Remind me to bring some bottled water when/if I travel to California, specifically San Jose.
With water shortages a possibility looming in the state's future, this city's starting to look at what it would take to turn sewage back into water that's pure enough to drink.
"This is a homegrown resource. It is the most reliable supply you can have," said Eric Rosenblum, division manager for San Jose's South Bay Water Recycling Project. The Santa Clara Valley Water District and the city of San Jose are partnering in initial discussions of the potentially controversial idea. If they can get the public to support the plan, millions of gallons of purified waste water could one day be pumped back into the aquifers the county now relies on for half of its drinking water. The other half comes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River delta.
I realize most of the world is going to run out of fresh water, especially if construction and birth rate trends continue as they are, but still, ewwwww.
Officials noted that technology exists to treat sewage water using methods such as reverse osmosis, microfiltration and ultraviolet light, and render it pure enough to meet California drinking water standards. But they also explained the idea is still in its initial phase, and a final, detailed proposal isn't expected until next year. ... The Orange County Water District will inaugurate in November a plant that will recycle up to 70 million gallons of waste water a day, then use it to recharge drinking water aquifers.
[From Toilet to tap? San Jose probes plan - Yahoo! News]
