Would you drink sewer water? I mean, if you were really thirsty, and the water had been treated and cleansed and deemed safe for human consumption . . . would you drink it then?
Communities across the U.S. are considering it, according to a recent article in Chemical & Engineering News.
If you live in a place where water is plentiful, you may be surprised to learn that in many parts of the U.S., and around the world, water is an increasingly scarce commodity. In Southern California, for example, water is precious. Authorities there have given the go-ahead for what will be country’s largest working Advanced Water Purification Facility in Oxnard, CA to treat sewer water and make it safe for human consumption. According to the American Chemical Society, the facility will pump out 70 million gallons of clean water per day.
The article, “Treating Sewage for Drinking Water,” explains that sewer water has long been recycled to bolster drinking water reserves and used for agricultural purposes. But now, the combination of increased droughts and population growth has forced more communities to consider turning sewer water into drinking water on a larger scale.
But is this water really safe to drink? Yes, apparently. Treated sewer water is highly regulated and must meet stringent drinking water standards.
Source: Chemical & Engineering News
i really do not believe many people know that all water and i mean all,is recycled.all the water we have at hand has been recycled over and over,yet i trully dont think anyone thinks about this
Dear Folks,
Any species that has to rely on its own excrement, solid or fluid, for its survival is no longer capable of sustaining itself at the growth rate at which it has become accustomed. Water Treatment is just a metaphor for the fact we have gone well beyond sustainable numbers.
In relation to that information, the link I’ve included is to a lecture on a mathematical proof of the population/carrying capacity relationship. The lecture is by Dr. Albert Bartlett of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Simple concept, grade-school math–anyone can figure the results.
The lecture is in 8 segments but the first 3 segments(roughly 25 minutes total) most aptly apply to the situation of growth in any area(the Boulder, Colorado/L.A. example is attention catching). By the way, he address SEWER Treatment Plant at the beginning of segment 2. You can do the math yourself and see how many DRINKING water treatment plants will be needed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY&feature=related
I hope this information can be useful. I’m just a concerned citizen. We face the same problems in Washington State, where I live.
Thanks for your time.
all of the water currently availible past present and future is recycled. see my link on the element. water. water is used then it evaporates and falls once again to complete a cycle. that is that