As climate change and water scarcity become increasingly urgent issues around the world, governments are turning to new options to ensure adequate water supplies — including turning sewage waste into drinking water.
Toilet or shower wastewater in California will no longer just be dumped into the Pacific Ocean or used for farmland but it’ll be recycled into drinking water as part of a new program by California’s Water Resources Control Board.
The State Water Resources Control Board voted to allow water companies to pump treated wastewater into residents’ taps in the populous, drought-prone state. In a statement, the board said the decision would give California “the most advanced standards in the nation for treating wastewater to such an extent that the finished product meets or exceeds current drinking water standards.”
“This is an exciting development in the state’s ongoing efforts to find innovative solutions to the challenges of extreme weather driven by climate change,” said E. Joaquin Esquivel, the chair of the board.
This move has become crucial for California, which struggles to provide drinking water to its 38 million residents amid worsening droughts, with over 97% of the state experiencing moderate to severe drought in 2023.
A 2022 water supply and demand report indicates that 18% of water suppliers are at risk of potential shortages.
