Water recycling in California
From toilet to basin to tap.There is more.That is how one water agency intends to make to the San Gabriel Valley nearly droughtproof.
The Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District this month approved a $300,000 consulting contract with MWH, an engineering company, which will review plans for a treatment plant that turns waste water into drinking water and stores it in the San Gabriel Basin.
The facility would be similar to an Orange County Water District groundwater replenishment plant that opened in January.
"This would take waste water generated in the San Gabriel Valley and turn it into ultrapurified drinking water," said Tim Jochem, general manager of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, based in El Monte.
"This will help us provide a high quality, local water supply to replace our lost imported water," said Peter Rodriguez, spokesman for the water district.
The plant could cost up to $70 million, but officials said the expense is reasonable considering that a stable water supply for Southern California is becoming more important.
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"We have been doing water reuse since the '60s," said Ray Avila, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sanitation District. "When you live in a arid environment like we do, reusing and recharging water like we do is a very important thing."
But turning waste water into drinking water would be relatively new in Los Angeles County.
The city of Los Angeles is considering this, although officials predict the plant won't be completed until 2018.
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Actually astronauts have been recycling waste water for decades and have had no ill effects.
When I designed the plumbing for my house I created separate lines for "gray water." This is water from showers, sinks, and the washing machine. Where it exits the prairie grass shoots up from its normal three feet tall to around 10 feet. I think it likes it. It also saves space in teh septic system.
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