Headline: California poised to allow ‘toilet to tap’ projects, in landmark water rule [bold added]
California water regulators are poised to approve long-awaited rules that will allow local water agencies to convert sewage — such as what drains from toilets and showers — directly into drinking water.
In what is probably an understatement
Acceptance among ordinary people who would drink the water remains a concern; [Kirsten] Struve estimates that one-third of the public is not keen on the concept. However, water experts believe that Californians are increasingly open to the concept — in part due to water scarcity struggles statewide.
Your humble blogger thinks that water "experts" are too optimistic that the public will drink treated wastewater. Many Californians don't even drink tap water now. According to a
UC-Berkeley paper
The majority of Californians have access to safe surface water. Yet, 70% of Californians
drink bottled water at least monthly (Lucas 2003). Over 35% of the bottled water sold in the
U.S. is consumed in California and one third of Californians use such water as a primary source
of drinking water (Allen 1994).
If this were a plot by the bottled water companies to increase their sales, it's genius.
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