Recycled Drinking Water
What is recycled drinking water?
Simplified Water Cycle
Consider the life cycle of potable drinking water. Water is extracted from the environment and treated (cleaned). The water is distributed to customers who then use it for their needs, making it dirty. The dirty water is then treated to make it clean again, and is returned to the environment. This clean water is mixed with the not-clean water in rivers or underground.
Think about it this way, we clean it and pump it into the ground. Then we pump it back out again and re-clean it. Repeat. Each step in the process costs a significant amount of money.
Is it worth it?
How can we reduce some steps in the process and lower the cost/environmental burden of this cycle? Recycled drinking water is the answer. This entails recycling a wastewater treatment plant’s effluent directly into the water system chain. The thought can certainly trigger the “eww” response, but is it safe and healthy?
The short answer is yes; wastewater treatment plant effluent often meets drinking water standards or comes close. There are plants in operation today that recycle water back to the drinking water reservoirs. Here are some of the benefits:
- Reduce cost of pumping water from the ground or a surface body of water.
- Water consumed in one area stays in that area; this is typically not the case. Water is received from upstream sources and discharge travels downstream.
- Reduce strain on aquifers. Aquifers can be in danger of being pumped faster than it is replenished. This creates water shortages, especially when a community’s wastewater effluent is not recharging the aquifers they draw from.
- Better drought resilience. Droughts can have a major effect on a local economy an d the comfort of its residents.
Who is doing it?
California is a good example of an area dedicating resources to recycled drinking water. They are an especially good candidate since they are in constant drought.
Check out this article about a recycling plant in California.
Should I support it in my area?
Recycled drinking water is a good option in many cases. A cost-benefit analysis is required for each utility though. If your utility is planning significant upgrades to their wastewater treatment plant, it is worthwhile to ask if a recycling program would make long-term sense.
Your water won’t taste like the toilet, either. This study shows the taste can actually be preferable.
WRM is a big fan of treatments and processes that reduce our burden on the environment, especially when they also reduce utility costs.