Bravo, C., & Ojeda, A. (2018, November 16). Project to Turn Wastewater into Drinking Water to Begin Construction in Spring 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Pure-Water-San-Diego-Transform-Wastewater-Drinking-Construction-Contracts-Phase-1-500705201.html

The San Diego City Council approved the Pure Water San Diego Project, an initiative to purify wastewater into drinkable water. It plans to provide one-third of San Diego’s water by 2035. The project requires construction of pipelines to transport wastewater to the purification plant, then to the Lake Miramar Reservoir for storage, and out to citizens. The program is slated to start in 2021 in Miramar, and will produce up to 30 million gallons of potable water a day. More treatment facilities are planned to open in Central San Diego and South Bay, expected to produce an additional 53 million gallons per day. This water will replace imported water from the Colorado River and the Northern California Bay Delta, which is becoming increasingly expensive,

I think that this project is admirable, and should be followed by other major cities in California, especially in Southern California. As this article notes, San Diego and other Southern Californian cities rely on water from up north. This requires great amounts of energy and use of pipelines, and arguably takes away from citizens and farmers who need the water in Northern California. This recycled water system benefits both Northern and Southern California, as demand for imported water is alleviated. Water is a necessary component of life, but is also under strain with the persistent drought conditions throughout the state. The more cities can become self-sufficient with their water supply the better.