In a bold move that sounds like something from a Dune-esque science fiction movie in which Arakis residents use every drop of drinking liquid, including sweat, California is redefining the low point of water-saving laws. Yesterday, the state approved first-of-its-kind rules for returning treated wastewater directly into the public water system.
The decision was passed unanimously by five members of the California Water Resources Control Board and marks a significant shift toward adopting direct drinking reuse. This approach includes purifying municipal sewage and integrating it into the public water distribution system.
So far, California has recycled treated wastewater only for non-drinking uses, such as toilets, urinals, fountains, fire extinguishing and even artificial snow at ski resorts. The new regulations aim to repurpose more treated wastewater that was previously discharged into the Pacific Ocean. The updated rules allow water network operators independent discretion when deciding to pump purified water directly into taps, eliminating the need for permission requests or other bureaucratic procedures.
The decision is not surprising, given California Governor Gavin Newsom's water supply strategy, introduced last year to address growing drinking water shortages due to factors such as climate change, droughts, population growth and groundwater overuse.
At the same time, the state is trying to check and limit the water consumption of the technology industry. A recent study at the University of California, Riverside focused on the enormous amount of water wasted by the new AI trend, due to the enormous computing power that makes servers heat up and requires more cooling by running water.
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