Dear Western Water readers:

After more than two decades of drought, water utilities serving the largest urban regions in the arid Southwest are embracing a drought-proof source of drinking water long considered a supply of last resort: purified sewage.

Water supplies have tightened to the point that Phoenix and the water supplier for 19 million residents are racing to adopt an expensive technology, called “direct potable reuse” or “advanced purification,” to reduce their reliance on imported water from the dwindling Colorado River.

“[Utilities] see that the river is overallocated, and they see that the climate is changing,” said Kathryn Sorensen, former director of Phoenix Water Services Department. “They’re looking at this and understanding that the river supply is highly variable and extremely uncertain in the future.” Read the full story here.

Water Around the West

Five don’t-miss articles from California and across the West:

24 ideas floated for saving water and protecting Colorado River from drought, climate change: A state of Colorado 17-member task force recommends spending millions to replace lawns and repair inefficient irrigation systems to stretch the state’s Colorado River supply, Jerd Smith reports for the Colorado Sun.

L.A. County aims to collect billions more gallons of local water by 2045: The nation’s most populous county adopts its first water plan and cites water recycling and stormwater capture as key methods to decrease reliance on imported water, writes the Los Angeles Times’ Jaclyn Cosgrove.

Cosumnes Watershed: Learn about and explore the Sierra Nevada’s last free-flowing river, its natural floodplains and riparian oak forests in a vibrant new U.S. Bureau of Land Management story map.

‘Blue-green economy’: Work to start on installing solar panels over Gila River canals: The Gila River Indian Community has begun covering a 3,000-foot section of the tribe’s irrigation canals with solar panels to reduce evaporation. Arizona water suppliers are closely watching the results, reports Debra Krol for the Arizona Republic.

In California, Farmers Test a Method to Sink More Water into Underground Stores: Inside Climate News’ Emma Foehringer Merchant examines an innovative groundwater recharge net metering program underway in California.

Water Word of the Day

California has been treating wastewater for potable and non-potable uses for decades. The renewable source is critical in some parts of the state, including in coastal Orange County where treated water is injected into the ground to slow seawater intrusion and recharge aquifers. Find out more about how Recycled Water fits into California’s water management portfolio in Aquapedia, our water encyclopedia.

At the Foundation

The application window is open for our second cohort of Colorado River Water Leaders, which will run from March to September next year.

Our biennial program, patterned after our highly successful California Water Leaders program, selects rising stars from the seven U.S. states that rely on the river: California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico. Acceptance to the program is highly competitive. Applications are due Jan. 22. Watch a recording of a recent Q&A on the program here.

Water Academy

Interest in wastewater recycling is growing in the Southwest as traditional drinking water supplies grow tighter. Our 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Recycling provides a timely overview of the history, treatment, legislation, financing, projects and challenges of water recycling in California. Grab a copy today!