Felicity Barringer reports on the growing practice of recycling treated wastewater as drinking water in southwestern cities attempting to address diminishing water supplies.
While treated wastewater has a fifty year history of use for irrigation and industrial uses, its use for tap water is spreading, albeit slowly. Through the lens of San Diego's successes with the practice, "where only 12 years ago the City Council recoiled from the toilet-to-tap concept," Barringer examines whether improved technology and education can overcome the "yuck factor" associated with drinking treated wastewater.
Concerns with scarcity and the results of effective educational and outreach campaigns conspired to change opinions in San Diego.
"The change of heart found voice on the editorial page of The San Diego Union-Tribune, a onetime opponent, in an editorial titled 'The Yuck Factor: Get Over It.' That sentiment was echoed in a cartoon on a California public radio blog depicting a dog with its nose in a toilet.
The caption? 'Ten million dogs can't be wrong.'"
FULL STORY: As ‘Yuck Factor’ Subsides, Treated Wastewater Flows From Taps
San Diego Launches Massive Sewage Treatment Project
The ambitious Pure Water project is designed to reduce the city's dependence on imported water and limit the amount of sewage dumped into the ocean.
San Diego Water Recycling Project Receives Critical EPA Loan
One of the nation's most ambitious attempts to recycle wastewater into potable water received a huge lift last month from the EPA with the receipt of a $164 million loan under the now-permanent Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.
San Diego Mayor: Recycled Wastewater Program Will Be a Model
Mayor Kevin Faulconer sees San Diego's Pure Water Program as proof of concept for other cities with uncertain water supplies. By 2035, the initiative aims to derive one-third of the city's supply from recycled wastewater.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research