Water resources for water supply of Tokyo depend mainly on surface wat
er from many dams and rivers in the Kanto province and ground water in
a part of Tokyo. But because of an increase in water demand and a red
uction in water resource development, a water shortage has occurred ev
ery few years. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) announced a new
policy to conserve limited water resources and has implemented severa
l measures to promote the consumers' consciousness foe water conservat
ion, use of reclaimed water and development of water-saving appliances
. With water for miscellaneous use (=nonpotable use), the TMG has enco
uraged ''reuse of treated wastewater'', ''use of industrial water for
miscellaneous use'', and ''use of rainwater''. According to three type
s of reclaimed water systems - individual building, limited area, and
broad area recycling systems - the TMG established a guideline for the
water for miscellaneous use. This paper describes the background of t
he issue, contents of the guideline, and results of the promotion and
theme in the future.