Who ever claimed Californians were full of bullshit?
Officials in the Golden State this week approved a new “toilet-to-tap” rule, allowing the water agency to take wastewater from homes, recycle it and pump it back to households in an effort to boost the state’s dwindling water supply.
“It really will be the highest quality water delivered in the state when it’s done,” said Darrin Polhemus, director of the Division of Drinking Water and the State Water Resources Control Board.
Despite some concerns from consumers, officials have assured the scheme is safe as the waste water undergoes three rigorous stages of treatment.
The water is treated for pathogens and viruses in a way that officials say is so thorough, minerals actually have to be added back to improve the taste.
“If one fails, there are still two left in place as a backup to make sure nothing goes untreated,” Polhemus said.
Lakeisha Bryant, public information representative for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, holds water flasks before and after they are purified at the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center on Dec. 13, 2023. AP The Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in South San Francisco is one of the facilities across California where wastewater treatment will be carried out. Various Photography – stock.adobe.com
California is notoriously drought-prone and dependent on water from other states via the Colorado River.
However, 2023 brought an extraordinary amount of rain, and by October, the state was more than 99% drought-free, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Although water will be more expensive than imported water, the supply is more renewable and reliable, according to CalMatters.
California is the second state to allow the process, after Colorado.
Water experts condemned the “toilet-to-water” branding and said the treated water would be completely safe for consumption. Pixel-Shot – stock.adobe.com Treated water will be pumped directly to millions of California homes, schools and businesses. Getty Images
California has used recycled water for decades on vegetable and fruit crops and to water lawns, but this will be the first time the technology will be applied directly to drinking water.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to drink this water for the rest of my life,” said Daniel McCurry, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.
Since building treatment facilities is expensive and will take a lot of time, larger cities like San Diego and the Silicon Valley/Bay Area that have the funding will be among the first to make the transition.
A storage tank at the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in South San Francisco, which is part of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Various Photography – stock.adobe.com
That means nearly half of San Diego’s supply will be recycled water by 2035, officials said.
“Droughts happen all the time and with climate change, it’s only going to get worse,” Kirsten Struve with the Santa Clara Valley Water District told ABC. “This is the drought-resistant supply we need in the future to meet the demands of our community.”
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
