Today I’m going to show you the future of water that you never saw coming.
Due to prolonged dry weather in certain terrestrial terrains, science has taken it upon itself to find a quick solution which we humans can use as an alternative to our usual water sources – and this is something not so far from us; and you’re going to see exactly how this works.
Let’s dive right in!
The Future of Water Might Just Lie in Recycled Human Waste
It may sound a bit irk, but the future of water may just be about a toilet-to-tap concept.
In fact, Frank Herbert’s novel Dune described a rainless planet where the human inhabitants have to wear stillsuits that capture sweat, urine, and faeces and recycles them into clean drinking water for their use.
As crazy as this sounds, elements of Frank Herbert’s vision are becoming a reality for the future of water.
While there are no models built to predict the future of climate conditions on earth, disturbances in the world’s hydrology have left science worried in its pants. With increased rainfall and excessive flooding in certain geographical zones, and intense drought in others, science is forced to try out other alternatives for the future of our water.
California, for example, has faced a lot of water insecurities in its farming sector – with 80% of the water generated in the United States flowing to California farms, and half of the fruits, nuts, vegetables produced in the United States coming from California, there’s a call for a better solution for the future of water.
The state of California, in particular, has caught the attention of scientists, with its prolonged dry periods, utilities are now increasing their reliance on sewage to generate the amount of water the state needs to function.
The first option for the future of water came in the exploration of desalination of water bodies to strip salt content from ocean waters. But one of the hardest parts of this process is in removing salt impurities already dissolved in the water. Plus, desalinating a water body costs way more than recycling already available wastewater.
The average cost to desalinate a water body is about $3,000 per acre-foot, while the cost to recycle wastewater is about $1,800 per acre-foot.
There’s no denying, recycled water is indeed the future of water!
With that, it is quickly becoming known that recycling wastewater is now the single most important element and cost-efficient way for dealing with drought in rough climatic conditions.
The best part?
Using this system of recycling has shown positive results in giving out the best pure and refreshing taste that you can get from a well bottled Swiss Alps.
In fact, did you know – a pilot project in Orange County, Southern California delivers about 100 million gallons of recycled wastewater daily?
Yes! Surprised yet?
You might know yet, but the Orange County District kickstarted a toilet-to-tap facility for almost $490 million way back in 2008. They like to refer this facility to the showers-to-flowers.
The OC is one of the largest recycling wastewater plants in the world that is estimated to deliver a proposed 150 million gallons of water daily to its residents as soon as 2023.
But all of this doesn’t end just in the state of California…
Countries like Israel and Singapore have been known to be recycling their wastewater for decades, and other countries need to follow suit.
Now I’d Love to Hear from You:
- What do you think about the concept of recycling wastewater?
- Do you picture this as the future of water?
- Would you drink water if you were told that it came from your toilet?
Let me know by leaving a comment below!
