Southern California has a plan to ease the Colorado River crisis. And it starts right under your feet
Water purification is a more palatable way to describe the process of purifying and reusing wastewater, or all the water that goes down our drains and yes…toilets, too. Currently, most wastewater is treated to a certain level before being dumped in the ocean. Water purification involves several additional steps to get the water to drinkable quality. (More on that here). MWD has partnered with the L.A. County Sanitation District, to build what would be the nation’s largest wastewater recycling facility. By 2032, Upadhyay says they’ll recycle enough water to replace as much as 15% of the agency’s imported water supply, though he said recycled water deliveries to some cities could start as soon as 2027. Currently, recycled water offsets about 9% of California’s water needs.
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