California Approves Rules for Converting Sewage Into Drinking Water

In a unanimous vote, the California State Water Resources Control Board has approved its first standards for converting sewage waste into drinking water that can be piped directly into the taps of households and businesses.

It’s a historic moment for a state plagued by drought and water shortages.

“A city produces wastewater during a drought, and having that source available to augment other (drinking water) supplies can be critical,” said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the Division of Drinking Water at the Water Resources Control Board, as nonprofit CalMatters reported. “It will offer a resilient source in drought times for large water systems to be part of their portfolio. It’s not going to be a singular water source for some small community on the coast.”

Recycled wastewater is currently used for non-drinking purposes in the state, like agricultural irrigation, snow for the Soda Springs ski resort and ice for a minor league hockey team, reported The Guardian.

State law mandated the new rules and outlined a host of requirements to make sure chemicals and germs are removed from the treated sewage, CalMatters said.

Once referred to as “toilet-to-tap” by critics, the wastewater will be carbon-filtered, treated with bacteria and ozone, pushed through reverse osmosis membranes, exposed to high-intensity UV light and cleaned with an oxidizer. Then, calcium and other minerals will be replenished before the cleansed wastewater goes through the usual drinking water treatments. The treated water will also be required to be closely monitored to ensure safety.

“Today heralds a new era of water reuse,” said Patricia Sinicropi, executive director of WateReuse California, a recycling trade group, as Reuters reported.

Texas and Colorado already have regulations in place for making wastewater potable, and Arizona and Florida are also developing rules, according to CalMatters.

“Water is so precious in California. It is important that we use it more than once,” said Jennifer West, WateReuse California’s managing director, as reported by The Guardian.

The new rules have been more than 10 years in the making and will not take effect right away, CalMatters reported. A final review will be made by the Office of Administrative Law, most likely in the summer or fall of next year.

The treated water is predicted to be more costly than imports and will most likely be provided by big urban suppliers, according to Polhemus.

Some environmental organizations encouraged the water board to put forth deadlines for more stringent monitoring in order to allay customer fears regarding safety and to make sure no health concerns or outbreaks interfere with the plans.

In 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom pressed for an approximately nine percent increase in the state’s use of recycled water by 2030 and to more than double it by the end of the following decade.

The vast majority of treated sewage in the state is dumped into the ocean, rivers and streams.

“We live in California, where the drought happens all the time. And with climate change, it will only get worse,” said Kirsten Struve, assistant water supply division officer at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, as reported by The Guardian. “And this is a drought-resistant supply that we will need in the future to meet the demands of our communities.”