Would you drink tap water that came from a toilet?
California just approved a measure that gives water agencies an option to treat wastewater that comes from toilets back into pipes that carry drinking water to homes, businesses and schools.
Would you drink tap water if you knew it came from toilets?
Californians could be facing that reality after approving new rules that would allow water agencies to recycle wastewater back into pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses.
California is just the second state to approve such a measure, following a similar ruling in Colorado.
This is big for a state that has struggled to secure drinking water for more than 39 million residents on top of extreme droughts that have left California’s reservoirs dangerously low.
It allows water agencies to treat wastewater and put it right back into the drinking water system.
California’s rules for treating wastewater are so strict that experts say the quality is the same or even better than regular treated water. It’s also expensive and time consuming, which means it will only be an option for bigger, well funded cities at first.
Some agencies, like the Metropolitan Water District of southern California - already have big plans to build huge water recycling plants in the coming years. This would allow them to serve their 19 million customers with 150 million gallons of water per day.
But what do you think? Would you drink treated wastewater?