recycled water

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California Aims To Get Past The Yuck Factor Of Recycled Wastewater

Rott, N. (2018, February 20). California Aims To Get Past The Yuck Factor Of Recycled Wastewater. NPR, NPR. Retrieved September 1, 2018 from https://www.npr.org/2018/02/20/587195891/california-aims-to-get-past-the-yuck-factor-of-recycled-wastewater

 

California’s single largest source of new water supplies is recycled waste water. The Orange County Water District wanted to take on the project to recycle the most possible water within 24 hours, to set a world record. The need to follow a three step process to recycle water arose after rain didn’t fill their groundwater basin as hoped for. However, there is a stigma that “toilet” water can’t possibly be turned into tap. The Water District started using the hashtag #GetOverIt to kill the stigma.

As a person that lives in California, news about the drought isn’t old. 2011 and 2014 were recorded to be the driest periods in California history. During that time I remember TV commercials reminding people about taking shorter showers for example. However, by the end of 2016 the drought had supposedly gone away after a really wet winter. I think people confided that they could go back to their normal way of living but that wasn’t and is not the case. As of 2018, it hasn’t been confirmed yet, but California is predicted to fall under the drought category once again. This article specifically highlights the ideas of people to secure our modern urban economy. Others instead worry about the possible potable reuse as being disgusting and unhealthy. We have come to a time that what’s necessary, should simply be done.

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Recycled Water from Sewers Coming to California Taps

Andersen, T. (2018, March 7). Recycled Water from Sewers Coming to California Taps. SFGate, San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 1, 2018 from https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Recycled-water-from-sewer-OK-d-for-California-12735732.php#photo-8560407

 

The California State Water Resources Control Board created a regulation (Senate bills 918 and 322) that allowed water to be recycled as long as it was treated. This water would then be accumulated in the reservoirs people get their drinking water from. It took approximately two years to come to the agreement that recycled water would be healthy for people to drink. The Water Board also started working on a plan to combine treated recycled water and drinking water, the plan however, is predicted to be completed by 2023.

It is impressive to know that California saw the need to regulate water and actually execute a plan in two years. The article also mentions that the “Water Board funded about $748 million worth of water recycling projects” in 2017. What did come to me as a concern is the 5 year timeline that is predicted to combine drinking water and recycled water.  I wonder if obstacles that might come up include health risks, the space needed to store potable water, or the budget necessary to execute once again.

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groundwater observatory

Groundwater Observatory. (2017, February 4). Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://magazine.uc.edu/editors_picks/recent_features/groundwater_center.html
A novel project by the University of Cincinnati could lead to cleaner drinking water for millions of Americans.UC’s College of Arts and Sciences on Friday unveiled the new C.V. Theis Groundwater Observatory, a sensor array that will track how water moves between the Great Miami River and the aquifer beneath it, the sole source of drinking water for more than 2.3 million Ohioans. The $400,000 observatory at the Miami Whitewater Soccer Complex is the first of its kind east of the Mississippi River, said Amy Townsend-Small, associate professor of geology.
This article was very interesting and relevant! It is so great to see that places all over the United States are finding ways to recycle water and even lower over environmental issues at the same time.. It is still unfortunate to see how expensive these projects are. Why are they so expensive? They are essential to maintain a healthy ecosystem and help us strive so why is it so expensive? Because it is extremely expensive it limits what we can do, if it was cheaper more places over the world would be able to recycle water. Recycled water is beneficial to today’s economy and future.

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Concern for expansion

St. Gabriel residents concerned by water recycling plant expansion. (2017, Jan. & feb.). Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://www.wbrz.com/news/st-gabriel-residents-concerned-by-water-recycling-plant-expansion/
St. Gabriel City Council will soon decide if a water-recycling plant can expand, though many people are worried about it.Those people were not allowed to speak at a council meeting Thursday, however, since the project was just being introduced.The company has been operation in St. Gabriel for years recycling chemical waste. Tyrone Williams lives less than four miles from the plants and thinks expansion would cause more harm than good.”There are more than a thousand people being affected by this is you include the prison system,” Williams said. “And there have been significant violations, emission, cancer causing chemicals being released into the environment, the ground, the air, the water.”Absorbent Solutions President Stewart Fulton said the company did have violations in the past, but they continue to work with the Department of Environmental Quality to fix them.”Our goal in this expansion is to bring environmentalist responsibility, not only to the community but also to customers,” Fulton said.
This article was very interesting to me. Both sides in this case have very strong reasons on their claim. The ones being affected by this plant show the dangers of this plant and possible long term health effects of many. But the water plant is also very important in recycling water in order to drink and use it. I wonder which side is really overall more important.

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Trumps disassembles

Jerome, S. (2017, Feb. & march). Trump Issues Executive Order To Disassemble WOTUS. Retrieved March 9, 2017, from https://www.wateronline.com/doc/trump-issues-executive-order-to-disassemble-wotus-0001
Trump took steps last week to unravel a major water-policy regulation passed during the Obama administration.The Clean Water Rule — also known as the Water of the United States rule (WOTUS) — was the chief water-policy achievement of the Obama administration. Backers say it clarified which waters the U.S. EPA can regulate under the Clean Water Act. They argued that this issue has become increasingly unclear due to court decisions.The agriculture sector and the GOP framed the rule, currently unenforceable due to a court stay, as a government power grab that would hurt the economy.
This article is very interesting and very current. It is surprising how fast Trump can make life changing decisions as his presidency has just begun. Trump signed the order “surrounded by a group of farmers, homebuilders and county commissioners,” according to NPR.”It was a massive power grab,” Trump said, per NPR. “Regulations and permits started treating our wonderful small farmers and small businesses as if they were a major industrial polluter. They treated them horribly.” Not only is he getting rid of a very big water policy but he is treating people horrible while doing it. I wonder what will happen now that this policy is gone.

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Thirsty for change

Strack, B. (2017, March 07). Oceanside students thirsty for change. Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://www.liherald.com/stories/Oceanside-students-thirsty-for-change,88943
As a young girl in Burkina Faso, Georgie Badiel walked for three hours each morning to fetch clean water. After moving to the United States about a decade ago, she went back to her home country in Western Africa to visit her pregnant sister, who still had to get up between 2 and 4 a.m. to retrieve the scarce resource. Sixty sixth-graders in Angela Abend’s Project Extra class and students from Oceanside High School’s World Interest Club welcomed Badiel to the district on March 1, and presented the foundation with a $2,000 check. The donation culminated three months of students fundraisers and bottle collections as part of an interscholastic recycling project.
This article was very moving and eye opening. We don’t realize how lucky we really are for the water and other things we have. Living in the Silicon Valley we are secluded from what is really going on outside of our little world. About three million of the roughly 18 million people in Burkina Faso lack access to a clean water source, according to WaterAid America, and more than 2,800 children under 5 years old die in the country each year as a result of dirty water. The students broadened the scope of the issue, telling the audience that 780 million people encounter this lack of access worldwide, and even analyzed the recent water crisis in Flint, Mich. It is amazing to see how many people are eager to help recycle water to provide a better life for someone else.

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Recycled water project

Johnson, J. (2017, March 09). Recycled water project gets permit to inject highly treated wastewater into Seaside basin. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.montereyherald.com/article/NF/20170309/NEWS/170309809
Watsonville Pure Water Monterey now has permission to inject highly treated recycled wastewater into the Seaside basin for later use as drinking water.With staff offering its full-throated support, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board on Thursday unanimously approved a permit blessing the recycled water project’s advanced treatment plan for purifying a variety of wastewater sources prior to pumping the water into the basin. The hearing was held at Watsonville City Hall.
This article was very interesting to me. Before approving the permit, board members questioned the treatment proposal’s ability to purify highly contaminated wastewater, including “legacy pesticides” and “constituents of emerging concern” such as pharmaceuticals. In response, project consultant Shane Trussel told the board the treatment process employing reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation would reduce contaminants to levels well below those allowed under drinking water standards. Explaining that the recycled water is just as safe as normal water. It is great to read that many proposals for recycling water are being passed!

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Singapore’s NEWater a vision of the future of Recycled Water

Since the turn of the century, the country of Singapore has been living off of a virtually self- sustaining water system. Being an island, historically Singapore has struggled with its water supply as the nation developed, from lack thereof to contamination and flooding. As a modern response to this modern day problem the government responded with an overhaul of the entire system, and in the process freed Singapore from many of the pitfalls of a conventional municipal water supply. This huge system is carried out and maintained by the PUB, Singapore’s national water agency. Being a government agency has allowed for PUB to develop its encompassing system with speed and force, clearing the way in many situations for sustainable change. Arguably the biggest and most groundbreaking element of the switch was the development of advanced wastewater treatment systems. Singapore’s treatment plants treat and conduct more than 150,000 scientific tests on wastewater before it is pumped back into the system as recycled water, renamed “NEWater” by the agency. Currently NEWater accounts for almost 50% of water needs on the island, and the rest of it comes from a combination of rainwater collection, imported water, and desalination.

 
Even in light of its water challenges as an island nation, Singapore’s overhaul of its water system is an unquestionable success story in sustainable development, public relations, and water management. In terms of being prepared for the future of water management Singapore is leaps and bounds ahead of pretty much the entire world, even in comparison to our home state of California. The key to their success lies in closing the loop of wastewater, and feeding the treated water back into the system. Eliminating their one-track system of rain to ocean like we have in California allows for much greater longevity of use as well as security in times of change. Still there are things that they can do to to improve their system to make it 100% self-sustaining. Even though it accounts for a small percent of their water needs, importing water and desalination are ultimately inefficient methods that consume natural resources and can harm the environment.

PUB (2017, January 19). PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency. Retrieved March 9, 2017, from https://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/fournationaltaps/newater

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JNF picks up the bill for Recycled Water Development in Israel

The Jewish National Fund (JNF) has taken a large role in the development of sustainable water systems in Israel, bankrolling projects that can cost up to 30 million dollars in order to “retain, enhance, and purify” the drinking water system of Israel. As a nation located in the desert that also has thriving agriculture, Israel’s water needs are key to its economic success. As a result of the government’s collaboration with the JNF in the past, Israel currently uses 85% of its recycled water for agriculture and wetlands irrigation in the place of drinking water. Even with a reuse rates so high, with the help of the JNF Israel hopes to increase its recycled water use up to 95% in the future. Current projects include expanding water treatment to communities who currently are not on the established grid, as well as multi-use reservoirs that can provide recreation in wet years and water security in times of drought.

 

In my opinion it is a positive sign that independent organizations with enough monetary power and good intentions can fund necessary development – without the complications of government. Arguably the greatest pitfall for sustainable programs around the world and here in the United States is a lack of government support. Because government needs approval from the people and politicians before money is allocated, a cooperative strategy like the JNF and Israeli Government have may be the future of sustainable infrastructure development. when the red tape and bureaucracy of government fail to bring about necessary change to systems such as water, privately or publicly funded organizations can work to bring about the change that the people want and need for their societies. Organizations like the JNF receive donations from all around the world, which can bring the necessary development to locations that need it the most.

 
Levy , A. (2017 , March 7). A multi-pronged approach to water economy innovation. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Environment/A-multi-pronged-approach-towater-economy-innovation-484467

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Annual Rain Dance makes a controversial splash in India

In the city of Pune in western India local governments are cracking down on organization of traditional “rain dance” celebrations that take place along with the annual Holi festival. The tradition requires the heavy use of water resources purely for entertainment, in a process where participants “dance” under huge open showers to wash off the excess colored die that is thrown during Holi. In a region crippled with shortages of clean drinking water, such events this time of year are being met with harsh backlash from the public and as a result the local government has stepped in to mediate. Rain dances this year may only take place if the water is 100% recycled and being used scarcely, seeing as perfectly good drinking water should not flow so plentifully down the drain in Pune.

In terms of normalization and conservation I believe that this step is a great sign for Pune and other regions with immediate water challenges in the world. It seems just that the people of the public should be the first to call out others who use precious resources irresponsibly, and that with the help of a local government that understands the needs of the people a compromise can be made. On top of that the fact that they could get people to shower in recycled water so freely is astounding to me, here in the United States we are leaps and bounds away from getting the public to even look at recycled water, let alone bathe in it. This type of conflict and mediation is very surely a precursor to major water conflicts in the future, in places very much like India the public will have to start making compromises about water use, recycled or not.

Service, E. N. (2017, March 12). At Holi parties: Confusion over ‘rain dance’ events. Retrieved March 11, 2017, from http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/at-holi-parties-confusion-over-rain-dance-events-4566103/