From Toilet to Tap: California Aims to Purify Its Sewage Water

Wall Street Journal Media & Marketing ^ | August 15, 2002 | Jim Carlton

[snopercod]

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. -- Engineers in this arid region have a controversial solution for water shortages: Reuse the water that is flushed down toilets.

"There is a yuck factor, but we explain to people the quality of water will end up being actually higher than what we already use," says Ron Wildermuth, spokesman for the Orange County Water District. That agency is collaborating with the Orange County Sanitation District to build a $600 million sewage-purification system. When completed over the next 20 years, the system is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world.

[Myrddin]

San Diego built a "toilet to tap" facility. It is located near I-805 and Miramar Road. The people in San Diego revolted when the city suggested putting the water back into the drinking water supply. Instead, the water is marketed to businesses to water landscape. The water distribution systems carrying the "toilet to tap" water is painted violet. I recall that the facility cost over $100 million to build. I don't think it will ever break even.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Ever heard of military water purification if our troops can drink purified water anyone should be able too but it seems to me that a sesalinization water structure would make more sense and be cheaper in the long run wouldnt it ?

Zenon pdf

International Desalination Association

The U.S. Military has used Global’s LS3 equipment on four continents

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

sesalinization= Desalinization

[Villiany_Inc]

"Maybe I'll just stick to bottled beer"

Good idea. After all, you wouldnt be able to tell much about the water in there. It goes out pretty much looking the way it did going in anyway....lol.

There was a study one time of bottled water - most of it was tap water. If you were lucky, it had been filtered a little. In one sample they found small amounts of kerosene in the bottled water, and some other not-so-fresh-from-the-mountain-stream things in others. Not to mention the price per gallon of bottled water. Especially when compared to gasoline.

[Gophack]

I would prefer that the water is "cleaned up" the natural way (run-off, evaporation, rain) than by government bureaucrats capable of human error.

I'm sure, however, my husband will think I'm being ridiculous about this as well.

[BearCub]

Oh, I know. Our water here is recycled back into the lake - where the drinking water comes from. I hadn't even thought about it until I read this thread.

[Gophack]

Maybe they ought to just irrigate fields with it? After all, most fertilizer is...shall we say...doo-doo?

Fine by me, I wash my fruit and veggies. :-)

[Looking for Diogenes]

I hadn't even thought about it until I read this thread.

It is better not to think too much about certain things.

[cinFLA]

We have all drunk water that has at one time been in a toilet. This stuff just won't be quite as diluted

Actually, it will be purer and diluted as it is pumped back into the ground before use.

[DeaconBenjamin]

I guess the question then becomes whether "washing" the fruit and veggies deposits more than it removes.

[SamAdams76]

If people knew what was in the water already, why I think we'd all die of thirst! For example, if you go swimming in a public pool with others and accidently swallow some water, you are likely ingesting urine and fecal matter (not to mention sweat, body lice, pubic hair and about a hundred other things that will make you gag.)

[Tribune7]

Just pretend you're on Dune. (Actually, the plan described is a pretty good idea. I think some of the water shortages we in the northeast are having might be due in part to the increase number of suburban sanitary sewers and a decrease in the number of septic systems.)

[bloggerjohn]

Well, I hate to tell you but if you go up to the local reservoir where you get your drinking water and look close, you'll see that frogs pee in it. In fact, if you catch a frog, likely he'll squirt a really big yellow streamer into your drinking water (Frogs do that so you'll let them go.)

I am reminded of my stepfather, who never left the city. He would only eat vegetables from cans, because he knew the fresh ones grew in dirt.

[A CA Guy]

Let's send it all to Boxer, we've been putting up with her sh.. for years, now she can get some back.

[jordan8]

MMMM . . water from the toilet, another by-product of the 1965 "Immigration Reform Act". Oh well, we're treated like dogs, I guess we ought to drink like dogs. Multiculturalism Uber Alles.

[Jorge]

Here's how it will work: First, the sewage water will be run through a microfilter to remove suspended particles.

Nice to know they will remove those things that are "suspended" in the sewage before sending it back to us to drink.
Gag me with a toilet plunger!

[TheDon]

Do I really need ANOTHER reason to leave this state? Yes, I would be the "beneficiary" of this project since I live in the water district in question. Sigh...

[CyberAnt]

Oh brother - we've already rejected this stupid idea - but if we have to do it again - WE WILL!!!

[FITZ]

There are other places in the Southwest using recycled sewage water for people's drinking water. You can encourage huge numbers of people moving into the country and not have some kind of water to drink. It smells and tastes just like it is when they forget to change the charcoal.

[wattsmag2]

They ought to trademark it and sell it under the name Pshitz.