California Approves Rules for Converting Sewage Into Drinking Water

California Approves Rules for Converting Sewage Into Drinking Water

The last time we checked on California, the legislature issued rules for gender-neutral toy sections for stores. Tedious, trivial, and costly rules are among the top reasons Americans flee the state in record numbers.

Now comes news about new plans for the state to convert sewage into drinking water, all in the name of “climate change.”

California regulators on Tuesday cleared the way for widespread use of advanced filtration and treatment facilities designed to convert sewage waste into pure drinking water that can be pumped directly into systems feeding millions of household taps.

Proven technologies capable of recycling wastewater for human consumption, a concept once derided by critics as “toilet to tap,” have gained greater credence in recent years as water-conscious California faces worsening drought cycles from climate change.

More than a decade in the making, the regulations adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board represent a landmark in the quest to reclaim some of the hundreds of millions of gallons of waste discharge that flows out to sea unused each year, supporters say.

“Today heralds a new era of water reuse,” Patricia Sinicropi, executive director of the recycling trade group WateReuse California, said in a statement.

I am skeptical of anything done under the banner of “climate change.” Earth’s climate is constantly changing, and it has simply become a convenient excuse to implement eco-activist ideas.

How safe is it? The rules require treatment for “all pathogens and viruses.” Subsequently, that means using disinfecting treatments and replacing mineral elements that make drinking water taste good.

California’s new rules require the wastewater be treated for all pathogens and viruses, even if the pathogens and viruses aren’t in the wastewater. That’s different from regular water treatment rules, which only require treatment for known pathogens, said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the division of drinking water for the California Water Resources Control Board.

In fact, the treatment is so stringent it removes all of the minerals that make fresh drinking water taste good — meaning they have to be added back at the end of the process.

“It’s at the same drinking water quality, and probably better in many instances,” Polhemus said.

It’s expensive and time-consuming to build these treatment facilities, so Polhemus said it will only be an option for bigger, well-funded cities — at least initially.

And speaking of expense, the expense is associated with constructing these treatment plants. These facilities will take many years to build as well.

Even if the board does approve the rules Tuesday, [direct potable reuse”] DPR systems won’t be popping up overnight — and when they do, the wastewater won’t really be flowing right from a toilet to a tap.

The regulations first would have to be accepted by the state’s Office of Administrative Law — which [Darrin Polhemus of the California State Water Resources Control Board] said would likely occur by summer or fall of next year. Only after that could utilities begin to build these large and complex projects, most of which would take about six or seven years to complete, he said.

“So no one will be drinking direct potable reuse in the immediate future,” Polhemus added.

The plans to expand this type of water recycling are grand, indeed.

As for how much purified water might be used, if some coastal communities are able to get 10%-15% of their supply from treated wastewater during a drought, that would represent a significant improvement in diversifying supplies, Polhemus said.

“Someday, it could be 25% to 40% of some communities’ water supply,” Polhemus said. “At some point, we could recycle the majority of wastewater that now flows to the ocean just as treated wastewater.”

While this all sounds nice, I might be more inclined to accept this type of plan if California’s dams were not being removed or millions of water diverted away from agriculture to protect smelt.

I would like to note that Texas opened up a DPR facility in 2013, and Colorado approved similar plans ahead of California. Some California areas already have some experience in the reuse of recycled wastewater.

California has been using recycled wastewater for decades. The Ontario Reign minor league hockey team has used it to make ice for its rink in Southern California. Soda Springs Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe has used it to make snow. And farmers in the Central Valley, where much of the nation’s vegetables, fruits and nuts are grown, use it to water their crops.

But it hasn’t been used directly for drinking water. Orange County operates a large water purification system that recycles wastewater and then uses it to refill underground aquifers. The water mingles with the groundwater for months before being pumped up and used for drinking water again.

Ultimately, their plans will drive up the state’s water cost, make bottled water even more popular (adding more plastic bottles into the waste system) and may inspire even more Californians to leave.

But, this approval provides a talking point of “success” for politicos… who can say the approved plans to solve a “climate change” problem will get enacted years later. And years down the road, the unintended consequences will become evident.

I see HUGE increases in littered bottled water bottles everywhere in the future in CA. Good job @GavinNewsom

— byefelicia (@AaronWi62181751) December 19, 2023

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