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From today's LA Times: Toilet to Tap.
It's a technology with the potential to ease California's colossal thirst and insulate millions from the parched whims of Mother Nature, experts say.But there's just one problem — the "yuck factor."
As a fourth year of drought continues to drain aquifers and reservoirs, California water managers and environmentalists are urging adoption of a polarizing water recycling policy known as direct potable reuse.
Unlike nonpotable reuse — in which treated sewage is used to irrigate crops, parks or golf courses — direct potable reuse takes treated sewage effluent and purifies it so it can be used as drinking water.
It's a concept that might cause some consumers to wince, but it has been used for decades in Windhoek, Namibia — where evaporation rates exceed annual rainfall — and more recently in drought-stricken Texas cities, including Big Spring and Wichita Falls.
All of it at the link: http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-toilet-to-tap-20150525-story.html#page=1
14 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
First, the water is passed through a microfilter that blocks particles, protozoans or bacteria that are larger than 1/300th the thickness of a human hair. Next, it undergoes even finer filtration in the form of reverse osmosis, in which water is forced through a membrane that blocks fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, viruses and salts. In the third step, ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide are used to break down any pathogens or organic compounds that escaped the first two steps.
The result is a purified substance that is cleaner than most bottled waters, according to WateReuse California, a group that advocates for water reuse and desalination. However, it is still sent to a traditional water treatment plant, where it is blended with other sources of water, processed and pumped to household taps.
In an indirect potable reuse system, the water is placed in an "environmental buffer," such as an underground aquifer or surface water reservoir, where it is stored for a period of time before getting processed in a traditional water treatment plant. It is this type of system that was defeated in Los Angeles.
Looks quite thorough to me.
The result is a purified substance that is cleaner than most bottled waters, according to WateReuse California, a group that advocates for water reuse and desalination. However, it is still sent to a traditional water treatment plant, where it is blended with other sources of water, processed and pumped to household taps.
In an indirect potable reuse system, the water is placed in an "environmental buffer," such as an underground aquifer or surface water reservoir, where it is stored for a period of time before getting processed in a traditional water treatment plant. It is this type of system that was defeated in Los Angeles.
Looks quite thorough to me.
the same way I felt in 1968 and 1972 about Nixon as President.
have an unsavory experience somewhere in their history - that glass of so-called orange juice this morning may have been dinosaur pee for all you know! It would be interesting to calculate the percentage of Earth's water that passes through a excretory system in any given year/decade/century/millennia... 
ALL water is recycled.
Ick factor notwithstanding.
Ick factor notwithstanding.
