Recycled Water Becoming A Better Option In California
By Peak Johnson
As California continues to face increasing water problems through extensive droughts, recycled wastewater is being considered as a solution.
However, according to ScienceDaily, treating wastewater so that it meets health standards for agricultural reuse is somewhat costly.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have been in the process of developing a model that shows how wastewater treatment can be used to produce a water supply that is sustainable and affordable, ScienceDaily reported
The research team claims that the model it has developed treats wastewater to state standards for pathogens.
"While the reuse of treated wastewater is not a new concept, concerns over the rising demand for water from population growth, coupled with both economic and environmental challenges, have made this option more attractive," the team said.
Mixing wastewater from different treatment processes could produce water with nutrients that would be helpful to crops, reducing fertilizer costs and increasing the affordability of recycled wastewater, the researchers added.
The prolonged drought has forced some Central Valley farmers to scramble for water to irrigate their crops. One agency, according to ABC7 News, is even extending a hand to a sewage plant to meet demand.
The Del Puerto Water District is responsible for supplying water to an area of land 50 miles long. Though ABC7 News reported that the district will soon use water from the nearby Modesto sewage plant.
"We have over 12,000 acres that has not been farmed for the last several years, and that has very sudden and severe economic ripple effects through these small communities," Anthea Hansen of the Del Puerto Water District told ABC7 News.
Modesto's wastewater plant recently underwent an $150 million upgrade to make the sewage recyclable.
"Right now, recycled water is what we call in the industry, new water," William Wong, member of the City of Modesto Utility District, told ABC 7 News.
To read more about reuse visit Water Online’s Water Reuse Solutions Center.