A tiny, shuttered wastewater treatment facility in north Phoenix that the City Council voted to bring back online Wednesday will be the city’s first to use advanced water purification technology that officials hope to make widespread within a decade. The technology, which cleans sewage to drinkable standards, would bring a significant new supply of potable water to the Valley by reusing effluent that would otherwise be sent into the ground. Finding a new drinking water source is critical for cities as they look to reduce their dependence on the drought-stricken Colorado River. … The technology, also called direct potable reuse, was banned in Arizona until 2018, and now, the Legislature has directed ADEQ to implement a permitting system by December 2024.

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