“This is an exciting development in the state’s ongoing efforts to find innovative solutions to the challenges of extreme weather driven by climate change,” said E. Joaquin Esquivel, the chair of the board.
Members unanimously approved the new regulations on Tuesday, after years of discussions and just before a deadline [set six years ago](https://watereuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2017.10.06.AB-574-SIGNED.pdf) for the state to adopt regulations for reusing wastewater by the end of 2023. After the new rules are finalized next year, water companies will be able to submit plans for projects to be approved by the board.
The new steps will save energy and benefit the environment, Esquivel said, adding that “these regulations ensure that the water produced is not only safe, but purer than many drinking water sources we now rely on.”
California may be first, there will be other states forced to do the same
They should include Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming in this headline too.
Those are all states battling for water rights to the Colorado River while some of their populations boom.
Funny transition, going from a boom state to a drinking boom-boom state 🙂
Time to switch to Brawndo, the thirst mutilator.
Terrible clickbait headline
This may shock some people, but basically all water on Earth is “toilet water”. Contrary to what some homeopathic practitioners think, water molecule has no memory of where it came from.
Hopefully moves like this will provide the incentive to fund real wastewater treatment for things like PFAS, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and disinfection byproducts.
Wait until the author finds out about the water cycle
Water? Like from the toilet? Does it got electrolytes?
It’s not really toilet water if it’s been treated. Once you treat it it becomes something different: treated water.
Drip irrigation would be better. You don’t have wallabies digging up & chewing on pipes in the USA, what makes precision watering unfeasible over there? Is it the labour force is incapacitated through being physically overweight, or there aren’t enough people resident on farms or enough cycling of farm labour to encourage people to work without feeling trapped or coerced or forced? Do farms encourage families to take residence, such as couples or even couples with children who could work on a seasonal basis? In Australia, our migrant workers, usually well-educated, healthy, capable and able Europeans & people from other countries also, that assist with things like fruit picking and handling, tend to do so as they are unattached travellers happy to seek friendships, and not typically parents or couples or relatives who are travelling together! I’ve not travelled much or worked on those farms myself much, only visited a couple, but imagining it was me working, I have dependents, and would probably need slightly different hours due to age or health and diet. Also transportation is difficult, ebikes are ideal however not many visitors to Australia can use them as they tend to prefer using cars or pooling for a car so they have a place to keep personal items that is their private property. I have never heard of short term low interest financed sales of property to people with working tourist visas where they don’t have eg. Realtors inspecting their rentals or having to live in shared accommodation and no longer have privacy for the things they own. The condition of employment and transportation and accommodation all mix to make it a bit difficult to really feel welcome, when arriving and aiding as a low wage remote worker, doing things the longer term residents or born locals don’t want to do.
11 comments
As climate change and [water scarcity](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2023/water-scarcity-map-solutions/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2) become increasingly urgent issues around the world, governments are turning to new options to ensure adequate water supplies — including turning [sewage waste into drinking water](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/29/uk-drink-sewage-water-squeamish-wastewater-recycle/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2).
And if you’re in California, this may soon be flowing from your kitchen tap.
The State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday voted to allow water companies to pump treated wastewater into residents’ taps in the populous, [drought-prone state](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/03/15/california-groundwater-recharge-drought/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5). In a [statement](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press_room/press_releases/2023/pr20231219-dpr-regulations-adoption.pdf), the board said the decision would give California “the most advanced standards in the nation for treating wastewater to such an extent that the finished product meets or exceeds current drinking water standards.”
“This is an exciting development in the state’s ongoing efforts to find innovative solutions to the challenges of extreme weather driven by climate change,” said E. Joaquin Esquivel, the chair of the board.
Members unanimously approved the new regulations on Tuesday, after years of discussions and just before a deadline [set six years ago](https://watereuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2017.10.06.AB-574-SIGNED.pdf) for the state to adopt regulations for reusing wastewater by the end of 2023. After the new rules are finalized next year, water companies will be able to submit plans for projects to be approved by the board.
The new steps will save energy and benefit the environment, Esquivel said, adding that “these regulations ensure that the water produced is not only safe, but purer than many drinking water sources we now rely on.”
Many people are already drinking treated wastewater, Esquivel said, the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/california-recycled-wastewater-drought-8b476dc83652af43c6aad52070b9d992) reported. What exists now is wastewater treated by what’s known as “[indirect potable reuse](https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/potable-water-reuse-and-drinking-water),” a process where wastewater is released into natural water bodies, such as reservoirs and rivers, before being turned into drinking water.
Tuesday’s vote allows for that treatment.
**Read more:** [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/12/20/california-drinking-water-wastewater-sewage/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/12/20/california-drinking-water-wastewater-sewage/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
California may be first, there will be other states forced to do the same
They should include Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming in this headline too.
Those are all states battling for water rights to the Colorado River while some of their populations boom.
Funny transition, going from a boom state to a drinking boom-boom state 🙂
Time to switch to Brawndo, the thirst mutilator.
Terrible clickbait headline
This may shock some people, but basically all water on Earth is “toilet water”. Contrary to what some homeopathic practitioners think, water molecule has no memory of where it came from.
Hopefully moves like this will provide the incentive to fund real wastewater treatment for things like PFAS, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and disinfection byproducts.
Wait until the author finds out about the water cycle
Water? Like from the toilet? Does it got electrolytes?
It’s not really toilet water if it’s been treated. Once you treat it it becomes something different: treated water.
Drip irrigation would be better. You don’t have wallabies digging up & chewing on pipes in the USA, what makes precision watering unfeasible over there? Is it the labour force is incapacitated through being physically overweight, or there aren’t enough people resident on farms or enough cycling of farm labour to encourage people to work without feeling trapped or coerced or forced? Do farms encourage families to take residence, such as couples or even couples with children who could work on a seasonal basis? In Australia, our migrant workers, usually well-educated, healthy, capable and able Europeans & people from other countries also, that assist with things like fruit picking and handling, tend to do so as they are unattached travellers happy to seek friendships, and not typically parents or couples or relatives who are travelling together! I’ve not travelled much or worked on those farms myself much, only visited a couple, but imagining it was me working, I have dependents, and would probably need slightly different hours due to age or health and diet. Also transportation is difficult, ebikes are ideal however not many visitors to Australia can use them as they tend to prefer using cars or pooling for a car so they have a place to keep personal items that is their private property. I have never heard of short term low interest financed sales of property to people with working tourist visas where they don’t have eg. Realtors inspecting their rentals or having to live in shared accommodation and no longer have privacy for the things they own. The condition of employment and transportation and accommodation all mix to make it a bit difficult to really feel welcome, when arriving and aiding as a low wage remote worker, doing things the longer term residents or born locals don’t want to do.