Kovner, Guy. “North Bay Agencies Seek $83 Million to Expand Water Recycling amid Drought.” Santa Rosa Press Democrat, The Press Democrat, 18 May 2022, https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/north-bay-agencies-seek-83-million-to-expand-water-recycling-amid-drought/.
The North Bay in California is fully on board with recycled water plants. Dozens of recycled-water plant proposals are sprouting, and grants are being requested for 81.2 million dollars to provide recycled water for different counties. Gov. Gavin Newsom is backing this up as it is one of our best drought-proof resources. While the idea of recycled water does trigger the gag reflex for some, many believe that should not be the case due to the extremities of purification.
With the rise of many water recycling plants, it could be argued that it is because of overpopulation. This is a solution as the environment can not naturally sustain the population within that range. Millions of gallons to golf courses, lawns, and households, and there is bound to be a water shortage. This is a more significant issue than just water, it runs deeper, and it is easy to imagine that this is only a short-term solution for a long-term problem. Overpopulation could deplete many other natural resources, and it is easy to root back the majority of climate issues to exceeding carry capacities in given environments.
Due to the fact that we are unsustainably overusing earth’s amount of availible freshwater at an alarming rate, it seems natural to propose the idea of recycled water (especially as the global population rises and the demand for clean water increases). However, I wonder types of water we are going to recycle? In other words, what has the water been used for prior to its repurification?
Hey, thanks for the comment. The demand for water and the pressure on water supplies is no joke. The recycled water plants are a great solution to conserve water. These plants are extremely advanced so it is not as important to think about where the water is coming from, which is everywhere (toilet, tap, shower, sink), but rather how clean the water is, and it is extremely clean after being treated.
Because we are using increasingly more water every year, and we are using more than we can safely sustain. If you feel that this issue runs extremely deep into society what alternatives solutions would you propose that don’t involve just trying to “clean” water for reuse.
Hey, thanks for the comment. The main solution that we have seen California implement is higher water bills if there is over usage in a household. Another is more efficient farming irrigation systems, gold courses using water-efficient grasses, stuff like that.
I agree, we use a lot of water daily. its important to recycle that water so we don’t run out. how would we fix this problem? is there more ways to “clean” the water?
Hey, thanks for the comment. This is the most efficient way to clean water but is extremely expensive to build and maintain. So possibly building more cost-efficient plants that treat water only for recreational use, meaning for watering the lawn, farming,, etc.