California Approves Wastewater Recycling Rules

California regulators approved the first standards for transforming sewage into potable water, reports Rachel Becker in CALmatters, paving the way for recycling and treating wastewater.

“The new rules — which have been more than a decade in the making and were mandated by a state law — outline a slew of requirements aimed at ensuring that germs and chemicals are scrubbed from treated sewage,” Becker explains.

The sewage will be bubbled with ozone, chewed by bacteria, filtered through activated carbon, pushed at high pressures through reverse osmosis membranes multiple times, cleansed with an oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide and beamed with high-intensity UV light. Valuable minerals, such as calcium, that were filtered out will be restored. And then, finally, the wastewater will be subjected to the regular treatment that all drinking water currently undergoes.

Colorado and Texas already have rules governing ‘toilet-to-tap,’ and Florida and Arizona are developing their own policies. After a final review, the California rules could be implemented sometime next year. A Southern California recycled water plant is under construction and could produce roughly 115 million gallons of water per day by 2032.

The recycled water will likely cost more than imported water, but will help secure California’s water future as water supplies in the West become more strained.