Southern California plant turning treated sewage into drinking water

Southern California plant turning treated sewage into drinking water
By Dan Weikel
Los Angeles Times / January 13, 2008


LOS ANGELES - As a hedge against water shortages and population growth, Orange County, Calif., has begun operating the world's largest, most modern reclamation plant - a facility that can turn 70 million gallons of treated sewage into drinking water every day.

The new purification system at the Orange County Water District headquarters cost about $490 million and comprises a labyrinth of pipes, filters, holding tanks, and pumps across 20 acres.

Almost four years after construction began, the facility is now purifying effluent from a neighboring sewage treatment plant run by the Orange County Sanitation District, a partner in the venture.

The finished product will be injected into the county's vast groundwater basin to combat saltwater intrusion and supplement drinking water supplies for 2.3 million people in coastal, central, and northern Orange County.

But before that can be done, state health officials must certify that the reclaimed water meets drinking water standards. Officials expect the approval to be granted before opening ceremonies Jan. 25.

more...

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/13/southern_california_plant_turning_treated_sewage_into_drinking_water/

SoCal never gets much rain. If it doesn't snow heavily for the run-off to get to them, there could be problems. This is the wave of the future for many people, I'd bet.

been the solvent to dinosaur, bird, alligator, camel, whale, shark, grizzly bear, blue footed booby, and human shit. Think about that for a second: the water you are drinking has been exposed to billions of years worth of feces.

I'm sure you'll be OK if you visit and drink the water in SoCal.

The Bush WH has been doing that with their domestic and foreign policies for years.

Drink up!!

water is water, no matter the source as long as the nasty stuff is properly removed... You think the water you're drinking now didn't at one point pass through the stomach of some other living thing before?

What makes you think that $1.00 bottle of water is any better?

... is distilled and percolates down through the soil into the aquifer.

Except for the whole distillation thing, we call 'em septic tanks where I come from.

It's a good thing.

Maybe the same principle applies here.

...waste water is being turned into algae-based biofuel which serves the dual purposes of gaining us energy indepence through "drop in" fuel replacement and converting greenhouse gases into oxygen.

We'll never get the place clean again.

I see no trouble.

When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.
- 18th Century Scottish proverb

I think it solves various problems that might become more marked in future. I'll bet Atlanta wishes they had one of these set up and ready to go.

They can hardly wait to recycle their urine into drinking water. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=new-menu-item-on-space-st

For seven years now.

.

It reminds me of cloned meat in a way . Besides even though it sounds like a good idea what about all the medications and crap that are poured into the drains along with the draino . It's one thing for water to be filtered through a natural process but when man gets his hands on it then it becomes questionable .

On the other hand everything grown and used on crops and animals ends up in our food so why not add a bit more to the mix , just don't lable it , they are big on that these days .

Actually, as a kid in Cocoa Beach, our little space-town had one of the newest most modern treatment plants in the country. They used to take us school kids on tours, and I remember what struck me most was the reception area...it had a huge fresh-water fish tank filled with crystal-clear water and tons of fish. The guide told us that they use the fish tank to demonstrate how clean the treated water is when it leaves the plant; it was clean enough to drink, he said, but that wasn't allowed so they used the fish tank as an example instead.

But dear lord, you'd hate to hear on the morning news that one of the valves or filters had gone bad, while you're brushing your teeth or showering for work!

(Edited for typo)

.

:D

Let's drink the shit water. It's easier that way so we can have our urinal cake and eat it too.