch reclaimed water line including a booster pump to meet irrigation pressure requirements. The park covers some 50 acres.

Arlington's Reclaimed Water System is a two-phase process, the second of which will evaluate delivering reclaimed water throughout the Entertainment District to places like Cowboys Stadium, the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Johnson Creek Park system, Lincoln Square and other potential irrigation or commercial/industrial customers.

Jean-Bart said Arlington Water Utilities has worked closely with each of the users to quantify their usage needs and educate them on regulatory requirements and the benefits of using reclaimed water.