ADDITIONAL RECYCLING

RECYCLE OF TREATED SEWAGE

We already recycle a limited amount of treated sewage water for irrigation along our public highways and roads.

We could recyle more for landscape irrigation, although the MMWD has projected costs for such activity which would exceed the costs of desalination.

We could also recycle all of it if we were willing to give it further treatment - and if the regulatory and public were willing to accept it into our water system.

This concept is not new - and is being done in some areas of the country. Further, it is important to recognize that all water is ultimately recycled - just by different paths. Locally we are lucky to have it be recycled by evaporation and subsequent rainfall. However, most major cities get their water from rivers and streams - which are downstream of other communities that empty their treated sewage into those same sources.

The only differences are that nature normally provides a greater time delay before the water is withdrawn at the downstream location than when high rate man-made purification processes are used - giving more time for the slower natural aeration, filtration and bio-treatment processes to work their magic. Of course, the concern about process failures could easily be offset by adding additional separate interim storage which would not allow introduction of fully treated sewage until it has time to be tested and be found to be free of contaminants.

Click here to view an EPA article on the current status of water recycling, including treated sewage recycling.

One of the hurdles that would need to be passed is a regulatory ruling that any recylc of sewage water must not only be adequately treated but must also be retained separately for a minimum of one year before inserting it back into the potable water system. (Ref: Paul Helliker, Mgr, MMWD)

Click here to view the "Purple Book" summary of California Laws relative to recycling water.